Course Number:

WEB 1600

Course Title:

Web Visual Design Theory

Instructor Name:

Voice Mail/Email:

Mrs. Hilary Moreno

hilarymoreno@gmail.com or hilary@samaru.org

Date:

Tuesday, April 8, 2008 to Thursday, June 19, 2008

Course Meeting:

Tuesday and Thursday: lab from 6-7, lecture from 7-8.  

Credit Hours:

Three (3)

Lecture Hours:

Twenty (20)

Lab Hours:

Twenty (20)

Course Length:

11 Weeks

Prerequisite(s):

None

Textbook:

Golbeck, Jennifer. Art Theory for Web Design. Scott/Jones, Inc. 2005

Instructional Materials:

Classroom Presentations, Handouts, Internet Examples, and Text

Students are required to have a sketchbook, pencils, and an eraser. Crayons, markers, color pencils, scissors, and glue will be helpful but not required. Sketchbook may be blank 8.5 x 11 paper in a 3-ring binder.

Course Description:

This course provides a foundation of design skills required in the web design industry. Students explore concepts of layout, typography, and color as they apply to both print and online media.

Course Objectives:

The student will be able to:

¤       Explain relevance of design elements and principles

¤       Identify color schemas and explain how color translates to the web

¤       Demonstrate appropriate use of layout and typography

¤       Demonstrate appropriate use of technical design terminology

¤       Deminstrate ability to arrange layout and type based on standard rules

Teaching Strategies:

Discussion, Lecture, Audio-visuals, Demonstrations, and Return Demonstrations

Resources:

Additional reference materials are available in our college library as well as the Internet and the local public libraries.  Research assignments should include the Virginia College Virtual Library which is your gateway to reference and research assistance.  Students may access the virtual library through the Virginia College website. Just go to students.vc.edu: The password will change from quarter to quarter and will consist of the quarter name and the year i.e. winter2007

Requirements for Successful Completion:

All courses must be passed with a ÒDÓ or higher in order to be used to satisfy graduation requirements

Evaluation:

Final Grade is based on a 1000 points broken down in the following way:

Quizzes                   100 pts (10%)

Assignments            450 pts (45%)

Midterm Exam         150 pts (15%)

Final Project            300 pts (30%)

Items submitted late will be accepted with a 10% point deduction for each class period they are late. There is no deduction in the case of an excused absence if the item is submitted at the beginning of the next class attended.

Grading Scale:

90-100%    A

80-89%      B

70-79%      C

60-69%      D

0-59%        F

Points are converted to percentages by dividing the number of point earned by the total point possible.

Attendance:

 

100% attendance is expected. Students may be withdrawn when absences exceed 25% of classes which have met.

School, state and accreditation regulations require that a student attend at least half of a class period in order to receive credit for attendance.  This means that students who are present less than 50 minutes of a 100 minute class period will be considered absent.  Late arrivals and early departures will be considered in determining if the minimum attendance time is met.  To document partial attendance, students will sign in and out of class sessions if they arrive late and /or leave early.  The instructor will sign out for students who leave early without signing the log.  Failure to follow this procedure could result in students not receiving credit for partial attendance.

If you know you are going to miss class please leave me a message or send me an email
hilary@samaru.org or hilarymoreno@gmail.com

Make-Up Policy:

All absences, regardless of reasons, are considered in applying the collegeÕs attendance policy.  However, absences may be classified as excused or unexcused for purposes of allowing make-up work.  The following absences may be classified as Excused for permitting make-up work:

¤       Absence due to emergency medical treatment for self or immediate family may be considered as an excused absence with appropriate written documentation from the health care facility.

¤       Absence due to unavoidable jury duty may be considered an excused absence with appropriate written documentation.

¤       Absence due to employment-related training or special assignments may be considered an excused absence with appropriate written documentation.

¤       Absence due to military reserve or active duty obligations may be considered excused with appropriate written documentation.

Special Notes:

Assignments are subject to change.  Students are responsible for changes made in class. Exercise assignments will be made during class.  Children are not allowed to attend class with their parents.

Classroom Policy:  Attendance is expected and will be part of your grade.  Items discussed in class are testable and may not always be from your text.  Students are expected to be on time ready to work.  Assignments must be read ahead of class to fully grasp the concepts to be presented.

