GD 217: Schedule

Revised November 13, 2008

The schedule shows assignments listed by date. Since links can change throughout the semester, be sure to start here each work session.

Week 1: August 26

• Log in to Blackboard and DO Online Orientation (1-4 hours, due next week). See 30 second movie or tutorial for login instructions (username=first.last, password=6 digit birthday). Orientation includes
  • Blackboard Discussion 1: Orientation Discussion
  • Blackboard Quiz 1: Orientation
• READ Chapter 1 of Visual Design for the Modern Web (1 hour)
  While reading, answer the following questions:
  • The voice of a web site should depend on its ________________ and ________________.
  • Web design is the collision of what five elements?
  • What are the four characteristics that determine whether a site is first-rate or not?
  • What are some factors that make designing for the web trickier than designing for print?
  • What are some of the powerful tools of web technology that make it rewarding.
  • What browser is most popular? Why do we need to test on multiple browsers?
  • List at least two reasons why CSS, rather than HTML, should be used for almost all formatting.
  • What are the four factors that promote usability?
  • What is branding and why is it important?
  • According to a Stanford University study, the factor that is most important for establishing credibility is the first impression of a site's ___________ __________.
  • What are the 7 overall design hints?
• Do PART 1 of Project 1: Logo (post to Blackboard discussion by Wednesday of Week 2) (1-2 hours)
• AUGUST 31 - SUBSCRIBE to Lynda.com. Please see the INSTRUCTIONS so you can get the student rate.

September 1: Labor Day

Week 2: September 2

• DUE Tuesday: Orientation (includes Blackboard Discussion and Quiz)
• DUE Wednesday: PART 1 of Project 1
• check Blackboard grades weekly to make sure you are caught up
• Did you SUBSCRIBE to Lynda.com? See INSTRUCTIONS for student rate.
• Do PART 2 of Project 1: Logo (submit to Blackboard by Thursday of Week 4)
• REVIEW Lynda.com as needed Photoshop CS3 for the Web Essential Training: Introduction, 1. Customizing the Interface , 2. Managing Digital Assets with Bridge, 3. Layer Basics, 4. Color Basics, 5. Type Basics (3 hours -- some of this should be familiar to you and you don't need to study the movies... just review and use the features that make your life easier. Later projects will require that you use some of the features described in movies, but if you didn't understand them on the first viewing, just repeat until you understand. I like to open Photoshop and pause the movie to try features that I want to learn. This PRACTICE helps me remember much more than I would if I just watched the movie.)
• SKIM Chapter 2 of Visual Design for the Modern Web (1 hour)
  While reading, answer the following questions:
  • What are the 6 parts of the development life cycle?
  • What are the 6 major tasks of site-wide analysis?
  • How might the target audience influence site design?
  • What are some ways to help make a web site sticky?
  • List at least three ways to get ideas for labels.

September 5 : Last Day to Add, Last Day to Drop Classes Without a "W" Appearing on Your Record, Last Day for Refund

Week 3: September 9

• VIEW Lynda.com Photoshop CS3 for the Web Essential Training: 6. Creating a Web Graphic from Scratch, 7. The Save for Web Function, 8. Creating Web Backgrounds (2 hours)
• PRACTICE skills taught in video (2 hours)
• Do PART 3 of Project 1: Logo (submit to Blackboard by Thursday of Week 4)
• Quiz 2: Lynda.com 6-8, Visual Design for the Modern Web 1-2 (DUE Thursday of week 5)

Week 4: September 16

• DUE THURSDAY, 11AM: PART 2 & 3 of Project 1: Logo (submit to Blackboard)
• Do PEER REVIEW of Project 1 (due Saturday night)
• VIEW Lynda.com Photoshop CS3 for the Web Essential Training: 9. Creating Navigation, 10. Optimizing Transparent Graphics (2 hours)
• Use Week 4 Practice handout to PRACTICE skills taught in video (2-3 hours)
• Do Project 2: Header Image (due Thursday of week 6)
• SKIM Chapter 3 of Visual Design for the Modern Web (1 hour)
  While reading, answer the following questions:
  • What should navigation do?
  • What are some principles for navigation design?
  • Describe some different navigation structures.
  • What is the rule of seven and what does it have to do with navigation design?
  • What is breadcrumb navigation?
  • What does the page title have to do with favorites/bookmarks?

