SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
CMNS 473-4

PUBLICATION DESIGN AND PRINT PRODUCTION

Prerequisite:

CMNS375-4. A working knowledge of the Macintosh and its operating system is MANDATORY.

Course Goals:

Publication design concepts and production fundamentals are an essential part of publishing. This course provides a basic understanding for students who expect to either work in these areas or supervise those who do. The course material covers the basic principles of publication design, typography, printing, cost estimating, and computer applications in publishing. It focuses on several publishing formats: books, periodicals (newsletters, magazines, etc.), promotional materials and corporate publishing.

The course will be divided into a 2-hour lecture and a 1-hour lab* each week:

Seminar (lecture) E1.00, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 18:30-20:20, (6:30-8:20 pm), HC 2270.
Labs: E1.01, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 16:30-17:20 (4:30-5:20 pm), HC 1330.
E1.02, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 17:30-18:20 (5:30-6:20 pm), HC 1330.
E1.03, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 20:30-21:20 (8:30-9:20 pm), HC 1330
*Please note: There will be no labs the first class (Tuesday, June 26).

Required Text:

CMNS 473 Book: A Compilation of Related Handouts and Articles -- this will be sold, at cost, during the first class for $20.00.
PageMaker 6 Courseware: This will be sold, at cost, during the first class.

Recommended Text:

Williams, Robin, The Non-Designer's Design Book: Design and Typographic Principles for the Visual Novice. Berkeley, CA: Peachpit Press, 1994. ISBN 1-56609-159-4.

Course Evaluation:

PageMaker Exercises 15% (Due: ______________________)
Ad Design 15% (Due: ______________________)
Newsletter or Menu Redesign 20% (Due: ______________________)
Final Project 20% (Due: ______________________)
Professionalism & Attendance 10%
Final Exam 20%

Assignments are produced on a Macintosh computer using PageMaker (or Quark XPress). Students design and prepared publishing projects, develop grids for different formats, produce mock-ups, and develop printer specifications. Students also design and mock-up several spreads of a publication (either a book or a magazine) for their final project. This course is "Portfolio Driven". You can expect to spend from $20 to $60 (or more, depending on what your project is . . .) on developing your portfolio.

There will be a final exam on design theory. It is worth 20% of your mark. You will be tested on the handouts from lectures. The rest of the course is evaluated on project work and a final portfolio.

For Design Projects:

You will be asked to keep a Graphics Log of all the images you have used in your design solutions, i.e., where you got the image, what resolution you scanned it at, what manipulations you might have visited upon it in Photoshop, etc. You will also be asked to include a black and white printout of your project. This greatly speeds up our marking, and means I won’t have to mark directly on your finished comprehensives.

All assignments are to be handed to me personally in class on the specified due date. They should be in a file folder with your name on it, and contain the marking sheet I have given you. 10% per day will be deducted from late project work. If you absolutely have to hand in something late, please ensure it has been date-stamped at the Extension Credit Programs Office before putting it in my box. If it's not date-stamped, I cannot accept it (Unless it has been sent by courier!).

Course Attendance & Policy:

Don't miss any good stuff!!! Attendance is a key success factor, so please attend class and be on time. You will be responsible for any announcements/information which is given in any class you missed. Please contact a classmate, not us, for this information. You will be asked to sign in at the beginning of each class . . . it is your responsibility to make sure you do.

CMNS 473 is very detail-driven -- we sweat the small stuff! It's also about the design process and project (time) management. If you are an unorganized or slap-dash type person, you will find this course extremely challenging! Please try to treat us as you would a client. If you have a computer tragedy, fall ill or whatever, and have to miss a deadline, ask yourself how would I handle this if it were a real project with a real client?" A word of warning . . . clients are never very interested in excuses!!! They want solutions, on time! So do instructors!!! That said, let’s have a fun and productive semester!!!!!

Course Outline:

1. Tuesday June 26: Introduction: Course Outline.
Lecture: Measuring in Graphic Design (points, picas, leading, type sizes . . . ) – exercises.
Homework: Do: The Measuring Exercise - bring for next week.

2. Thursday June 28: Correct: The Measuring Exercise.
Lecture: Design Process - From Concept to Print.
Assignment: Ad Designs - comp due: Thursday, July 19.
Homework: Design: Thumbnails and a rough of your ads -- bring for next class.

3. Tuesday July 3: Look At: Thumbnails and a rough of your ad.
Lecture: Scanning and File Formats.
Lecture: 4 Principles of Design/Clip Art/Ad Design/Creativity Printing Tutorial.
Homework: Design: Comp of your ads -- bring for next class.

4. Thursday July 5: Due: Ad Design Projects.
Assignment: Newsletter/Menu Redesign Project -- Due: July 19.
Lecture: Introduction to Typography.

5. Tuesday July 10:
Lectures: How We Read; Typesetting Concerns; The Perfect Paragraph.
Homework: Design: Thumbnails and a rough of your newsletter grid, for next class.

6. Thursday July 12: Due: Thumbnails and a rough of your newsletter.
Lectures: Banner Design; Designing Grids - assign grid construction exercises.
Homework: Keep working on: Your newsletter or menu design.
Design: Thumbnails of your final project -- interviews will begin next week.

7. Tuesday July 17: Lecture: Page Elements.
Homework: Keep working on: Your newsletter/menu design -- due next class.
Thumbnails of your final project -- interviews will continue next week;
Thumbnail Reviews: I will begin meeting with students individually to discuss their final projects.

8. Thursday July 19: Due: Newsletter/Menu design comp.
Assignment: Final Project.
Demo: Special Papers.
Lecture: The Multipage Environment.
Thumbnail Reviews: I will continue meeting with students individually to discuss their final projects.

9. Tuesday July 24: Lecture: Art Reproduction (halftones, color, etc.).
Homework: Gather elements for your final project -- text, photos, etc.
Thumbnail Reviews: I will continue meeting with students individually to discuss their final projects.

10. Thursday July 26: Lecture: Nine Classifications of Type.
Thumbnail Reviews: I will continue meeting with students individually to discuss their final projects.
Gather: Elements for your final project -- text, photos, etc.

11. Tuesday July 31: Lecture: Resumes, Portfolio Concerns; Printing Estimates; Business Considerations.
Finalize: All elements for your final project -- text, photos, etc. HINT: make sure you have all your thumbnails, roughs and graphics log are in order -- they are worth almost half of your mark!
Think: About the whole presentation of your portfolio. Go Shopping!

12. Thursday August 2: Due: at 6:30 sharp - Final Project design comps.
Portfolio Party: 6:30 - 8:00 pm at Harbour Centre to show off all your great work.

13. Tuesday, August 7: Final Exam.


The School expects that the grades awarded in this course will bear some reasonable relation to established university-wide practices with respect to both levels and distribution of grades. In addition, the School will follow Policy T10.02 with respect to "Intellectual Honesty," and "Academic Discipline" (see the current Calendar, General Regulations Section)