SYLLABUS

01

What is this course about?

02

What should I expect to learn?

03

How are assignments delivered?

04

How will I work?

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How will we work together?

Commitment to equity, inclusion, and a practice of freedom

Evaluation

Course Attendance Policy

Tufts University Policies

• Clearly defining expectations in course syllabi;
• Communicating any course- or discipline-specific scholarly procedures to students;
• Engaging students in robust ways; and
• Reporting concerns about academic misconduct each time such concerns are known.

• Learning and using proper scholarly procedures;
• Scrupulously following directions and asking for clarification when needed; and
• Engaging with course material fully and meeting the spirit of the assignment.

• Classrooms accommodations (e.g., furniture, materials in alternate formats).
• Exam accommodations (e.g., time-based exam accommodations)
• Auxiliary aids and services (e.g., notetakers, CART services, lecture recordings).
• Non-academic accommodations (e.g., housing, dietary, and parking).
• Introductions and referrals to other campus resources

00

1–Project Description

2–Choose the Focus of Your Collection

Historical/Stylistic Collections:

• Art Deco typography (1920s-1940s posters, advertisements, signage)
• Psychedelic letterforms (1960s-70s concert posters, album covers)
• Constructivist typography (Russian avant-garde, 1920s-30s)
• Victorian ornamental type (19th century advertising, packaging)
• Swiss International Style (1950s-70s rational, grid-based design)
• Grunge typography (1990s deconstructed, layered aesthetics)
• Brutalist web typography (contemporary raw, functional design)

Contextual Collections:

• Movie title cards (opening credits across different eras or genres)
• Book cover typography (specific genre: sci-fi, mystery, romance, etc.)
• Vintage food packaging (cereal boxes, candy wrappers, etc.)
• Protest sign lettering (historical movements)
• Hand-painted storefront signs (specific region or time period)
• Record label typography (Blue Note, Motown, Factory Records, etc.)
• Magazine mastheads (fashion, news, culture publications)
• Sports team logos and wordmarks (evolution over time)
• Public transit signage systems (wayfinding typography)

Technical Collections:

• Blackletter variations across different countries/eras
• Script and cursive styles (formal vs. casual)
• Stencil letterforms (military, shipping, street art)
• Monospaced typefaces in different contexts
• Display types with inline details (striped, outlined, shadowed)
• Condensed vs. extended type families

3–Quantity & Frequency:

• Add at least 5-7 examples per week to your Are.na channel
• By the end of the semester, you should have at least 50 examples minimum

4–Quality Standards:

1. High-quality image (clear, well-lit, properly cropped)
   
   
2. Source citation including:
   • Where you found it (archive name, website, museum, etc.)
   • Original source if known (designer, publication, date)
   • Direct link to the original source when available
     
     
3. Brief description (2-3 sentences) noting:
   • What drew you to this example
   • Specific typographic qualities you observe (weight, style, spacing, etc.)
   • Historical or cultural context when relevant

5–Approved Sources:

• Letterform Archive
• Herb Lubalin Study Center
• Fonts In Use
• Type Archive
• Commercial Type

• Smithsonian Design Museum
• MoMA Collection
• Library of Congress
• V&A Museum
• Rijksmuseum
• Internet Archive
  
• People’s Graphic Design Archive
  

• AIGA Eye on Design
• It's Nice That
• Typographica
  
• Eye Magazine
  

• Designer portfolios and studio websites
• Other design publications (Print, Baseline magazines)
• Foundry specimen books and websites

• Clearly photographed with good lighting
• Properly documented with location and date
• Researched for historical context when possible

6–How to Use Are.na

Setting Up Your Account:

1. Go to are.na
2. Sign up for a free account
3. Choose a username
4. Complete your profile with your name and a brief bio

Creating Your Collection Channel:

1. Click the "+" button in the top right corner
2. Select "New Channel"
3. Name your channel clearly:
   • Format: "Your Name - Collection Focus"
   • Example: "Sarah Chen - Art Deco Typography" or "Marcus Williams - Movie Title Cards"
4. Write a channel description explaining your collection focus and goals
5. Keep your channel Public so it can be viewed and graded

