Engineering - Week 9: 3/23-3/27

Goose Creek Family Festival: Graphic Design Challenge

We will be shifting our focus on a new Graphic Design Challenge for the Goose Creek Family Festival. Our goal will be to create graphics that are informational, engaging, persuasive, and completely original. These should relate back to the interactive displays you will be designing.

Start by watching the two TED Talks below. First, David McCanless will walk you through the beauty of data visualization and the power of info graphics to help change perspectives. Then you will hear Tommy McCall speak about the simple genius of a good graphic.

Google Drive: (2pts)

Create a new folder in your Google Drive called "Graphic Design" in your Engineering folder. Add a Google Doc so you can take notes while you are watching, including direct quotes from the designer and your overall response to the role information design plays.

Classroom Forum: (3pts)

Create a new post titled, "Week 9: Graphic Design." Copy and paste one of the quotes that stood out to you from your notes. Expand on that quote with your own thoughts about the importance of graphic design.

Download Illustrator at www.adobe.com. Use the graphic design examples and Illustrator resources below to start experiments with image tracing. Find relevant visuals for the Goose Creek Association such as macroinvertebrates, the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay Watershed, as well as trees and riparian buffers. The goal is not to recreate someone else's graphic, but to start with an image captured by a camera and then trace it. I have included a few infographics for your reference. We will start by creating separate elements that can be combined in our overall graphic designs.

Creative Cloud: (2pts)

Please accept the invitation to join the "Goose Creek Association" folder in Creative Cloud that was sent to you via email. You can also visit the link here: https://adobe.ly/3ai9BLJ

Watch the tutorial below to get started using the Pen Tool in Illustrator to trace images. Create your own graphic using Illustrator and save it inside your team's folder so you can work towards collaborating on your final designs.

Click Here to Access the Script to this Tutorial

Classroom Forum: (3pts)

Create a new post titled, "Week 9: Image Trace" and add a screenshot of the image(s) you have been working on tracing this week with an explanation of:

PROGRESS - what specific steps did you follow in Illustrator?

ISSUES - what problems did you face or questions do you have in working with this program?

GOALS - what will be your next steps to improve and expand on your design?

Here is an additional resource to keep you going while experimenting with this design program. There are lots of tutorials out there to help you troubleshoot along the way. You all have different experience levels using this program, so let's use our teamwork mindset to share our skills and expand on them as we go. I will continue to update this page and offer personalized tutorials to support your efforts. Good luck!

Questions?

Leave a comment below.