Pbds 712

History of Graphic Design

NOTE: This is representative of the syllabi for this course. It is not necessarily the syllabus being used in any one semester.

Course Objectives:

This course is an elective for students in the Publications Design program, and will be taught as a survey of graphic design styles from the Renaissance to the present, with emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Topics to be explored include the origin of printing and the development of typography, the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian Age, the British Arts and Crafts movement, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, the Psychedelic styles of the 1960s to the New Wave, Retro and Deconstructivist styles of the 70s and 80s.

We will concentrate on the people who solved design problems in new ways, and we will begin by defining this course as the study of visual communication that reflects the values, concerns, and technologies of its time. It is the goal of the instructor that writers as well as designers will expand their knowledge and appreciation of our visual heritage, and use that knowledge to become more effective communicators.

Required Text:

A History of Graphic Design, Philip B. Meggs, Van Nostrand Reinhold,

Third Edition, 1998

Requirements:

Attendance is mandatory, as you will be responsible for information given in lectures and handouts. The text will be supplemented with field trips to museums, lectures and demonstrations, whenever appropriate. Students will also choose an independent project which must be approved by the instructor, and is due in three parts at announced times throughout the semester.

Grade:

There will be one major report completed by each student. The report consists of three parts: a timeline, a written report, and a scheduled presentation to the class. There will be no exams, but quizzes may be given at any time. Attendance and class participation are also factors in considering your grade. Students with three or more unexcused absences will suffer a reduction in the course grade and possible failure.

Fair Warning:

It is illegal and unethical to use someone else's work without properly crediting the source, whether it's online, print, or other. If you are not sure where that line is between needing to credit a source or not, or between quoting, paraphrasing, and original language, or between imitating and copying an existing piece of work, please ask me in advance or err on the side of over-citing. If I discover that you've plagiarized material for this class, I will follow the University's policy for violations of academic integrity, the consequences of which can include failing the course and expulsion from the University of Baltimore.