Adding Content to Your Channel:

1. Install the Are.na browser extension for Chrome or Firefox
2. When you find an image online, click the extension icon
3. Select your collection channel
4. Add a title and description with source information

1. Save image to your computer (right-click > Save Image As)
2. In your Are.na channel, click "Add block"
3. Select "Upload" and choose your image
4. Add title, description, and source link

1. In your channel, click "Add block"
2. Select "Link" and paste the URL
3. Are.na will automatically pull in the image and information
4. Add additional context in the description

Organizing Your Collection:

• Add descriptive titles to each block
• Use the description field for your observations and citations
• Tag related items using connections (link blocks that share qualities)
• Consider creating sub-channels if your collection develops distinct categories
• You can drag blocks to reorder them as your thinking evolves

Citation Format:

For each item, include in the description:

Example:

7–Evaluation Criteria:

• Regular weekly additions throughout the semester
• Meeting minimum quantity requirements

• Thoughtful selection of examples that demonstrate understanding of your chosen focus
• Clear visual relationships between items
• Progression of your eye and understanding over time

• Proper source citations for all items
• Thoughtful observations in descriptions
• High-quality images

• Ability to identify and articulate typographic qualities
• Understanding of historical/cultural context
• Development of a critical eye
  
  

8–Important Dates

9–Tips for Success

• Be consistent: Set aside 30-60 minutes each week to add to your collection
  
  
• Go deep, not wide: A focused collection with thoughtful observations is better than a scattered one
  
  
• Follow connections: When you find one great example, look for related work
  
  
• Read the descriptions: Many archives include excellent historical context
  
  
• Save everything: If something catches your eye, save it—you can always remove it later
  
  
• Look for relationships: How do examples relate to each other? What patterns emerge?
  
  
• Be curious: Let your collection guide you toward new discoveries and make a note of what you are curious about
  
  

Questions?

01

Project Description

How to do this work:

Get the ability to print :

Part 1 (started in class)

Part 2

Part 3

RISO Printing Process

1. TURN ON THE MACHINE

• Power on the RISO printer
• Wait for it to warm up and initialize
• Turn on the RISO on the *right* first, this is a work around for something weird with the PC 
  

2. PREPARE YOUR ARTWORK

• Converted to grayscale (RISO only reads tonal values, not colors)
• 300-600 dpi resolution
• Completely flattened (no layers or effects)
• Saved as a PDF
• Sized correctly with at least 0.25" margins (RISO can't print full bleed)
  
  (All of these should be fine if you made your PDF from the InDesign file)

3. LOAD THE COLOR DRUM

• Install the ink drum with your chosen color
• RISO can only print one color at a time

4. LOAD PAPER

• Place a stack of paper in the paper tray (feather it, jog it up)
• Use test/scrap paper first for your initial prints

5. SEND YOUR FILE FROM THE COMPUTER (PC)

Opening and Printing from Adobe Acrobat:

• Select your RISO printer from the printer dropdown menu (it should show the model name like "SF9390 RISO" or "EZ590U")
• Check that you're printing the correct page number
• Verify the orientation is correct

• Paper size: Select A4 or A3 (matching your loaded paper)
• Density: Adjust ink density (start at medium, you can test and adjust)
• Print Mode:
  • Select "Line" for text and line art
  • Select "Photo" for photographs or illustrations with tonal gradients
• Special effects (optional):
  • Grain Touch
  • Screen Covered
  • (See the RISO Color Overview sheet near your printer for reference)
• Actual size: Make sure this is selected (not "fit to page")

6. CHECK THE FILE ON THE RISO PRINTER

• On the RISO printer display, press the Data-Map button
• You should see your filename listed
• If you sent the wrong file, press Clear and resend
• If the file shows as paused, press Output to continue
• If the printer warns about wrong color (even if correct), press Continue

7. CREATE THE MASTER (STENCIL)

• The machine will now automatically burn the master
• Tiny holes are burned into a thermal master sheet, creating a stencil
• This master wraps around the drum
• Watch the display to confirm the master is being created

8. MAKE TEST PRINTS

• Press the green Print button on the RISO
• The first copy will be very faint - this is normal
• Make about 10 test copies until the print appears properly saturated with ink

