Course Description

Intermediate study of graphic design including research methodologies and practices as they relate to the design process. You will be asked to conduct in-depth investigations into audience and context in relationship to form and meaning.

The sophomore year you delved into the language of vision and concept development. You built a solid foundation for what constitutes form and concept. This term we will expand upon that knowledge by introducing methods and skills for becoming more observant in identifying and interpreting the behaviors and attitudes that affect context and audience.

Across 4 projects, you will be asked to approach graphic design as a medium for archiving, argument, communicating complexity, and collaborating. Understanding research methods, having strong written communication skills, and knowing how to frame a strategy are all very important proficiencies that designers need to be equipped with in engaging with today’s socio-cultural climate.

Objectives

To understand the definitions and application of research methodologies for strengthening the design process
To describe how listening, observation, attention, and other cognitive behaviors pertain to a design practice
To further develop your ability to seek out a design problem, identify a concept and work through a process towards a solution
To engage with design on a cultural level other than your own
To continue expanding both your visual and verbal vocabulary as it relates to design
To further develop your presentation skills

This class will address the following BFA Learning objectives:

Students will explore, discover, and refine their personal creative process and be able to summarize the manner in which this process supports a thoughtful design practice.
Students will understand and frame design within social, cultural, and technological contexts.
Students will be able to carry out self-directed research by defining and analyzing an existing problem and by synthesizing these findings to develop a strategic solution

Methodologies

There will be 4 overall projects this term, with the thread of note taking and presentation design woven throughout. Each project represents 25% of your total grade for this class.

Specific project goals and a detailed timeline will be outlined at the outset of each project and a structured reflection sheet will be completed at the close of each project. There will be a detailed course calendar added to CANVAS syllabus section by August 31.

Projects

Project 1: Archives

There are clear connections between what we do as designers and the cognitive and neural processes that make us human. For this exercise series, you will create up to 3 different visual studies of theories and biological relationships discussed/explored in class. For each you will be provided with a formal prompt that will frame the designed outcome.

Design Outcome: 32 page Publication
Project Timeline: August 19th — September 16th

Project 2: Manifestos

Part exploration into conducting deeper design investigations and part personal discovery, you will design a manifesto that frames your current personal stance relative to design’s current and future impact. Emphasis on research terminology and the concepts and theories related to understanding and perceiving communication.

Design Outcome: Poster
Project Timeline: September 16th — October 14th

Project 3: Translations

You will conducting research on a political movement or protest from another country, and then, you will create either a 90 second animation or website explaining that topic to an English speaking audience. This project will ask you to familiarize yourself with either Figma, Glitch, or After Effects (depending on your final outcome).

Design Outcome: Animation (90 seconds) or Website (Desktop and Mobile)
Project Timeline: October 14th — November 6th

Project 4: Collaborations

Working in teams, and collaborating with a community partner, you will apply the skills acquired in this class towards solving a design problem. Emphasis on visual and verbal research skills as well as process iteration and strategy development. Concluding with development of a group outcome that will be presented to the partner.

Design Outcome: Design Proposal
Project Timeline: November 11th — December 9th (Final Meeting)

Class Threads

There are two subset goals to this course:

Learning how to learn: As a designer, you should develop strategies to collect visual research. We will be using Are.na to take notes, reflect, and make a record of your class activities.
- WHY? As a designer you are going to be win a range of contexts in which you will need to take notes. This practice is one which needs to be cultivated so as to allow you the flexibility to meet this need where you are. To support this goal we will explicitly discuss many aspects of this practice. By the end of the term you should notice an increase in your capacity to listen in order to learn, distill and synthesize information you are hearing and seeing, and develop more confidence in being flexible in your note taking skills.
Presentation design: We will be working throughout the term in advancing your competency for presentation design. This will culminate in the presentation to the community parter at the conclusion of the term.

Materials

Specific material needs will be identified as part of each project brief. Items needed for the entire course include:

A long-term method for backing up your work on a regular basis. This can be an external hard drive or somewhere in the cloud — you have to be able to demonstrate your computer back up system at several points throughout the term (NOT a jump drive).
A way to take pictures and get them downloaded into your computer.
Printing is a key component of a designers process and will be a required element for many of the projects in this class. Please anticipate this expense as one that will be coming at various parts of the term. The School has once again provided everyone with an initial $60 credit towards printing in Studio 02.
A sketch book. While most of your notes will be taken with your computer, I will ask you to sketch as a part of an iterative process.

