The New Graphic Design School: A Foundation Course in Principles and Practice, 4th Edition

Part One: Principles.

Unit One: Research and Early Concepts.

Basics of research.

Linear reasoning/lateral thinking.

Exploratory drawing.

Visualizing ideas.

Theories of image and text.

Audiences, markets, and concepts.

Scheduling, organizing, and finalizing.

Unit Two: Fundamentals of Composition.

Basics of composition.

Form and space.

Symmetry/asymmetry.

Basic principles of layout.

Styles of layout.

Pace and contrast.

Size and format.

Coordination and identity.

Photography and illustration.

Unit Three: Fundamentals of Typography.

Typography and meaning.

The anatomy of type.

Understanding and selecting typefaces.

Spacing.

Readability and legibility.

Typographic emphasis and hierarchy.

Typographic rules/boxes and ornaments.

Text as image.

Unit Four: Fundamentals of Color.

Color terminology.

Color legibility, contrast, and harmony.

Color associations.

Color as information.

Part Two: Practice.

Unit Five: Tools and Technologies.

Photography basics and image sourcing.

Photoshop.

Photomontage/collage.

DTP applications.

Illustrator.

3D graphics.

Flash/After Effects.

Unit Six: Production Process and Issues.

Lithography.

Printed color.

Digital printing.

File preparation and sending.

File types and compression.

Workspace, monitor, and calibration.

Paper stocks and finishing.

The role of PDFs.

Correcting color proofs.

Press check.

Electronic media production.

Unit Seven: Web Design Basics.

Visual design and coding.

The languages of the Internet.

The building blocks of a web page.

The graphical user interface.

CSS.

Web standards, validation, Doctype, and SEO.

Designing for different browsers and platforms.

Web design software.

Web-based self-publishing.

Unit Eight: Commercial Applications.

Core/specialist skills.

Logo design and brand identity.

Motion graphics.

Web design.

Editorial design.

Game design.

Advertising.

Information design.

Resources.

Glossary.

Index.

Bibliography.

Acknowledgments.