22-3530: PHOTO COMMUNICATIONS

Spring 2012 | Tues 6:00 – 9:50 pm

INSTRUCTOR: Shawn Calvert shawncalvert@gmail.com

Course Description

This course explores photography and its application in design communications. Knowledge from Photography I is applied and expanded to explore the communicative potential of photography in design. Course covers alternative photographic methods and materials, location photography, studio lighting, and tabletop photography. Students create all their own images for their design and advertising layouts.

Pre-Enrollment Criteria

23-1100 Photography I — and 23-1101 Photography I Workshop, — or 23-1250 Digital Photography for Non-Majors — and 22-3340 Intermediate Typography 22-2510 Advertising Art Direction

General Course Objectives

Students will gain the ability to preconceive the imagery necessary to communicate a design or advertising objective. Course will enhance photographic aesthetic, technical, and language skills.

Disclaimer

This syllabus is subject to change at any time during the semester. You will be notified of any changes or will be issued a new syllabus.

last day to add a class

Monday, Jan 23

last day to drop class

Monday, Jan 30

last day to withdraw

Monday, Mar 12

| photo communications

COURSE DETAILS

Text

No textbook is assigned. Readings will be posted in Moodle.

Materials

n camera (we will discuss in class; needs to be approriate for the project. Can be digital or film.)

n medium sized sketchbook

n pencils, pens, watercolors, markers of choice

n storage media of choice (firewire/USB 2.0 external, ipod, flashdrives)

Course Fee

Course fees are used to support special class materials and activities. A certain percentage of the course fee will be credited directly to your student card after the add/drop deadline. The course fee funds on your card are directly linked to this specific course and the balance will return to zero one week following the end of the semester.

Students with Disabilities Statement

Students with disabilities are requested to present their Columbia accommodation letters to their instructor at the beginning of the semester so that accommodations can be arranged in a timely manner by the College, the department or the faculty member, as appropriate. Students with disabilities who do not have accommodation letters should visit the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities (312-369-8134/V or 312-360-0767/TTY).

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is one of the most cherished principles of the Columbia community. You must adhere to this principle: by understanding the nature of plagiarism and by not plagiarizing materials; by refraining from the use of unauthorized aids on tests and examinations; by turning in assignments which are products of your own efforts and research; and by refusing to give or receive information on tests and examinations to or from other students. If you violate these principles of simple honesty, you risk embarrassment, course failure, and disciplinary action. It is simply not worth it.

ATTENDANCE & ABSENCES

Attendance is required in all Art + Design classes. In each class, attendance is tied to specific learning outcomes and to course grades. Any absence will affect your ability to complete coursework successfully. There are no excused absences. More than three absences is cause for failure. Here are some examples of the ways in which attendance connects with learning outcomes:

1 Students critique and evaluate each other’s work in class and it is essential for your progress and learning experience to be present to do so. Critiquing develops analytical skill and communication proficiency.

2 Students frequently collaborate on projects and in-class exercises, and learning these skills requires you to be present.

3 Participating in class discussions and critiques helps you develop skill in self-expression and verbal/rhetorical abilities

Tardiness and early departure will also be considered a violation of the absence policy. Attendance will be taken at the start of each class. Being late to class twice (15 minutes or more), or leaving before the end of class twice (or instructor dismissal), will equal an absence. While I appreciate being informed if you are arriving late or leaving early, the attendance mark is automatic nonetheless. Class will not dismiss earlier than 9:20, so if you leave before then, you will receive and early departure. Attendance will be recorded in Moodle after each class; it is the student’s responsibility to keep track of their attendance record.

EXPECTATIONS

To do well in this course, plan on an average of at least 6–8 hours of work per week outside of class. Project schedules are designed to give students time for critical and creative revisions; the drafts leading to the final version of a project should represent active experimentation, critical self-assessment, and personal commitment to the work.

Arrive at class on time, with your materials, your projects prepared, and ready to work. There will be two 15-minute breaks per class. While in class, you are expected to work on class projects; internet usage should be limited to class-related research.

You are expected to be an enthusiastic participant in this class and take ownership of your work and development as a creative professional. The function of critiques is not only to receive feedback on your work, but to build essential skills of presentation, negotiation, and persuasion.

photo communications |

GRADES

A project will be evaluated by the following criteria:

1 following instructions accurately and meeting deadlines,

2 appropriateness of solution to project design brief,

3 uniqueness of solution, demonstration of creativity and purposeful experimentation,

4 craftmanship and attention to detail, and

5 presentation.