Project + Course Assessment

You have worked hard to get to this point and owe it to yourself to put as much energy into this semester to continue an upward trajectory. Your grade for this class will be based on the following evaluation criteria

Completion: presenting + submitting work on-time, turning in all required components
Verbal presentation: Concise, well-reasoned, + informative
Written presentation: Well-written (free of grammatical mistakes, incomplete sentences, misspellings and other careless errors, and—where applicable— well-documented footnotes and bibliographies)
Visual Presentation: Ability to experiment and quality of refinement
Critical Thinking: the ability to define a problem, to go beyond the obvious answers, and to bring synthesis to the problem-solving process
Preparation: do any assigned readings and come to class ready to discuss those readings, bring all in-process design work to class to share, bring class book
Class participation: sharing ideas and actively participating in discussions— your ideas and opinions are important

Your final grade will be based on the above with additional consideration being given to your attendance and ability to get to class on time both at the start of class and after breaks. Your participation, interaction and curiosity are greatly encouraged. Course grading scale is as follows:

Grade		Description
4.0 (A)	Excellent	Work demonstrates a solid understanding of the project and the ability to apply this understanding to outstanding visual and, if applicable, conceptual execution.
3.7 – 3.3 (A- /B+)	Very Good	High achievement, a good understanding of the project.
3.0 – 2.7 (B/B-)	Good	Evident understanding of the project goals and requirements.
2.3 (C+)	Fair	Project met most, if not all of the minimum criteria. Needs improvement to exhibit competence.
2.0 (C)	Satisfactory	Average work, met most, if not all, of the minimum criteria for the project; project needs much improvement.
1.7 1.0 0.7 (C-/D/D-)	Unsatisfactory	Poor quality work that does not meet the project goal or objectives

Additional Assessment Notes

Projects will be graded and returned within three weeks of submission. The following can have an affect on your grades in this course:

Missed critiques can affect your final grade and incomplete or late projects can equal a zero for that project.
If you fail to have the work required for a critique you will be asked to leave the class and will be given an absence for the day.
All cases of cheating or plagiarism will be dealt with in accordance with the University of Tennessee’s policy. The University’s policy is to turn these cases over to the Student Judicial Affairs. No exceptions.

Reworking a project after the grade is returned is allowed at the end of the course. New work must be substantial in effect to result in a dramatic shift in grade. New work will presented alongside the original at the final presentation for the class.
Failure to pass 371 will result in your inability to progress towards a degree in Graphic Design. You will be given the option to return next Fall and reapply for 371, however acceptance to this class will depend on availability of class seating at this time.
Incompletes in 371 will need to be resolved before the start of 372 in order to be allowed entrance to the class. Extensions to this timeline are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

School of Design Policies

By choosing to major in this program, we are expecting that you want to be prepared for your future career. Therefore, classes, in-class critiques, in-class presentations and due dates, and associated school policies are designed to help you grow into the profession.

Printing

Each student in the program is allotted a $60 credit toward printing. This will be automatically added to your VolCard at the start of the term. Please note, this subsidy is intended to augment your design process and is not the anticipated limit of printing needs for this class. There will be expenses outside of the School of Design’s print budget allowance that you should anticipate as a normal course of study in the School of Design.

The expected costs for printing in this class:
$100.00–$150.00

School of Design Class Modality Statement

Faculty in the School of Design learned from earlier required online instruction that some online activities conducted during class time in lieu of meeting in person can be advantageous for a variety of reasons. Therefore, the day-to-day class modalities are at the discretion of your course instructor. Any change in a class modality outside of an unexpected personal need will be shared with the class in advance.

Lateness Policy

Every course in the School of Design is considered a professional appointment and you are expected to come prepared. This includes arriving on time, being present during the entirety of the course times, and respecting the below-identified absence and tardy policies of the school. Students who do not come to class prepared with the required work and/or materials for the day will be asked to leave the class and be given an absence for the day.

Tardies

Tardy = 10 minutes late to class
2 Tardies = 1 absence
You should provide the instructor the courtesy of an email beforehand alerting them of your need to be tardy. If a student needs to arrive late or leave early, the student is acknowledging that they have made a choice to interrupt the class.
Students who leave more than 30 minutes prior to the end of class, or do not return after a class break, will receive an absence for the course. DO NOT announce during class that you need to leave early. If there is a medical situation you will need to meet with your instructor after the situation is stabilized. Likewise, students should not ask a classmate to deliver a message to the instructors. If a student has a message they should deliver it themselves.

Absences

Students are granted a total of 4 absences either excused or unexcused. Starting with absence number 5, each missed class will result in the final course grade will be lowered by .5 (which is equal to half a letter grade). Life happens, don’t waste these.
Negotiations on absences that fall outside the allotment granted by the attendance policy are at the discretion of the course instructor and must be submitted as follows:
- Death in the family - Follow the instructions for informing your instructor of an absence due to bereavement on the UTK Student Success notification page.
- Illness - Follow the instructions for informing your instructor of an absence due to an illness (including COVID) on the UTK Student Success notification page. Any subsequent communication with your instructor on this issue must be accompanied by a doctor’s note either paper or digital via email.
If you expect to have a school excused absence at some point during this class, it is expected that you provide the material documenting this need to miss within the first 2 weeks of the term.
Once you have reached 3 absences, you will be sent an email indicating you have one remaining absence. This will be ‘ccd to your advisor and notated on Navigate.

