Design and Layout for Electronic Media 2000-01

Suggested reading programme

Week

Session title

Reading

1 & 2

An introduction to image acquisition and the graphics environment

You should have a thorough understanding of how bit-depth affects the preparation of images and their display on monitors, the importance of device resolution in scanning and a basic understanding of the difference between the GIF and JPEG formats and how to optimise their compression for use on the web. The following chapters of the following books (all in the library) cover this material to a greater or lesser extent:

Chapters 2,3,4,5 of Preparing Web Graphics, Lynda Weinman, New Riders, 1997

Chapters 2,3,4,5,6 of Designing Web Graphics, Lynda Weinman, New Riders, 1996

Chapter 3 of Creating Killer Web Sites, David Siegel, Hayden, 1998

Chapter 3,4 of Creative HTML Design, Lynda and William Weinmann, New Riders, 1998

1 & 2

Picture Editing for the web

Evans, Harold, Pictures on a page, Heinemann, 1978.

Although not written for the web this volume remains a standard work on layout and the use of photographs in visual media.

3

Some principles of good design

For a short but excellent history of graphic design read chapter two of Amy E. Arntson's Graphic Design Basics, pp.16-37.

Robin William's book The Non-Designer's Design Book

Read it all (it's not long!)

4

Layout in practice

Although written mainly for print design you should read this book for a good introduction to the purpose, elements and construction of grids:

Grids - The Structure of Graphic Design by Andre Jute, Rotovision, 1996.

[Although not due to be published until July 2001 the following title promises to be even more relevant: Grids for the Electronic Age by Veruschka Gotz, Rotovision.]

Part VI ('Menu Bars') of Schulman, LeWinter and Emmanuelides, Photoshop Web Magic, Hayden 1996 has some good practical examples of grids in use on new media projects.

Mario Garcia's Redesigning Print for the Web has plenty layout techniques based on his work in creating newspaper web sites.

5

Typography for the web

Web designer's guide to typography / [by] Michael Leary, Dan

Hale, and Andrew DeVigal.

. . . Or . . .

WebWorks : typography Mills, Jason. Gloucester, Mass. : Rockport, c1999.

. . . And . . .

Color and Type for the screen, V. Gotz

In addition at least one of the volumes in the library on CSS should be consulted for guidance on how stylesheets handle typography

6 + 7

Layout in HTML # 1

Achieving good layout in HTML demands a sound grasp of HTML table tags. The following books all have useful material:

Creative HTML Design, Lynda and William Weinmann, New Riders, 1998

Working with Tables, p.198- 209 of Photoshop web Techniques, J. Scott Hamlin

Chapter 4 'Laying out Pages' in Creating Killer Web Sites, David Siegel

Chapter 13 'Layout and Alignment Techniques' in Designing Web Graphics, Weinman

Again at least one of the volumes in the library on CSS should be consulted for guidance on how stylesheets position HTML elements.

7+8+9

Video digitisation + streaming video

Title: Adobe Premiere/for Windows/Book and Cd-Rom (Classroom in a Book) Publisher: Hayden Books, 1995

Title: Realmedia Complete : Streaming Audio and Video over the Web (Complete Series)

9

Vector graphics and Macromedia Flash

For more on this application consult any of the volumes on 'Flash' in the library

10

Website Presentations / evaluation

No additional reading

Please note: in some weeks the amount of suggested reading is purposely ambitious. This is balanced by the weeks where no additional reading is given. This programme should be seen as a minimum – further suggestions are highlighted in the course handbook.

In addition:

Throughout the term you will be expected to independently develop your skills in the use of relevant image manipulation tools, particularly Photoshop. There are a number of tutorials in the library.

For more on gestalt consult this short, highly illustrated book which has a section on gestalt perceptual factors. Written by a graphic design teacher and available in the library. Notes on Graphic Design and Visual Communication, Gregg Berryman.

Art, Design and Gestalt Theory, Roy R. Behrens. The author discusses gestalt theory's influence on modern art and design:

http://mitpress.mit.edu/e-journals/Leonardo/isast/articles/behrens.html

Laws of Organization in Perceptual Forms, Max Wertheimer (1923). A classic gestalt paper by one of the founders of the school. Well illustrated.

http://www.yorku.ca/dept/psych/classics/Wertheimer/Forms/forms.htm

Please try not to hold on to books – let the rest of the class see them. Suggestions for more / new books welcome.