There will be something due each week that will affect your grade. Deadlines are clearly noted in Moodle and/or project printouts. It is your responsiblity to keep track of when your work is due and to ensure that you are clear on expectations before starting your projects.

All grades and comments will be posted through Moodle.

Grade Breakdown

Three projects — 100pts each

Three large shooting assignments — 50pts each

Exercises/smaller shooting assignments — 10pts each

GRADE DESCRIPTION GRADE AVG

A excellent 96-100 A- 91-95 B+ 88-90 B above average 84-87 B- 80-83 C+ 77-79 C average 73-76 C- 70-72 D below average 60-69 F failure below 60

FX failure for non-attendance P pass I Incomplete (not given) R course repeated W withdrawal

COURSEWORK

Each project will be provided with a detailed project sheet. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully. Reread the directions prior to handing in your projects. Failure to comply with these instructions will effect your grade.

We will critique work-in-progress as well as finished projects. Critiques are meant to develop skills of presentation and discussion and should be approached in a professional manner. The presentation of work is an essential part of the project as well as your development as a creative professional. Creating the work is only part of the process—you must be able to present your work as the right solution to the given design problem.

Unless instructed otherwise, work must be printed out to be accepted for review, class viewing or grading. If you wait until 10 minutes before class to print out your work and then run into printing problems, that is not a valid excuse for late work. Any work brought into class after a crit has started will be counted as late. All work must be posted in Moodle for credit; if the work is analog (like a pencil sketch), it should be scanned or photographed and uploaded (image quality isn’t an issue).

Projects vs. Exercises

Throughout the course, we will have around 10 in-class exercises that will be graded on a credit/no-credit basis. The exercises are intended to build specific skills that will be needed for projects, or to reinforce topics and/or design techniques. You will be given time to complete exercises in class.

Late Work

All work will be due at specific dates as outlined in the course schedule, and will be due at the beginning of class.

Exercises If you do not complete the work in-class or are absent, then exercises must be submitted in Moodle before the beginning of the next class (i.e., within one week). Late exercises will not be accepted for credit (not negotiable).

Project drafts/work-in-progress All in-progress project work must be turned in on the date specified. Missed work will count a full letter off the final project grade. All in-progress work is posted in Moodle, so class attendance is not required to the ability to turn in work.

Project finals If your project final is one week late, your project will drop 1 full grade, two weeks late, your project will drop 2 grades. Project finals will not be accepted after two weeks. Please don’t miss class because you haven’t finished your work.

Backing Up Your FIles

Losing work due to failed media or overwritten files is not an excuse for late work. Students are expected to have an effective backup strategy for all of their files. It is suggested

CLASS NEWS AND UPDATES

I will be contacting you via email (through the Moodle News Forum) with reminders, changes or any other pertinent information. Please check your email at least 24hrs before class or more often. It is your responsibility to manage your mailbox so that lines of communication are open and available.

I will also be posting up-to-date project handouts, presentation pdfs, and the syllabus/calendar with any updates on Moodle. If you misplace your project handouts you will find them on Moodle for the duration of the project.

CONTACTING THE INSTRUCTOR

The best way to contact me is through email; I do check my Columbia address a few times a week (scalvert@colum.edu, but can be reached faster at my gmail account (shawncalvert@gmail.com). If the issue is an emergency, please call my cell phone: 773-332-0448. I am only on campus during class hours, but will be available for student meetings during breaks or after class.

ONLINE RESOURCES

Moodle

All assignments, projects, resources and quizzes will be posted in Moodle.

Moodle is a new learning management system (LMS) at Columbia that is available as an alternative to Oasis. To enter the Moodle site, go to moodle.colum.edu, log in with your Oasis ID, and you should see our class under “My Courses.” On the course site landing page, you will find all of the same information that you would normally find in Oasis; grades, attendance records, handouts, etc, but in a more user-friendly interface.

Tumblr

We will post our shooting assignments in a public blog, at:

http://photocomm.tumblr.com/

You are not required to post all of your work in the Tumblr blog; if you prefer not to post your work publicly, you may post the work in Moodle.

