Project: 
Create the promotional graphics for a theater production: The Addams Family: School Edition

Objectives:

• Improve your skills with basic Illustrator tools, particularly the pen tool
• Apply the principles of contrast, repetition, alignment and proximity
• Communicate an idea through selection of appropriately expressive type.
• Create a visual personality through the title art and other elements
• Work to fulfill a client's wishes, while maintaining your own artistic integrity

Materials:
Adobe Illustrator

Parameters:

• Created in: Adobe Illustrator
• The Music Dept needs a poster/ sign, playbill cover, and t-shirt logo.
• The playbill is 5.5 inches wide x 8.5 inches high;
• The design needs to bleed off the page.
• File name: “musical 2023 yourlastname playbill.eps”
• The signs are 4 x 8 feet, 2 x 4 feet and 3 x 4 feet.
  • Billboard: 4 x 8’ (48 x 96”): “musical 2023 yourlastname billboard.eps”
  • Sandwich board: 2 x 4’ (24 x 48”): “musical 2023 yourlastname sandwich .eps” ​
• File format: EPS or high resolution PDF
• The playbill cover can be full color.

• Work in silhouette or other vector graphics
• NO photographs, clip art, or "borrowing" from famous images of the movie or musical
• Shoot your own photographs from student models, and use those as a drawing reference.

You should relay the following information to your viewers:

Text ("Copy"):

(For the playbill:) 
Dimensions: 5.5 inches wide x 8.5 inches high (vertical)

      Burlington High School Presents:

      The ADDAMS FAMILY
      School Edition
      April 29 - May 7, 2023
      A Performing Arts Department Production

------------

(For the poster and signs) 
Dimensions: 4' x 8' for fence;  2 x 4' for sandwich boards, vertical)

        Burlington High School Presents: (20% font size compared to title at 100%)

        The ADDAMS FAMILY
        School Edition
        A Performing Arts Department Production

        Dates and Start Time (20% as big as the title)
        April 29 - May 7, 2023
   
         BurlingtonTheatre.com (80% as big as the title)
         781-A-FUN-TIC (60% as big as the title)
        $10 for students and seniors
        $15 for adults


Grading Criteria:

• Personal Investment (Work Habits, Ambition)
• Design / Visual Impact
• Inventiveness / Creativity
• Expressiveness / Communication
• Technical Quality / Craftsmanship

Resources:
In preparation for your own theatrical poster designs, here's a link to 50 great movie poster designs.
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/10/12/50-beautiful-movie-posters/

To Start:

1. Collect images of effective promotional graphics for movies and plays. Ask yourself: what makes them work so well?
2. Collect information and visual references that relate to the subject(s) of the play.
3. Thumbnails and rough drafts (especially of figures. What poses will you need?)
4. Take photos of student models to use as visual reference for your drawings. The silhouettes should be clear, informative and expressive. Exaggerate the poses.

Helpful Resources:
Movie posters may prove inspirational. There are two books of movie posters (of movies from the 1960s and 1970s) in Mr. Ratkevich's Portfolio classroom, Room 215.

Self Critique Questions
Ask yourself these questions for each of your final executions:

• Is the concept clear?
• It is visually unique and interesting? Does it have visual impact?

​Chiaroscuro
(from Italian: chiaro, “light,” and scuro, “dark”)
A technique employed to represent light and shadow as they define three-dimensional objects.

Essential Question:
How do I use to create , the illusion of three dimensions on a two dimensional surface?

PROJECT:
Using digital photography and the pen tool of Adobe Illustrator, re-imagine a famous propaganda poster to promote the BHS Art & Design program. 

To do this, you will first combine: 

• The composition from a famous historical propaganda poster
• A photograph of yourself or a friend /peer in the same pose as from the historical propaganda poster.
• A photographic close-up (from the same angle as in the original propaganda poster) of a real hero or celebrity from the 20th or 21st century (Someone EVERYONE will recognize in a positive light.). 

The photograph you take, and your final drawing must include dramatic light and shadow to create a sense of three-dimensional form (chiaroscuro)


Media:

• Digital Photography (to take photos of yourself/friends)
• Photoshop (for combining photos and photo-editing)
• Adobe Illustrator (for drawing)
• Photoshop again (for textures and effects)

Objectives:

• Use Photoshop to cleanly and convincingly COMBINE PHOTOGRAPHS.
• Refine your technical skills with the DRAWING TOOLS of Adobe Illustrator.
• Use LAYERS and SUBLAYERS to organize the parts of your work.
• Make CLOSED shapes.
• Make LIGHT, MIDDLE, and DARK tonal values for every part to create three-dimensionality.

