Objective

To develop conceptual thinking skills. To apply composition and illustration skills to real-world visual communication problems.

Secondary objectives

To utilize the Adobe Creative Suite as an illustration and production tool.

Description

Create an illustrated event poster for a festival. The client can be a producer of any kind of festival (music, art, theater, dance, film, food, nature, etc.). The art must be 100% vector and be created in the style of silhouetted illustrations (see examples). The poster is to be printed in black and one PMS color. The paper size is 11x17 inches.

Required elements:

• Name of festival
• An original illustration created by you (free of copyright infringements)
• Details (i.e. date, time, location, web address, etc.)

Although you may use royalty-free stock images for reference, you may NOT auto-trace any images found through Google's image search. Instead, consider taking your own photographs.

Your design must show an understanding of unity, emphasis, balance and color theory. Your art must also engage the target audience and communicate a visual concept creatively.

Note: High resolution stock photos and illustrations are available from Ingimage. Contact your instructor for more information.

Procedure

1. Research for inspiration: Find examples of creative concepts and illustration in the Parkland Library. Be sure to review trade publications (Print, How, Communication Arts), annuals (Workbook, Society of Illustrators), and web sites like I-Spot or Altpick. Scan and publish your research on your personal Process Page for critique (be sure to caption each image and cite the source). Be prepared to explain why these examples are successful. Also print select research samples for your Process Book.

2. Marketing research: Research the festival you will be designing the poster for. What is the history of the event? Who attends? What is the purpose of the event? Analyze your research and write a written statement of objectives in the form of a memo (see sample). Be sure to include descriptive adjectives in the "character" paragraph (see vocabulary wheel). Have your brief reviewed by the Writing Lab, then email your brief as an attached Word file or a shared Google Doc to your instructor.

3. Incubation: Absorb the information you have gathered and sleep on it. Allow your unconscious mind to make connections for you. 

4. Develop the concept: In your sketchbook begin to conceptualize ideas for this project (see examples of sketches). Make at least 10 sketches of all possible directions you might take this project. Edit your concepts down to your best three ideas and redraw them on 8.5 x 11 white paper using a felt tip pen. Scan (scale/crop in Photoshop: no wider than 1000 pixels), increase the contrast (see tutorial) and publish your concepts on your personal Process Page for critique. Be prepared to discuss how your design fulfills the client's marketing objectives. Also print your sketches for your Process Book.

5. Proof: Based on the critique of the above, use the computer to execute at least two versions of your best idea (present at least one proof with an alternate font choice). Publish one multi-page low-res PDF linked from your Process Page for critique. Be prepared to talk about what design principles are utilized in your design. Also print a high-quality color proof for your Process Book.

6. Final critique: Based on the critique of the above, revise your design (if needed), then print a final proof on 11x17 paper for critique. Prepare a presentation to justify your design decisions. Also publish one multi-page high-res PDF on your personal Process Page.

7. Grading: Based on the critique above, refine your design (if needed). Submit two copies of your work for grading. One proof will be returned to you after grading. File the graded proof in your Process Book for individual review along with all the preliminary work you did for the project (research, brief, sketches, preliminary proofs, final proof). Review your Process Page and make sure you have an accurate record of your process. Also submit one multi-page high-res PDF via Cobra's dropbox. You will not receive full credit for this project if any of the above elements are missing.  

8. Portfolio preparation: If you are happy with the results of this project, consider including it in your portfolio. If necessary, continue to make refinements until you are 100% satisfied with the project. Be sure to back-up all your files for future editing.

9. Extra credit: Submit your project into next year's student show by printing an art gallery quality proof and mounting it on foam board. Your project may win a cash prize and be published in a showcase of student work on Parkland's website.