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photo communications |

COURSE SCHEDULE (updated 1/31/2012)

1 /17 Introductions Exercise 1 Quick portrait

for next week

Sh. Assign 1 100 photos

1 / Elements of Design in PhotographySh. Assign 1 group editTutorials

Exercise 2

for next week

Sh. Assign 2 Formalist photos

1 / Light and CompositionSh. Assign 2 reviewTutorials

Exercise 3 Contrast

for next week

Sh. Assign 3 Light and Composition Project 1 PSA/park event concepts and research

/07 Color Sh. Assign 2 review Project 1 group review of concepts

Exercise 4

for next week

Project 1 PSA/park event layouts

/1 Modes of Photography Project 1 group review

Exercise 5

for next week

Project 2 PSA/park event revisions Reading GDS Unit 3

/1 Studio ShootProject 1 group reviewExercise 6

for next week

Project 2 PSA/park event finalReading GDS Unit 6

/8 CritProject 1 final full class critQuiz 1

for next week

Project 2 Ad/book jacket thumbnails

6 | photo communications

/06 PortraitsProject 2 group reviewExercise 9

for next week

Project 2 Ad/book jacket roughs

/1 Studio ShootProject 2 group review

for next week

Project 2 Ad/book jacket revisions

/0 TextureProject 3 group reviewExercise 10

for the week after spring break

Project 2 Ad/book jacket final

/7 Spring Break

/0 CritProject 2 full class crit

for next week

Project 3 Fable/Cookbook entry/how-to thumbnails

/10 Layout & CroppingProject 3 group reviewExercise 11

for next week

Project 3 Fable/Cookbook entry/how-to revised

/17 Montage techniquesProject 4 group review

for next week

Project 3 Fable/Cookbook entry/how-to revised

/ ReviewProject 4 group review

for next week

Project 3 Fable/Cookbook entry/how-to final

/01 FinalProject 4 full class critQuiz 2

AGENDA

DISCUSSION of pixels & bits pixel quality control how to we critique photos?

break

REVIEW create a contact sheet in Bridge group reviews of shooting assignment individual presentation of 10 selections

break

OVERVIEW of shooting assignment 2

EXERCISE tone

TO DO Upload your 10 selects to Tumblr PDF contact sheet of all 100 to Moodle

TERMS TO KNOW

raster/vector resolution dependent

Bit depth

256

8-bit

16-bit view percentage

Black point

White point

S-curve

High-key/low-key

Shadows & Highlights tool

Brightness/contrast tool

Highlight/shadow clipping

Plugged shadows

Blown out highlights

Unsharp mask

Posterization

Non-destructive editing

Compression artifacts

Lossy compression

SHOOTING ASSIGNMENT 2: FINDING DESIGN PATTERNS

Take these elements of design:

line, shape, texture, space, size, value

and present 5 photos illustrating each. You may set up some of your photos, but at least half should be found “in life.”

Your goal is to create photos where a particular design ele-ment is dominant point of interest or compositional element.

QUESTIONS

Is there a particular aspect in photography that you look for?

When are you most likely to take photos?

Do you have a favorite camera?

My best photos have been taken when ...

Photo Comm / Jan 24

AGENDA

DISCUSSION new class schedule Project 2 overview b/w photo conversion

EXERCISE Ittens contrasts upload exercise + 2nd shooting assignment

break

REVIEW present shooting assignments

Shooting assign 3 overview

TERMS TO KNOW

b/w conversion tools: using raw

using black & white adjustment layer

hue saturation

gradient map

channel mixer

white balance grey card aspect ratio 3:2 frame dynamics rule of thirds active space rule frame within frame focal point

SHOOTING ASSIGNMENT 3: Shooting natural light

Create 10 successful photos: 5 that use light as a composi-tional element, and 5 that explore the color of natural light at different times in the day.

Explore different crop ratios, shutter speeds, field depths, perspecitves, compositions, exposures and post-processing.

Your photos should be well exposed and technically print-ready, with attention to interesting and meaningful compostiions

ITTENS CONTRASTS

Point/LinePlane/VolumeLarge/SmallHigh/LowLong/ShortBroad/NarrowThick/ThinLight/DarkBlack/WhiteMuch/LittleStraight/CurvedPointed/BluntHorizontal/VerticalDiagonal/Circular Area/LineArea/BodyLine/BodySmooth/RoughHard/SoftStill/MovingLight/HeavyTransparent/OpaqueContinuous/IntermittentLiquid/SolidSweet/SourStrong/WeakLoud/Soft

Photo Comm / Jan 31

TUTORIAL: PORTRAITS

1. Greycard: color correct the image by clicking on the greycard only.

2. Blemishes: Use the touchup tool of your choice to clean up the larger specks. Create a new merged copy of the layers, and apply a dust & scratches filter, then apply a filled-in mask to that layer. Selectively add the layer in by painting white in the mask.

