WEEK 1–meeting via Zoom: https://ucsb.zoom.us/j/8949672892
Tuesday 1/6: course overview
assignments (due 1/8):
- Upload your Design Playground 01: Single Slide Introduction to this Google Slides deck before class on Thursday 1/8
Thursday 1/8: look at the Single Slide Introduction slides; in-class activity: BSG Audit; add your group’s slide to this Google Slides deck
assignments (due 1/13):
- Upload your Design Playground 02: Critique the Mundane to this Google Slides deck before class on Tuesday 1/13
- read How to Create a Brand Style Guide, by VistaPrint
- read How to build an effective brand style guide, by Venngage
- look through the BSG examples on the Resources page
- fill out the PWM internship survey
WEEK 2
Tuesday 1/13: look at the Critique the Mundane slides; discuss readings; brand adjectives (drawing from this nifty list of adjectives); begin the typography section
assignments (due 1/15):
- decide on 3-5 adjectives that describe the style you want to implement in your BSG and use Google fonts to find one or two fonts that visually express each adjective; add your slide to this Google Slides deck
- watch The History of Typography
- read The Hidden Power of Typography, by Rob McKaughan
- read Five traits that define a typeface, by Creative Bloq
- read The Anatomy of the Letterform, by Pangram Foundry
- read Canva’s Beautifully illustrated glossary of typographic terms you should know
Thursday 1/15: look at adjectives; discuss readings; in-class activity: Group Typeface exercise; add your group’s slide to this Google Slides deck
assignment (due before class on Tuesday 1/20):
- Upload your Design Playground 04: Anatomy of the Alphabet to this Google Slides deck before class on Tuesday 1/20
- check out these resources on finding perfect typeface pairs:
- Three Secrets to Font Pairing, by Adobe (with a bonus podcast at the end)
- Ultimate Guide: 13 Best Font Combinations, by Inkbot
- 29 perfect font pairings, by CreativeBloq
- The Ultimate Google Font Pairings, a beautiful resource illustrating design quotations with different font pairings
- Fontjoy
- FontPair.co
WEEK 3
Tuesday 1/20: discuss readings and creating typeface pairs; choosing a body font: check out these body text comparisons (and Meet the ipsums); BSG typography pages by former students; Figma 1: Slides
assignments (due before class on Thursday 1/22)
- finalize (for now) your typeface choices and create your typography draft; upload it to the typography draft folder in our shared Google drive
Thursday 1/22: peer reviews of typography drafts; CRAP design principles; begin the logo design section; in class we’ll watch The Art and Origins of Logo Design; look at logo resources; work on the logo exercise
assignments (due before class on Tuesday 1/27):
- make revisions to your typography draft based on the feedback you received today
- complete the logo exercise and add your slide to this Google Slides deck
- explore these resources on logo design:
- The 7 types of logos (and how to use them), by 99 designs
- 31 Creative Techniques for Two-Letter Logos, by Company Folders
- Logo of Letters, by Before and After
- Lettermark Design, Pinterest
- logos and business cards designed by previous students in the minor
WEEK 4
Tuesday 1/27: look at logo exercises; check out BSG logo pages 1 and BSG logo pages 2 by former students; explanations of bitmap/raster vs vector graphics: video and text; photo editing tutorials: Photo Editing #1: Interface, Filters, Adjustments; Photo Editing #2: Text
assignment (due Thursday 1/29):
- experiment with these free online logo tools (or others that you find) and upload at least one successful result to the online logo tool results Google folder
- Brandmark.io
- smashing logo design
- logomaster.ai
- Designevo logo maker
- Adobe express
- or another logo maker that you find online
Thursday 1/29: note new day/time for Writing 155B: TR 11:00-12:15; Mockup tutorial with these samples: wall sign, flower cup, and stamp; more mockup resources; continue work on logo designs
assignment (due Tuesday 2/3):
- finalize (for now) your logo design and create a draft of your logo section; upload it to the logo draft folder in our shared Google drive
- mockup resources
- mockup samples to use in class: wall sign, flower cup, and stamp
- Photoshop mockups at GraphicBurger, Unblast, and/or do a Google search for “free Photoshop mockups”
