Syllabus

****Course Outline****
The semester is broken into three parts; ANALYZE, VISUALIZE and CUSTOMIZE. The detailed description is attached.

NOTE: the deadlines and/or homework assignments are subject to change

Download Syllabus (122 kb)

****Course Outline****
The semester is broken into three parts; ANALYZE, VISUALIZE and CUSTOMIZE. The description of each part is listed below along with all the assignments for each.
NOTE: the deadlines and/or homework assignments are subject to change

PART I : ANALYZE
Discuss the basic elements and principles of design in order to invent a visual language using symbols and color.  How and why design elements play a vital role in how various communities and cultures communicate. Making a zine that demonstrates a new visual language (ex: a zine that bridges two micro communities in NY through visual elements and color.)  Discuss examples of literature that discuss color vs. examples of visual art that use color to show examples of literature (use this as example for students who may come from writing/academic backgrounds). Show data website showing why scientists rely so heavily on color.  
Readings:
Anthropological- Michael Taussig, Berlin and Kay
Philosophy- Goethe
Psychological- Alan Gilchrist and David Batchelor
Literature- Marcel Proust and F. Scott Fitzgerald

Week 1 January 25
In class:
Power point intro
Intro to Proust and Goethe
Personal and Cultural color
Basic Color and Value.
Intro to Optical illusions
Magazine exercize: Tear out “grays” from magazines. Pile them up and compare. Where is cool/warm and what do they connect with on a content level? Do male ads have different grays than female ads? Are food ads different than clothes? What do expensive grays look like? Cheap? Etc..

Homework:
1. Create an autobiography using only design and color using different materials.            (collage/crayon/microsoft word/ food/ textile/paint....this is where they begin to learn color basics.)
2. Analyze passages from Swann’s Way
3. Look over Engineers, Science and Color article.

Week 2 Feb. 1
In class:
Discuss and review student biographies.
Review Swann’s Way
Intro to Taussig and Bathelor’s Chromophobia

Homework:
1. Swap color biographies with a classmate and reinvent it  (Who do I relate to, how,         why…..learning about conflicting culture)

2. Students observe an object and describe it in as many ways as possible.

3. Analyze passages from Taussig and Batchelor

Week 3 Feb. 8
In class:
Intro to Berlin and Kay and Gilchrist
Discuss color and culture       

Homework:
1. Color and Culture- Self Representations (Non-objective/Not literal Portraits) Consider all the Element and Principles of Design when you do this piece. This piece can take visual, written and/or any form that you need to express who you are to us. We strongly suggest you try your hand at ALL the common forms available in this design school- written, visual, acted, played, computed...etc..

2. Skin Color: Write a small piece describing your skin color maybe a bit about where you fit into all the other skin colors out in the world. Is black black and how far away is it to white? Why are people called red and yellow and so is an apple and a lemon? Now paint a patch that matches your skin color EXACTLY!
What you see is based on what you read, were told or even forgot- what are your Personal Perceptions? This will lead to a NEW understanding. What that leads to is limitless!

3. Bring in sunglasses with lenses that have a unique color tint.

Week 4 Feb.15
In class:
Intro to Fitzgerald
research on sight...location to be determined
   
Homework:
1. Physiological Color- wear sunglasses with intense color for three days to a week. Keep a written record of feelings what happens when you eat, cook, shop and create work. Photograph what you are doing and making all the while. This will a. Open your mind. b. Build aesthetic strengths as a creator, designer, academic, analyzer. Compile research into presentation for class.

Week 5 Feb. 22
In class:
Presentations on sunglasses experiment
Intro to visualization techniques (ie: installation, print, web)
   
Homework:
1. Choose one aspect of study over the last 5 weeks that you will be focusing on more. You will use this topic as the basis for the development of your projects over the next five weeks. Make a 4 minute presentation on what you chose and why chose it.

PART II: Visualize
Consider various examples of color that aids in visualization. Discuss symbols, why they are used and how they differ across different cultures. Discuss different methods of  communicating  with the Public (library shelf, gallery, street, etc..) and why that might be an option. Look at the western alphabet and the use of symbols in every day life.
Literature: Nabokov
Color and culture: Chromophobia

Week 6 March 1
Installation as a form of visualization
Student presentations

Homework:
1. Research and prototype ideas to elaborate on your chosen topic. Bring in three different sketches/descriptions of possible visualizations. We will critique them in class.

Week 7 March 8
Symbols
Examples of different methods of visualization
Discuss location, audience and intention

Homework:
1. Test your protoypes. See how people react. These people can be strangers, friends, family or classmates. Use the results to develop your project further. Draw, paint, write, photograph and explore ways to continue your idea. Bring ALL your work to class on March 22.
3. Read handouts from class (to be determined)

Week 8 March 15 : NO CLASS
Spring Break

Week 9 March 22
Review student work

Homework:
1. Use the results from your visualizations to create a new visual language. You will work on this for the rest of the semester.


Week 10 March 29
Language and meaning
Experiment in class

Homework:
1. Invent a language using symbols, images, color and design. Think about what you want to communicate and why you want to communicate it. Who is your audience. What form will the language be viewed in? You will present your ideas to the class next week.

PART III: Customize
Interactive and Informative- working to resolve a problem.
Could take the form of a linear narrative, an interactive site, computation, etc..
Psychology: Gilchrest

Week 11 April 5
Review student work
Linear vs. non-linear
Narrative
Communication

Homework:
1. Write a page about what your invented language is about. Be specific about the color used and why it is used. Give a detailed explanation about the design elements you are using and why you are using them.
2. Make a story board to go along with what you wrote. The story board is should demonstrate a very rough example of what your final project will look like.

Week 12 April 12
Review Student Work
Work in class

Homework:
1. Expand/ edit your story board. Every students project will look different at this point so at this point teachers will provide individual homework assignments.

Week 13 April 19
Field Trip

Homework:
1. Continue working on Final
2. Bring all work/materials to class next week

Week 14 April 26
Work in class
Individual teacher/student meetings

Homework:
1. Continue work on final

Week 15 May 3
Options for presenting your finals
Ways to continue your work and use it in your portfolio

Homework:
Finish your project and bring it to class. Presentation is very important. Come to class prepared.

Week 16 May 10: Last day of class!
Review student work!