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:
Graphic Design Studio 1
Course Number:
ART 227
Credits:
3
Prerequisites:
ART 119, 2-D Design, ART 127, Intro to Graphic Design
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.
2.

Students will use creative, visual problem solving skills for the purpose
of communication.
Students will use the elements and principles of design including: unity
and variety, flatness, space, scale, size, shape, line, movement, light,
color, and meaning for the purpose of communication.
Students will be able to use 70%-90% of the QuarkXPress program
which relates to: document construction, word processing, pictures,
typography, color, page layout, and printing.

3.

C.

Catalog Description:
In this course the student will develop a thorough working understanding of
QuarkXPress, to develop skills in creative, visual problem solving for the
purpose of communication using the elements and principles of design.

D.

Outline of the Course:
A. Unity and Variety
1. Harmony/Dissonance
a. Balance
b. Tension
c. Symmetry
d. Asymmetry
2. Clarity and Ambiguity

a. Hierarchy and Subdivision
b. Repetition and Variation
c. Rhythm
3. Proportional Systems
a. Grids
B. Flatness
1. The Field
a. Top and Bottom
b. Left and Right
c. The Center
d. The Edge
2. The Picture Plane
a. Grouping
3. Mark Making
a. Texture
`C. Space
1. Figure/Ground
a. Relationships
b. Strategies
2. Spatial Cues
a. Gradients
b. Overlap
c. Size Change
d. Vertical Location
e. Perspective
3. The Pictorial Box
a. Frontal Recession
b. Diagonal Recession
c. Enclosed Space
d. Packed Space
e. Empty Space
D.

Scale and Size
1. Scale/Size Relationships
a. Microstructure/Macrostructure
b. Monumental Scale/Intimate Scale

E. Shape
1. Simple/Complex Shape
2. Positive/Negative Shape
3. Geometric/Organic Shape

4. Weight of Shape
5. Tension and Shape
F. Line
1. Line Qualities
a. The Signatory Line
b. The Impersonal Line
2. Materials and Line Qualities
3. Implied Line
4. The Line as Edge
a. The Contour Line
b. The Shifting Edge
5. Line and Three-Dimensional Space
G. Movement
1. Pictorial/Actual Motion
a. Directed Tension
b. Gradients and Movement
c. Vertical/Horizontal/Diagonal
2. Stroboscopic Motion
3. Time
H. Light
1. Light Cues
a. Value
b. Contrast
2. Tonal Gradients
3. Depth
I. Color
1. Elements of Color
a. Hue
b. Value
c. Intensity
2. Color Temperature
a. Afterimage
b. Complementary Color
3. Color Mixing
a. Pigment Mixture (additive-cmyk)
b. Optical Mixture (subtractive-rgb)
4. Harmony and Dissonance
5. Color Interaction

a. Simultaneous Contrast
b. Color Interpenetration/ Changes at the Edge
c. Weight of Color
d. Color Making Light
e. Color Space
6. Local Color
a. Surface Color
7. Descriptive Color/Subjective Color
a. Color Symbolism
J. Meaning
1. Visual Biases
2. Visual Information
3. Visual Signs and Visual Symbols
4. Realism and Abstraction
Da.

Detailed Topical Outline of the Course: QuarkXPress
A. Document Construction
1. Setting Program and Document Defaults
2. Setting Preferences
a. Application Preferences
b. General Preferences
c. Typographic Preferences
d. Trapping Preferences
e. Tools Preferences
3. Creating a New Document
a. Saving a Document
4. Using the Document Layout Palette
a. Working with Master Pages
b. Arranging Pages in a Document
5. Moving Items and Pages in a Document
6. Creating Multipage Spreads
7. Numbering Pages and Sectioning a Document
8. Changing Document Attributes
9. Navigating Through a Document
B. Word Processing
1. Working With Text Boxes and Text
a. Editing Text
b. Importing Text

2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

c. Exporting Text
Working With Xpress Tags
Applying Character Attributes
Applying Paragraph Formats
Setting Tabs
Creating New Style Sheets
a. Working With Style Sheets
Searching for and Replacing Text
Changing the Fonts Used in a Document
Working With Auxiliary Dictionaries

C. Pictures
1. Creating Picture Boxes and Importing Pictures
2. Working With Pictures
a. Applying a Predefined Contrast to Pictures
b. Applying a Custom Contrast to Pictures
c. Adjusting the Contrast of Color Pictures
d. Defining Halftone Screens
e. Applying Color to Pictures
f. Listing and Updating Pictures
D. Typography
1. Leading Paragraphs
2. Locking Paragraphs to the Baseline Grid
3. Positioning Text
a. Shifting Characters Above and Below Their Baselines
b. Positioning the First Baseline in a Text Box
c. Aligning Text Vertically
4. Controlling Widow and Orphan Lines
5. Creating, Editing, and Applying H&J Specifications
a. Specifying Auto Hyphenation Rules
b. Specifying Word and Character Spacing Rules
6. Kerning Character Pairs
a. Tracking Text
b. Creating Custom Tracking Tables
7. Scaling Text
a. Creating Initial Caps
E. Color
1. Creating Custom Colors
2. Working With Colors
3. Specifying Colors

a. Specifying Matching System Colors
b. Specifying Spot Versus Process Colors
c. Specifying Automatic and Color-Specific Trapping
4. Working With Trapping
5. Applying Color to Items
6. Specifying Background Blends
F.

Page Layout
1. Working With Visual Layout Tools
2. Using the Pasteboard
3. Using the Measurements Palette
4. Working with Boxes
5. Linking Text Boxes
6. Working With Polygon Picture Boxes
7. Drawing and Working With Lines
8. Duplicating and Repeating Items
9. Creating Groups
a. Working With Groups
b. Scaling/Modifying Groups (only QuarkXPress 4.0)
10. Rotating Items
11. Spacing and Aligning Items
12. Running Text Around Items and Pictures
13. Controlling the Stacking Order of Items
14. Anchoring Boxes to Text
15. Anchoring Rules to Text
16. Using Library Palettes
17. Flipping the Contents of Boxes

G. Printing
1. Preparing a Document for Laser Printing
2. Preparing a Document for High Resolution Imagesetting
3. Printing Pictures
4. Printing Oversized Documents
a. Tiling
5. Printing Color Separations
6. Sending Documents to a Service Provider
a. Collecting for Output
b. Collecting Fonts

E.

Teaching Methodology:
Traditional Classroom Methodology
The course is designed to provide the student with 60 hours of studio instruction
per semester (typically four hours per week). Instruction will occur using, but
not limited to, lecture, assignments, critiques, and demonstrations.

F.

Text
Textbook(s) and Supplementary Materials Required:
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.
Additional Information for Course Proposals

J.

Proposed Instructors:
Graphic designer, or qualified faculty in the Art and design Department.

A list of library materials will be provided by the instructor.
K.

Rationale for the Course:
Required for Graphic Design majors to have an comprehensive understanding of
their discipline.

L.

Specialized Equipment or Supplies Needed:
No, but this class needs to be taught in a graphics design lab.

M.

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

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 of the Graphic Design Majors.

4.
5.
6.

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.

N.

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