COM1005-VISUAL COMPOSITION

Ms. Hack

This module is the pre-requisite for all course modules in Com Tech. Students who have completed this module will be able to choose a new course module for their next credit. All students must complete this module before starting a new module in Com Tech. As Visual Composition is a key to all other work on Communications and Photography this will also allow you to understand how your work is visually graded. You will create a PowerPoint with one slide representing one element- 13 slides in total. Organization is also marked for the module as you are normally working in a busy environment with specific deadlines. You will also have others around you who have jobs to do and you have a responsibility to avoid interfering with them. These are 21st Century Skills that will be fundamental to your success over time. Use Design Elements and Principles in the development of your visual work for best impact and to consider alternatives. There are always choices in the execution of your assignments and composition guides you to your most effective work and best results. We can also argue that we could do better if we had more time but we will be judged by the research and results we have in the time provided.

Part 1 - Identifying the Elements and Principles of Design

RESOURCE LINKS:
COMPOSITION GRAPHIC DESIGN th 20 CENTURY DESIGN ELEMENTS & PRINCIPLES of ART & DESIGN

Assignment 1 Elements/Principles
Choose 4 picture or graphic art examples from the web that you want to share with the class and identify the elements you see used in each. Make these into a set of 4 PowerPoint slides including the image source for image to alleviate Copyright Issues (see example below) A sentence or two identifying the element in the image save this in your H:Drive folder>Com Tech Folder>COM1005 Folder as 1005_lastname Tools: Web Browser/PowerPoint

You will receive your best mark by: Presenting your slides to the class speaking clearly and answering questions effectively Identifying examples of all the elements in your images Showing variety in your choice of pictures graphics and images Suggest the effect the use of different elements would have on the message to the intended audience Creating a clean PowerPoint with continuity Clearly recognising sources for image Copyright in the following manner:
Name of Author. (Role: Artist, photographer, designer, producer). (Date published). Title of image. [Medium]. Retrieved from < URL > on date retrieved.

Part 2 - The Description of Typography

RESOURCE LINKS:
TYPOGRAPHY COMMON FONTS MONOGRAMS

Typography is the study of letter forms in graphic design. How you say something can be a supporting and expanding example of what you are trying to say. Typography is also key to considering the differences between Fine art and Graphic Arts. Fonts have evolved with the use of type from the first printing presses and has been expanded with the use of computers. Font comes a French work fonte which means to melt. The letter forms were made of lead that would be formed by melting and melted again and reformed of they became worn or damaged. This is also why a company specializing in fonts is still called a foundry. With printing presses a font was a complete set of characters of a single size and style. Italic forms of the same character set would be considered a different font. Even original typewriters could only use a single font is a single size. Some fonts were famous for their use by large newspapers and were considered a form of copyrighting stories. If you saw the font was "Times" it was from the London Times, While "Times New Roman" was from the New York Times. This was a very expensive decision for a news organization that could cost millions to change because letter forms were stored as small blocks of lead and entire rooms were needed to store and organize the type for the press. Describing fonts has its own language: The different parts of a letter form can be distinguished from one another by the capline, topline, midline, baseline, beardline, serif, san serif, ascender, descender, bowl and counter. Size is described in its own printers measuring system of points. Adobe pioneered computer fonts and dominated with Postscript and the first Macintosh computers as desktop publishing evolved. With this electronic set of descriptions individuals could now have a font in different sizes(scalable) and styles such as Bold and italics. Great rooms and high cost for type was replaced with descriptions of fonts that could be used on screens or by printers. While history of the mechanics of fonts is interesting, the different font also became popular at different times and some fonts have been associated with art movements or periods of history when first or more commonly used. as a part of visual composition the history and common uses of a font can add story to "what you say" in "how you say it". Choosing a font can add or confuse your message. The best use of fonts adds and enriches what you want to say. Use fonts with care and attention to the reader. Can they read what you are saying? Is the tone or colour of the font and the background making the message more or less readable? Are you using the font as art or to read? Does the messages of the font and the text messages support or contradict one another?

