Cal Poly’s Graphic Communication Institute (GrCi) will give the public an opportunity to learn Web, multimedia software and design skills this spring.
The institute will host two Saturday workshops in March called “InDesign CS5 Jumpstart” and “Deconstructing Web Design.” Industry professionals or anybody in the community looking to sharpen their graphic design skills are welcome and encouraged to attend by workshop assemblers.
“The fact that we’re offering Saturday classes opens it up to both the community and even on-campus staff,” said GrCi program manager Lyndee Sing. “Everyone needs a printed piece.”
That is exactly what attendees will learn to create.
Graphic communication professor Lorraine Donegan will teach the InDesign workshop, which is a class to help familiarize people with the Adobe program.
“It can be a tool for whatever it is they need to do. I typically find out what their goal is first,” Donegan said.
Identifying participants’ specific goals helps Donegan teach them the skills to go along with their individual needs. From designing a page, adding photos and text, to preparing the file for print, workshop participants will learn all the necessary tools of InDesign use, she said.
The clas also benefits those industry professionals who currently use other programs to meet their design needs.
“Some people are a little afraid of Adobe programs because they think they are a little complex, but they aren’t,” Donegan said.
She also said those attending the workshops will have the opportunity to learn a little about typography.
The Web design workshop, taught by graphic communication professor Ken Rothmuller, will examine already existing websites.
“(Participants) will learn by taking apart existing websites and learning how things were built,” Sing said.
Although some may not like the two-week set-up of the workshops, there are distinct benefits.
Sing said the workshops are two-day events because in the past, one day was not enough time to fully learn the programs.
“They can use the week in between to work on projects and have questions when they get back,” Sing said.
Having this time to work with the programs and practice the skills they have learned is an important aspect of graphic communication learning.
Graphic communication senior Alex Wong said two workshops is sufficient enough to learn layout and Web design because most of the learning comes from independent exploration of the programs.
“It is definitely hard at first,” Wong said. “But you learn by using it and practicing.”
The fee for the workshops is $195, which includes instruction and in-class materials. The workshops will be held on March 19 and March 26. InDesign CS5 Jumpstart will be from 9 a.m. to noon and Deconstructing Web Design will be from 1 to 4 p.m.