Assignments
Assignment 1: Understanding Magazines
Part 1: Parts of the Magazine Part 2: Target Audience Analysis Exercise Part 3: What is a Feature Story? Part 4: What is an ASF? Part 5: Student Grouping & Magazine Brainstorming |
Content & Skills:
1. Analyze demographic information among magazine consumers to make assumptions about editorial content. 2. Determine and explain a magazine’s target audience. 3. Identify appropriate market and audience for advertisements. 4. Become familiar with the two required pieces of writing for the magazine: the feature story and the alternative story form. 5. Be aware of the expected deliverables of the course: Cover, Table of Contents, Contributor's Page, Letter from the Editor(s), Feature Stories, Alternative Story Forms, and Advertisements. |
Assignment 2: Journalistic Writing & The Feature
Part 1: Brainstorming Story Ideas Part 2: Researching & Interviewing Part 3: Story Pitch Form (Q) Part 4: The Elements of Newsworthiness Part 5: Introduction to Journalistic Writing (Q) Part 6: Photography Part 7: Writing the Story Part 8: Feature Written Rubric Culminating Projects: Feature Interviews and Story Outline (M) Sample of Transcripts and Outline Six Weeks Exam Review (M) |
Content & Skills
1. Evaluate a story's newsworthiness among the elements: timeliness, proximity, consequence, prominence, human interest or shock/bizarre value. 2. Identify and use AP Style when appropriate. 3. Improve sentence structures through the use of active voice and action verbs. Recognize and replace "to-be" verbs that are not very interesting or cause writing to be repetitive. 4. Conduct an interview using proper interview protocols: interview goals, proper location, asking open-ended questions, and observation. 5. Identify and distinguish among the various types of leads: narrative, descriptive, startling statement, contrast/compare, question, twist, and direct address. 6. Identify a nut graph within a feature story and use it to defend the story angle and purpose of the story. 7. Analyze a story using background information and quotes. |
Assignment 3: Principles of Layout Design
Part 1: Typography Introduction Part 2: Design Principles Part 3: Understanding Color Part 4: InDesign Introduction Part 5: Feature Layout Rubric Unit 1 Test Study Guide [M]Unit 1 Test - Test a Friend |
Content & Skills:
1. Distinguish the various parts of a letter form: ascender, descender, serif, counter, baseline, cap height, x-height. 2. Differentiate between the different classifications of typefaces: serif, sans serif, modern, slab, black letter, script, decorative. 3. Integrate professional typographic applications with letterforms: leading, tracking, kerning, points, picas, flush right, flush left, centered, justified, rivers, rag, hierarchy, and contrast. 4. Employ typographic hierarchy within layouts, and identify the order in which a reader is supposed to identify information. 5. Identify and choose appropriate elements of design: line, shape, space, value, color and texture. 6. Use dominant art, column divisions, trapped space, column structure, rule-of-thirds, white space, and eyelines to communicate a message. 7. Be able to identify cool, warm, primary and secondary colors. Describe emotions that are associated with primary and secondary colors. 8. Describe the difference between raster and vector graphics. 9. Articulate the difference and purpose of CMYK and RGB color spaces and what PPI is required for each color mode. 10. Identify and utilize the four components of any Adobe workspace: Tools Panel, Control Panel, Panel Dock and Context Menu. 11. Construct a file with the appropriate dimensions, margins, bleed, and unit of measurement (pica and/or inches). 12. Convert points to picas to inches. 13. Identify and utilize the four components of any Adobe workspace: Tools Panel, Control Panel, Panel Dock and Context Menu. |
Assignment 4: Magazine Theme Presentation
Part 1: Style Sheet & Sample Layout Part 2: Magazine Section Organization & Brainstorming Part 3: Magazine Theme Presentation (M) Quizlet Study Guide Sarah's Study Guide |
Content & Skills:
1. Complete and follow a style sheet and sample layout to keep all design decisions consistent. 2. Identify and produce the following components of a magazine layout: art credit, body copy, byline, caption, drop cap, end sign, folio, headline, pull quote, and subhead. 3. Develop and organize magazine content by using a ladder to plan the number of spreads needed. 4. Develop and present a target audience, style sheet and ladder as a springboard for magazine. |
Assignment 5: Layout Design
