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JMC/ART 423 Interactive Multimedia Design
Professor Joel Davies 280-4060
AIM - cuprofessorx
MW 10:30am - 12:20pm
"An interface reveals itself at its point of failure." - Thinking with type
Objectives and Goals
The objective of this course is to guide the student toward a personal aesthetic understanding of multimedia design through a rigorous course of creative projects with increasing levels of functionality and complexity. All students will be familiarized with the fundamentals of interactive and time-based media in the context of the Web and interactive design. Utilizing Flash as the primary design tool, students will learn how to integrate animation, sound, and advanced functionality into nonlinear media. The course will concentrate on the practical issues of working with both clients and technology to achieve creative solutions to design concerns. Through the production of several projects throughout the semester, students will become accustomed to the creative and technical demands of real-world multimedia production.
Additionally, students will have the option of using Apple Motion to create a motion graphics project, and learn a counterbalance to using Flash in the field.
Grading Criteria
Grades will be determined by combination of factors tracked by a course grading sheet (available here). Points can be earned in 10 different categories - some design elements in a project can impact more than one grading category. There is a 10 point scale for each category to reflect the overall quality of student work.
It is very difficult to acheive "A" quality work in the class. An "A" project will be considered professional level design, and perfect in the majority of grading categories. B+ and B grades will be given to good work that is well above course expectations.
Simply meeting the expectations of the course in completing assignments, quizzes, projects and the practical will result in a C grade. Doing the minimum amount of work to get by is not going to earn you a good grade. In order to earn grades higher than a C, I expect students to show substantial growth in critical skills, mastery of the technical elements of the course, and perfect execution of design concepts in major projects.I will be merciless when grading draft projects, since all projects can be revised for credit.
My office door is always open to discuss ways to improve your design, technical or critical skills.
D and F work will fail to meet expectations.
JMC Professionalism Policy
The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication offers pre-professional education to prepare students to succeed in communications careers. Professional attitudes and conduct are often almost as important as talent in our fields. Accordingly, students in all JMC classes are expected to conduct themselves as cited below; faculty and staff will enforce consequences:
- Students will attend all classes unless there is a valid reason
to be absent and to arrive on time just as they would at work. Students
who arrive after class has begun are considered late and subject to
grade penalties as imposed by each instructor.
- Valid reasons for absences include illness, participation in an official university function (debate, varsity athletic absences etc), family emergency etc. All excused absences require notification by email PRIOR to class.
- Absences of two classes in a row due to illness require a doctor’s note.
- Absences due to non-emergency medical / dental appointments are unexcused absences. The same goes for picking up a friend, taking a car to be repaired or other circumstances that can be avoided.
- More than one week’s worth (2) of unexcused absences per semester will result in course grade being lowered one grade level per additional absence up to D after which the student will receive an A/F.
- Use of electronic devices during class is prohibited.
- No food and drink are allowed in the labs. If caught, you will be expected to leave class and dispose of the items.
- Students are expected to participate in class. Inappropriate behavior such as reading non-course materials, checking email, instant or text messaging, studying for other classes or sleeping will result in dismissal from that day’s class and count as an unexcused absence.
- Students are accountable for turning in all work on time. Faculty will either penalize late assignments or refuse to accept them.
- Working in groups is part of all communications work. Students who fail to do their share of work on team projects or are unwilling to participate in group problem solving will be dismissed from the teams and lose credit for projects.
Professionalism
Professionalism also involves:
- Accepting criticism gracefully
- Resolving problems with professors, staff and colleagues in a mature fashion.
- Students are always welcome to seek more information about why they received a particular grade on a test or assignment, obtain guidance for how to improve work and ask for suggestions on solving problems. They are encouraged to go above and beyond the minimum work assigned and to demonstrate enthusiasm for work in their fields. In the JMC Department C work is minimal work. A and B work goes beyond the minimum.
Reality 101: Often employers hire people with great attitudes over those with more talent.
Participation
Participation in critiques is mandatory, and each assignment has a critique participation requirement. Late assignments will be reduced by 20 percent for every full day after the due date, with a minimum of twenty percent for missing or showing up late for the critique. All assignments handed in on time may be revised before the final critique.
Assignments - Brief Descriptions
Animated Ad: Design an animated advertisement in a standard web size format, using excellent graphic design and typography execution. It is "legal" to use external graphics and video in this assignment, but any sound must be set to mute until volume is raised by the user. The animation should be dynamic and interesting, and a minimum of 20 seconds long. The ad must also stop on an "action" screen that asks the viewer to click a working link.
Web Based Interface & CSS Pages: Create a promotional site for a fictional restaurant. The site must include a branded Flash navigation system that drives users to at least four pages. The content on all pages must be rendered in HTML/PHP and CSS. Only the navigation should include Flash, and needs to include a script to substitute graphics if Flash is not present.
Self-contained Branding project: Design a standalone executable branding application to drive users to your Web site. It must include a working link, consistent branding, 20 seconds of animation, mouse substitution, and a reasonable level of interactivity with a short pitch of your creative abilities.These should be ready to email to a prospective employer.
Motion Graphics Promo: This is a companion piece to the branding project, and can reuse some of the same themes and content, but must be rendered as a self-contained iTunes compatible project for distribution in Quicktime formats. Since interactivity is not included in Quicktime, you must end the video on a screen with a link to your site, and include heavy animation and effects. You can create the video using either Motion or Flash, but building in Flash will require an extra step to convert the animation to Quicktime.
Final Web Site and CD: Create a Flash-only self-promotional Web site showcasing your work & talents for employers. You must also include a non-Flash version of the site with the same content, either repurposing your 382 Web Design final site, or creating a new, consistently branded PHP/CSS site. The Flash site must utilized multiple swf files for enhanced user experience (better download times) preloaders, and flawless design execution. Performance considerations and technical perfection are expected.
Grading scale |
|
91-100 |
A |
88-90 |
B+ |
81-87 |
B |
78-80 |
C+ |
71-77 |
C |
61-70 |
D |
0-60 |
F |
Academic Honesty
Creighton's Academic Honesty Policy is listed in detail on page 87 of the current Bulletin. However, in this class I expect students to adhere to the following guidelines and ethics of design:
- All students will complete their own work. Getting "help" is ok, but I expect you to complete, and if necessary - reproduce class work on demand.
- All work should be original. Any "ripping" of graphics or concepts will result in a grade of ZERO for that assignment.
- Use of tutorial files from online sources is allowed for learning purposes, but any elements from those sources that remain in class projects could result in a grade of ZERO for that assignment.
Integrity Pledge (from "Learning in the
Academy: An Introduction to the Culture of Scholarship")
The students and faculty of the Creighton College of Arts and Sciences
comprise an academic community established within the framework of Jesuit
ideals and firmly rooted in the concept of integrity.
In an effort to instill integrity in those attending this College and to reaffirm its significance along each student’s academic journey, the College has set in place an Integrity Pledge. Your instructors will from time to time present the Pledge for your signature on tests and quizzes and ask you to include it with your signature on writing assignments you submit.
The Pledge promotes a shared culture of integrity amongst Creighton students, while also acknowledging in its language that each of us holds him- or herself accountable for any attenuation or neglect of the conventions that define academic integrity.
The intent of this Pledge is not to act heavy-handedly. The College's students and faculty strongly believe that each student intends to present his or her own original work. But the Pledge serves as a regular reminder of Creighton University’s commitment to the very highest standards of integrity—not only academic but also personal integrity.
Journalism and Mass Communication
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