Analysis Composite

Logo Creation Using Adobe Graphics Design Tools

▪ Project description

In an instructional design program there has been an identified need to teach students how to use online tools such as the Adobe CS5 Web Premium Suite to create engaging online courses. Specifically, it has been noted that more and more instructional designers are being asked to fulfill multiple roles within the instructional design process including the development of single stop solutions (Cennamo & Kalk, 2005); researchers who study the field of instructional design have gathered this information. Because of the need for students to learn design programs and some graphics design elements, including logo creation, an analysis was conducted of various students enrolled in instructional design and graphics design programs.

▪ Needs analysis

Because the lack of knowledge was deemed the primary area of need, it was decided that training was an appropriate solution. It is believed that by providing instruction on graphics design principles, instruction on general technology principles, and specific tutorials on software use, and providing explanations of how this fits into an instructional design process, learners will be able to use this knowledge to increase productivity.

Students of this course are enrolled in ID or graphics design (GD) programs and have been asked to develop an understanding of the process of logo design using the Adobe Web Premium CS5 Suite.
These users are at various levels of a degree programs in ID and GD. They have expressed a desire to expand their knowledge of logo design as it applies to ID theory, methods, and applications. The GD students who enroll in the course will be informed ahead of time that this course will focus on logo design as part of the ID process, so GD students enrolled in the course will be those students interested in how the GD process fits into the ID framework. By enrolling in a course, which requires them to create an original logo through use of Adobe Web Premier Software, they also have an “anticipated or future need” (Morrison, Ross, Kalman, & Kemp, 2011, p. 36) to learn such applications as Illustrator and/or Photoshop.

Design of an instructional or training module would seem to be the appropriate vehicle to address this needs assessment. Creation of a course illustrating how to navigate and use Illustrator will reinforce and transfer the learners’ knowledge to a practical and real-life application. This instruction will also help satisfy the future needs designated by other courses in the same degree/certificate programs.

While onsite training with direct and synchronous exchanges and interactions between learner- and -instructor and learner- and- learners, would be a valid approach for an instructional module attempting to teach the capabilities of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, the online format of this course will have the benefit of directly addressing this particular audience’s future need. Part of the anticipated needs for students in an ID course is to learn more about the design of online instruction. This vehicle allows them to use the tools expected of them, but also allows users to see how this instruction would be presented online. Building a tutorial for this course would help satisfy the additional course objective of experiencing and understating the strategies and sequencing of instructional tasks.

References:

Cennamo, K., & Kalk, D. (2005). Real world instructional design. Canada: Wadsworth.

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2011). Designing effective instruction (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

—Team Member D1: Sean
▪ Learner analysis

Students enrolling in this course will be varied in many ways. Because even their general characteristics such as age, gender, and work experience (Morrison et al., 2011) will be different, the course will need to be general in many respects as well as broken into short segments that allow the self-pacing described above to be modified by the learner. In addition, these learners will have different preferred learning styles, the instruction will need to be provided in a number of different modalities although the bulk of the training will be done with videos and screencasts as they allow for a multimodal presentation of information. Information contained in the videos will also be provided in an auditory and textual form as well for students.

These students will share some elements though. Specifically, students enrolled in this course will be enrolled in higher education and will have some basic technology skills. In addition, these students will be adult learners who, according to Morrison, Ross, Kalman, and Kemp (2011), appreciate their time, bring a wealth of personal experience, have motivation to learn, and look for relevancy in their courses. By teaching students logo design and relating it to the instructional design process, students will be able to engage with the content in a useful way that prepares them for design topics they may be faced with as instructional designers or artists engaged for the design/development phase of instructional design.

Performance gap analysis:

Students who take this class will be students who need basic instruction on what a business logo is, how to design a logo, and how to develop that logo into a meaningful and appropriate format. The students in this course will need both theoretical knowledge of design principles as well as instruction on the practical application of those principles within the Adobe Premium Web CS5 Suite. While all students will have some proficiency with technology, all students will need basic instruction on the tools and options in Adobe Illustrator. By making the instructional elements of the course in parts, the designers of this course will have made it possible to separate out the instructional components that could be repurposed or revisited by students unfamiliar with specific elements of the instruction. The level of engagement with the course content will be based on contextual factors as well as individual learner characteristics and individual abilities.

References:

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2011). Designing effective instruction (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

—Team Member D2: Mindy
▪ Contextual analysis

Contextual analysis is composed of three parts: orienting context (focused on the learner), instructional context (related to the physical environment and schedule of training), and transfer context (related to the ability to transfer knowledge learned during instruction to new situations) (Morrison et al., 2011). This section describes the contextual analysis for the logo creation project in each of these areas.

