Projects

Prompt: As a designer, you need to have a perspective on the visual culture, your own style, and what kind of problems you want design to address. For this project, I'd like you to first analyze your visual references. What do you gravitate towards? What is your style? We will build a "nest of this style. Then, I'd like you to construct a typeface using a tool of your choice. Aim towards expression, but allow for legibility. Finally, you will compose a "manifesto" that frames your personal stance relative to design’s current and future impact. You will then use your typeface to make a Big Message in our building.

Design Outcome: Nest / Typeface / Big Message
Project Timeline: August 18th — September 10th

Prompt: Using your matrix, you will do some rapid making each week. The final results will fill out a 12 page spread (all at a provided size). Your manifesto will introduce each zine. One catch: you must use a template for your cover and you must keep your spreads black and white. These spreads will be the basis for a compilation publication for the course that I will print for you.

Design Outcome: Nest Matrix / Class Publication
Project Timeline: September 15th — October 1st

Prompt: Way-finding is offers graphic designers expressive opportunities that far beyond simple directions. We will visit Lakeshore park, where I'd like you to document opportunities for "experimental" intervention, one that directs someone (either literally or abstractly). This can be as straightforwards or as a circuitous as you'd like — it must either complement, intervene, or interrupt the location. You will create a Design Tender and I will manufacture at least one piece of physical way-finding. The design tender must explain how the other elements of your way-finding could be built. It will be installed with your final projects at the end of semester exhibition.

Design Outcome: Way-Finding Design Tender / Way-Finding Sculpture
Project Timeline: October 1st — October 22nd

Prompt: For this project, you will choose a design subject (one that has a visual component, so please avoid abstraction) and then make a collection of animated, printed, and physical graphics which help you understand it. You will then prepare a 9-minute presentation to be delivered in class collating your design research. This presentation should explain what your formal experiments and interventions "answered" for you. This constitutes the documentation of your design research project. We will have guest reviewers to provide feedback on this final presentation.

Design Outcome: Presentation of Design Research
Project Timeline: October 27th — Final Exhibition

↑ Lorraine Wild's Great Wheel of Style

Where have you been? Where are you now? Where will you go?

Figuring out one's place in the visual communication industry is a complicated and provocative gambit for young designers, and in this course we aim to chart this path for both ourselves and our peers. Do you hope to follow a trend or strike out anew? Do you adopt tools from the past produce to build on tradition, or do make new tools to create something surprising and unrefined? In your research, do you act as an archivist, collecting objects and data for easy perusal, or do you use graphic tools to frame movements or build coalitions or study form?

All of these questions will come up in this course, and we hope to end this semester with some answers deliberately designing work that feels uniquely your own.

Across 4 projects, you will be asked to approach graphic design as a medium for archiving, arguing, and collaborating. I would like you to leave this course having produced work that authentically experiments, investigates, and originates, and in so doing, you will become designers not content to passively react to trends, but ones actively researching and creating new visual culture.

Final Exhibition: Tuesday, December 8th, 10:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

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 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
    • To articulate your own aesthetic and signature style.

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

Class Threads

There are three subset goals to this course:

    1. Building your Style: Until this point, your classes have largely been predicated on learning new skills. For this class we want you to take those skills as a jumping off point to develop your own voice, something that only you could design.
      • WHY? Developing original visual solutions not only makes you versatile designer, but by having a distinctive style, you can more thoughtfully contribute to any team.
    2. 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.
    3. 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:

    1. 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).
    2. A way to take pictures and get them downloaded into your computer.
    3. 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.
    4. 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

Execution (40%): The idea behind the work.

    • The generation and strength of the idea.
    • The ultimate visual representation of your concept and how it aligns with the project's goal.

Process (40%): Growth through iteration and experimentation.
If your work has met the objective listed in the project brief it will be evaluated on the following:

    • Technical growth through relevant tools.
    • Conceptual growth through advancement of ideas.
    • Formal growth through mastery of the Language of Vision.
    • Methodological growth through research and ongoing investigation.

Professionalism (20%): Skills required to be competent in the field.

    • Care in craft and final execution of work.
    • Constructive participation in conversation and the evaluation of classmates’ work.
    • The ability to thoughtfully listen to feedback and apply it to your work.
Grade Description
A Strong design process / good listener / ability to come up with many different ways to approach assignments / thorough research / mastery of form, functionality, and craft / frequent participation in critiques and discussion / focused / attentive / ability to articulate ideas / risk-taking and broad exploration
B Solid, well-done work / could improve on the items noted in the A list, in particular: better process, more solutions, better craft and attention to detail, more class participation
C Average work / fulfills assignments but not much else / doesn’t re-work or refine projects, doesn’t do much beyond the requirements
D Limited effort / incomplete work / lack of skill and enthusiasm / chronic tardiness and unexcused absences / does not follow instructions / poor craft

Crit Policy

1. Concept:

At the beginning of any project, I'll ask you to figure out your concept through writing and sketches (either drawn or digital). At this stage, your goal is to articulate your intentions (aesthetic and conceptual) to your classmates and me. Give us some options!

Key questions:

    • What do you need to have and what would be nice to have?
    • How can we avoid any time traps?
    • How much will the final product cost?
    • Are going to bite off more than they can chew? Keep in mind, if you haven't done something before, then multiply your estimated time by 3 (so, if you think it will take you 3 hours, it will take about 9 hours).
    • What skills will I need to learn to achieve this concept? Where will I look?
    • Does this concept meet the assignment?

2. Prototype:

Now, the rubber has met the road, and we need to see whether your design(s) has developed successfully, or whether the directions you took deviate distractingly from your concept.

Key questions:

    • What do you want your designs to do, and how can the class help you with multiple options to achieve that goal?

    • As a professor, I want to avoid art-directing your work, so that I'm not applying my aesthetic to your work. For this reason, how can we identify the elements that are working ("rose"), need development ("bud"), or distract from your goal ("thorn")?

    • What should you put energy into? Do your priorities match what the class's priorities, and how can you communicate any deviations you might have?

3. Polish:

In the home stretch, we are trying to make smaller adjustments (usually as a checklist). At this point, I want you to specifically make sure we're catching anything inconsistent or unpleasantly surprising.

Key questions:

    • What can you easily address? Unless something is noticeably not working (either not functioning, glitching, or illegible), you should not try to change your whole direction. It's rare for a complete rewrite to be as successful as a thorough tweaking.

    • How will you document this design for your portfolio?

    • How will you talk about the final work?

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.

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