Specifications:

• Proportions will be the same as the original propaganda poster you are spoofing, but the maximum dimensions should not exceed 12 x 18"
• File name: propaganda yourlastname
• Begin in Photoshop to collage your images, then trace in Illustrator, then add textures and effects in Photoshop.

Grading Criteria:
CONCEPT:

• Inventiveness
• Clear Communication of Message

DESIGN:

• Image has Visual Impact
• Effective Color Combinations

CRAFTSMANSHIP / TECHNICAL QUALITY

• Skillful use of pen and other tools of Illustrator
• Three-dimensionality using Chiaroscuro
• Shadows are consistent
• Proper formatting: Layers, Sublayers, Labeled Paths
• Inventive Experimentation with Technique
• Refinement using Photoshop and Illustrator

WORK HABITS / PERSONAL INVESTMENT

• Studio Habits of Mind

Tips:

Be precise.
               Create curving paths using the pen tool.

Draw the biggest shapes first,
               then medium,
               then smallest 

Draw to group the large light areas,,
               then large middle areas,
               then large dark areas 

Should have layers in this order: 

• Details
• Dark tones
• Middle tones
• Light tones
• (Background color)
• Photo (Lock this layer)

​
Steps:

1. View/study the propaganda posters from the links below.

• https://www.canva.com/learn/examples-of-propaganda/
• https://stacker.com/history/famous-propaganda-posters-last-100-years

2. Brainstorm fun and interesting ideas for a "spoof" of one of the posters.

3. Enlist your model(s) (You may be your own model.) to pose.

4. Take a series of good, sharp, well-lit photos of action shots of your model posing. Consider your point of view and your lighting; these should be similar to the original poster.

5. Find a photo of a hero or celebrity seen from an angle (and with similar lighting) to the original poster and your own photograph.

6. Using Photoshop, combine your photo and the photo of the celebrity.

7. Save your photo-collaged image as a TIF and open it in Illustrator.

8. Resize your image as big as you can to fit within a 12 x 18" document. Lock in place.

9. Create a series of layers, in this order:

• Details
• Dark tones
• Middle tones
• Light tones
• (Background color)
• Photo (Lock this layer)

10. Using the pen tool of Illustrator to create curved paths, trace your image using the pen tool.

11. Be sure to use the layers and sublayers, and label paths, to keep your file organized and to help work more efficiently.

12. Add text similar in size and style to the original poster.

13. When your drawing is complete and full-color, save as EPS.
​
14. Open in Photoshop. Use "paste into" to add textures. Use layer styles and effects.


​Below is a student artwork created in Illustrator that shows the STYLE in which this will be done:

The student work below shows chiaroscuro AND the additions of textures and effects to portraiture.

The English Department will be hanging posters sharing their unofficial department motto, "Read. Write. Speak. Truth." It's from a Clint Smith TED Talk that was shared with all freshmen.

Design a series of posters of the phrase in the different languages that our students speak. They can each reflect a different culture (of that language spoken) — integrating different cultural art and style components.

At least 4 final designs (each for a different language)
(You may have multiple treatments for the different languages.)

Distance of text from left and right borders must be equal.

Setting Up Document:

• Letter Size (8.5 x 11"), Portrait orientation
• Start with four art boards in a single Adobe Illustrator document.
• Margins/borders for text should be at least 1/2" on all 4 edges, and should be consistent on left and right.
• Start with four art boards in your document (You may add more if needed.)

Objectives:
Alignment and Spacing

• Adjust Kerning, Tracking, and Leading
• MUST be Justified (Aligned on both left and right margin edges.)
• Equal spacing from left and right edges of document

Reflect home region/culture through COLOR and STYLE

Tips:

• Multiple treatments of each language
• Test out swatches of colors side-by-side

Graded on:
Studio Habits of Mind

Project:
Using Adobe Illustrator, design a book cover for the Burlington High Program of Studies.

• Use type and shape to create visual impact and express an overall sense of academics and pride.
• It may include the school seal, and incorporate a list of all courses.
• Use simple shapes as design elements.
• Must include "Burlington High School"
• Must include "Program of Studies"
• Must include "2023-2024"
• May include a list of all courses
• May include the school seal (EPS)

Objectives:

• Gain skill with the Type tools of Adobe Illustrator
• Apply your understanding of the principles of good graphic design:

               Contrast
               Balance
               Repetition
               Alignment
               Proximity

• Communicate an idea through selection of appropriately expressive type.
• Arrange elements to maximize visual impact

Materials:

• Adobe Illustrator

Requirements for Format:

• File Format: Illustrator EPS
• Size: Letter (8.5 x 11")
• Orientation: Vertical (portrait)
• Color Mode: RGB
• Bleed to edge (no white border)
• May be created in any combination of red, black, and/or white
• NO CLIP ART may be used
• No copyrighted imagery may be used
• Convert all text to outline (Keep a copy with all type.)
• Save as: "programofstudies yourlastname.eps", in EPS format
• Submit as EPS, PDF, TIF, and JPG (5 MB)
  

(See the instructor for an editable EPS of the school seal. You can check the online Program of Studies for a list of all courses.)

