There are basic exercises, obligatory for all students,
and a final assignment, where you have a choice
between three productions, each with a different supervisor.
In addition, as explained in the guidelines, all students must write an essay,
and give a presentation in class.
For deadlines, see the schedule.
There will be periodic checks on the status
of your work.
Each year there will be recommended themes.
Each individual student must:
- develop a logo
- create a sign
- design a collage
- make a photo sequence
You will be allowed one opportunity for revision, based
on the (peer) reviews.
You must:
In the second half of the course, you will likely be
invited to present your thoughts.
Choose one of the following assignments:
For the final assignment(s) your are allowed to work in groups.
However, the contribution of each individual must be reflected
in his/her own portfolio.
Before you start working on the final production, you must
(as indicated in the schedule)
obtain approval from your supervisor by submitting a sufficiently
detailed concept/plan.
obligatory: creative technology
Develop a logo expressing:
- some corporate identity, or
- a personal identity, or
- some particlar mood, or
- a value or indignation of societal scope.
For example, the right to speak freely
might be expressed by some sign or symbol with
iconographic meaning.
Literature: Tristan Manco, Street Logos, Thames and Hudson
the listed examples may not be chosen!
Create a sign expressing
a prohibition of some kind.
As a suggestion, You may, not exclusively, choose from:
- don't talk during lectures
- don't unplug a particular USB device
- don't start two (particular) applications simultaneously
For example, a don't spit on the street
campain was held in China, during the outburst of SARS.
This resulted in signs, similar to non-parking or
no-smoking signs.
Literature: 1000 signs, Taschen Verlag
Design a collage using a mixture of images and text.
Create a composition that is in some way
meaningful (for yourself), and indicate briefly
what that meaning is.
You are free in the choice of technology and tools.
However, if you use a dynamic technology make sure
to incorporate screenshots to illustrate the various shapes.
As technology, you may choose from:
- a graphic design program, such as paint or photoshop,
- basic web technology, that is html and scripts, or
- 3D technology, such as VRML or WildTangent.
visual design labs
A collage is one of the basic exercises at the
average art school.
Remember, that although it is a formal, abstract exercise,
it is therefore not necessarily meaningless.
Literature:
Aaron Betsky, with Adam Eeuwens, False Flat --
Why Dutch Design is so Good, Phaidon
In the course of working on the exercises,
consulting the literature
and listening to the guest speakers, you must develop
the skill to formulate your thoughts on design.
The essay does not have to be very long.
Five pages is enough.
The following subjects are recommended for your essay:
- 2D vs 3D aesthetics
- animation -- stills, sequences and stories
- elements of style -- diversity and confluence
- a model of creativity -- a critical evaluation
You are encouraged to find your own subject.
Don't stick only to guidelines. It is often
more helpful to discuss examples of good or bad design.
The essay must be part of your portfolio and must be readable online.
Don't waste
printer resources!
Literature: of your choice.
To formulate your thoughts on paper is one thing.
To speak out in front of class another.
Prepare a presentation (in for example powerpoint)
to clarify your findings and ideas in a lecture
of at most 10 minutes.
Keep in mind that:
- you must speak clearly
- your presentation must match your verbal utterings
- you must be able to answer questions
Also the presentation must be part of your portfolio.
Literature: your own essay
Develop a house style and a web site for
a conference or a similar event.
In designing, be aware of:
- the stakeholders involved with that particular event,
- the look and feel of the (related) material, and
- the end-users that are to be addressed.
Further indications will be provided during the course.
Literature: if nothing else, google!
supervisor: A. Eliëns
In designing a game environment,
there are several options, dependent on the track your
are most comfortable with.
- style -- develop concept, plot and visual assets for a game of choice
- content -- develop environments, models and animations for a game of choice
- effects -- develop models, textures and special effects (shaders) for a game of choice
It is recommended to work together and create
an actual game, using a suitable mix of technologies.
Literature:
multimedia/software
recommended literature
- David Dabner, Design and Layout: Understanding and Using Graphics, Quarto publishing inc. (£14.99)
Nederlandse versie: Design en Lay-out: Grondbeginselen van de Grafische Vormgeving David Dabner, ISBN 90 5764 326 X, VU boekhandel: Librero speciale prijs 7,95 Euro
- Simon Danaher, Digital 3D Design, Thomson 2004
- David Santiago Creating 3D Effects for Film, TV and Games, Thomson 2005
- Tristan Manco, Street Logos, Thames and Hudson
- 1000 signs, Taschen Verlag
- Aaron Betsky, with Adam Eeuwens, False Flat -- Why Dutch Design is so Good, Phaidon
- J.F. Hoorn (2002). A model for information technologies that can be creative. In T. T. Hewett, & T. Kavanagh (Eds.), Proceedings of the Fourth Creativity and Cognition Conference, Loughborough, UK (pp. 186-191). New York: ACM Press. (powerpoint and example)
- S. St-Laurent, Shaders for Game Programmers and Artists, Thomson, 2004
- A. Eliëns, Computational Art, First Int Symposium on Electronic Art, Leonardo Supplementary Issue, Pergamon Press 1988, pp. 21-26
(OCR-ed with support of Niek de Moel)
- A. Eliëns Creativity: reflection and involvement, Ninth Int Conf of Aesthetics, Dubrovnic, August 1979