Visual unit studio

Work to have done:

Plan for the day:

Today is all about working on your individual projects! Layer images, apply effects, watch relevant tutorials. I know your lives are busy; take advantage of this dedicated time free from other distractions and obligations to move your piece forward.

At the same time, it’s worth noting that you’re working in a shared space, in a studio. If you have questions, or you want feedback on something, you have your classmates and your instructor on-hand. Try not to monopolize anyone’s time, but do be open to the possibility of getting farther together than you could on your own.

Seeds of ideas I want to plant:

  • Consider hierarchy. What’s the most important thing you want viewers to notice? What’s next in line? According to Thompson, you can reliably convey three levels of dominance; after that, it starts to get mushy. What options do you have for putting in your top three? How would the layout need to change if you changed your ranking?

  • Articulate permissions. If you’re using images you didn’t make yourself, be sure to include enough information to recover where it came from: a direct link to the image and to the license (if there is one) is ideal. If an image is under copyright, you can still use it if you can make a good case that it’s a Fair Use. See Writer/Designer page 156 to review the Four Factors you need to consider.
    • If you don’t remember W/D, I emailed it to you the day I had to cancel class (lesson 4).
  • Remember titles. A title can provide a context, a clue, a genre, a commentary; it can add an extra layer to viewer expectations. What will you call your collage? (Not sure where a title would go? Think of placards in museums. Ad campaigns often have titles, even if they’re not referred to in the ads themselves.)

Okay, now go to!

Homework for next time

  • If you haven’t yet done so, please download and install the Atom text editor; we’ll be using it for our upcoming web design unit.
  • By 11:59pm on Sunday, Feb 24, complete – at least for now – your visual rhetorical collage. Your repository (on GitHub or in a shared Box folder) should include:
    • Your most up-to-date layered GIMP project file (.xcf)
    • A series, now, of screenshots showing your GIMP project in progress. (Think about what moments are worth remembering as you go: where did you level up, or realize something, or get stuck?)
    • An updated ASSETS.md (or CREDITS.md) file reflecting what you actually used, including documentation of any outside sources and your permission to use them (e.g. explicit licenses like CC, or rationales for claiming fair use)
    • An updated README.md file introducing your collage to a new audience. Give your piece a title! Make it something to live beyond this assignment, if you can. :¬)
  • By Tuesday’s class, write a prose reflection that incorporates images from your feedback and screenshots of your GIMP project. As explained in the prompt for the assignment, this should include:
    • At least 500 words
    • Your own assessment of how you met the baseline criteria and goals for the unit, as well as any aspirational criteria as appropriate
    • At least one photograph of a notecard with feedback you used (and please say how)
    • At least one or two screenshots of your work in progress (ideally, related to the discussion in the previous two bullets)
  • Post your reflection to the course site’s Issue queue, to make it easier to embed images.
    • If you want to then copy the source code into a file in your repo called reflections.md, I won’t stop you!
    • If you feel strongly that you’d rather keep your reflection private, you can email it to me instead. But my default assumption is that we learn from each other as much as from ourselves, so I hope you can find a way to write publicly about your experience with this project.