Assignment 2 -Monograms
For this assignment make a monogram using your initials. Using Photoshop Elements or Flexi, explore the different fonts that are on your computer. Choose a font and be ready to explain how the font adds to the story you want to tell in the monogram.

Tools:

Resource Links listed above Computer Fonts: To view, go to Control Panel>Appearance and Personalization>Fonts Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 FlexiSign Software

You will receive your best mark by:

Identifying 2 examples of design elements in your images Presenting your monogram to the class speaking clearly and answering questions effectively Suggest the effect the use of different elements would have on the message to the intended audience Save in your H:Drive folder>Com Tech Folder>COM1005 Folder as 1005_lastname

Part 3 - Design Elements Presentation

In this section you will look at the slides that have been shared identifying design elements and create an example of your own. Good presentations are planned and involve a clear story with examples. You will study a variety of examples but must develop an original idea of your own. Consider your interests and make this original by giving it a personal connection for you. You cannot do this assignment on the same elements you worked on in the first assignment so you work with more elements as the course goes into the next presentation.

Assigment 3: Create a Toy

Go to the Toy-a-Day website for examples of a how a simple shape can be used in a large variety of ways gathering images and graphic to point out the elements used to the class. Individually design a toy with the blank template shown below, and graphics you create or find on the web. Make the toy relate to an activity of your own and for a general audience. Build the toy and make a podcast explaining the design elements you use in the design Sign your toy with your monogram from part 2 Take a picture of your toy and include it as the last slide of your PowerPoint. Also, insert your completed Podcast on this slide. The entire PP should be saved in your H:Drive as 1005_lastname You will also hand in the 3-D toy for display.

Note this material will be part of the final evaluation so presenting well and learning from other presenters is key to everyones success. This also an opportunity to demonstrate the basic skills for all modules in the lab including planning, developing workflows and meeting deadlines.

Part 4 - Choices in Design Principles

Principles influence how we use or incorporate different elements for a great composition. Principles again offer options for all the areas of this program including Web Design , Desktop Publishing , Graphic Design & More Use these sites to list the principles of design and consider carefully the choices made when you apply the principles to the elements of you image. This will apply to the photographer as much as the artist, or the architect. Graphic design is used in composing great images with a Pencil, Brush or Light and a Camera. Composing is building the story you want to tell about what ever subject you choose. Knowing design principles you will also be able to judge the quality of different drawings or photographs by their effectiveness is sharing a message about the subject in or sometimes missing from the picture.

Assignment 4:
You will present your completed PowerPoint to the class and be marked on both your presentation and learning skills. Your final project (toy/podcast) will be based on the element and principles and cooperation and safety you demonstrate. This part will use cameras from the lab for simple images illustrating different design principles in action. You may use your own camera, as long as you are able to download the pictures to your H:Drive. You may also sign out a Com Tech camera, but if you do this- you are limited to taking pictures inside the classroom. Ideally the topic of your pictures does not change but you take a few images and demonstrate the different design principles with the different shots. For example, you can take a picture of an orange pencil on a blue background to represent the element of colour (complementary colours), you can take a picture of multiple pencils in a row to represent line, additionally, a close-up picture of pencil shavings might represent texture. The goal is to show awareness of the design principle and it's usefulness to add to your message in the drawing or image. You may also want to show not following the principle and how it conflicts with or limits your message when not followed.

COM1005: ASSIGNMENT CHECKLIST

PRINCIPLES of DESIGN Center of Interest Balance Harmony Contrast Directional Movement Rhythm SLIDE DESCRIPTION

Name

SLIDE #

ELEMENTS of ART Color Value Texture Shape Form Space Line

SLIDE DESCRIPTION

SLIDE #

Slide 1: Slides 2-8: Slide 9: this slide)

Title Slide/Name and Module 7 Elements from Web Images (one per slide) PRESENTATIONS: Your created Monogram (two new elements describing Due February 14th

Slides 10-13: 4 Elements from pictures you take from within the classroom (one per slide) Slide 14: the Elements Picture of your created Toy with Podcast describing all