Computer Policy: The collegeÕs computer policy will be strictly enforced.

Week / Date

Topic

Assignments

Reading

Week 1

April 8 & 10

Introduction to Web Design Theory

Programmers vs. Designers

The Bad, The Ugly and then The Good

The Elements of Design

Line, Shape, Form, Color, Texture, Value, Space

Homepage Redesign (50)
due at the next class

 

Elements Assignment (50)
due at the next class

TUE Reading:

- Human-to-Human Design*

- Paper Prototyping*

 

THUR Reading:

- Textbook – Chapter 3*

- Whitespace

 

Week 2

April 15 & 17

The Principles of Design

Balance, Rhythm, Contrast, Unity, Emphasis, Contrast, Movement

 

A Tour of Zen Garden

How the web uses design elements and principles

TUE Quiz from reading (20)

 

Elements & Principles (50)
due at the next class

 

Magic City Homepages (50)
due at the next class

TUE Reading:

- Contrast and Meaning*

- Style vs. Design

 

THUR Reading:

- Textbook – Chapter 1*
- Color Matters

 

Week 3

April 22 & 24

Color on the Web

RGB vs. CMYK and hexidecimal colors

 

Color Theory
Color wheel, color schemes, text and backgrounds

 

TUE Quiz from reading (20)

 

Color Bars (25) Questions (25)
due at the next class

 

Color Schemes (50)
due at the next class

TUE Reading:

- Textbook – Chapter 2*

- The Meaning of Colors

 

THUR Reading:

- Thinking Outside the Grid*

 

Week 4

April 29 & May 1

Typography

Fonts and their vocabulary

Typography as design

Web-safe and cross-platform fonts, sizing options, html vs. css

 

Navigation
Menus, text vs. images, page identification, site maps, rollovers, responsiveness, types of menus

TUE Quiz from reading (20)

 

Poems (50)
due at the next class - Thursday

 

 

TUE Reading:
- A Design Method*

 

THUR Reading:

- Home Page Goals*

- Where Am I?*

 

Week 5

May 6 & 8

Midterm Review (Tuesday)

Midterm Exam (Thrusday)

TUE Quiz from reading (20)

Study

Rest

Week 6

May 13 & 15

Page Layout

Rule of Thirds, The Grid, white space, odd numbers

 

Accessibility and Audience

How to reach and who to reach

 

Guest Speaker (?)

 

Restaurant Designs (50)
due - Tuesday

TUE Reading:

- Official Typeface of the 20th Century

- Dao of Web Design*

 

THUR Reading:
- Accessibility: more than the right thing to do

- Accessibility: the politics of design

 

Week 7

May 20 & 22

TUESDAY: Library Research Assignment. Research and prepare a PowerPoint presentation on your clientÕs field of expertise. Know your client, know your audience, know your competition.

 

THURSDAY: PowerPoint presentations

TUE Quiz from reading (20)

 

PowerPoint Presentation (50)

due at the next class (Thursday)

TUE Reading:

- A Design Process Revealed

Week 8

May 27 & 29

 

TUESDAY: Begin to work on comps, site map, layout, color scheme ideas, image gathering.

 

THURSDAY: Work on site. Mini critiques by classmates. Project Progress Checkpoint #1.

TUE Design 3 options for the home page. Include color, navigation, background, font thoughts, possible image

due for TuesdayÕs class

 

TUE Reading:

- Design Choices Can Cripple a Web Site

 

Week 9

June 3 & 5

 

Continue to work on site. Meet with me one-on-one during class to go over client comments and possible solutions.

 

Mini critiques by classmates. Project Progress Checkpoint #2.

Now is the time to take your site apart – try a different color combination/focus/font. Keep pushing the design.

READ:
- Stand and Deliver*

Week 10

June 10 & 12

Week 11

June 17 & 19

TUESDAY: Finalize site. Prepare for final presentations. On Thursday, you will have 10 minutes to present and sell your design to the class.

 

THURSDAY: Final Presentations – 10 minutes each.

 

Make sure all your links work, all your images have alt tags, your navigation is clear and simple. 3-click rule.

Note: Instructor reserves the right to change the schedule as deemed necessary.                                                      9/27/2007