Course Outline

Instructor: Tak Yukawa
Contact: tyukawa@langara.bc.ca
Duration: 12 Weeks
Start Date: Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
Break: October 28th, 2009
End Date: Wednesday, December 9th, 2009
Prerequisites: All term 1 & 2 classes

Description:
Over the course of a 12 week term, students will create a self-directed project from start to finish in consultation with an experienced instructor. This class will provide senior level students the opportunity to propose and realize an INDEPENDENT project of substantial DEPTH and SCOPE. The final deliverable will represent the culmination of all the creative/technical skills and experience gained in previous terms. Emphasis will be placed on CONCEPTUAL development. Students will have the flexibility to focus on a brand new topic or expand upon a topic/theme they've already pursued during school.

After completing this course, students will be able to:
- Confidently and effectively PROJECT MANAGE aggressive timelines and substantial tasks
- Conduct effective, robust RESEARCH to satisfy particular project goals
- Effectively ANALYZE and PROCESS collected data into useful creative tangents
- Develop and implement effective CONCEPTS to satisfy project goals
- Make educated, rational decisions pertaining to VISUAL development and implementation
- PREPARE and PRESENT their designs with confidence and professionalism

Topics/Themes:
Students are encouraged to begin their pursuits through the following topics/themes.
- for culture
- for education
- for health/well being
- for regional entrepreneurship
- for social/political concerns
- for new media/interactivity

Respond to an anticipated or existing need in relation to your selected design theme, and demonstrate advance skills in synthesizing all aspects of the design process. Relevant design application categories are:

1. Identity Design:
2. Information Design:
3. Publication Design:
4. Promotional Design:
5. 2D/3D Design: including exhibitions, displays

Warning:
Students are strongly encouraged to choose project paths that are not based on technical resources/skills with which they have no prior experience. Students are also responsible for any additional financial costs associated with the production/creation of final project deliverables or presentations.

Mentorship:
Students are required to establish a relationship with an individual(s) with specific knowledge pertaining to their respective project. A mentor could be a client, an individual with expertise in a specific technology or production method associated with the project, or a designer with at least 5 years of professional experience. NOTE: A mentor cannot be another instructor/faculty member at Langara College.
DEADLINE: Students must find and announce at least 1 mentor by Class 4 (Oct 7). Mentors must be approved by the instructor and college administration.

Teaching Methods:
This course will be delivered through a variety of lectures, in-class discussions, lab time and reviews with the instructor. Students are required to remain in class for the entire duration of the class with their work ready for review.

Workload:
This course concentrates heavily on student-instructor interaction. It is imperative that students are present and prepared to work the entire 4 hours, as well as a substantial amount of time each week outside of class to complete horizons and research assignments.

Required Supplies:
- A computer and Adobe Creative Suite Programs (Primarily Illustrator, Photoshop and Acrobat Pro)
- High-speed Internet access
- Blogger account (Google)
- Google DOCS account (Optional)

Students are required to bring the following items to class each week:
- Sketch Paper for ideation and sketching
- Paper clips (large and small)
- Drawing pencils
- Fine line ballpoint pens and different sized multi-tip black markers (Sharpie)
- A minimum of 3 different color Highlighters
- Other sketching tools may be required during the course (ie: Pencil, Markers and Papers), and will be determined by the student’s comfort level, preference or by instructor request.
- Memory Card/Key for digital files (ideally 1 gig)