Week 5: September 23

• DUE THURSDAY: Quiz 2
• VIEW Lynda.com Photoshop CS3 for the Web Essential Training: 11. Creating Animations, 12. Slicing (2 hours)
• PRACTICE skills taught in video (2-3 hours)
• Do Project 2: Header Image (due Thursday of week 6)

September 26 : Last Day to Apply for P/NP (CR/NC) for semester length classes

Week 6:September 30

• DUE THURSDAY: Project 2
• Rollover Handout - see examples and Listamatic
• VIEW Lynda.com Photoshop CS3 for the Web Essential Training: 13. Rollover Graphics, 14. Automation (2 hours, optional if you attend class)
• PRACTICE skills taught in video (2-3 hours)
• READ Chapters 4 of Visual Design for the Modern Web (2 hours)
  While reading, answer the following questions:
  1. Why is it important to know about visitors' computer and Internet speeds?
  2. What are some important hints for minimizing file sizes/download time?
  3. What is the safest horizontal page size (pixel width)?
  4. What is the best way to create print formatting?
  5. What are the 3 tools of page layout? Which should be avoided?
  6. Name a few advantages and disadvantages to using Flash for page layout.
  7. What is meant by SOLID and LIQUID layout? What are some advantages and disadvantages of each?
  8. What are the building blocks of page layout?
  9. Name several techniques for building VISUAL HARMONY.
  10. What is VISUAL BALANCE?
  11. Describe GOLDEN MEAN RECTANGLE.
  12. How can you round out a rectangular layout?
  13. Name some important LAYOUT CONVENTIONS.
  14. What are REQUIRED PAGE ELEMENTS?
• Quiz 3: Lynda.com Photoshop 9-12, Visual Design for the Modern Web 3 (due Thursday of week 8)
• Do Project 3: 217 Class Work Site (due Thursday of week 8)

Week 7: October 7

• READ Chapter 5 of Visual Design for the Modern Web (2 hours)
  While reading, answer the following questions:
  1. What influences the mood evoked by color?
  2. Define the 4 color attributes: HUE, SATURATION, VALUE, and TEMPERATURE.
  3. What is meant by web safe palette? Should you restrict color choices to this palette when selecting background and text colors? How about for photos?
  4. What is dithering?
  5. Will your color be consistent for different users?
  6. If you design on a Mac, how will your colors look on a PC?
  7. How do you begin selecting a color scheme? What are the first things to consider?
  8. Give an example of a color association.
  9. Describe the monochromatic color scheme and find an example.
  10. Describe the complementary color scheme and find an example.
  11. Describe the triad color scheme and find an example.
  12. Describe the analogous color scheme and find an example.
  13. Describe the warm color scheme and find an example.
  14. Describe the cool color scheme and find an example.
  15. What are some ways to get inspiration for color?
      
• See color design tools
• VIEW Lynda.com Fireworks CS3 Essential Training: Introduction, 2. The Interface (1 hour)
• Finish Project 3: 217 Class Work Site (due Thursday of week 8)

Week 8: October 14

• DUE THURSDAY: Quiz 3
• DUE THURSDAY: Project 3
• Quiz 4: Visual Design for the Modern Web 4-5 (due Thursday, week 10)
• VIEW Lynda.com Fireworks CS3 Essential Training: 3. Drawing, 4. Picking and Using Color, 5. Using Fills and Strokes, 6. The Bitmap Painting Tools (2-3 hours)
• PRACTICE skills taught in video (2-3 hours)
• Begin sketching ideas for Project 4: Page Redesign
• READ Chapter 6 of Visual Design for the Modern Web (1-2 hours)
  While reading, answer the following questions:
  • What are the 6 principles of employing graphics?
  • What is anti-aliasing?
  • How can you avoid the "halo" effect with transparent gif images?
  • What happens to bitmaps when they are scaled?
  • Why save your high quality master images?
  • What type of image should be saved in jpg format? GIF? PNG?
  • What happens to large areas of solid color when saved as a jpg image?
  • What happens when a gradient is saved in GIF format?
  • What are some of the advantages of the png format? Disadvantages?
  • What are some effects that can make photos and photo edges more interesting?
  • Describe the qualities of a good background image. What are the issues of full-screen images?
  • What does the author mean by "visual echoes."

