GDS 273/274 Illustration I & II

Project 6: Architecture Poster Illustrations
Instructor: Paul Young

 

Objective

To develop conceptual thinking skills. To develop a basic understanding of perspective in illustration. To explore illustration styles. To apply composition and illustration skills to real-world visual communication problems.

 

Secondary objectives

To utilize the Adobe Creative Suite as an illustration and production tool.To explore historical design styles in architecture and typography.

 

Description

Create an illustrated poster of a landmark building in Champaign–Urbana. The size is 11x17 to be printed in 4-color process. Your client is the The Preservation and Conservation Society of Champaign County (PACA).

Some suggested landmarks (students may propose others for instructor approval):

  • The Urbana Courthouse
  • The National Guard Armory (Champaign or Urbana)
  • The Champaign City Building
  • Leal School
  • Foellinger Hall, University of Illinois
  • Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, University of Illinois 

Required elements for the finished poster are:

  • an original illustration created by you
  • the name of the building
  • a short paragraph describing the architectural style of the building
  • a typographic PACA logo (designed by you)
  • PACA's web address (www.pacacc.org)

The typography of the poster must reflect the type aesthetic of the period in which the building was built. When designing your illustration, think about the composition of the entire poster. How will your illustration interact with the type? Consider different ways in which to depict the building. Think about viewer position when you are creating your illustration. Will the building be seen from below? From above? Will the entire building be visible in the illustration or only a detail?

Your illustration must show an understanding of perspective, as well as be an accurate, realistic depiction of the building. The finished poster must show an understanding of unity, emphasis and balance.

 

Procedure

1. ARCHITECTURE RESEARCH: Choose a building. Gather all available information about that building. Determine what the architectural style of the building is. Find out who the architect was. Find images of other buildings that represent that style. Scan your favorite examples and publish your research on your personal process page for critique (be sure to caption each image and cite its source). 

2. TYPE RESEARCH: Research type and design styles of the appropriate historical period. Write a description of the style, emphasizing the aesthetic philosophy behind the style (see sample). Publish your brief on your process page.

3. INCUBATION: Absorb the information you have gathered and sleep on it. Allow your unconscious mind to make connections for you. 

4. DEVELOP THE CONCEPT: In your sketchbook begin to conceptualize ideas for this project (see examples of sketches). Make at least 10 sketches of all possible directions you might take this project. Edit your concepts down to your best three ideas and redraw them on 8.5 x 11 white paper using a felt tip pen for critique. Scan and publish your concepts on your personal process page. Test how successful your concepts are by presenting them in class for critique. Be prepared to talk about your decisions. 

5. PROOF: Based on the critique of the above, use the computer to execute your concept. Generate a web-ready JPEG (no wider than 800px) and publish your art on your personal process page for critique. Be prepared to talk about what design principles are utilized in your layout. 

6. FINAL CRITIQUE: Based on the critique of the above, produce a fully conceived "comp" of the finished design. Add revised JPEGs of your design to your personal personal projects for final critique (do not delete older versions). If necessary, make refinements until you are 100% satisfied with the project. Print a color "comp" for your portfolio. Be sure to save all your files for future editing.

7. GRADING: Submit two fully conceived "comps" for grading. One proof will be returned to you after grading. File the graded proof in your Process Book for individual review along with all the preliminary work you did for the project (research, brief, sketches, preliminary proofs, final proof). You will not receive credit for this project if any of the above elements are missing. 

8. EXTRA CREDIT: Submit your project into next year's student show by printing an art gallery quality proof and mounting it on foam board. Also prepare an archival quality JPEG (800px wide, no larger than 200K) and submit your project using the online entry form at gds.parkland.edu/show. Your project may win a cash prize and be published in a showcase of student work on Parkland's website.