9. ADJUST REGISTRATION (if needed)

• Check if the print is positioned correctly on the paper
• To move the print forwards or backwards: use the directional buttons
• To move it left or right: turn the adjustment wheel

10. PRINT YOUR EDITION

• Once satisfied with test prints, load your good paper
• Set the number of copies you want
• Press Print
• RISO prints very fast (up to 150 pages/minute)

11. FOR MULTI-COLOR PRINTS

• Let the first color dry (at least 1 hour; longer for blue and black ink or heavy coverage)
• Remove the first color drum
• Install the next color drum
• Open your second layer PDF file in Adobe Acrobat
• Repeat Steps 5-10 with the second color file
• Important: Feed your already-printed sheets back through for the second color layer
• Repeat for each additional color

12. TURN OFF THE MACHINE

• Complete all printing
• Power down the RISO printer
• Allow prints to fully dry (RISO uses rice oil-based ink that takes time to dry)

Common Issues:

• Paper jams: Check for stuck paper, clear it, and press the error button to restart
• Multiple sheets feeding: Adjust the paper feed knobs
• Dirty prints: Clean the feed wheels/rollers
• Low paper warning: Refill the paper tray
• File not appearing: Wait 30 seconds, check Data-Map screen, ensure RISO drivers are installed correctly

01

Project Description

Title

Date
Time
Place

1. Start on time; if someone arrives late that is on them! This is your time and you should use all of it. Your work should be displayed and ready before. your start time.
2. Ask the students who are taking notes to record in the way that is your preference; for example “make sure you jot down the course names” or “I am really looking for artist references, can you help me ask for that?” “will you record audio instead of written notes?” ETC. I have noticed that some of the peers in review boards do not take a ~single~ note, so if you want something from them you may have to ask for it. Other topics to ask your peers: about courses, about labs, about study abroad, about internships, about opportunities off campus (galleries/social things)
3. Ask the students or one of the professors for a timer when there are 10 or 5 minutes left, or you can set a timer on your phone. This will let you have the last few minutes of the meeting to ask a question or otherwise conclude.   
   

1. Tell people what you are going to show them and WHY, and set any practical expectations
2. Show them what you said you would show them (your work)
3. Tell them what you just showed them (context / questions)  

1. Introduce yourself and state your pronouns, your area of focus and your year, something else like where you grew up or what you love about Boston is also nice to give a fuller picture of who you are; ask everyone else to introduce themselves because it is likely you will not know them or what department they are in, or they will not know each other—this sets the tone for the conversation. 
   
   
2. Artist might say something like “I am going to show you three projects, with a special interest in the video which is unfinished at this time. I would like to give you an overview of these works and then for the video project I want to talk about possibilities. Then I will ask you for some advice on courses I should take. I would love to know what references you think I should be watching, reading or looking at based on the work you see here today. Finally, I have a timer set for 10 of, during which time I will ask any final questions I have”   
   
   OR  artist might say something like “I am going to show you five things today. The first 3 are from my screen printing class, which has been a fruitful area of exploration this semester. I realized I am really interested in color after doing that work. I would like to hear what other printmaking or fine art classes I should take to get more into color. I am also going to show you a motion piece and a print piece. I am curious to know what threads you see across my work formally and from a content point of view"
   
   
3. Show your work, walk through your projects, give context. What is most important for an audience to know is what you were aiming or aspiring to do — what interest led you to making this work (I am interested in working with metal, I am interested in fairy tales and character building). Some work speaks for itself and can have a cold read (a video, graphic design) so you can also do that. Do what feels right for you, but DIRECT the focus of the critics on the stuff you want to talk about or you want the most feedback on.
   
   
4. Ask specific questions if you have them, the critics should be asking you a bunch of questions here to get to know you / your work better
   
   
5. Re-cap — tell everyone what they just saw, ask the final questions / anything you did not get to  
   
   
6. Thank the guests!
   
   
7. Break stuff down with your friend
   
   
8. Give yourself a little treat for a great Review Board!

Tutorials

Printing on Campus

InDesign

Photoshop

Illustrator