Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Graphic Design
Teaching staff
To speak personally with the teacher, please arrange a meeting date and time with her.
Introduction
Digital Design is a 3 ECTS subject that is taught during the first semester of year two of the Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising and Public Relations.
Design is the visual language in which advertising is expressed; having knowledge of its principles and syntax is essential for anyone interested in having a career in advertising. The aim of this subject is to consolidate this knowledge through the use of Photoshop software as the tool for designing and digitally developing the advertising message.
Pre-course requirements
No prerequisites required.
Objectives
- To acquire the basic knowledge of the fundamentals of design.
- To learn how to use the Photoshop tools to create, edit and compose professional images.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- 48 - The ability to understand and apply the expressive possibilities of new technologies
- 53 - The ability to design and critique an audiovisual or media product
- 58 - Knowledge and mastery of the static image and its ability to communicate
- 67 - Knowledge and mastery of the digital culture
- 83 - The ability and capacity to give form to a creative message
- 84 - The ability and capacity to create and carry out graphic elements
- 85 - The ability and skill to act as experts in the strategic management of corporate image
- 87 - The ability and capacity to use technology and communicative techniques
Learning outcomes of the subject
After completing the course, students will:
- Have a basic understanding of the aesthetic principles of graphic design.
- Be able to develop a graphic project using Photoshop.
Syllabus
1. Introduction to design:
- A brief history of graphic design
- Image syntax
- Optimised formats and resolutions
- Advantages in disadvantages
2. Typography
- Basic concepts
- Working with text
- Characteristics
- Compositions
- Let's do it
3. Design basics:
- Formal elements of the image
- Principles of composition
- Types of compositions
- Colour
- Analysis of advertising images
4. Aesthetic design principles:
- Balance
- Unity
- Emphasis
5. Working with sections:
- About selection and selection tools
- Select with the magic wand tool
- Working with geometric selections
- Select with the lasso tool
- Crop an image and delete within a selection
6. Basic photography corrections:
- Strategies for retouching photos
- Resolution and image size
- Straighten and retouch an image
- Use automatic adjustments
- Adjust the tonal range
- Remove the colour dye
- Replace colours in an image
- Compare manual and automatic results
7. Retouch and repair:
- Repair areas with the clone buffer tool
- Use the brush tool and patch
- Remove imperfections
- About snapshots and the history palette
- Use the patch tool
8. Masks and channels:
- Working with masks and channels
- Edit a mask
- Load a mask as selection and apply adjustment
- Create a gradient mask
9. Masks, paths and vector shapes:
- About shape layers
- Draw paths
- Apply a path in use to a layer as a vector mask
- Working with defined custom shapes
- Add layer styles to a custom shape
Teaching and learning activities
In person
| TRAINING ACTIVITY | ECTS CREDITS |
|---|---|
| Lectures. In lectures, lecturers/professors not only transmit content or knowledge, but also, and above all else, attitudes, motivation, skills and values, etc. They also ensure that participants can express their opinions and arguments to the other students. | 1,2 |
| Seminar. This activity will consist of taking an in-depth look at specific up-to-date topics in a monographic manner-in some cases these topics will have been debated socially-, via active work in small groups. | 0,6 |
| Workshop. Advanced and intensive workshops of a longer duration, led by lecturers and/or foreign professionals, in which the language used is English. These culminate in the creation of a professional or semi-professional product which is also produced in English. | 0,8 |
| Coaching. Monitoring how students learn the content of the subject, either individually or in groups. In the coaching sessions, mistakes will be corrected, queries answered, and exercises and activities to achieve the established objectives will be suggested. | 0,4 |
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
This subject is based on ongoing assessment, which will use multi-evaluation. The students’ work will be scored based on their involvement in the subject, in-class participation, achievement of the objectives, observance of deadlines and design creativity. The spelling rules of the Faculty will apply.
Practical exercises with a weight of 40% of the subject’s final mark. Total: 40%
Final project with a weight of 50% of the subject’s final mark. Total: 50%
Generic competences with a weight of 10% of the subject’s final mark. Total: 10%
Bibliography and resources
Help Photoshop. http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/topics.html
Visuelle Online. A selection of design works http: //visuelle.co.uk/
GraphicExchangePortal dedicated to design and inspiration projects http: //www.graphic-exchange.com/
DomestikaPortal dedicated to online design http: //www.domestika.org/
The Cool HunterMagazine trend online http: //www.thecoolhunter.net/