3. Tone_blemishes: – adjust tone – darken background – brighten the eyes, saturate eye color, increase contrast in lashes, eyebrows if needed – touch-up larger blemishes – dublicate layer, set to screen, lighted up shadows under eyes – Darken the hands: duplicate layers again, darken, use mask – Brighten up the face only – Enhance the lighting on the hair

4. Tone_bw: convert the portrait to black and white, adjust for tone and blemishes.

NEXT CLASS: APRIL 3

1. Extra Credti (15pt): 10 (new) photos in a series, posted in Tumblr.

2. Final Book Design: presented on a book, with all images. Should be displayed on a book, with higher quality paper, with close attention to presentation details.

EXERCISE (10pt)

Take three of the portrait images that we worked on in class, convert them to black and white, and scale them down into the “speakers” boxes in the file “conference-banner.psd.” Special attention should be given to how the images are cropped in their boxes and how their tone is adjusted to work well as a group.

Handy photoshop shortcuts:

Cmd + Alt + Shift + N (New Layer No Dialog)

Cmd + Alt + E (Stamp Down)

Cmd + Alt + Shift + E (New layer from visible)

Cmd + J (New Layer Via Copy)

Cmd+ I (Invert Selection)

Cmd + G (Group Layers)

CRIT QUESTIONS

Is the visual message clear and consistent?

Is the imagery compelling and appropriate?

Does the design use the format in an interesting way?

Do the type choices complement the message?

Does the type setting look professional?

Photo Comm / March 20

STUDIO SESSION, EXERCISE: PORTRAITS

In your session, you need to create three different approaches to the same object:

1. Specular Lighting Try a single main light source on its own, or with a reflector. Go for a wider ratio between highlight and shadow, with harder shadows.

2. Diffused Lighting Use 2 or three lights with umbrellas, softboxes; create a soft shadow and even light.

3. Creative Lighting Transform your object in some interesting way.

After you have taken your photos, process the raw photos, adjust for tone and color, touch up any dirt/specks and post on Tumblr.

EXTRA CREDIT (10pt) — Cookbook Card

Before Epicurious, one way that cooks would build a library of recipes would be through stand alone printed cards, that would be collected in a box or binder. Your assignement is to create a new design for such a piece, using the copy posted online. You have yoru choice between two recipes. Your design should feature food photography promeniently; you can use stock images found online. Size: 6x9.25in

Due 4/10—Research, draft of copy and design mockup. Begin writing copy about your subject, identify your initial objects/interiors, take test shots, being your layout.

Due 4/17—Printed mockup, including complete text. All of your text should be final, or at least blocked in, layout direction should be clear.

CRIT QUESTIONS

Does your concept tell an interesting visual story about the subject

Do you have a clear idea of the demographic of your publication?

Is your layout concept compelling, is the concept and direction well thought out?

Photo Comm / April 10

22-3530: PHOTO COMMUNICATIONS

Project 1 PSA/Park invite & poster

Overview:

You will design a poster & mailer for a local cultural event or a public service announcement. Your goal is to create a consistent and coordintated message that is compelling and approprate to the topic, audience and (if applicable) any exisiting identity.

When researching an event poster you must visit the location or main office and get a current schedule of events, as well as current print materials they are using (i.e. brochures, posters, newsletters,schedules, etc.).

When researching a social, political, or public service poster, examples and research data of your subject must be sourced in books,internet, etc. and brought to class in book or printed form.

Subject Requirements:

Your may choose either:

1) Promotional poster for a Chicago area cultural or recreational event(s), or

2) Social, political or public service posters.

Specifications

n POSTER: Trim size on the poster should be at lease 12 x 18 inches. If your colors bleed, trim off the edges before presenting. Ask if you are unsure about how to set up bleeds and crop marks when printing.

n MAILER: Maximum size 5 & 7/8’’ x 8 & 1/4’’. These cards would be mailed to announce the event or make a particular population aware of animportant issue. Any ‘mailable’ format is acceptable. Cards can use multiple folds, wafer seals,glue seals, etc.

Possible Topics

Below are a few suggestions; students are encouraged to work outside of this list.

http://www.adcouncil.org/

http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/

A poster should tell its story at once—a design

that needs study is not a poster, no matter how

well it is executed.

— Edward Penfield

Community Events

Park District Events

City Sponsored Events

Orchestra/Opera/Musicals

Museum of Contemporary Art

Garfield Conservatory

Millenium Park

Museum of Contemporary Photography

Seasonal Festivals Educational Workshops

Music Events or Festivals

Local Galleries (Upcoming Shows)

Ethnic Festivals/ Observations/Celebrations

Physical Abuse Awareness

Political Freedom/Repression Issues

Family/Youth Issues and Problems

Distracted Driving

Sexual Harassment

Environment/Wildlife Protection

AIDS Research Fund-Raising

AIDS Awareness/Prevention

Disease Awareness - Cancer, Diabetes, Etc.

