California University of Pennsylvania
Guidelines for New Course Proposals
University Course Syllabus
Approved: 2/4/13
Department of Art and Design
A.

Protocol
Course Name:
Intro the Graphic Design
Course Number:
ART 127
Credits:
3
Prerequisites:
None
Maximum Class Size (face-to-face): 22
Maximum Class Size (online):
(Choose which one is appropriate or both if applicable)

B.

Objectives of the Course:
1. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of the elements of Graphic Design
through the creation of individual and group projects.
2. Students will be able to use the Macintosh Platform.
3. Students will be able to use 30%-50% of the QuarkXPress Program.
4. Students will be able to use 30%-50% of the Adobe Photoshop Program.
(see detailed topical outline of the course)

C.

Catalog Description:
The course will introduce the student to the Macintosh as a production tool. It
will provide the student with an understanding of the major concepts in the field
of graphic design and how design relates to advertising and marketing.

D.

Outline of the Course:
A. Beginning Observations
1. Planning
a. Audience (who)
b. Message (what)
c. Distribution (where)
2. The Role of Desktop Publishing
3. Coherence
a. Form and Function

4. Proportion
a. Hierarchy of Information
5. Direction
a. Direction as a Guide
b. Direction as a Map
6. Surprise and Boredom in Publications
a. Unity and Variety
b. Contrast
c. Tension
7. The Big Picture
a. Type Families
b. Color Families
c. Simplicity in Design
B. Tools of Organization
1. Graphic Organizers
a. Grids
b. Borders
c. Margins
2. Graphic Separators
a. Rules
b. Boxes
3. Columns
a. Dark Publications
b. Light Publications
c. Column Widths
4. Text Organizers
a. Headlines
b. Subheads
c. Captions
d. Mastheads
e. Headers
f. Footers
g. Symbols
C. Building Blocks of Graphic Design
1. White Space
a. Surrounding a Headline
b. Margins of an Advertisement or Publication
c. Space Between Columns of Type
d. Flush-left Type
e. Indented Sentences

2.

3.

4.
5.

f. Between Paragraphs
The Language of Type
a. Serif Type
b. Sans-serif Type
c. Type Style
d. Type Weight
e. Type Size
f. Tracking
g. Kerning
Alignment
a. Flush-left
b. Flush-right
c. Justified
d. Forced Justified
e. Centered
Runarounds
Distortion
a. Stretching Type
b. Skewing Type
c. Compressing Type

D. Tools of Emphasis
1. One Color Impact
a. Reverse
b. Screens
2. Color
a. Paper as Color
b. Pantone Matching System
c. Spot Color versus Process Color
d. Overprinting Colors
e. Speciality Inks
3. Bleeds
4. Kickers
5. Initial Caps
a. Drop Caps
b. Sinks
6. Photographs
a. Stock Photography
b. Photo Shoots
c. Digital Photography
d. Scanning Photography
e. Your Scanner as a Camera

f. Cropping
7. Illustrations
a. Stock Illustration
b. Hiring an Illustrator
c. Scanning Illustrations
d. Computer Illustrations
e. Manipulating Illustrations
E. Common Design Pitfalls
1. Irregularly Shaped Blocks of Copy
a. Complicated Runarounds
b. Angled Type
2. Widows and Orphans
3. Unequal Spacing
4. Exaggerated Tabs and Indents
5. Excessive Hyphenation
a. Narrow Column Widths
6. Grammatical Errors
7. Cramped Logos and Addresses
Da.

Detailed Topical Outline of the Course: Introduction to the Macintosh
A. Basics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
B. Disks
1.
2.
3.
C.

Working with Windows
Creating Documents
Editing Text
Switching Between Programs
Organizing Files
Protecting Files on a Hard Disk
Testing and Repairing a Disk
Starting up From a Different Disk

Files and Programs
1. Opening a Program
a. Assigning More Memory to a Program
2. Opening a Document
3. Opening DOS or Windows Files
a. Assigning Applications to a DOS or Windows File
4. Saving a Document
5. Finding Files

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

a. Saving Search Criteria
b. Finding the Origin of an Alias
Searching the Contents of Files
a. Creating or Updating an Index
Changing the Name of a File
Changing the Way Files Look
Copying Files
Switching Between Open Programs
a. Using the Application Switcher
b. Switching From One Program to Another
Organizing Files in Folders
Copying Files
Throwing Away Files
Viewing and Sorting Files
Locking and Unlocking Files

D. Troubleshooting
1. If Your Computer Frequently “Crashes” or “Freezes”
a. Resolve SCSI ID Conflicts
b. Resolve System Extension Conflicts
c. Reset PRAM
d. Test and Repair the Hard Disk
e. Reinstall System Software
f. Apple System Profiler
2. Error Messages
a. Type 1,2 and 3 Errors
3. Getting Information About Your Computer
4. Performance Problems
a. Adjusting Memory Usage
b. Adjusting Keyboard and Mouse Settings
c. Turn Off Menu Blinking
d. Reduce the Color Depth
e. Computer Calculating Folder Sizes
f. Turning On/Off Apple Talk
g. Extension Conflicts
5. Preventative Maintenance
a. Backing Up Files
b. Update For Viruses
c. Reset PRAM
d. Rebuilding the Desktop
6. Support on the Web
a. Apple Online Support

b. Product Documentation Archive

Db.

