Poster Design WebQuest

Introduction:

Your group have just been hired by a graphic design firm to design a poster for Brandon. City of Brandon is your client for your group and you must work together to design a poster that will be used to attract tourist and international students in Brandon.

Task:

Guidelines for the poster:

Size: Laser (11 x 17 inch)
Application: Adobe Photoshop CS2
Minimum Artwork Resolution of 300 dpi
Make sure to work in CMYK colors in Adobe Photoshop CS2
Make sure to save your work as a TIFF file
Use elements and princples of design

You will be using Adobe Photoshop CS2 and your combined knowledge of visual design. To help with the organization of the group you will be dividing up into important roles:

Option# 1

Group Manager: Responsible for the overall organization and flow of the group; time management; and keeping everyone on task.

Head Designer: Responsible for the overall composition and ensuring the poster follows the rules of design. This layout will be created through a rough draft on paper.

Assistant Designer: Aids the Head Designer with all design and layout decisions.

Researcher: Is responsible for gathering relevant information to the project, (i.e. graphics, text, etc.)

Head of Computer Graphics: Will be in charge of taking all design and layout decisions and putting it into Adobe Photoshop to create the final product.

Option # 2

Graphic Designer – Is responsible for producing appropriate graphics in the theme of the poster. Designer will be researching possible colour schemes to be used in accordance (complimentary or contrasting) with photos. The designer must follow the elements of proper design. Graphic designer will save graphics in proper quality, size and format for use in the poster.

Photographer – Responsible for taking photographs in conjunction with the subject of the poster. Will act as the quality control for all photos while shooting. Must create meaning in the subjects of the photos. Will save photos in proper format and size for use in the poster.

Copy Writer – Responsible for writing the text used in the Poster. Will use the elements of design to select a font appropriate for the subject matter. Must save the text in the appropriate file extension and size for use in the poster.

Editor – Will choose the theme or tone of the poster. Responsible for over-seeing all of the other positions both in pre and post-production phases. Will act as quality control while keeping the clearly stated objective and subject matter of the design in mind. Must adhere to elements of design.

[ Top ]

Process:

Step 1: Read this Poster Design WebQuest thoroughly.

Step 2: Brainstorm themes or various directions for the project. Assign roles to team members and discuss the role of each member.

Clarify the Problem (Make it clear)
Explore Ideas (What can we do?, What can't we do? What can we use? What do we HAVE to do?)
Do a Design Drawing (Rough draft of poster lay out )

Step 3: Decide on the theme, direction and content as a group. Devise a method for all areas of media to be collected. Set a timeline for the images and graphics to be completed. Use digital cameras to gather relevant or useful images for your poster

Step 4: Make it > Test it

Step 5: Final proofing. The group will go over the project as a whole again making sure that there are no omissions or faults in design.

Step 6: Submit your work by October 25th.

Hand-In Component:
• A CD ROM w/ PSD and TIFF files and must be properly labeled with your group members name, course name and instructor's name.
• Printed (color) version ( 2 copies)

[ Top ]

Resources:

[ Top ]

Evaluation:

For each design:

• Use of design principles and elements - 40% of total mark
• Creativity and originality - 40% of total mark.
• Team work - 20% of total mark.

Hand-In Component:
• A CD ROM w/ PSD and TIFF files and must be properly labeled with your name, course name and instructor's name.
• Printed (color) version ( 2 copies)

Late projects will be subject to a 20% penalty per calendar day. Assignments more than two days late will not be accepted and the student will receive a mark of zero on the entire project.