Grading Criteria:

• CONCEPT
•      Looks academic
•      Inventiveness
• DESIGN
•      Well-Chosen Typeface(s)
•      Image has Visual Impact
•      Considers contrast, repetition, alignment, proximity, balance
• CRAFTSMANSHIP
•      Skillful use of tools of Illustrator
• WORK HABITS / PERSONAL INVESTMENT

Tips to Get Started:

Consider what would be both appropriate and special for an academic publication.

Ask yourself how you can make students excited to get their hands on one of these publications? How can you use simple shape and text to energize the design?


Helpful Resources:

There are a number of Graphic Design books and magazines in Room 215. Use them for inspiration and tutorials.

Project:
On a tall vertical art board in Illustrator (18 inches high x 12 inches wide), draw the facade of a house or another building you might see in a village. Set it in a winter environment, and leave room for a quote near the top of the picture plane.

The intention is that the designs will be enlarged to vertical (3 foot x 1.5 foot, or larger) banners to stand up as outdoor displays. Ideally, weatherproof vinyl mesh banners would be affixed to pole brackets in the Burlington Sculpture Park and would be on display during December and early January.

For alternative version of this project, click HERE.

Student Examples


Parameters:
Limited Color Palette: So that the various banners are unified as a set, use white, blues, silver (grays), and gold/copper. You may use a minimal amount of one other hue (such as violet) as an accent.

Using photographic references, draw the design in Adobe Illustrator, then use Photoshop (300 ppi) to add painterly effects, lighting effects, and textures.

You may incorporate your designs or patterns from one or more of any of your previous digital art work into this new design.

Objectives:

• Create a positive mood/atmosphere.
• Apply skills with tools and techniques of Illustrator and Photoshop together
• Create strong visual impact
• Work with others to create a series of designs that work together stylistically and in their color schemes.

Materials:

• FIRST, Adobe Illustrator for drawing
• THEN (possibly, depending on time), Adobe Photoshop for painterly effects, lighting effects, and textures
• FINALLY, Adobe Illustrator for typography

Grading Criteria:

• Design (Visual Impact)
• Technical Quality
• Personal Investment

To Start:

1. Study photos of homes and villages. Your drawing will be a straight-on view of the front of the building.

2. On paper, draw to develop your design. Create at least a few thumbnail sketches and some color studies using color pencil. In designing, consider the relationship of positive and negative space, visual movement, and other principles of art to create a strong composition.
You may use the this worksheet for a larger drawing or this thumbnail sketch worksheet.

3. In Illustrator:
Create a New Document
        File -- New Document
        Size: 12 inches wide x 18 inches high
        Orientation: Portrait
Use the pen tool to draw, based on your best sketch. You may even scan or photograph your pencil sketch, and trace over it using the pen tool in Illustrator.

4. Open the EPS in Photoshop. When the dialogue box comes up, be sure to change the resolution to 300 ppi and the color mode to RGB. The size should be at least 12 x 18".
Add painterly effects, layer styles, lighting effects, and textures.
Flatten and save as a TIFF.

5. Back in Illustrator, use the Character and Type palettes to incorporate quotes about peace, love, and community into your design, integrating words and image.

Save as EPS, TIF, and JPG files: "winter yourlastname.eps", etc.

Recreate your black and white folder design as a full-color digital drawing/design in Adobe Illustrator.

Create at least 2 treatments (versions).

Grading Criteria

• Creativity
• Design (Visual Impact, Effective Use of Elements and Principles of Art)
• Technical Quality - Skill with Adobe Illustrator
• Studio Work Habits

After designing 2 - 3 treatments, then:

1. Convert all Type to Outline

2. Convert final documents to:

• EPS titled “name quote yourlastname.eps”
• PDF titled “name quote yourlastname.pdf
• TIF (RGB, letter-sized, flattened) titled “name quote yourlastname.tif”
• JPG 5MB (just under 5 MB file size) titled “name quote yourlastname 5MB.jpg”

2. Save all 4 files to your desktop

3. Turn in the 4 files to Drive folder “01. Name Quote Digital”
          (Subfolder of  “___CG GD II 22-23”, which has been shared with you)

