Overview
In this class, you will learn at least one new tool that can be used for information design. I will give you a choice of three tools you may learn, each of which is or is becoming an industry-standard application for a specific design purpose. You can focus on print design or web design.
Yes, I am having you learn at your own pace through online tutorials, but I am here to help you.
Objectives
- Learn a new tool/application.
- Choose the tool you want to use for the unit 1 redesign project.
- Gain skills needed to succeed in unit 1 and perhaps in your future career field.
- Learn to teach yourself, like you will need to do in the real world.
- Make sure you know how to successfully submit your design work to me in Blackboard.
Design Application Choices
You may use any of the following tools. Choose ONE to learn and use for unit 1. If you want to learn more than one, you can, but only one is necessary for this class.
- **Adobe InDesign** (InDesign is best for print design but is also used for web design in a pinch. It is possibly the most commonly used design tool in industry. You can make posters, newsletters, beautiful print documents and brochures, billboards, logos, really anything. But InDesign has NO interface prototyping capabilities and has limited templates when it comes to web design. Choose this if you are mostly into print design or just want to learn an extremely commonly used tool for many industries and projects.)
- Adobe XD (XD is a rapidly rising star for web design because of the popularity of Adobe design products. It includes massive design capabilities like InDesign and interactive prototyping elements like Axure. The prototyping tools are not as intuitive or templated as Axure, but the design capabilities are higher than Axure. You might want to use this one if you are more into web design than user experience/usability.)
- Axure (Axure is the industry standard for user experience design. Some smaller shops use Balsamiq, but Axure has many more capabilities and can incorporate more design elements. Axure is best if you are doing a web project and want to focus on the usability and functionality of your design rather than pure visual appeal. To bring in more design elements, you usually have to copy or export designs from elsewhere into Axure, but Axure makes it very easy to design a web prototype that actually works like the finished website would. It also allows you to easily create copious notes describing the specific functionality of your site.)
Free Alternatives to Adobe InDesign
If you want to create print documents but do not want (or cannot afford) to pay $20/month to use the Adobe Creative Cloud, I will allow you to use either of these free, open source applications instead. These do not have the interactive capabilities of Adobe XD, so if you are interested in usability, you should go with Axure, which is free if you follow the instructions above. (Note: I have less experience with the applications below, so I may not be as much help as an instructor with these.)
- Scribus (Scribus is the most popular free alternative to InDesign. You can do most of the same things, but this application is not as widely used in the corporate world. Still, you can practice doing most of the same genres as InDesign.)
- Polotno Studio (Polotno is a web application, so it is a bit easier to get started with. However, it does not have the advanced capabilities of Scribus or InDesign. You can make the same types of documents as InDesign, but it may be more challenging to achieve sophisticated designs. There also are not a lot of tutorials to help you with this one, but it is very easy to use right away.)
Assignment Requirements
This assignment is really just a check-in to make sure you have chosen an application for unit 1 and are learning to use it. The requirements are simple. Upload the following all together in Blackboard.