E.

Printing
1. Printing from the Desktop
a. Creating a Desktop Printer
b. Printing a Document on a Desktop Printer
c. Controlling Printing
2. Changing Print Options
3. Selecting a Printer
4. Doing Other Work While You Are Printing
a. Setting Background Printing in the Print Dialog Box
b. Setting Background Printing in the Chooser

F.

Shortcuts and Tips
1. Keyboard Shortcuts
2. Contextual Menus
3. Apple Menu
4. Favorites
5. Aliases
6. Control Strip
7. Launcher
8. Folder Actions
9. Notes and Stickies

Detailed Topical Outline of the Course: Introduction to QuarkXPress
A. Introduction to QuarkXPress
1. Document Window
a. Ruler Origin Box
b. Page Guides
c. Rulers
d. Vertical Rulers
e. Horizontal Rulers
f. Ruler Origin
g. Document Page
h. Text Box
i. Zoom Box
j. Shadow
k. Title Bar
l. Page Number Indicator
m. View Percentage Field
n. Scroll Bars

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

o. Pasteboard
Tool Palette
a. Item Tool
b. Content Tool
c. Rotation Tool
d. Zoom Tool
e. Text Box Tool
f. Rectangle Picture Box Tool
g. Rounded-corner Picture Box Tool
h. Oval Picture Box Tool
i. Orthogonal Picture Box Tool
j. Line Tool
k. Linking Tool
l. Unlinking Tool
Measurements Palette
a. Modify Location (X,Y)
b. Modify Size (W,H)
c. Modify Rotation
d. Modify Number of Columns
e. Modify Leading
f. Modify Kerning/Tracking
g. Modify Alignment
h. Modify Font
i. Modify Size
j. Modify Type Style
Document Layout Palette
a. Master Pages
b. Document Pages
c. Multipage Spreads
d. Move Pages
Library Palette
a. Storing/Retrieving Text Boxes
b. Storing/Retrieving Picture Boxes
c. Storing/Retrieving Lines
d. Storing/Retrieving Groups
Colors Palette
a. Applying Color to Text
b. Applying Color to Boxes
c. Applying Color to Line
d. Applying Color to Borders
e. Applying Color to Photography
f. Editing Colors

g. Gradients
7. Trap Information Palette
a. Frame Inside
b. Frame Outside
c. Picture Trapping
d. Knockouts
e. Default Settings
f. Custom Settings
B. The Building Blocks of QuarkXPress
1. Item Mode versus Content Mode
2. Page Grabber Hand
a. Scrolling
b. Key Commands
3. Active and Inactive Items
4. Menu Bar
a. Hiding Documents
5. Menu Entries
a. Active Menu Entry
b. Dimmed Menu Entry
c. Checked Menu Entry
d. Submenu Indicator
e. Keyboard Equivalents
f. Ellipses (dialog box)
g. Dotted Line (command groups)
h. Submenu
6. Dialog Boxes
a. Field
b. Area
c. Pop-up Menu
d. Check Box
e. Button
7. Pop-up Menus
a. Scroll Lists
b. Directory Title
c. Scroll Bar
d. Disk, Eject, Desktop
8. Directory Dialog Boxes for Saving Files
a. Scroll Lists
b. Directory Title
c. Scroll Bar
d. Disk, Eject, Desktop

9. Alert Dialog Boxes
10. Troubleshooting
Dc.

Detailed Topical Outline of the Course: Introduction to Adobe Photoshop
A. Painting and Editing
1. Opening a File
2. Working With Palettes
3. Using the Layers Palette
a. Preparing the Work Area
b. Creating a New Layer
4. Using the Painting and Editing Tools
a. Painting with the Paintbrush Tool
b. Using the Eraser Tool
c. Painting With the Pencil Tool
d. Using the Tool Pointers
e. Painting with the Airbrush Tool
5. Using the Foreground and Background Colors
a. Sampling a New Foreground Color
b. Using the Eyedropper Tool
6. Working With Brushes
a. Creating a New Brush
b. Using the System Default Brushes
c. Loading a Brush
d. Changing the Opacity of a Brush
e. Changing the Size of a Brush
f. Changing the Softness of a Brush
7. Using the Picker/Swatches/Scratch Palettes
8. Smudging a Selection
9. Changing Your Mind
a. Using the History Palette
b. Using the Undo Command
10. Saving the Palettes
11. Saving the Preview Icons
B. Working with Selections
1. Magnifying the Image
2. Saving a Selection
a. Marquee
b. Lasso
c. Elliptical Marquee
d. Paths

