Digital Foundations: Intro to Media Design with the Adobe Creative Suite

Fuses design fundamentals and software training into one cohesive book!

Digital Foundations uses formal exercises of the Bauhaus to teach the Adobe Creative Suite. All students of digital design and production—whether learning in a classroom or on their own—need to understand the basic principles of design in order to implement them using current software. Far too often design is left out of books that teach software. Consequently, the design software training exercise is often a lost opportunity for visual learning. Digital Foundations reinvigorates software training by integrating Bauhaus design exercises into tutorials fusing design fundamentals and core Adobe Creative Suite methodologies. The result is a cohesive learning experience.

Design topics and principles include: Composition; Symmetry and Asymmetry; Gestalt; Appropriation; The Bauhaus Basic Course Approach; Color Theory; The Grid; Scale, Hierarchy and Collage; Tonal Range; Elements of Motion.

Digital Foundations is an AIGA Design Press book, published under Peachpit's New Riders imprint in partnership with AIGA, the professional association for design.

Michael Mandiberg is an artist, programmer, designer and educator. He also runs Subsidiary Design (SubsidiaryDesign.com), a design consultancy inside of an art studio. Mandiberg, an Assistant Professor of Design and Digital Media at the College of Staten Island/CUNY, is currently an Eyebeam Research and Development Fellow.

xtine burrough is a media artist who engages viewers via the Internet and new technologies. xtine has delivered conference paper presentations at several prestigious conferences, including The Fifth Annual Media In Transition Conference (MIT). xtine is an Assistant Professor of Visual Communications at California State University, Fullerton.

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Metaphor of Using Graphics Applications

Chapter 2: Searching and Sampling - Becoming an Expert Web User

Illustrator

Chapter 3: Color Theory and Basic Shapes

Chapter 4: Using the Grid

Chapter 5: Symmetry

Chapter 6: Flat Graphics and Line Art

PhotoShop

Chapter 7: Scanning and Digital Cameras

Chapter 8: Tonal Scale

Chapter 9: Layering and Collage

Chapter 10: Typography

Chapter 11: Getting It Out: Digital Output for web

Chapter 12: Non-Destructive Editing

InDesign

Chapter 13: Creating Unity within a System

Chapter 14: Creating Tension within a System

Dreamweaver

Chapter 15: Hello World

Chapter 16: Files and Servers

Chapter 17: Hyperlinks

Flash

Chapter 18: Elements of Motion

Chapter 19: Pacing

Chapter 20: Commanding the Timeline: ActionScript