PRINCIPLES of Design

Ms. Hack

The principles of design are the recipe for a good work of art. The principles combine the elements to create an aesthetic placement of things that will produce a good design. Center of interest The focal point is an area that first attracts attention in a composition. This area is more important when compared to the other objects or elements in a composition. This can be by contrast of values, more colors, and placement in the format. It doesnt have to be in the center of the page. Balance - is a feeling of visual equality in shape, form, value, color, etc. Balance can be symmetrical or evenly balanced or asymmetrical and unevenly balanced. Objects, values, colors, textures, shapes, forms, etc., can be used in creating a balance in a composition. Harmony - brings together a composition with similar units. If your composition was using wavy lines and organic shapes you would stay with those types of lines and not put in just one geometric shape. Harmony and unity are both used in terms of how well a composition works. Contrast - offers some change in value creating a visual discord in a composition. Contrast shows the difference between shapes and can be used as a background to bring objects out and forward in a design. It can also be used to create an area of emphasis. Directional Movement - is a visual flow through the composition. It can be the suggestion of motion in a design as you move from object to object by way of placement and position. Directional movement can be created with a value pattern. It is with the placement of dark and light areas that you can move your attention through the format. Rhythm - is a movement in which some elements recur regularly. Like a dance it will have a flow of objects that will seem to be like the beat of music. It is also known as pattern or repetition. The Principles of design are the results of your working with the elements of art. Use them in every piece of art you do and you will be happy with the results.

ELEMENTS of Art
The Elements of Design are things that are involved within making a design. The seven elements of design are color, value, texture, shape, form, space, and line. Elements of design will help your design look a lot more unique from other designs, and can help make the design symbolize anything! Color is an easy one. Just make sure your design's color is right for the mood! Also make sure that each section's color matches another section's color. Color is probably the biggest element to pay attention to. It is also known as hue. Value is the relative darkness or lightness of a color. Just as said in the paragraph above, make sure the colors you put on your design are dark or light enough for the proper mood. If you want to show a sad figure in your design, most people would give the design a darker value. On the other hand to show happy children playing around most people would recommend lighter colors. Adding white to a hue will give you tints of that hue. Adding black will result in shades of a hue. Adding shades of grey to a hue will give you tones of the hue. Texture helps your design to be distinctive or have identifying character and characteristics. With the proper texture, your design will look more fascinating than the average design (Implied vs. real texture). Shape (2-D) is something distinguished from its surroundings by its outline within your design. You can make your whole work a certain shape besides the common square, and then have shapes within the design shape. This makes the design more complex. Form (3-D) is similar to the idea of shape. Form is the structure of your design and how everything in the design looks like it's meant to go together. If the form is well planned and then carried out, it almost guarantees your design in black and white will be a success. Space (negative/positive) has to be included in your design. Space means leaving some blank areas. Why would you want to leave parts of the design blank? Sometimes a human's eye needs space to feel comfortable, and space will let the human's eye distinguish the part that's meant to be noticed compared to just the background. Sometimes not including space in your design is ok, but make sure it doesn't make it look messy. Line defines the position and direction of the design. If you have lines or shapes that seem to be running horizontally, then the design would seem like it's running in a left and right line. Make sure your design identifies some sort of line so that the human eye can recognize which side is the top of the design or on which side the design is suppose to start with interest.

Podcasts
In this lesson students write short scripts and make a podcast in Adobe Soundbooth. Topical podcasts can be made for most academic subject areas to enable students to explore a line of inquiry and convey meaning and understanding through script-writing and audio commentary. Students and expand their digital communication skills and learn how to creatively express their ideas through this novel performance medium.
Grades 812 Subjects Language Arts, Technology Timing 35 class periods Objectives Students: Get hands-on experience making a podcast about an academic subject area Create a line of inquiry to investigate and research Write scripts summarizing the important details, findings, or aspects of the topic area Learn audio recording and editing skills Use Soundbooth to edit and create a podcast Evaluation general_evaluation.pdf Lesson steps 1. Introduce students to the project of creating a podcast. Ask students if they are familiar with the term podcast and what they think it is. Ask them if they have ever listened to one. 2. Discuss what a podcast is. Time permitting, play some examples of podcasts from such places as National Public Radio (http://www.npr.org/), the BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk), Radio Willow Web (http://mps.mpsomaha.org/willow/radio/), and Grammar Girl (http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/). 3. As an example of what students will create, demonstrate the sample podcast provided with the project. Explain that this podcast is about the pros and cons of eating organic foods. For your demonstration, you can use the generalized process shown below and the sample file provided. Sample assets: organic_podcast.mp3; organic_podcast.sbsc; podcast_soundclips (all in the podcast_assets.zip folder) General overview of demonstration sample 1. In Soundbooth, open a new project and record the audio. If necessary, edit the sound clip, for example to split clips, remove any segments, or noise. Soundbooth guide: How to record narration Soundbooth guide: How to edit audio tracks