4. Critique in class:

• Describe
• Analyze
• Interpret
• Judge

5. Touch Up designs after receiving feedback: gradients, etc.

6. Print

• Printer: Epson P600 Graphics
• Scaling: Fit to Page (or “Scale to Fit Media”)
• Paper Handling: Size: Letter
• Media Type: Coated
• Quality: Best

7. Prepare for Display

• Mount on black paper
• Label (Name, Class of, Course, Burlington High School) flush against bottom right
• Velcro dots on back

Assignment:
Create a strong design that uses both your full name and a quote, phrase, or slogan that tells us something about you. Apply all your knowledge about good design to make the artwork as dynamic and visually interesting as possible. Do your best to make this a thoughtful and careful finished artwork.

Focus on the following:

• Interesting Lettering
• Break up the entire picture plane (Design fills the page.)
• Decorative/Ornamental/Visually exciting (Pattern?)
• High Contrast - Approx. equal amounts dark and light
• Consider the best approach/process

Tip: Draw multiple thumbnail sketches to test out different designs.

Project Length: Four days
Size: 8 ½ x 11”
Media: Black ink (Sharpies and felt tip pens)

Process:

1. Decide on slogan or quote.
2. Make at least 4 thumbnail sketches
3. Then develop one of those sketches into an actual-sized rough draft before transferring and refining an inked showpiece on tagboard.

Grading Criteria

• Creativity
• Design (Visual Impact, Effective Use of Elements and Principles of Art)
• Technical Quality (“Finished”)
• Studio Work Habits

This is a pre-assessment to find out what you already know, and I will be observing and taking notes on your work habits and your process, your final work, and your participation in the final critique of student work. By jotting down brief notes on how each of you approaches the project, I will gain a better sense of your strengths and of how you could grow throughout the year.

As the measuring tool, I will be using this rubric:
​
Rubric: Art Studio Habits of Mind

Project:
Using Adobe Illustrator, incorporate your logo design into a corporate identity that includes the following:

• letterhead (stationary)
• envelope
• business card
• product label
• (other)

Objectives:

• Apply the principles of good design
• Communicate the “personality” of a company
• Create a cohesive set of usable documents

Materials:

• Adobe Illustrator

Grading Criteria:

• Design (Visual Impact)
• Technical Quality
• Personal Investment

To Start:

1. View and discuss professional brand identity design
2. ​Develop color scheme for stationary
3. Select typefaces
4. Create motifs and additional graphics
5. Experiment with different arrangements
6. Use the provided templates for the business card and envelope. You can adjust them as necessary.
   
   

References/Resources
https://www.lucidpress.com/blog/the-7-key-elements-of-brand-identity-design
https://www.behance.net/gallery/32158897/Brand-Identity-Design
http://www.draward.com/best-corporate-identity-design-packages-branding-projects/
https://designmodo.com/branding-design/
https://www.pinterest.com/cubicpromote/corporate-identity-design/

Due Date:
Four days

Project:
Using Adobe Illustrator, create a logo that incorporates lettering and representational elements

About Logos:

• The word "logo" is derived from Greek ("language").
• A modern pictogram
• Identifies and represents an organization, business, product, or special event such as a conference.
• A symbol; an identifier.
• An embodiment of an organization that fosters instant visual identification and recognition.
• Large amount of information compressed into a single visual statement
• "Can't help but see it."
• Can evoke a strong emotional response.

A logo takes a great deal of thought to make.


Objectives:

• Communicate ideas about a company
• Be inventive
• Use letters as shapes
• Make connections between letters and pictures
• Create finely detailed work
• Create order, cohesion and visual impact

Materials:

• Pencil and paper
• Adobe Illustrator

Grading Criteria:

• Design (Visual Impact)
• Technical Quality
• Personal Investment

To Start:
View and discuss professional logos.

Process
​
1. Answer these questions to help define the logo's message and spark ideas.:

• What's the name of the company?
• What image does the company want to project? What do they want to say about themselves?
• Who is the audience?
• Where and how will the logo be used? (Large or small formats, or both?; On trucks? On signage? Letterheads, business cards, other printed materials.

2. Brainstorm ideas to symbolize the message you want to convey.

3. Collect photographs that can serve as inspiration and reference for your idea. In Photoshop, combine these photos in a document to create a visual reference board for your sketches. Print it.

4. Using these references, sketch many drawings so that you better understand the visual nature of the subject(s).

5. Try various ways to combine the subjects/ideas.

6. Further develop (streamline, stylize, and refine) one or more of the sketches so that it is a self-contained image that clearly conveys information about the business in a highly impactful and easily identifiable way.