COMD2300 - COMD 1- NEW MODEL

If you haven’t already, please make sure to upload your final project and portfolio links to Blackboard by Dec 22. 

Final Grades will be submitted Dec 27th.

Thank you, and have a great holiday!

Class Info

• Date: Friday 12/15/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112
• Final Grades Submitted by 12/27/2023

To-Do

• Keep fine tuning your work as you continue to your other classes. Don’t forget, there is only ONE you, find out what that means and how to tell your story and your POV through your portfolio. 

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• As a student and junior creative start with 2 strong pieces of portfolio.
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• Eventually, as you approach graduation and entering the professional field limit your projects to 6-8. Think about the time a recruiter might spend on your website. (And don’t forget to optimize your site for mobile)
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• Look back at your project briefs to copy and paste a few of the elements below. This is a pretty efficient structure to set up each of your projects.
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• Nurture your creativity with a side project that taps into your strenghts and skills that a student project may not always express.
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• Put the work you do that you would do again by signaling your interest. This means only sharing work that you are proud of (or would do again). 
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• Here are few examples of side projects I created on my own initiative:
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• These numbers will be different every year, make sure to do some investigating on your own to check salaries for your experience level.
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• http://glassdoor.com
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• Click image for link:
• Here are some awards shows that are worth checking out as you advance as a designer and in your major: https://www.dandad.org/en/d-ad-new-blood-awards/,  https://www.futurelions.com, https://youngones.org/
• Tap into creative communities outside of CUNY to start growing a network in NYC
• Indeed is a great resource to find internships (and set up job alerts once you are closer to graduating)
• 4A’s MAIP is a great internship if you are a Junior/Senior creative interested in learning what it would be like to work at an agency: https://foundation.aaaa.org/maip
• Start researching local agencies and design firms to better understand the work culture and projects. Here is a list of the top 50 companies creatives want to work at:
• One last thing, you are just starting your journey in this field.  I find this video inspiring to articulate that feeling you might start to get as you start out as a junior, it’s normal!
• As you continue working and finding your style as a designer, take some time to also figure out what it is that you would to do long term. I find setting long term goals also helps in instances where you’re at a job that you might not love and need to step back and see the bigger picture to what you are working towards.
• Let’s set up a Behance account.
• Thank you for a great semester! It was an honor getting to teach such a talented group of young creatives. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions about your portfolio, getting into the industry or if you need another set of eyes for a design you are working on. Have a great holiday break! 

TL;DR:

• 12/12 College is Closed Optional Open Lab in P-112
  

Class Info

• Date: Tuesday 12/12/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112

To-Do For the Last Class

• Bring inspiration for your portfolio and top two projects from this semester. What do you want your site to say about you? What kind of work do you see yourself doing in the future?

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• We’ll use the class to set up a Behance account. 

TL;DR:

• Project 4 Presentations
• Optional Open Lab Next Tuesday 12/12
  

Class Info

• Date: Tuesday 12/12/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112

To-Do Before Class

• Grab inspiration for your portfolio. What do you want your site to say about you? What kind of work do you see yourself doing in the future?
• https://www.semplice.com/showcase

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• ReadyMag
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• Other inspiration:
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• We’ll use the class to workshop your top two projects!

TL;DR:

• Preliminary Critique of Presentations
• Final Delivery due via Blackboard (upload as 1920×1080 pdf)

Class Info

• Date: Tuesday 12/05/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112
• Assignment: 12/08/23

To-Do Before Class

• Key dates for the next two weeks:
• Project #4 Due 12/08, Teacher Survey Open Until 12/14. Last class 12/15. 
  