Part 1: Creative Collection Part 2: InDesign Layout Tips Part 3: Typography in Layouts Part 4: Photoshop Basics for Image Editing Part 5: Copyright Law & Picture Permission Form Summer Layout Rubric |
Content & Skills:
1. Learn organizational skills using a creative collection for thoughts and inspiration for design concepts through popular web-pinning websites, like Pinterest. 2. Produce effective text effects by manipulating the basic characteristics of a typeface: serif, sans serif, weight, fill/stroke, outlines, kerning/tracking, uppercase, lowercase, point size, and leading. 3. Identify and choose appropriate elements of design: line, shape, space, value, color and texture. 4. Use dominant art, column divisions, trapped space, column structure, rule-of-thirds, white space, and eyelines to communicate a message. 5. Locate and place an appropriate high resolution image with the required number of pixels per inch (300 ppi). Explain the difference between actual and effective ppi. Know the required number of pixels required for screen vs. print projects. 6. Demonstrate basic photo editing skills: Adjust image mode and size. Unlock an image's background layer. Add an adjustment layer for non-permanent effects. Crop a photo to remove unwanted space. Apply filters to affect the mood of an image. Use lasso tools to select wanted areas of an image. 7. Distinguish between copyrighted material and material in the public domain. 8. Defend the use of copyrighted material under fair use (purpose, nature, quantity, and monetary effect). 9. Give and receive appropriate feedback on designs and use that collaboration to improve creative process. |
Assignment 6: Alternative Story Formats
Part 1: Illustrator Introduction Part 2: ASF Presentation Part 3: What is an ASF? Part 4: ASF Proposal (Q) Part 5: ASF Rubric |
1. Identify and analyze an alternative story format in a magazine.
9. Produce an effective logo using the following tools and panels: selection tool, direct select tool, pen tool, line segment tool, shape tool, type tool, scale tool, shear tool, paintbrush tool, rotate tool, fill and stroke, opacity, outlines, layers panel, effects and appearance panel, gradient panel and pathfinder panel. Be able to describe tool and panel functions. 2. Develop and design an appropriate alternative story format that gives the reader insight into a fitting topic for the magazine. 3. Choose and locate credible sources to complement the opinions of the staff. 4. Write an interesting, personable introduction for the ASF that is inviting to readers and explains the purpose of the alternative story format. 5. Recognize and apply journalistic writing guidelines: AP style, using active voice and choosing active verbs. 6. Integrate proper journalistic attribution for sources used in alternative story forms. |
Assignment 7: Table of Contents, Letter from the Editor, Contributor's Page and Cover (M)
Part 1: Table of Contents Part 2: Letter from the Editors Part 3: Contributor's Page Part 4: Assignment Rubric Group Pages PPT Rubric |
1. Organize, assign, and design content in magazine through a table of contents.
2. From the table of contents, attract reader interest by thoughtful story placement and creative, effective text hierarchy. 3. Address readers through an inviting and well-designed letter from the editor(s), which explains the focus for the issue/magazine. 4. Introduce writers of the magazine to the reader by designing a contributor's page, which should explain pertinent information about the writers and their experience with the magazine theme. |
Assignment 8: The Cover
Part 1: Magazine Logo Study Part 2: Magazine Cover Study Part 3: Mind Mapping & Sketching Part 4: Logo Development Part 5: Magazine Cover Design Rubric |
1. Articulate the importance of mind-mapping and sketching during logo development.
2. Understand how typography within a logo can affect the brand of a publication. 3. Strategically plan and design a magazine cover which uses the three elements of any magazine cover: (a) a striking dominant art to attract the reader, (b) effective cover lines that take advantage of text manipulation and hierarchy, and (c) an appropriately placed and colored logo. |
Assignment 9: Magazine Compilation & Printing
Part 1: Final Magazine Checklist Part 2: Uploading to MagCloud Part 3: Reflection Letter |
1. Organize and compile all pages of magazine into one PDF, using a book file in InDesign.
2. Complete pre-publishing checklist to provide quality control for published material. 3. Upload deliverables to publishing company, following the specifications outlined by MagCloud. Perform a successful upload, free of any errors, to ensure on-time delivery of publication. |