WEEK 6 Dec. 17th - Midterm

~ Midterm Quiz ~

Games that Stimulate Creativity

• Exercise: Breaking Out - Handout - in-class activity

Most of us impose too many imaginary boundaries, restrictions, and constraints upon our

problems, and hence fail to solve them.

handout - due in class

• Exercise: Joined Together - Handout - in-class activity

Most people rush in to tackle a problem without considering the alternatives and without attempting to understand what is involved. As the result, they waste a lot of time and effort.

handout - due in class

Optional: meet next Tuesday at 9:00am to paint so bring supplies. I'll will provide paper.

WEEK 6 Dec. 15th - Midterm

Games that Stimulate Creativity

Exercise #1: More Than Meets the Eye

One of the most useful of all thinking modes in creative problem solving is visual thinking. It is especially effective in solving problems where shapes, forms, or patterns are concerned. To improve your powers of visualization, concentrate on the accompanying illustration.

Handout - due in-class

Thursday: Midterm Quiz

Convergent and Divergent Thinking - look at notes and the book pages 125-128

Exercise #2: Kindred Relationships

In this exercise, think of a fifth word that is related to the preceding four words. (Compound and hyphenated words or commonly used expressions are allowed.)

Handout - due in-class

WEEK 5 Dec. 10th

Pop Quiz - Creative Process

Handout - drawing

work in groups of three

In-class activity: Three Folds

WEEK 5 Dec. 8th

Critique Project 1 evitaerC = Creative today

CREATIVE PROCESS LECTURE

1 - Meet with client UNDERSTAND the problem. DO NOT leave the clients meeting until you fully understand what your role is in this project. If you have any questions ASK THEM! This can kill a project if you do not start on the right foot. This is when they will ask for a BID. You will need to plan out everything you will need to solve the clients problems. Make sure you do everything possible to make your project work in YOUR favor. This means you are in control of the project, you set deadlines. A contract helps.

Know who the Client is

How can you know what to create if you don't know who you are creating for? People may think that you are crazy for wanting to know things about them, different things, things that only your mother knows. Things that make you, YOU!

2 - Research compile ideas - books, internet, sketches, samples. Everything to give your client the best idea of what they are going to receive. Some clients will understand what you are talking about. Others you will need to give them a Graphic Design 101 class. But you can use that to your advantage. The more you know the more trust they will have in you. DO NOT make the "design-savy" client feel bad about their input. Even if they are totally wrong, never tell them that to their face. There are always know-it-all clients.

3 - Meet with client whether you email ideas or meet face-to-face get ideas signed off, that means they actually SIGN off on them. This is when your contract is helpful.

4 - Design - Production, computer, photoshoots etc. It's go time!

5 - Proofing - Client will have changes or sign off. This is a very important step. If everything is done correctly this step will be painless.

6 - Completion - You are NOT done yet. A project that is NOT signed by the client is NOT completed. Also, just because you have handed files of to the printer. Does not mean you are done. You will need to babysit what ever you have given to the vendor. Publication, printer, web. If there is something wrong and it goes to print, you are stuck with that error. Unless you can prove that it is NOT your fault.

From start to finish you not only need to create something a client will be happy with. And, get return business. A one time job can turn into many jobs to come. Make sure that the first project works well for both parties.

WEEK 4 Thursday 3rd

Lecture Dec 3, 09

Brainstorm...

• Brainstorming is key to any project - take 1 word - Gumball

• In Class Project - 10 minute - 8 students - 163 Unique ideas

Gum Ball - write everything and anything that will help you describe this word. Anything that you associate with it. NO DRAWING, words only!

• Change the way you see/look at things. Example - what type of phone is used as icons?

What do we associate with a telephone. Look at icons that are around. There are things that stick.

Things that if we changed them, it would say something different and you can throw off the a consumer.

• How to Brainstorm? Start with an idea. You will hit a wall that you will need to get through. Once you get through that wall the ideas will start to flow. You mind needs to be trained to start past that first wall and already hit the ground running.

• Once you have an idea then you start to do to work with on it. But only in the correct process.

Remember, you job is NOT 9-5 neither is your brain. Good designers never stop thinking.

• The greater the distance from the decision maker you are - Physically, emotionally or logistically - The more difficult your job will be and, ultimately, the less creative the approved solution will be.