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• Let’s take a look at a few examples following the above format:
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TL;DR:

• The Power of Landing Pages
• Feedback
• Lab: Building a Landing Page Using a Mockup + Headline

Class Info

• Date: Tuesday 12/01/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112
• Assignment: 12/04/23

To-Do Before Class

• Prepare for Preliminary Critique
• Project #4 Due 12/8

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• After analyzing disruptor brand landing pages, here is a basic wireframe you should work from:
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• Let’s go through some examples
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• Most brands can be paired down to two main colors, let’s select two:
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• Check out this video that outlines the drop shadow effect in detail:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzvcTVe9An0

TL;DR:

• Logo Designs (to stand out)
• Feedback
• Mockup (Beta) Illustrator Lab *updated to Custom Type tools on Illustrator

Class Info

• Date: Tuesday 11/28/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112
• Assignment: 12/01/23

To-Do Before Class

• Logo Sketches
• Brand Name

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• Hey Studio in Barcelona: link here
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• Going through 100+ variations of a logo in a sketch will help you push through all of the obvious or ‘bad’ ideas
• A great resource for mockups:
• Check out this video for the Mockup Beta tool in Illustrator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9Xa7rw-slw

TL;DR:

• Disruptor Brands
• UVP’s & Brand Missions
• Project #4

Class Info

• Date: Friday 11/17/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112
• Assignment: 11/21/23

To-Do Before Class

• Research and identify your brands UVP
• Working brand mission and target audience
• Project #4

We’re almost there, we have one project left before wrapping up the semester.

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• Give yourself a pat on the back. You’ve already learned so much of the fundamental aspects of an advertising campaign and design:
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• Here’s a quick video that explains how disruptor brands work:
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• Disruptor brands also disrupt traditional forms of marketing. Instead of a class TV ad they might opt for a digital first campaign.
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• Red Antler creates branding for disruptor brands. Take a look at how this branding compares to the more established brands within the category.
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• Similar to an ad campaign, identifying a UVP requires uncovering a human truth or unspoken tension.
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TL;DR:

• Emerging Technologies (AR, Giphy Stickers)
• Giphy Sticker Exercise

Class Info

• Date: Friday 11/10/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112
• Assignment: 11/14/23

To-Do Before Class

• Upload Project #3 to Blackboard no later than 11/14 11:30am EST.
• Link to Dropbox with Instagram PSD and Grading Rubric

Project #3 

TL;DR:

• Guest Speaker Dr.Dori Tunstall
• Assignment for next class 11/07

Class Info

• Date: Friday 11/03/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112
• Lab Due Date: 11/07/23

To-Do Before Class

• Share:
  1) Creative concept
  2) Sketches to Prototypes 
  3) Selection of 3rd creative (giphy sticker, filter, additional posts)

Project #3 

• Next class we will be focusing on feedback and a vector building lab
  
• We are now stepping into the prototype phase of the project:
  
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TL;DR:

• Copywriting for Social Impact
• Project #3 Deliverables
• Creative Concepts

Class Info

• Date: Tuesday 10/31/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112
• Lab Due Date: 11/03/23

To-Do Before Class

• Share:
  1) Creative concepts
  2) Headlines/Taglines
  3) Grid/Template

Project #3 

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• An insight for a non-profit might look something more like this:
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• Lab assignment due for next class 11/03/2023:
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TL;DR:

• Brand Guidelines
• Project #3 Deliverables
• Branding Exercise

Class Info

• Date: Friday 10/27/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112
• Lab Due Date: 10/31/2023

To-Do Before Class

• Share:
  1) Creative Brief + Target Audience
  2) Working Mood board

Project #3 

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• This is a great example of how a design ecosystem starts to form across mediums:
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• The third asset can explore other mediums we see on social media, take for example this Feeding America AR filter that ties in their campaign strategy “Impossible Choices”.
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• Or these Giphy stickers created for World Blood Donation day, stickers can be uploaded via Giphy and used on Instagram:
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• Or take for example this Mental Health Campaign leveraging Instagram Guides:
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• Project #3 is not a rebranding or relaunching project. It will be a project that challenges us to work within an existing design system and how we can build around one.
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• Here’s a great example of a campaign that Headspace created using a different font but still maintained the brand guidelines.
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• For next class start building out your selected organizations color palette, typography and a working mood board of the vector style you are inspired by to use for this project.
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• If you want to include some new colors to your project, add the Brands hex codes on this site and scroll through the recommended options. Note* you need to lock the layers you add your colors to in order for this to work. Then proceed to use the space bar to go through the generated colors. http://coolors.co
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For typography, if you are unable to find the font your organization uses, download the Google extension “What Font” to identify a font on a website:

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/whatfont/jabopobgcpjmedljpbcaablpmlmfcogm

TL;DR:

• Project #3
• Social Media x Social Impact

Class Info

• Date: Tuesday 10/24/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112
• Lab Due Date: 10/27/2023

To-Do Before Class

• Select:
  1) 1 Organization from the list below (Feeding America, NRDC, WWF, Mental Health Coalition)
  2) Campaign objective (awareness, donations, volunteer)

Project #3 

TL;DR:

• Project #2 Presentations
• Upload final project as .PDF on Blackboard by 10/20/2023
• Project #3 (Individual)

Class Info

• Date: Friday 10/20/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112
• Lab Due Date: 10/24/2023

To-Do Before Class

• Select:
  1) 1 Organization from the list below (Feeding America, NRDC, WWF, Mental Health Coalition)
  2) Campaign objective (awareness, donations, volunteer)

Project #3 

TL;DR:

• Recap | Copywriting Elements in Advertising: Headlines, Taglines, Call to Actions
• Case study: Casper
• Insight Feedback

Class Info

• Date: Tuesday 10/03/2023
• Meeting Info: P-112
• Topic: Recap Copywriting in Advertising & Insights Feedback
• Activities: Individually write 12 Headlines/Taglines for Project #2
• Lab Due Date: 10/07/2023

To-Do Before Class

• Finalize Insight, begin writing Headlines and Taglines for Project #2

Topics

• Recap: Copywriting in Advertising
  
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• Let’s breakdown this Casper campaign:
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• The tension Casper was breaking for the market was disruptive of the mattress industry: from the consumer experience shopping for a mattress to the universal benefit of a mattress you can try for 90 days. The creative team created a campaign that spoke exactly to this:
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• Here’s a link to the agency that created this campaign: Red Antler
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  Assignment for Next Class 10/06:

1. Select top 3 headlines and top 3 taglines to work with

2. Begin working on thumbnails 

TL;DR:

• Recap of Insights
• Case study: Airbnb
• Copywriting in Ads: Headlines, Taglines, and Call to Actions.
  
• Zoom Recording Here.

Class Info

• Date: Friday 09/29/2023
• Meeting Info: Virtual / Classes Cancelled due to Severe Weather
• Topic: Copywriting in Advertising
• Activities: Individually write 12 Headlines/Taglines for Project #2
• Lab Due Date: 10/03/2023

To-Do Before Class

• Share Insights for feedback

Topics

• Recap: Insights for Advertising Campaigns
  Insights serve as the foundation for creative strategies and can be the difference between an advertisement that resonates with its target audience and one that doesn’t.
• Let’s take a look at this Airbnb campaign: Click Here
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• Some OOH examples of the campaign:
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• Let’s try to uncover the insight
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• Or an even more simplified insight could read:
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• And the creative execution of the insight might look something like this: 
  
• Copywriting in advertising can be broken down into two main components: Headlines & Taglines
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• How taglines and headlines relate to the insight:
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• The most popular taglines are ones we can probably identify without even having to see the brands logo:
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• One last component of copywriting can often be seen for performance-related marketing (trying to get consumers to take direct action, “buy now”, “click to_”. 
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• Airbnb does this in a subtle way by featuring their “book now” button from the UI of their product:
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Assignment for Next Class:

1. Come prepared to share your Insight.

2. Be prepared to individually share your working headlines and taglines.

TL;DR:

• What is an Insight?
• How to Uncover an Insight
• Creative Brief (2.0) Feedback
• Project #2

Class Info

• Date: Tuesday 09/26/2023

• Meeting Info: P-112 11:30-2:00PM EST
• Topic: What is an Insight?
• Activities: Examples of campaigns and insights, crafting your insight for Project #2
• Lab Due Date: 09/28/2023

To-Do Before Class

• Share your Get/Who/To/By for Project #2

Topics

• Insights for Advertising Campaigns
  Insights serve as the foundation for creative strategies and can be the difference between an advertisement that resonates with its target audience and one that doesn’t.
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• An insight is the creative building blocks for an advertising campaign.
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• Let’s try to uncover the insight behind the below 2023 Tinder campaign:
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• Let’s look into some of the research done before arriving at the insight:
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• Here’s an example to what the insight could have been for the campaign:
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• Let’s take a look at another example:
  