Orienting Context: Students who take this course are instructional design students as well as potential graphics design students. The students are generally self-motivated and want to learn new tools. The Adobe Web Premier suite contains applications that the students will use as instructional design and graphic design students and as instructional design and graphics design professionals. The students will use this course to learn about the graphics applications to assist them in their instructional design classes and in their professional careers. Instructional designers who focus on development and graphic designers will need to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the various software applications. They will need to understand how to create web-safe graphics as well as print-ready graphics. Instructional designers focused on project management will need to understand the differences among the applications so that they understand what tools are needed by the developers on a project.

Students with an interest in design and development will perceive the usefulness of this instruction. Those with interests in analysis and/or evaluation may not see this instruction as essential to their instructional design studies.

As adult learners with interests in design, the students are generally accountable for mastering the content provided in this course. However, some students may not demonstrate accountability for the mastery of the material, unless this course is made a requirement of the completion of a formal design program.

Instructional Context: Many of the students are working individuals or full-time students and require a course that is available when they have time to access it according to their schedules. This course is being developed as a self-paced, online class to accommodate students from a variety of geographic areas and personal needs. As such, no formal classroom or lab is required for this instruction. Students must have access to a computer (Window or Macintosh) with a CD-ROM drive, Adobe Web Premier CS4 (or later), and a high speed Internet connection.

The course will be 30 to 60 minutes in length, in order to accommodate the busy schedules of the students.

Transfer Context: Students can take the information learned in the online class and immediately apply it to certain instructional design and graphic design courses, where design skills are required, as well as to real-world situations. Some students may already be looking to start their own instructional design or graphic design firm, in which case the information on how to design the logo is just as important as the tools used to create it. Other students may simply use the tools skills to develop design materials for design firms or for organizations needing designers.

References:

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2011). Designing effective instruction (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Unit Goals:

The goals for this instructional module on creating a logo using Adobe Web Premier applications are as follows:


• To create a concept for the logo that represents the corporate identity.

• To select the appropriate tool to design a logo for print or web delivery.

• To optimize logos for print or web delivery.

• To increase knowledge and enthusiasm for using graphics tools.

To determine if this instruction is successful, we can look at several factors beyond the performance of learners in the classroom. We can look at course completion rates as a first measure of success. Future enrollments resulting from student referrals may also be used as a measure of success.

For students currently enrolled in an instructional design program, we can evaluate student retention rates and course selection to determine interest in logo design and graphics tools. We expect that students who were interested in the material presented in the course will continue education in the area of design. In addition, we may also be able to evaluate the success of the course based on the performance of students in subsequent instructional design classes that require skills taught in this class.

For students who are not currently enrolled in an instructional design class, we can evaluate success based on subsequent enrollment in an instructional design program or in an advanced graphics design program.

—Team Member I: Jacqueline
▪ Topic analysis (topic analysis + procedural analysis)

Logo creation and implementation:

The learner will design a logo for a business

Objective: By the end of the training, the learner will be able to create a logo for a business that includes design and formatting principles.

Definition of learning: The learner will be able to perform a step by step process in creating a logo and will be able to choose an appropriate graphics design application for their task.

Essential learning:

  • Prepare to design a logo
    • Discover what a logo is and what it represents
      • A logo is a graphic
      • A logo reflects a business
      • A logo represents a non-visual device
    • Know the principles of effective logo design
      • A logo must be simple
      • A logo must be memorable
      • A logo must be timeless
      • A logo must be versatile
      • A logo must be appropriate
  • Choosing a program from the CS5 suite
    • Different uses require different kinds of programs
    • Differences between vector and pixilated graphics
    • Illustrator vs. Photoshop
    • Differences between CMYK and RGB
  • Create a logo
    • Establish your own logo design process
      • The design brief

      • Research & brainstorm

      • Sketching

      • Prototyping & Conceptualizing

      • Revise and add finish touching
    • Design and create the logo
      • Learn the business needs

      • Search for other logos in the customer’s industry and analyze them

      • Sketch the logo using creativity

      • Create the logo in the computer and do as many revisions as possible until agreed on a choice

      • Revise and add finishing touches to the logo
  • Saving, formatting, and further uses
    • What to do with a logo
    • Print – CS5 programs dealing with print (InDesign, Photoshop)
    • Web – CS5 programs dealing with web (Dreamweaver, Flash)
    • Motion Graphics – CS5 programs dealing with moving pictures (After Effects, Flash)

The differences in the design programs will be explained as identified above using Smith, Smith and Gerantabee (2009) as a a core resource, and students will be provided the description of the Adobe Suite CS4 from these authors.

References:
Smith, J., Smith, C., & Gerantabee, F. (2009). Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium all-in-one for dummies. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing, Inc.