Tag: badges

Homework deadlines extended

Let’s take a little more time to get through Chapters 1 – 3 in Foundations of Digital Art. Final exercises from all three chapters are due on Blackboard by Wednesday 1/28 at the beginning of class.  Chapters 2 and 3 are more time-consuming than 1, though I would say Chapter 2 is the trickiest of all.

The tutorial videos at adobe.com are a quick way to learn the basics of Illustrator.
The tutorial videos at adobe.com are a quick way to learn the basics of Illustrator.

I recommend spending a little time with the Illustrator CC tutorial videos created by Adobe. The videos are very short and might help fill in any gaps left by the textbook.  I especially like this 8-minute video that explains how to create a basic illustration using the Pencil tool. I’ve never made a digital badge before, but after working through Chapter 3 in Foundations and spending about 30 minutes watching tutorial videos about Anchor point and Pencil, I created this simple badge from scratch. Don’t judge! I’m still working on it. 🙂

tag-badge-02

Digital badges

Image credit: Flickr user VCU Libraries
Image credit: Flickr user VCU Libraries

In class on 1/21, we’ll talk about the digital badges mini project and the basics of Adobe Illustrator.

Here are some examples of badge sets we can look at in class. What do these badges say about the issuing organization and the person being rewarded?

Chapter 2 in White Space advises us to keep asking “what will appeal to the audience?” during the planning process. (Jess Klein offers great tips for doing that, specifically in relation to digital badges.) In addition to looking at other badge designs, consider drawing inspiration from emoji, computer icons, and Facebook stickers — these are familiar visual codes for your audience of college students.

Over the next 4 or 5 days, work on design sketches in a notebook and begin pinning or tumbling images (shapes, textures, logos, etc.) that give you ideas for the badges you might want to create. Follow the brainstorming/sketching process in White Space Chapter 2.

When you have your design vision or concept firmed up, search for online tutorials that will help you accomplish what you want to create. I’m working on a Resources page, and that might be a good place to start.

A note on the Foundations of Digital Art and Design book: if you go to the publisher’s website, you’ll find an eBook for $35. Also, when I visited the site, I was offered a 35% off discount code (POP35), so that might save you money if it applies to the eBook (I didn’t try it).