WEEK 4 Tuesday Dec 1st, 09

Lab: students worked on ad advertisement

WEEK 3 Tuesday 24th

Lab - evitaerC = Creative

Check off ideas with instructor today. (This is due on the 8th)

Homework:

• PDF review on the 1st of Dec.

WEEK 2 Thursday Nov. 19th, 09

Why should you doodle?

• Improves your drawing ability. Obviously.
• Improves your abstract thinking ability.
• Execute creative thoughts when they happen.
• Builds an archive of your concepts and visuals.
• It's always fun.

Just Doodle it!

• Start Flexing your creative muscle.

Creative Thinking Exercise • DOODLE SHEETS - Due by Tuesday 24th

info/instructions: As a way to help you flex your creative muscle I've developed this simple exercise for you to do. There are eight wiggly lines below. Your assignment is to draw a doodle incorporating the pre-existing line into your doodle. What you'll end up with is eight individual doodles in all. There is no right or wrong, good or bad just have fun and allow yourself to be creative. Don't look for the easy way out, force your mind to explore other possibilities. Any orientation whether vertical, horizontal, upside down or side ways is accepted.

Project 1

evitaerC = Creative

When creating an advertising campaign, you would usually have logos, copy, headers, subheads, and with that information you would have to find and image/images that would work to get your message across.

This is going to be backwards. I give you the image and you come up with the rest.

You will choose an image out of a hat. You will need to come up with an one page advertisment based on the image that you have chosen. You will need to brainstorm before you start. Ideas will need to be shown before you start.

Think about the image - and I mean REALLY think. There are many things that you can do. Write down your ideas, sketch things out, try ideas, start over. Don't go with the first idea, the more you come up with the better it will be in the end.

There are a couple of rules:

• You may do MINOR changes to the image, ei. color correcting.

• You may NOT add images to the image.

• At least 75% of the image MUST be shown (cropping)

You will need to get approval before you start.

This class is a concept and critical THINKING class. So think!

SPECS - 8.5 x 11. Mounted on blk matte board. Bleeds are optional (if you don't plan on them make them work)

Due December 8th - First of class

WEEK 2 Tuesday Nov. 17th, 09

Creative Thinking - What do you see?

We've all done this at some point. Laying on our back in the grass looking up into the sky trying to see things in the clouds. The art of being able to take an abstract shape and use it to see what it was not intended to be. Your creative exercise is to take the negative spaces provided on the handout and draw what isn't there.

Be creative, push yourself and have fun.

Handout: In-class assignment

This shows how it works. Any orientation can be used be it upside down or sideways etc. Try to conform your drawing to align with the grey squiggle. It's using existing shapes and you have to read into those shapes what isn't there.

We all did this as kids looking up into the sky and using our imagination would take the shapes and relate them to something. Same creative principle in this exercise. Have fun.

Ch. 5 Cultivating Creativity

Seven Characteristics of Creative Thinking

• Receptivity (open to new ideas and welcome new experiences)
• Curiosity (asking questions like "How does it work" and "How can it work better")
• Wide Range of Interests (a creative person can make a wider range of connections)
• Attentiveness (realizing that every experience is valuable)
• Connection Seeking (seeing the similarity among seemingly disparate parts)
• Conviction (creative people value existing knowledge)
• Complexity (a creative person needs to combine the rational with the intuitive)

Activity - Wide Range of Interests

Try the word game find words within

1. teamwork
2. graduation
3. magnificent
4. drafty

WEEK 1 Thursday Nov. 12th, 09 Course Syllabus

• Look at course description, course objectives, no text books, course policies, grading criteria, and evaluation methods
• BOOK: Launching the Imagination (bring to class each day or keep in car)
• Evaluation methods changed no written paper and projects are 40% or 30%
• The morning class will meet at 8:15am no later.

WEEK 1 Thursday Nov. 12th, 09

Students fill out a index card in class with the following questions.

1. What makes a good designer a good designer?
2. Do we all think the same way?
3. How can we use that to our advantage?
4. What process did you go through when deciding what to wear today?
5. Confidence; How does it play into your design skills?

Take notes on:

What are different methods people use to tackle a project?

• Convergent (starts wide and narrows in)
• Divergent (starts broad and keeps going out in all directions)

To be real creative usually requires Divergent thinking, but to complete a project usually requires convergent thinking. (kind of contradictory)

Ending with an exercise; start telling a story and then have each student in turn continue it on.

In-class quiz