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Canyon College



COURSE SYLLABUS: Advertising Design

Course Title: Department: Instructor:

JC461 - Advertising Design Political Science William Flood, M.A., M.Ed.  E-Mail - Vitae

Textbook: Online Bookstore

Lapow-Toor, Marcelle (1998). Graphic Design on the Desktop: A Guide for the Non-Designer, 2nd Edition. Wiley Publishers. ISBN #: 0471293075

Course Description

This course is for students interested in gaining fundamental knowledge and skill in advertising layout and design. Course topics will include interpreting target audiences, creative concept formulation, advertising design and layout, typography, working with art, as well as production methodology. The vocabulary and language associated with graphic design/advertising and production processes will be covered. Students will develop a variety of sample advertisements during the course.

This is an action-oriented course, in which the primary learning tool will be a series of projects that simulate advertising design activity. Among these is the preparation of creative pieces for a variety of advertising situations.

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course the student should be able to ...

1. Interpret target audiences when designing advertisements
2. Utilize the principles of design, concept formation, typography, and color in developing advertisements
3. Properly utilize the sequence of layout stages – thumbnails, roughs, comprehensives and final renditions
4. Prepare creative advertising pieces for specialized environments – newspaper, magazine, direct mail, posters, media, displays, and online
5. Discuss production methodology cogently with print shops
6. Utilize the vocabulary and language associated with graphic design/advertising

Methods:

The course will include:

1. Assigned readings
2. Four (4) design simulation projects
3. Proficiency (final) examination

Evaluation

Simulation projects (4) @ 50 points each Final examination (cumulative) Total

200 points 200 points 400 points

A = B = C = D = F = I =

360-400 320-359 280-319 240-279 239 or below Incomplete work

Student Biography

Once you start the class, provide me with an informal (this is not graded) biography about yourself, your background, career, interests in taking the course, etc. Make sure to include your contact information including phone number and email address so that I can contact you if necessary.

Proficiency Examination

The final exam will be a cumulative testing of your knowledge of advertising design principles. You will be provided with a take home case-study that will allow you to utilize most of what was learned in the course to analyze an advertising problem. You may use your textbook, or any other form of research you feel is necessary to analyze and address the scenario. In essence, your exam material should follow the form of an actual advertising presentation, but can be less comprehensive.

Simulation Projects

Students will prepare four (4) simulation projects on various advertising/design-related subjects. A list of possible projects is provided below, but students can create their own projects subject to the instructor's approval.

Project Category A — Historical, interpretive
Select one (1) of the following for your first project

1. Locate a historical advertisement (any kind ranging from print to mass media – TV Land’s Retromercials are a good place to start looking) at least 20 years old. Describe how the marketers promoted the product or service. Who was the target audience? What were the attention getting techniques, messages and visuals? What motives are being addressed? Analyze the advertisement’s effectiveness and appropriateness of messages and visuals.

2. Study the yellow pages for a certain business category such as "real estate" or "plumbers." Compare and contrast the way businesses in that sector advertise and compete with each other through their advertising. Pay attention to headlines, body copy, typography, visuals, placement, etc.

3. Review a current advertisement on television, or radio. Identify the target audience, attention getting techniques, messages, visuals, and/or sound effects. What motives are being addressed? Analyze the advertisement’s effectiveness and appropriateness of messages, visuals and/or sound elements.

4. Review a current print advertisement. It can be a display ad, classified, or outdoor form of advertising. Identify the target audience, attention getting techniques, messages, typography, and visuals. What motives are being addressed? Analyze the advertisement’s effectiveness and appropriateness of messages and visuals.

5. Locate an example of an online banner or online display advertisement that either really "works," or really does not work. Give your professional opinion as to why (in graphic/advertising terms). Consider issues related to target audience, placement, suitability of message and visuals given the actual (as opposed to intended) audience. Provide the location and context and give your rationale as to why the advertisement was functional or not.

6. Write the copy for an advertisement for the new Bank of the U.S.’s 5% certificate of deposit. Write the copy once to inform. Write a second verion to pursuade.

Project Category B – Print Design
Choose one (1) from the following for your second project

1. Logo project - Design a logo for a local pet sitting service called Creature Comforts. The owner is taking her business nationally as a franchise. The logo should serve as a tool for building the brand both to consumers and to potential franchisees.

2. Outdoor advertising project - Design a roadside billboard for a fast food chain’s offering of a cinnamon roll & coffee breakfast for $1.99 . The aspect ratio of the billboard is 14’ x 48’ Keep in mind that you must impact the viewer at 55 MPH.

3. Poster project - Design a poster for a college play called “The Drive In.” The play is a Happy Days/Grease/ American Graffiti style program about adolescent life in the 1950’s, set around a drive in restaurant.

