Graphic Design Studio Practice

To experience, to engage, to endeavor, rather than to watch and to wonder—that’s where the real meat of life is to be found. Inspiration and growth only come from adversity and from challenge—from stepping away from what’s comfortable and familiar and stepping out into the unknown. —Ben Saunders

Design is as much about process, critical thinking and social responsibility as it is about aesthetics and form. Projects, clients’ needs, the field of graphic design are all constantly and rapidly changing. Changes can happen across disciplines or from one medium to another; how we as designers adapt to those changes, employing traditional design techniques and using the newest technology, is about more than aesthetics and form. It is about practicing a process of research and discovery that can solve design problems no matter how content, technology, and styles change over time.

The goal of this course is to function as both a teaching and learning environment. The structure of the course allows for the coverage of a broad range of graphic design related skills in both instruction and practical application. The course is designed to function as a working design studio where the students have the opportunity to work on real client based projects and engage directly with clients. Ultimately we will be stressing the value of learning through experiences.

Your general performance will be evaluated based upon a set of learning objectives for design majors here at BU:

1. Generate a body of work that applies design thinking to develop visual communication skills
2. Develop a design process
3. Learn design agility; design across multiple modalities
4. Articulate a unique and individual design voice and visual methodology
5. Develop a holistic understanding of design’s past, present and future
6. Professionally develop

Topics Covered

Creating proposals, scoping workload, conducting meetings, presentations, professional communication, research and design processes, content development, writing, and design production.

Teaching + Learning Sessions

There will be specifically designed workshop or lecture based sessions and discussions surrounding the following topics at different times throughout the semester and in no particular order:

• The Space in Which We Work. We will discuss what makes up a successful graphic design studio environment by researching and touring existing professional studios and designing our own studio environment for the summer.
• Communication Part 1: The Design Brief. Project scope of work, deliverables, budget, schedule and plan will be discussed and implemented with real world projects.
• Communication Part 2: Professionalism. How do we communicate with peers and clients in the professional world. How do we present ourselves in public as designers.
• Communication Part 3: The Art of Presentation. Nearly as important as the work itself, is the way it is presented. We will discuss and practice speaking and presenting ideas.
• The Charrette. The idea of a charrette is when all of the designers in the studio work on design concepts and then come together for critique and dialogue. We will discuss this topic by conducting charrettes in our own studio for every project.
• Client Feedback. How do we receive and respond to client feedback. What happens when a client is happy vs. unhappy. How do we process and translate client feedback and direction to continue with a design process.

Site Visits

There will be a series of trips scheduled over the course of the semester:

• Epic Decade — in our study of how design studios work we will visit Epic Decade and possibly 1 to 2 other studios to tour their space and interact with employees.
• Printer (TBD) — to learn more about production we will visit a local printer and understand a little more about what print production is like and what it is like to go “on-press.”

Communication

It is expected that you as a class will help and support each other throughout this course and others for that matter. That said, I am of course fully accessible in class, at my office, and via email: nickrock@bu.edu. Please do not use any other email address to contact me. All communication should go through my BU email address or via Slack.

Professional Engagements

Studio · client-based

For Summer 2015 we plan at a minimum, to focus on direct client engagement and we will conduct research based design practice with design studio Epic Decade.

• Epic Decade is a teaching + learning studio designing remarkable experiences to inspire, demonstrate, accelerate, and transform organizations in search of new cultural and business models for the 21st century.

The following specific points will be factored into your final grade for the course:

• Quality of Work. Even though we are creating client based work, your work will not be evaluated based upon whether or not the client is happy with it. I will be evaluating your work outside of the client facing process. The work will be evaluated based upon concept, execution and craft.
• Attendance. Attendance at each class is mandatory. This class moves quickly since it is a summer course. Discussion and critique are not things that are easily made up and happen regularly. You must contact me in advance if you need to miss a class. Any unexcused absence will reduce your final letter grade. I reserve the right to determine what an unexcused absence is. If you are late, or absent you must follow up with me, as you will still be responsible for the work. I will not chase you down to catch you up. You should be scheduling appointments around your classes since you know your class schedule, and not the other way around.
• Participation. Part of the job as a designer is communicating effectively, on a design team, in a studio environment or with clients. You will be expected to be an active member of the studio, particularly during critiques as all feedback is important. Discussion is an important part of the design process. If you are not participating regularly in the discussion you will be asked for your opinion.

In addition to the specific key points above, your general performance will be evaluated based upon a set of learning objectives for design majors here at BU, articulated in the rubric below.

Evaluation: Learning Objectives

General Grading Criteria

• A — You demonstrate an advanced understanding of concepts presented and are able to complete work above and beyond suggested parameters.
• B — You exhibit a more than competent understanding of concepts presented and utilize these concepts in an articulate and noteworthy manner.
• C — You demonstrate a basic understanding of the information studied and apply this information to assigned problems meeting basic expectations but not going beyond suggested parameters.
• D — You exhibit limited understanding of the concepts and complete work below the level required for satisfactory performance.
• F — You demonstrate little or no understanding of course material, show little desire or motivation to complete the work or turn in incomplete projects.

• Slack — used to consolidate course communications and manage our projects, as it is a tool used in a professional environment to do just that.