Course Incomplete

An incomplete is not a way to avoid conducting the coursework. A student must have completed at least 70% of the class with a passing grade. If this is true, then incompletes are considered for an event that is outside of the student’s control that prohibits the submission of work. The student and the instructor will be completed by yourself and the faculty which clearly outlines the reason for the request, the agreed-upon deadlines, and the scope of work to be completed.

Course Withdrawal

Per the university handbook, students who withdraw from the class will receive either a withdrawal passing (WP) or withdrawal fail (WF) based on the work that has been completed by the student at the time of withdrawal. It is the student’s responsibility to alert the faculty of their need to withdraw.

After Class Faculty Contact

All questions should be asked during class. Please do not wait until the class ends to approach the faculty with a question, chances are there are other students with the same inquiry. Faculty provide office hours to assist students as needed outside of class time, please note the time on the syllabus. Emails sent to faculty will be returned as the faculty is able to reply. Should the question be more relevant to the entire class, faculty will provide answers during class.

Name and Pronoun Accommodations

If you use a name and/or pronouns other than what is in the course roll, please email me with the name and/or pronouns that you would like me to use and I will be glad to accommodate this request.
I use the pronouns he/him.

Disability Accommodations

Student Disability Services will work with students and faculty to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Any student who feels he or she may need accommodations based on the impact of a disability should contact the Student Disability Services (SDS) to document their eligibility for services as soon as they are aware of this issue.

NOTE: Accommodations received in the middle of the term are not retroactive.

Your responsibility as the student:
- Touch base with your instructor within the first two weeks of school, or upon receiving an accommodation to discuss your personal accommodation needs.
My responsibility as the instructor:
- Upon notification of your accommodation, I will engage with the student disability portal and ensure I am fully aware of your accommodations. Should there be a concern about your needs relative to the course, I will reach out to your care coordinator to share this concern.

University Civility Statement -- http://civility.utk.edu

Civility is genuine respect and regard for others: politeness, consideration, tact, good manners, graciousness, cordiality, affability, amiability, and courteousness. Civility enhances academic freedom and integrity and is a prerequisite to the free exchange of ideas and knowledge in the learning community. Our community consists of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and campus visitors. Community members affect each other’s well-being and have a shared interest in creating and sustaining an environment where all community members and their points of view are valued and respected. Affirming the value of each member of the university community, the campus asks that all its members adhere to the principles of civility and community adopted by the campus.

University Honor Statement

An essential feature of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a commitment to maintaining an atmosphere of intellectual integrity and academic honesty. As a student of the university, I pledge that I will neither knowingly give nor receive any inappropriate assistance in academic work, thus affirming my own personal commitment to honor and integrity.

Emergency Alert System - http://safety.utk.edu

The University of Tennessee is committed to providing a safe environment to learn and work. When you are alerted to an emergency, please take appropriate action. Learn more about what to do in an emergency and sign up for UT Alerts. Check the emergency posters near exits and elevators for building-specific information.

In the event of an emergency, the course schedule and assignments may be subject to change. If changes to graded activities are required, reasonable adjustments will be made, and you will be responsible for meeting revised deadlines.

Academic Integrity

Each student is responsible for his/her personal integrity in academic life and for adhering to UT’s Honor Statement. The Honor Statement reads: “An essential feature of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a commitment to maintaining an atmosphere of intellectual integrity and academic honesty. As a student of the university, I pledge that I will neither knowingly give nor receive any inappropriate assistance in academic work, thus affirming my own personal commitment to honor and integrity.”

Your Role in Improving the Course through Assessment

At UT, it is our collective responsibility to improve the state of teaching and learning. During the semester you may be requested to assess aspects of this course either during class or at the completion of the class. You are encouraged to respond to these various forms of assessment as a means of continuing to improve the quality of the UT learning experience.

Wellness

Center for Health, Education, and Wellness manages 974-HELP, the distressed student protocol, case management, the Sexual Assault Response Team, and the Threat Assessment Task Force.

The Student Counseling Center is the university’s primary facility for personal counseling, psychotherapy, and psychological outreach and consultation services.

Your Academic Coach can help you improve your skills and performance. Working with an academic coach can help you study smarter by developing skills in time management, goal setting, and test preparation through a personalized, one-on-one meeting. Make an appointment with your academic coach through Navigate. (This coach is NOT an academic advisor. Program-related questions should be directed to the School of Design Advisor).

Your Academic Advisor can help to answer any questions or concerns you have regarding the Graphic Design degree, School of Design, or College of Architecture and Design.