The goal of the course is to give photographers and photography students an introduction to the theory and practice of graphic design to create their photographic projects in a quality and coherent manner in terms of typeface, composition, and layout, thus defining the full place of the project in the context of contemporary visual culture.
Objectives
To get a basic notion of the anatomy of graphic design – color + form, font, rhythm + composition.
To master the basic tools of typesetting.
Understand (and accept) the idea of rhythm and composition in multi-page publications.
Create your own photo project of a finished form.
Description .
The course is divided into 3 main blocks, each corresponding to one of the key concepts of graphic design anatomy. The block is accompanied by theoretical and practical part. The practical part – thematic exercises + solving a specific task as part of developing an author’s project. Every student will take a series of 15-20 pictures as a basis for his/her author’s project and at the end make a small publication with them. During the intensive, participants will work on all the stages and key aspects of the finished form of the project (cover, module grid, design of pages and spreads, typography styles, layout of text blocks).
On output
Ready layout of the edition of the project based on the author’s series of works.
Course program
The art of color and form in graphic design
Theory:
The concept of form and the laws of composition. Aesthetic aspects of the impact of color. Types of color contrasts. Methods of forming a color palette in graphic design.
Practice:
Three levels of aesthetic perception of color in a project: optical, expressive, symbolic. Project color schemes. Formative rhymes of a publication.
Introduction to typography.
Theory:
The emergence of writing. Typeface and the logic of communication. Basic concepts in working with type. Modernist and postmodernist approach to typography and design.
Practice:
Working with incidental and typeset verbal forms, large volumes of text. Structuring into semantic and emotional blocks. Typographic solutions for the design of different levels of information (title, footer, headings, footnotes, quotations, main text, etc.). Introduction to Adobe InDesign.
Form of a photo project. Rhythm and composition.
Theory:
Basic patterns in working on the form of a photo project. Difference in approaches to work with on-screen and off-screen media. Organization of material in multiband photo editions. Rhythm and composition. Modular grid. Concept and image.
Practice:
Development of a modular grid according to the structure and overall concept of the project. Publication layout.