2026 Class Schedule
Tue 1/20
*Review Syllabus*
Brief Project introduction
HW: Review Past Editorial Examples >
Thur 1/22
/ Discuss Editorial Design examples > & Past Editorial Examples >
/ Go over research Topics List
/ Review Ideation and Brainstorming Resources > post
/ Further Ideate Topics
/ Roundtables of 3-4 students: Discuss potential topic ideas
HW: Ideate Topic
Brainstorm/research possible topics (6-8 ideas) reference Graphic Design Thinking: Beyond Brainstorming > for brainstorming techniques
Write a sentence that describes each potential topic and why it is of interest/important to you.
Tue 1/27
In Class:
/ Review Graphic Design Thinking: Beyond Brainstorming > for brainstorming techniques & possible topics (selected 4-6 ideas) with topic sentences
/ Small Group Presentations: 4-6 Topics (1-2 Sentence Descriptions) & Selection of 2-3 Topics to focus on. * Please have 1-2 slides with your 4-6 topics/sentences (to project on-screen during the discussion) – uploaded to your folder in our Shared Google Drive >
HW:
/ Based on feedback from class today, continue to develop your two (2) topic directions and dive into research.
/ Use Dana library online and/or get help from our Research Librarian, Natalie Borisovets.
Here is info for how to contact her >
/ Work toward the Topic Reveal Presentations on February 5th & 10th
Thur 1/29
In Class:
/ Introduce Abstract >
/ Review Topic Reveal Requirements >
Work in class:
/ One-on-Ones: Discuss topics and research so far
/ Start writing your Abstracts & collecting content (articles, texts, source images, etc)
HW:
/ Develop Topic Reveal Presentation, including:
~ A brief abstract for your 2 possible topics (Why this topic, and your intent)
~ Research your topics, collect text content (organize in Google docs on in your folder on our Shared Google Drive >), imagery and data
~ Ideation & Mindmapping
See Full Topic Reveal Requirements > for what is due for the presentations next week.
Tue 2/3
Continue Abstract & collecting content (articles, texts, source images, etc) For 2 topics
HW:
/ Finalize PDF Presentation for 2 topics
/ Continue collecting imagery and data
Thur 02/5
DUE:
/ Class Presentations: Topic Reveal PDF Presentations
HW:
/ Revise Abstract (if needed)
/ Continue collecting imagery and data
/ Read: Thinking With Type – Grid > | Thinking with Type_Grids (3rd Edition) & An Ode to the Layout Grid > *Note: For best viewing, open “Thinking With Type” PDF in Acrobat, and select from dropdown menu in Acrobat: View > Page Display > “Two Page View.”
Tue 2/10
In Class:
/ Continue Topics Presentations
HW:
/ Read Dynamic Grid System
/ Read: Tim Samara: Making and Breaking The Grid (pg. 22), Anatomy (24-25)
Collect & Upload to shared folder:
1. An example of a dynamic grid system
2. An example of expressive type
/ Continue collecting imagery and data
/ Start sorting text content
Thur 02/12
In Class:
/ Lecture: the Grid
/ Review Reading: Thinking With Type – Grid > / Thinking with Type_Grids (3rd Edition) & An Ode to the Layout Grid , Making and Breaking The Grid (pg. 22), Anatomy (24-25)
/ DESIGN-SENSE Lecture Series at Express Newark – Lecture Hall
/ Begin to sort and organize your content into a Table of Contents organization
HW:
/ Continue gathering, sorting & synthesizing text content
/ Define a Table of Contents – begin to section/divide your content and identify areas that need more research
/ Research and collect visual content and raw materials
/ Create 2-3 distinctly different visual language ideas for your Editorial:
this should include generating images, exploring narrative approaches, typography, color palette.
Format: 8.5″x11″ landscape PDF for on-screen presentation on Thursday (2/19).
Tue 2/ 17
In Class:
/Working Session & Individual Critiques: Review content (gathered so far)
/ Discuss “choosing fonts” & Review How To Combine Typefaces in Typographic Links
/ Use Typographic Links for Type references
HW:
/ Create 2-3 distinctly different visual language ideas for your Editorial:
this should include generating images, exploring narrative approaches, typography, color palette.
Format: 8.5″x11″ landscape PDF for on-screen presentation on Thursday.
/ Finalize text content based on approved Table Of Contents — in Google Doc.