• The campaign insight could have looked something like this:
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• How to Uncover an Insight
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• As a designer, being an active observer of culture makes you inherently more efficient at arriving to design decisions and art direction for a creative brief.
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• Click Here to view Project #2 Details
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• Think of other ways you can incorporate the visuals for the optional deliverables for Project #2, here are some examples below.
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Objectives

• Complete the Get/Who/To/By framework for Project #2: we are going to team up in groups of 2-3. We are going to work on creating the brief in teams, developing insights, and research.

Assignment for Next Class

1. Come prepared with your updated Get/Who/To/By

2. Be prepared to share your WIP insights. Make sure to keep it to 1-2 lines.

TL;DR:

• Graphic Design vs Advertising Design
• The Advertising Campaign
• Creative Brief (2.0)
• Project #2

Class Info

• Date: Friday 09/22/2023

• Meeting Info: P-112 11:30-2:00PM EST
• Topic: What is an advertising campaign?
• Activities: A brief history of advertising, breaking down the process, case study for Cannes Grab Prix winner British Airways
• Lab Due Date: 09/26/2023

To-Do Before Class

• Complete presentations for Project #1

Topics

• Graphic Design & Advertising Design
  Both advertising and graphic design aim to communicate a message effectively and persuasively. One decides its visual representation and delivery. One crafts the strategy and the message; Neither can exist without the other. The most compelling advertisements are those where strategy and design intertwine seamlessly.
  
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• The iceberg illustrates how the only thing the consumer gets to see is the execution. The bigger thinking lies below the surface (from  The Advertising Concept Book by Pete Barry
  
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• What makes an advertising campaign? 
  
• Let’s look into a Grand Prix-winning advertising campaign (click here for casestudy)
  
• The Creative Brief: here is a model that most agencies follow when developing a creative brief. The format in which it is presented does not always clearly state the “Get/Who/To/By” but works in a similar framework.
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• Let’s break down the British Airways campaign using this model:
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• Click Here to view Project #2 Details

Objectives

• Complete the Get/Who/To/By framework for Project #2: we are going to team up in groups of 2-3. We are going to work on creating the brief in teams, developing insights, and research.

Assignment for Next Class

1. Come prepared with your team and brand choice. Talk through initial thoughts around your Get/Who/To/By
   

   

TL;DR:

• Refining Your Sketches 
• Share & Feedback
• Refine Sketches – Select Top 3 for Next Class
  

Class Info

• Date: Tuesday 09/05/2023

• Meeting Info: P-112 11:30-2:00PM EST
• Topic: Refining Your Sketches
• Activities: Talk us through your sketches and answer the following: Share your top 3 thumbnails, any offline inspiration? Do you feel like you’ve explored every angle? Any setbacks? Which one most excites you, why?
• Due Dates: 09/08/2023

To-Do Before Class

• Create 9+ sketches for your record cover
• Start thinking about the user journey (how someone might interact with the record). 

Topics

• Refining Your Sketches
  We talked about mood boards, now let’s dive into thumbnails. In the industry thumbnails are often referred to as “roughs, comps, scamps, tissues, or sketches”. 
  
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• Conceptual Design Exercise Ad Breakdowns: Google Home (Superbowl 2017), Apple iPod,
  Amazon Logo
  
  
• From Good to Great:
  The role of refining your sketches serves a few purposes in the creative process (and when working on a creative team, client or with production vendors)
  
  
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Objectives

• Learn how to talk us through the story of your design process: go into the process of how you arrived at the sketch, what were some outside influences, and what other territories you explored before landing on your top 3 choices.?

Assignment for Next Class

1. Bring your top 3 sketches (close to the final anticipated design for your record cover)

2. Begin to incorporate the sketch as a whole: back cover, left inside, right inside, vinyl (optional center label)
   

   

Resources:

• Some font inspiration: https://youworkforthem.com also highly recommend leveraging Adobe Typekit 
• Find the perfect color palette for your design: https://coolors.co/
• Want to see your album cover come to life? Here is a resource to custom print your jacket.