October 17 : Last Day to Apply for Fall 2008 Degree/Certificate

Week 9: October 21

• VIEW Lynda.com Fireworks CS3 Essential Training: 7. Using Text, 8. Image Editing and Color Correction, 9. Symbols, 10. Masking, 11. Special Effects, 12. Aligning and Transforming Objects (2-3 hours)
• PRACTICE skills taught in video (2-3 hours)
• Project 4: Page Redesign (due Thursday of week 11)
• begin thinking of a topic for final project - see Project 6: Main Page comps
• READ Chapter 7 of Visual Design for the Modern Web (1-2 hours)
  While reading, answer the following questions:
  • What is the difference (purpose) between body copy and display type?
  • Describe serif, sans serif, and decorative typefaces.
  • How can you change text to create emphasis and contrast?
  • Why is relative text sizing better than absolute text sizing?
  • List a few things you should do to make your text accessible.

Week 10: October 28

• DUE THURSDAY: Quiz 4
• Quiz 5: Visual Design for the Modern Web 6-7 (due Thursday, week 12)
• VIEW Lynda.com Fireworks CS3 Essential Training: 13. Layer Essentials, 14. Optimization Techniques, 15. Exporting Documents, 16. Slicing Essentials (2-3 hours)
• PRACTICE skills taught in video (2-3 hours)
• finish Project 4: Page Redesign
• begin brainstorming & sketches for Project 6: Main Page comps

Week 11: November 4

• DUE THURSDAY: Project 4: Page Redesign
• VIEW Lynda.com Fireworks CS3 Essential Training: 17. Creating Rollovers, 18. Animation (1-2 hours)
• PRACTICE skills taught in video (2-3 hours)
• Project 5: Banner Ad (due Thursday of week 13)
  NOTE: This assignment includes posting research results on the Blackboard Discussion
• begin Project 6: Main Page comps (due Thursday of week 13)

November 10: Veterans Day Holiday

Week 12: November 11

• DUE THURSDAY: Quiz 5
• VIEW Lynda.com Fireworks CS3 Essential Training: 19. Integrating with Photoshop and Illustrator CS3, 20. Integrating with Dreamweaver CS3 (1-2 hours)
• NOTE: for the remainder of the semester, you may choose Fireworks or Photoshop to complete assignments
• finish Project 5: Banner Ad (due Thursday of week 13)
• finish Project 6: Main Page comps (due Thursday of week 13)

November 14 : Last Day to Drop Class

Week 13: November 18

• DUE THURSDAY: Project 5: Banner Ad
• DUE THURSDAY: Project 6: Main Page comps - please have this ready to share at the beginning of class.
• begin Project 7: Subpage comps (due Thursday of week 15)

Week 14: November 25

• finish Project 7: Subpage comps (due Thursday of week 15)

November 27-29: Thanksgiving Weekend Holiday

Week 15: December 2

• DUE THURSDAY: Project 7: Subpage comps
• Do Project 8: Main Page and Subpage Web Pages (due THURSDAY of week 16)

Week 16: December 9

• Finish and upload completed class work site
• Finish and upload Project 8
• Review for Final Exam

December 18

• Final Exam 11:00AM to 1:00PM

 

 

CIS 212 | CIS 213 | GD 217 | ED 214 | Blackboard | Web Development Links

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revised November 13, 2008
by Jodi Reed, jodi.reed (at) gcccd.edu
cis2.cuyamaca.net/jreed
Computer & Information Science, Cuyamaca College