*Have as much of the 10,000 words you want to use in your shared folder by EOD Monday 2/23 .
We will be completing Topic Reveal Grading on Saturday, and will be looking for your Google content doc as it was part of those deliverables.
Working Session & Individual Critiques: Review content (gathered so far)
Thur 2/ 19
In Class:
/ Small Group Critiques: Visual Language Studies
/ Grid Demo
/ Set up your grid in In Design
HW:
/ Breakdown text in InDesign Document based on your Table of Contents
/ Begin to explore layout and visual narrative for your Editorial
Tue 2/ 24
In Class:
/ Small Group Critiques: Visual Language Studies Con’t
/ Working Session: Continue to define grid and apply typographic visual language
HW
Develop 3 Editorial spreads for presentation and discussion based on the selected visual language approach
Thur 2/ 26
In Class:
/ Working Session: Continue to define grid and apply typographic visual language
HW
Develop 3 Editorial spreads for presentation and discussion based on the selected visual language approach
Tues 3/3
In Class:
/ Individual Rounds + Working Session
/ Lecture: Intro to Infographics and Data Visualization
HW — Be prepared to show:
/ Based on The feedback from class, design 1 Spread with refined grid, typographic system (including headers, callouts, body copy, running feet/page numbers, and folios) and your visual language approach
/ Clarification of grid system and visual language
—————————————–
Thur, 3/5
In Class:
/ Introduce Infographics & Data Visualization for your Editorial
/ Individual Rounds + Working Session
/ Review and discuss new Spread, based on feedback from class on Monday.
/ Define Data Sets for Editorial
HW:
/ Review Data Visualization & Infographic Inspirations
/ Continue to define Data Sets for Editorial
/ Initial ideas on how to apply visual language to one additional component of the publication
(infographics / data visualization / contents page / timeline)
—————————————–
Wednesday, March 5th
In Class:
/ Introduce Infographics & Data Visualization for your Editorial
/ Individual Rounds + Working Session
/ Review and discuss new Spread, based on feedback from class on Monday.
/ Define Data Sets for Editorial
HW:
/ Review Data Visualization & Infographic Inspirations
/ Continue to define Data Sets for Editorial
/ Initial ideas on how to apply visual language to one additional component of the publication
(infographics / data visualization / contents page / timeline)
—————————————–
Tues, 3/10
/ Introduce Character & Paragraph Styles. See Handout >
/ Introduce: Taping Spreads together for hard copy presentation on Wednesday.
/ Individual Rounds + Working Session – Discuss Editorial design progress and preliminary ideas for data visualization and/or infographics.
HW:
/ 3-5 Complete spreads with defined typographic system (body, headers, sub-heads, callouts, folios/page #’s+running feet, captions). Export Spreads as PDF for presentation and critique.
1. File > Export
2. Choose “PDF” from dropdown menu in dialog box
3. And Export > as “Spreads”
4. Upload to Shared Google Drive for presentation
/ Preliminary designs for 1-2 additional component of the publication
(infographics / data visualization / contents page / timeline)
/ Print Spreads for Wednesday’s critique
—————————————–
Thur 3/12
/ Print 3-5 spreads & Post on Wall for critique and discussion.* All printing, trimming, taping
Instructions: With your Editorial doc open in InDesign, go to:
1. File > Export
2. Choose “PDF” from dropdown menu in dialog box
3. When the next dialog appears, choose Press Quality in top dropdown
4. On far left, choose “Marks and Bleeds”
5. And then “Crop Marks”
6. Select the page range you want to print
7. Export as Pages* (The Editorial trim size is 10″ x 16″ so you cannot print spreads, you need to print each page on its own, with crop marks.)
HW:
Finesses/Complete infographics, data visualization or timeline
HW Over Spring Break:
/ Refinement and unification of publication system and elements for at least 7 spreads
/ Further develop Info-graphic and/or Data Visualization Components
/ Present in class on Tuesday March 19th:
Present as Digital File /PDF
SPRING BREAK
Tuesday March 17 No Class
Thursday March 19 No Class
Tues 3/24
/ Class Critique Session — On Screen. Create high-res PDF of spreads. See instructions
above on March 12th homework. You will receive a grade for what you present.
HW:
/ Post presented PDF on Google Drive folders
/ Refinement and unification of publication system and elements
/ Carry over design system on all spreads
Thur 3/26
/ Class Critique Session — cont.
