Graphic Design 101 - Camp

NOTE: students must own Adobe Photoshop to complete the course. (NOT Photoshop Elements) See additional information.

This is a very thorough and in-depth course, which will enable student students to tackle a variety of projects and create designs. Their creative skills and abilities will also be challenged and refined.

In this 2-week camp, students will learn the basics of Graphic Design, and have a taste at the working world of Graphic Design by creating their own designs for imaginary clients.
 
Each day, learners will complete tasks together, following what they see me do on my screen. They will use images and graphics provided beforehand, to complete the tasks, and learn the tools and skills needed for each step. I will demonstrate where different tools are located within the Photoshop software, how to use them, and discuss some basic Graphic Design theory.

Students will also have a design project to complete independently throughout the course, and will receive feedback on their final submission.

Students are expected to share their work on the classroom, and comment on the design ideas of other students. It is important for students to engage with this part of the course, in order to develop their design skills.

The topics covered on the course are as follows:

Week 1:
Day 1: Understanding Typography

Day 2: Patterns, Colours and Textures

Day 3: Working with Shapes.

Day 4: Working with Digital Paintbrushes

Week 2:
Day 5: Using photoshop to create special effects part 1

Day 6: Using photoshop to create special effects part 2

Day 7: Pop-Art - How to Reproduce Elements and Create Variation

Day 8: Composite images

By the end of the course students will be familiar with the main areas of Photoshop, and be able to design their own pieces. They will have grasped basic colour theory, and be able to transfer their ideas from paper to the screen.