Design Fundamentals (Sec 100) – Course Schedule

Weekly Assignments, Agendas, and Due Dates

Section 100  •  T TH 9:30–11:50 AM

You should plan to spend about 15 hours per week on this class

Course Assignments Overview

You’ll complete four design projects in this class. My hope is that they will all be portfolio pieces and help you land your first job.

1. Week 1–2
2. Write your client’s Brand & Marketing Strategy (write two for practice) (25 points)
3. Write your client’s Marketing Plan & Timeline (write two for practice) (25 points)
4. Weeks 2–6
5. You’ll Design: A Brand style guide using a logo you choose from my client list (100 points)
6. You’ll Design: A coordinated set of three additional marketing materials (you will pick these with your instructor). (300 points)
7. You’ll participate in two design presentations and critiques (25 points each)
8. Weeks 6–7
9. You’ll design a 2-page spread of your marketing campaign (see below) for your portfolio. (50 Points)

Class 1

Tuesday, Sept 8, 2026

In Class

• Course Introduction / Syllabus
• Design Project Introduction: Marketing Campaign – Instructions
  • Students choose two clients from the Clients to Choose From web page, or pick their own.
  • Try to pick a client with a product and a client with a service (or both in one)
• If you pick your own client:
  • Make sure they have a logo — we won’t have class time to design one.
  • I recommend a clean logo on a transparent background (a vector file is preferred). Do a Google search if needed.
• Introduce and complete a Brand & Marketing Strategy for both clients
• Introduce and complete a Marketing Plan & Timeline for both clients
• Pick one client to design for
  • Students create a brand guidelines page for their client (Illustrator or Canva is fine for design software)
  • Students choose three pieces of marketing material to design for their campaign from their Marketing Plan & Timeline (also consider the four pieces I’ll introduce to you over the next few weeks)
• Create or find 2–3 design concepts for inspiration. These could be sketches, image searches, mood boards, or AI-generated design concepts (which I recommend).
• Remember: Refer back to your Marketing Plan & Timeline often as you design to keep true to your message, audience, actions, and goals.

Homework

• Continue designing your marketing campaign

Class 2

Thursday, Sept 10, 2026

In Class

• (30–60 minutes) New Learning: We’ll review these marketing materials you could design for your marketing campaign.
  • Image Generative Upscaling in Photoshop
  • Social Media Graphics (and Vans shoes and Canva)
• (20–30 minutes) New Learning/In-Class Discussion:
  • The Graphic Design Process
  • Design Principles 1 (Message and Audience)
  • Design Principles 1 (Design Style)
• Continue designing your marketing campaign (brand style guide first, then your marketing pieces)
• Work time in class and individual help as needed

Homework

• Continue designing your marketing campaign

Class 3

Tuesday, Sept 15, 2026

In Class

• (60 minutes) New Learning: We’ll review these marketing materials you could design for your marketing campaign.
  • Email Marketing
• Continue designing your marketing campaign (brand style guide first, then marketing pieces)
• Finalize your brand style guide
• Begin by creating and finding assets such as typefaces, photos/illustrations/videos, as well as repeatable design elements like background patterns, borders, and textures.
• On your own: Get peer and instructor feedback on your design work
• Continue designing your marketing campaign
• Work time in class and individual help as needed

Homework

• Continue designing your marketing campaign

Class 4

Thursday, Sept 17, 2026

In Class

• (30 minutes) New Learning: We’ll review these marketing materials you could design for your marketing campaign.
  • Web Ads
• DUE: Brand Style Guide
  • Upload a PDF of your brand style guide to: DF Brand Style Guide
  • Print a copy, and we’ll pass them around in class, just to see what everyone else is doing.
• Watch Video as a class: Design Principles 2 (Layout)
• (15 minutes) New Learning/In-Class Discussion:
  • Typography in Graphic Design
  • Typography History
• Continue designing your marketing campaign (start designing your three marketing pieces)

Homework

• Continue designing your marketing campaign

Class 5

Tuesday, Sept 22, 2026

In Class

• (60 minutes) New Learning: We’ll review these marketing materials you could design for your marketing campaign.
  • 2-Sided Flyer
• (15 minutes) New Learning/In-Class Discussion:
  • Color in Graphic Design
• Work time in class and individual help as needed
• On your own: In class, ask your peers and instructor for feedback on your designs

Homework

• Continue designing your marketing campaign

Class 6

Thursday, Sept 24, 2026

In Class

• (30 minutes) New Learning/In-Class Discussion:
  • Design Principles 1 (Call-to-Action)
  • Design Principles 2 (Chunking, Rule of Thirds, The Grid)
• Work time in class and individual help as needed
• On your own: In class, ask your peers and instructor for feedback on your designs

Homework

• Continue designing your marketing campaign

Class 7

Tuesday, Sept 29, 2026

In Class

• Group Critiques of your design work progress
  • Print your marketing material in color (11″x 17″), and we’ll critique in groups.
• Work time in class and individual help as needed

Homework

• Continue designing your marketing campaign

Class 8

Thursday, Oct 1, 2026

In Class

• (15 minutes) New Learning/In-Class Discussion:
  • Art and Photo Direction
  • Design Principles 2 (Unity, Emphasis, Balance, Rhythm)
• Work time in class and individual help as needed
• On your own: In class, ask your peers and instructor for feedback on your designs

Homework

• Continue designing your marketing campaign

Class 9

Tuesday, Oct 6, 2026

In Class

• (15 minutes) New Learning/In-Class Discussion (Group Work):
  • Design Trends
  • Scams Targeting Artists
• Work time in class and individual help as needed
• On your own: In class, ask your peers and instructor for feedback on your designs

Homework

• Continue designing your marketing campaign

Class 10

Thursday, Oct 8, 2026

In Class

• Group Critiques of your design work progress
  • Print your marketing material in color (11″x 17″), and we’ll critique in groups.
• Finish your second of three pieces of marketing material and show your instructor
• Work time in class and individual help as needed

Homework

• Continue designing your marketing campaign

Class 11

Tuesday, Oct 13, 2026

In Class

• As time allows, begin designing your 2-page portfolio spread featuring your completed marketing campaign
• Work time in class and individual help as needed
• On your own: In class, ask your peers and instructor for feedback on your designs

Homework

• Continue designing your marketing campaign

Class 12

Thursday, Oct 15, 2026

In Class

• Finish your third of three pieces of marketing material and show your instructor
• Begin designing your 2-page portfolio spread featuring your completed marketing campaign (Download Template here)
• Work time in class and individual help as needed
• On your own: In class, ask your peers and instructor for feedback on your designs

Homework

• Design your 2-page portfolio spread for your marketing campaign

Class 13

Tuesday, Oct 20, 2026

In Class

• DUE: Final 2-page portfolio spread for your marketing campaign
• Upload PDFs of your marketing material AND your 2 portfolio pages to my OneDrive folder here: DF Marketing Campaign – Marketing Pieces

Class 14

Thursday, Oct 22, 2026

In Class

• This is for make-up work