- mockup generators (though I’m not sure what, if anything, you get for free): Canva, PlaceIt, Visme, PixelTrue
- Mockup tutorial
WEEK 5
Tuesday 2/3: feedback on logo drafts; begin the color section; Photo Editing #3: Selecting and Combining
assignment (due Thursday 2/5):
- make revisions to your logo draft based on feedback
- check out the color resources on the Resources page
- read How to Find the Perfect Color
- check out these BSG color pages and the resources below
Thursday 2/5: in-class color inspiration exercise; work on the draft of your color section
assignment (due Tuesday 2/10):
- create a draft of your color section; upload it to the color draft folder in our shared Google drive before class on Tuesday 2/10
WEEK 6
Tuesday 2/10: feedback on color drafts; distinctive feature; imagery section; Photopea tutorials: revisit layer blending and color adjustments from Photo Editing Tutorial #1; how to create a vectorized coloring book effect; basic masked text; more sophisticated masked text; random quick photoediting tutorials; or just do a Google search for “Photoshop tutorials”
assignment (due Thursday 2/12):
- make revisions to your color draft based on feedback
- create a draft of your imagery section and upload it to this Google folder
Thursday 2/12: Writing 150 or Writing 161?; feedback on imagery; student examples of writing pages; table of contents; front and back covers; in class: writing style analysis exercise
assignment (due Tuesday 2/15 and Thursday 2/17):
- upload your Design Playground 03: Brand Strategy to this folder in our shared Google drive before 3:30pm on Tuesday 2/17
- visit the folder after Tuesday and before class on Thursday and listen to at least three other students’ videos for the Design Playground 03 assignment
- create a sharable draft of your writing section(s) for class on Thursday 2/19 and upload it to this Google folder
WEEK 7
Tuesday 2/17: no class
Thursday 2/19: discuss Identity Designed and the brand strategy exercise; peer review and continue work on written sections, covers, tables of contents
assignment (due on Tuesday 2/24):
- create a complete near-final draft of your BSG and upload it to the bsg draft folder before class on Tuesday 2/24
- to make your PDF file size smaller, use SmallPDF.com
WEEK 8
Tuesday 2/24: peer feedback on BSG draft; time in class to work on revisions
assignment (due Thursday 2/26):
- finish your BSG and upload it to the bsg final folder before class on Thursday 2/26
Thursday 2/26: BSG due; notes for the Figma Design for Beginners tutorial; look at styles and plugins (we’ll use Iconify)
assignments (due Tuesday 3/3):
- complete the Figma Design for Beginners course (approx. 3 hours) and share your prototype link with me before class on Tuesday 3/3. Here’s how to share your prototype link:
- Open your Figma design file and click the Present (play icon) button in the top-right toolbar. This opens the prototype in a new tab.
- While in the presentation view, click the Share prototype button in the top-right corner.
- Click Copy link at the top of the window.
- Email this link to me via email (sorapure@ucsb.edu).
WEEK 9
Tuesday 3/3: check out these Figma brand book templates:
- Brand Identity Template #2, by Artem Goroshnikov
- Brand Identity Template #1, by Artem Goroshnikov
- Brand Book Figma Template, by Brix Templates
- Straightforward Brand Guidelines, by Redo?
Other useful Figma tutorials:
- Create a button hover effect
- Create an overlay
- Dropdown menu
assignments (due Thursday 3/5):
- continue work on interactive BSG
Thursday 3/5: continue work on interactive BSG; in class we’ll work through these options
- create a draft of the interactive BSG to share in class on Tuesday 3/10
WEEK 10
Tuesday 3/10: course evals feedback on drafts; try out the Simple Image Carousel; in-class time to revise
assignment (due Thursday 3/12):
- complete the Interactive BSG project
Thursday 3/12: no class in Phelps 1518, just extended office hours (from 1:00-5:00) for anyone who needs help completing the Interactive BSG; when you’re finished, submit the project by emailing me your prototype link:
- Open your Figma design file and click the Present (play icon) button in the top-right toolbar. This opens the prototype in a new tab.
- While in the presentation view, click the Share prototype button in the top-right corner.
- Click Copy link at the top of the window.
- Email this link to me via email (sorapure@ucsb.edu).