4. Packaging - Develop the product label, including logo and supporting copy for Tortuga’s Caribbean Black Bean Soup. The can size is 10-11 oz, typical of what a common Campbell’s soup can is.

5. Print Ad - The Fitness Institute has just developed a new body sculpting video called “Top Form.” Write a print advertisement for that product that could be used to direct market it in a national magazine. If you are not familiar with the term “direct marketing” it refers to ads that function to actually sell a product through the ad – not just generate recognition. View the back pages of various magazines to see how direct marketing ads work.

6. Brochure - Develop a 3-panel brochure for a “virtual assistant” with a business entitled “The Invisible Secretary.” Your client not only wants help with the graphics, but with the copy writing as well. You will want to collect information from various virtual assistants on the internet to determine what copy is important.

Mini-project category C – Media/Online Design
Choose one (1) from the following for your third project

1. TV commercial – Develop the copy, storyboard, and script for a 30 second commercial. The television commercial should contain a minimum of 5 storyboard frames. Place the copy below the frames, and include a script complete with any visual or sound effects.

2. Radio Commercial - The radio spot should be for a 60-second commercial, and should contain a script complete with sound effects.

3. Web site - Develop the home page for a specialty tea/coffee company called “Ground Around” The webpage should have the necessary graphics and copy to entice visitors of the site to stay and browse. Include buttons for subsections (buttons need not actually link to sub-pages) and any other tools/items of significance.

Mini-project category D – Production Processes
Choose one (1) from the following for your fourth project

1. Contact a print shop and get information for their production methods – various formats and products (i.e web press, newsprint), offered, required forms and specifications for submission, deadlines, and pricing and payment details.

2. Contact a vendor of any “unusual” form of marketing (examples: advertising specialties, promotional products, cash-register tape ads, blimps, auto, movie leader, lumpy mail). Get information regarding production details – formats, specifications, methods of creation, deadlines, and pricing and payment details.

Submission of Assignments

Because you may be employed in environments with various forms of software, no limitation is placed on what you use to create projects – including hand-developed rather than software prepared. Industry standard software such as Adobe, Quark, or Pagemaker are recommended, but, again, not required. Because of the artistic nature of the projects, seeing productions is essential. B&W materials may be submitted in emailed *.jpg format, mailed, or faxed. Color work must be in either emailed *.jpg format or mailed. Jpeg files must be no larger than 7”x7” and have pixel size limited to allow quick transmission. Don’t send files in the software’s native format as they may be not be readible on the instructor’s PC.

Course Outline

Lesson (Week) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Subject Intro to the course/advertising and graphic design Visual communication copy writing The design process Typography working with art and color Design environments: flyers, posters, brochures, editorial materials, space ads, and collateral business material Design environments: Media and online advert. The production process

Chapters 1,2 3, 4, 5 6 7 12, 13 8, 9, 10 11 14, review glossary

Assignment Student biography Browse glossary Simulation Project #1 Simulation Project #2 Simulation Project #3 Simulation Project #4 Take Proficiency Exam

Course Related Links

Adweek
One of the advertising industry’s main journals
http://www.adweek.com

Advertising Age Magazine
Another of the advertising industry’s main journals
http://www.adage.com

Advertising and Marketing Publications
Part of the SRDS Media Resource Center. Provides a large list of links to general and specific advertising related periodicals.
http://www.srds.com/media_resource/advmkglinks/adv_mkg_publ.html

Advertising Media Glossary
Defines hundreds of advertising/marketing terms
http://www.smartbiz.com/sbs/arts/iaml3.htin

Advertising World
Presented by the University of Texas. Touted as the most extensive collection of advertising related links on the web.
http://advertising.utexas.edu/world

American Marketing Association
http://www.ama.org

Direct Marketing Association
http://www.the-dma.org

Direct Marketing News Magazine
http://www.dmnews.com

Advertising Resource Center
An extensive site offering articles, and a searchable association database.
http://advertisingsource.com

Newsdirectory.com
Provides an extensive listing of periodicals by subject matter. This link will take you directly to the sales and marketing section.
http://www.newsdirectory.com/news/magazine/business/salesmkt

Ad Critic
Has a collection of television ads and related criticisms
http://www.adcritic.com/

Ad Access
A comprehensive database of advertisements run in North American Newspapers and magazines prior to 1960
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/adaccess/

Ad Resource
A good site concerned with Internet advertising
http://adres.internet.com/

Advertising Education Foundation
http://adres.internet.com/

Advertisement Avenue
A site with commentary on advertisements and commercials
http://www.advertisementave.com/