2. Create, mix, and compose multiple audio tracks to give the podcast interest. Soundbooth guide: How to compose multiple track recordings Soundbooth guide: How to modify and use scores 3. When the audio file is finalized, save it as an MP3 file and export it into Premiere Elements. Soundbooth guide: How to export sound

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4. Working in groups, have students select and conduct some preliminary research on the topic of the podcast. Note: Students can use podcasts to cover school or local news, track data and learning for science experiments, create a tool for learning a foreign language, and so on. 5. Using their research, have each group prepare a list of questions, or a line of inquiry, that they want to explore further on the topic. Then have them select one or two of these questions to create a theme to investigate and talk about in their podcast. Students should then research these questions and begin to collect content for the podcast. Note: It is recommended that you have each group create and submit a citation list for each podcast. 6. Once they have completed their research and feel comfortable that they have enough material to address their question, have each group write a script of their podcast. It is recommended that you limit the length of the podcast to 35 minutes. In addition, they should also consider who their audience is, whether they will have one host or several, and whether they want to break the podcast into segments. Sample asset: podcast_script.pdf (in the podcast_assets.zip folder) Note: It is recommended that students practice reading out loud from the script prior to recording the audio in their groups. 7. Pair groups and have them share their scripts with one another. Ask them to give feedback on whether there is enough information to fully understand the topic and give some suggestions for improvement. Have students revise their scripts if needed. 8. Provide students with the Soundbooth technical guides mentioned in the preceding steps and have each group create their own audio file and import the final version into Premiere Elements. Premiere Elements guide: How to work with audio Note: For more information about any technical element, see Soundbooth Help or Premiere Elements Help. 9. Once their audio file is in Premiere Elements have each group prepare them for podcasting using the Podbean podcasting service. Then invite parents, other students, and teachers to listen to the podcasts. To use the podcasts to track learning and as an assessment tool, have the students continue to build them into a series of podcasts further exploring their topic area. Premiere Elements guide: Podcasting Note: Sharing via the Podbean option is only available in the United States. You must have an account with Podbean to use this service. To sign up for a free account, follow the link from within Premiere Elements or visit www.podbean.com.

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Adapting the lesson to grade levels: Grades 48 Adapt this lesson to younger students by focusing the content on creating audio files or podcasts that give a short literary, musical, or film critique. Grades 612 Adapt this lesson by creating a podcast of students practicing a foreign language and post it to a blog by using Contribute. Have fellow students, or the community of readers of the blog, post feedback on the content, pronunciation, and vocabulary used in the podcast. ISTE NETS*S Curriculum and Content Area Standards NETS for Students 1. Creativity and Innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology. Students: a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes. b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression. 2. Communicate and Collaborate Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. Students: b. communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats. d. contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems. 3. Research and Information Fluency Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students: a. plan strategies to guide inquiry. b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media. c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks. 4. Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision-Making Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources. Students: a. identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation. b. plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project. 5. Digital Citizenship Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior. Students: b. exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity. 6. Technology Operations and Concepts 3

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Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems and operations. Students: b. select and use applications effectively and productively. Adobe Education Exchange Visit the Adobe Education Exchange to find more teaching and learning resources like this lesson plan, share your teaching and learning resources, and collaborate with the Adobe Education community: http://edexchange.adobe.com.

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