3. Cropping an Image
a. Working With a Predetermined Size
b. Working With a Predetermined Resolution
4. Opening Multiple Files
5. Copying a Selection From One File to Another
a. Drag and Drop
b. Feathered Edges
6. Using the Rubber Stamp Tool
a. Cloning
7. Selecting With a Fixed Marquee
8. Filling a Selection
a. Normal
b. Dissolve
c. Behind
d. Multiply
e. Screen
f. Overlay
g. Soft Light
h. Hard Light
i. Color Dodge
j. Color Burn
k. Darken
l. Lighten
m. Difference
n. Exclusion
o. Hue
p. Saturation
q. Color
r. Luminosity
9. Opening an EPS File
a. EPS Photo
b. EPS Illustration
10. Filling With a Pattern
a. Setting Pattern
b. Using Defaults
c. Opacity of a Pattern
11. Creating a Gradient Fill
a. Linear Gradients
b. Radial Gradients
c. Foreground to Background
d. Foreground to Transparent
e. Transparent to Foreground

f. Creating Custom Gradients
12. Merging Layers
a. Merge Down
b. Merge Visible
c. Flatten Image
13. Making Selections in a Layer
a. Switching From Layer to Layer
b. Adding/Deleting Layers
14. Saving a File With Layers
a. Photoshop Formats
b. Compatabilities With Other Programs
E.

Teaching Methodology:
Traditional Classroom Methodology
The course is designed to provide the student with 45 hours of instruction per
semester (typically three hours per week). Instruction will occur using, but not
limited to, lecture, assignments, critiques, and demonstrations..

F.

Text
Specifications for an appropriate text or supportive material will be provided by
the instructor.

G.

Assessment Activities:
Traditional Classroom Assessment
Students will be assessed using exams, quizzes, homework assignments,
individual assignments, and group assignments.
A
90 – 100%
B
80 – 89%
C
70 – 79%
D
60 – 69%
F
59% and below

H.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

Students with disabilities:

•
•
•
•

Reserve the right to decide when to self-identify and when to request
accommodations.
Will register with the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) each semester to
receive accommodations.
Might be required to communicate with faculty for accommodations, which
specifically involve the faculty.
Will present the OSD Accommodation Approval Notice to faculty when
requesting accommodations that involve the faculty.

Requests for approval for reasonable accommodations should be directed to the Office for
Students with Disabilities (OSD). Approved accommodations will be recorded on the
OSD Accommodation Approval notice and provided to the student. Students are expected
to adhere to OSD procedures for self-identifying, providing documentation and requesting
accommodations in a timely manner.
Contact Information:
• Location:
Azorsky Hall – Room 105
• Phone:
(724) 938-5781
• Fax:
(724) 938-4599
• Email:
osdmail@calu.edu
• Web Site:
http://www.calu.edu/current-students/studentservices/disability/index.htm
I.

Supportive Instructional Materials, e.g. library materials, web sites, etc.
A list of library and internet material will be provided by the instructor.
Additional Information for Course Proposals

J.

Proposed Instructors:
Any qualified faculty in the Art and Design Department or Graphic Designer.

K.

Rationale for the Course:

Required for Graphic Design majors to have an comprehensive understanding of their
discipline.
L.

Specialized Equipment or Supplies Needed:
This course must be taught in a graphics design lab.

M.

Answer the following questions using complete sentences:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

N.

Does the course require additional human resources? (Please explain)
No, it does not require additional human resources.
Does the course require additional physical resources? (Please explain)
No, it does not require additional physical resources.
Does the course change the requirements in any particular major?
(Please explain)
Yes, it changes the requirements for the Graphic Design Major.
Does the course replace an existing course in your program? (If so, list the
course)
No, it does not replace an existing course.
How often will the course be taught?
The course will be taught once per academic year.
Does the course duplicate an existing course in another Department or
College? (If the possibility exists, indicate course discipline, number, and
name)
No, the course does not duplicate an existing course.

If the proposed course includes substantial material that is traditionally taught
in another discipline, you must request a statement of support from the
department chair that houses that discipline.
N/A

O.

Please identify if you are proposing to have this course considered as a menu
course for General Education. If yes, justify and demonstrate the reasons
based on the categories for General Education. The General Education
Committee must consider and approve the course proposal before
consideration by the UCC.
No