/ In-class working session & individual one-on-ones
/ Go over Image Size, Resolution Scaling and Use of Filters
/ Review Pre-Production Checklist: http://acmgd.info/gd4/pre-production-checklist/
HW:
/ Based on the class Critique, refine your Spreads and continue to develop your timeline and infographics
/ If you have not already, flow all of your remaining content into your InDesign document
/ Design all remaining Editorial spreads
/ Design timeline or infographics (whichever you have not yet addressed)
Tues 3/31
/ Be ready to present a minimum of 8 refined spreads of your Editorial (as digital PDFs). Have your work uploaded to your folder on our Google drive before class begins.
/ Review ~ Refinements to your info-graphic/data visualization component + all spreads
/ DESIGN-SENSE Lecture Series at Express Newark – Lecture Hall
HW:
Refinement and unification of publication system and elements to all spreads
Design any remaining spreads (i.e. Cover, Bibliography, Image Credits, Colophon)
*Note: At this point you should have all of your typography set via Character Styles that you have set up.
See See Character Styles Handout (this also includes how to set your custom Paragraph spacing.)
Thur 4/2
/ One-on-ones
HW:
Continue to design any remaining spreads and timeline or infographic elements of your Editorial.
Design 2-3 concepts for your cover, and any remaining spreads. See Table of Contents Inspiration Slideshow we shared early in the semester. (Reminder: your cover is a separate document and will wrap around your Editorial.) See InDesign files provided.
Tues 4/7
/ One-on-ones: present 2-3 distinctly different Cover concepts, and any remaining new spreads (i.e. Table of Contents, etc.)
/ Editorial Binding Demo
HW:
Print all pages, actual size, and taped together into Spreads for presentation on Thursday
(We will be providing a graded Evaluation for this Critique.)
Thurs 4/9
/ One-on-ones
/ Editorial Binding Demo
HW:
Based on the feedback you received, refine your Editorial design.
Design your cover, and any remaining pages.
IMPORTANT: For Tuesday’s class, you will need to bring 1) An Exacto knofe with a new/sharp blade, 2) a Metal straight edge (ruler), 3) Paper medical tape for accordion-fold binding. *Purchase a couple of rolls of paper tape for Tuesday’s class. You can purchase this from any pharmacy in the First Aid isle, or on Amazon. Example: 3M Roll of 12 (Amazon)
Tuesday 4/ 14
/ Be prepared to print all pages of your Editorial during class time, actual size, trim with crop marks and tape together as spreads using paper tape. (For this Critique we will be providing graded Evaluations.)
*We will be collecting your printed Editorials after class on Thursday.*
How to Export Your Editorial for Printing:
Instructions: With your Editorial doc open in InDesign, go to:
1. Add bleeds to your Editorial: pull out any imagery or color blocks that extend to the page edges in your Editorial so they “bleed” 1/8″ off of the page.
2. With your InDesign file open, go to File > Export
3. Choose “PDF” from dropdown menu in dialog box
4. When the next dialog appears, under Pages choose All > Pages (not Spreads)
5. On far left, choose “Marks and Bleeds”
6. The choose “Crop Marks”
7. And then add .125″ in all of the bleed settings area (unless your document already has been set up this way).
8. Cut out each page using the printed crop marks and a sharp Exacto knife.
HW:
Continue to print and tape your spreads in preparation for Thursday’s critique.
Thur 4/16
/ Presentation & Critique: Full Editorial printed actual sized, and taped together. (For this Critique we will be providing graded Evaluations.)
/ / Introduce Project 2: Screen-based Component Proposal
*We will be collecting your printed Editorials after class today.*
HW:
Continue to refine your Editorial.
Tues 4/21
/ Continue to refine your Editorial.
HW:
Continue to refine your Editorial.
Develop concepts for your Screen-based piece
Thur 2/23
/ Present preliminary concepts for your Screen-based Project – pencil sketches to show your process & comps (computer sketches).
HW:
Being Final Deliverables Preparation
Further develop your Screen-based piece.
Tuesday students ready to print their final editorial will print and begin binding.
Tues 4/28
/ Class Bookbinding Session
HW:
Continue Final Deliverables Preparation
Further develop your Screen-based piece.
Thur 4/30
/Last class session
/ Class Bookbinding Session
/ Attaching Cover
HW:
Continue Final Deliverables Preparation
Further develop your Screen-based piece.
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