Humane Society

Community Recycling

Substance Abuse Awareness

Smoking and Drug Abuse

Child Abuse

War / Violence

Terrorism

Homelessness

Eating Disorders

Suicide

22-3530: PHOTO COMMUNICATIONS

Project 2 Book Jacket

Overview:

Your project is to create a redesign book cover/jacket for an existing book, using your original photography for both the cover and author portrait. Your goal is to create an appropriate design that not only reflects and understanding of the book’s content and tone but also works as a compelling sales tool that speaks to the intended readership.

Requirements:

1) Must contain partial original photography on the cover photography + an original author photo. The photos can be manipulated however you see fit.

2) You will be designing a dust jacket, so you will need to account for the extra width of the flaps.

3) The format should be based off of an actual book size, which doesn’t necessarily need to be the size of the book you are redesign. When you present your printed work for review, you should show the design on an acutal book.

4) You must include ALL of the copy used on the cover of the current design, including logos and barcodes (but excluding photo and design credits of course).

Book Ideas

Below are a few suggestions for books to redesign. You may pick a book not on the list.

Schedule

1. Due 3/6 — 5 sketches, research questionnaire. Download questionairre from Moodle. Upload both as pdfs.

2. Due 3/13—3 mockups. Three polished mockups; photos can be placeholders.

3. Due 3/20—Single printed mockup, presented on a book, with all images.

4. Due 3/27—Spring Break

5. Due 4/3—Final Design: presented on a book, with all images. Should be displayed on a book, with higher quality paper, with close attention to presentation details.

A designer knows he has achieved perfection not

when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away

— Antoine de Saint Exupéry

The Information— A History, A Theory, a Flood: James Glieck

Tree of Smoke: Denis Johnson

Catch-22: Joseph Heller

The Unbearable Lightness of Being: Milan Kundera

Moneyball: Michael Lewis

The LEGO Ideas Book

State of Wonder: Ann Patchett

Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me? (And Other Concerns): Mindy Kaling

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Sky: John LeCarre

Windup Bird Chronicle: Haruki Murakami

It Chooses You: Miranda July

A Visit From the Goon Squad: Jennifer Egan

The Lover’s Dictionary: David Levithan

All I DId Was Shoot My Man: Walter Mosley

The Design of Everyday Things: Donald Norman

Vladimir Nabokov: The Real Life of Sebastian Knight

New Fix-It-Yourself Manual: How to Repair, Clean, and Maintain Anything and Everything In and Around Your Home: Reader’s Digest

Black & Decker The Complete Photo Guide to Home Repair: with 350 Projects and 2000 Photos

The Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City: Carl Smith

Devil in the White City: Erik Larson

22-3530: PHOTO COMMUNICATIONS

Project 3 Magazine Feature

Overview:

Your project is to write, photograph and design a magazine feature about a person and the space they live in and/or the object they surround themselves with. Your article should provide a brief bio of your subject, then explore their personality and interests through their living space or possessions. Your photos will be accompanied by captions/anexdotes that you obtain from an interview. your design and layout does need to appear as if it were extracted from an actual magazine.

This project is based on features found in the New York Times Magazine and Vanity Fair. In the Times, they typically photograph the person in their environment, take several additional interior shots and take isolated product shots of significant objects that are called out by quotes or stories by the subject. The Vanity Fair version is called My Desk, and features a large photo of someone’s workspace, with the arrangement of objects artfully disheveled, with call-out boxes containing a quote or anecdote by the subject. Links to examples of these features are posted in Moodle.

Requirements:

1) Can be either two or three page layout

2) Trim size should be: 8.875 x 10.875

3) Must have a minium of 10 photos; that are taken by you, specifically for this project

4) will include: 1. running header with the section title (Domains) and a date 2. running footer, with a page number and photo credit 3. main title (something catchy) 4. a lead-in 5. by-line 6. question/answers 7. pull-quotes, call-outs, captions, etc

Schedule

1. Due 4/10—Research, draft of copy and design mockup. Begin writing copy about your subject, identify your initial objects/interiors, take test shots, being your layout.

2. Due 4/17—Printed mockup, complete text. All of your text should be final, or at least blocked in, layout direction should be clear.

3. Due 4/24—Revisions, studio shots. Near-final design, with professional-looking photos.

4. Due 5/13—Final Design: printed.