VASI / DESIGN

Visual Arts Summer Institute at Boston University

/ DESIGN

A three-day lesson plan to introduce

VASI student to the study of Graphic

Design. The curriculum aims to touch

on production methods as well as

Design Thinking and theory.

SKILLS

Binding

Book Design

Typography

Design Basics

Critique

LESSON 1Design is Everywhere

Students will be introduced to design

through a 30 minute visual lecture

presenting design as an occurrence in

every day life.

The class will then join in a thirty-

minute off site investigation of design

in our environment. Students will be

asked to document 10 examples of

typographic design through photo-

graphing examples.

LECTURE TOPICSItems to be introduced in lecture will include Typography through found

way finding and environmental signage, advertising (i.e. billboards and signs),

warning signage and other examples found in the built and designed

environment.

Visual examples will be from a local and global context and will feature both

‘good’ and ‘bad’ examples of design in our daily lives.

Upon returning from the off site walk, a brief 30 minute lecture will be

provided on the basics of typography based on tools in the Elements of

Typographic Style. (Serif vs sans-serif, Kerning, leading, etc.) Video will be

watched https://vimeo.com/forrestmedia giving 7 minute overview of

history of typography and classifications.

IN CLASS ASSIGNMENTStudents will make 3 of their own notebooks using provided supplies. They

will be asked to use these notebooks to record their experiences while at

VASI. One notebook will be used for their design course and the rest should

be used as a place to document things around them. Students will be asked

to draw one letter a day in one of their notebooks to be shared and turned

into a stop-motion video at the end of the program.

HOMEWORKStudents will be given an assortment of neon colored paper. They will be

assigned 10 letters and will have to draw cut out the letters by the next class

in either lowercase baskerville or helevetica. (These letters will be used to

make a sentence that will be hung on the wall the following class and will

precede the lesson on manifestos).

SKILLS

Illustrator

Basics of Typography

Laser Cutting

Design Thinking

Manifesto

LESSON 2Design and Voice

Students will be introduced to the

‘Manifesto’ using lesson plan advice

from Project H’s open source design

teaching tool kit.

The goal of this lesson is to iterate

the importance of understanding

ones own voice as a designer and to

introduce the students to the basics

of typographical design.

LECTURE TOPICSWhat is a manifesto? By using the lesson guide by Emily Pilloton and

Project H, we will present students with a variety of designer manifestos.

The students will be asked to assess these manifestos and to pick out

the most important aspects of the pieces.

IN CLASS ASSIGNMENTStudents will be asked to make 3 lists of 25 words each. The first of nouns

of people, places, things or concepts present in their life. The second of

adjectives that describe them. The last is a list of verbs for actions they

participate in, experience or feel passionately about. Using these 75 words

the students will be asked to develop a manifesto. Using a process of

reduction, students will them be asked to revisit their manifesto and cross

out any words that they find unnecessary. This will continue until each

student is left with 6 words. This does not need to be a full sentence but

will be the foundation of what the students believe in.

After a short lesson on the basics of typography including Kerning, leading

and justification, the students will layout their manifestos in illustrator. They

will be given a type size and face. The students will then visit EPIC where we

will cut out our manifestos from assorted neon paper to the students liking.

The finalized manifestos will be glued to a large board in the classroom.

SKILLS

Design Activism

Social Impact Design

Typography

Layout

InDesign

LESSON 3Say Something

Students will be asked to sum up their

personal experience and reaction to

their experience at VASI and in Boston.

LECTURE TOPICSWhat is design activism? Students will be shown several examples of

how design can exist outside the traditional parameters of graphic

design. Examples to be shown will be from Candy Chang, Sagmeister,

John Bielenberg and other designers who use design as a way to

spread a message.

IN CLASS ASSIGNMENTEach student will be asked to write a 140 character reaction of their

experience in Boston and at VASI.

These experiences will be formatted in InDesign and printed on neon

paper of their choosing. These posters will then be brought by students

to the public wall on Newbury Street where they will hang and photograph

their reactions.