* Rubric

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Graphics -Clarity	Graphics are used effectively and have strong impact on the total design.	Most graphics are used and geneerally have an impact on the message of the design	Most graphics are focused on the mesaage of the design project, but could have been used more effectively by virtue of size or location, rhythm, etc.	Graphics fail to convey the meaning of the design project and there is a lack of understanding demonstrated by poor sizing or placement.
Graphics - Originality	The graphics and text used on the design project reflect a exceptional degree of student creativity in their creation and/or display.	The graphics and text used on the design project reflect student creativity in their creation and/or display.	The graphics and text used by the student, but are based on the designs or ideas of others and don't demonstrate original ideas	Graphics and text do not demonstrate any original thought or creativity.
Graphics - Relevance	All graphics are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics are related to the topic and most make it easier to understand. All borrowed graphics have a source citation.	All graphics relate to the topic. Most borrowed graphics have a source citation.	Graphics do not relate to the topic OR several borrowed graphics do not have a source citation.
Attractiveness	The design project is exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness. Dominance, rhythm, size, etc.	The design project is attractive in terms of design, layout and neatness and demonstrate an understanding of the use of design tools.	The design project is acceptably attractive though it may be a bit disorganized and does not demonstrate a clear understanding of layout: dominance, size, rhythm, balance, etc.	The design project is distractingly cluttered or devoid of necessary elements and very poorly designed. It is not attractive.
Elements and Principles of Design	Assignment clearly exhibits superior understanding and application of elements and principles required to solve problem	Assignment exhibits a good ability to utilize elements and principles required to solve problem	Assignment exhibits several errors in regard to the application and understanding of elements and principles required to solve problem	Assignment exhibits a large number of errors in regard to the application and understanding of elements and principles required to solve problem
Required Elements	The design project includes all required elements as well as additional information.	All required elements are included on the design project.	Some of the required elements are missing or not clearly defined	Many of the basic elements of design are lacking. The poster does not demonstrate understanding on how to use design tools.
Skill	Assignment exhibits superior skill in manipulation of media and technique used to express creative ideas	Assignment exhibits proficiency in manipulation of media and technique used to express creative ideas	Assignment exhibits some degree of skill in manipulating media and technique used to express creative ideas	Assignments exhibits less than average ability or skill in manipulation of media and technique used to express creative ideas
Effort	Student completed assignment , meeting and/or exceeding all criteria	Student completed assignment in above average manner, yet more could have been done	Assignment completed with adequate interpretation of assignment, but lacked finishing details and could have been improved with more effort	Assignment completed with minimum effort
Creativity	Student explored several choices before selecting final idea; tried unusual combinations, made changes to ideas and demonstrated good problem solving skills	Student tried a few ideas before selecting final one and solved the problem in a logical manner	Student tried an idea and carried it out adequately, but it lacks originality	Assignment fulfilled, but no evidence of trying anything unusual
Group participation	Students worked toward group goals, effectively performed a variety of roles in group work, followed through on commitments, was sensitive to the feelings and knowledge level of others, willingly participated in necessary preparation or work for classroom.	student participated enthusiastically, followed through with commitments, performed more than adequately.	student mostly allowed others in the group to make all the decisions, did his or her share of work adequately.	The student allowed others to do most of the work, did participate minimally, did the minimum amount.

Source: Rubistar and Group2 webquest.

Conclusion:

A team of any kind consists of many individuals, working in at least partial separation, towards a common goal. Division of labour is at the heart of any true group effort. Without it, we would just do it ourselves. Forget the Monikers (researcher, designer etc), once the project has been completed, re-assign titles from work DONE (what should your title have been).While the group exists as a collective entity, experience within the group is subjective to the individual. Relate individual lessons learned and compare within the group, i.e.: How was the material collected by the researcher actually found and used? Application sometimes does not reflect initial motivation.

With any group effort, as time frame increases so does probability for dissension within the group. What (if any) tension was created as this group effort continued? How was the tension brought about? How was it dealt with? How could it have been avoided? Were roles and tasks for each group member clearly identified from the onset of the project? What would you have done differently if your role had been different?

Lastly with any project, group or individual, pre ordained points of assessment should be scheduled. These assessment breaks should allow the group to come together to share as well as positively critique work in progress. Throughout the course of the project, were breaks taken to assess progress? Were plans and/or roles altered during the process? What lessons were learned?

Throughout this activity, you have learned how to design a poster using Photoshop, you have also simulated an authentic work place experience, working without direction instruction as well as working as a team for a client.

[ Top ]