Deborah Corn
Print Media Centr
Creating the Next Normal for Print
As we enter a post-pandemic world the printing industry has an amazing opportunity to reset and rebrand to become an inclusive, viable, and attractive career path for Gen-Zers entering the workforce. In this session, Deborah Corn, the Intergalactic Ambassador to The Printerverse shares how technology and tolerance have a big role to play as we enter the next normal for print and the planet.
Abhay Sharma
Ryerson University
Snapchat AR
Background to AR - Augmented Reality and how that has been used by Snapchat to have fun, but more and more a savvy marketing opportunity for clients such as Starbucks, Welch Grape Juice, etc. Hands-on session demonstrating creation and publishing a Snapchat Lens using free software Lens Studio. Great project that can be used in High School, Community College and University courses.
Ryan LeFebvre
Specialty Print Communications
Innovations in Direct Marketing: Integrating Mail with Digital Channels
Direct mail is no longer an independent sales channel. In this session, we explore how advances in technology have created fluid integrations between physical mail and the digital experience. Presented by Garrin Kapecki of FuelPop Marketing and Ryan LeFebvre of Specialty Print Communications.
Phil Snyder
University of Houston
Introduction to Blockchain and Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs)
A Non-Fungible Token (NFT) is a unique token on a blockchain that designates ownership of a digital good. When you buy something, a “smart contract” is coded and then minted on a blockchain network. This contract is visible to anyone, and becomes immutable data on the blockchain. In simpler terms, an NFT is a digital certificate that says someone “owns” a digital piece of artwork, tweet, YouTube clip, or others.
Artists and content creators are now selling NFTs as a new form of fine art collecting‚Äìa way for one person to claim ownership of a particular piece of work. Of course, anyone can just download their own version as a JPEG or PNG. But the advantage is that your purchase is verifiable on the distributed ledger for the Ethereum cryptocurrency, and you can prove that the piece of art belongs to you. Tangibility doesn’t matter in this new system.
Malcolm Keif &
Donna Templeton
Cal Poly
Data Visualization - Making compelling infographics in Tableau
Lines, Bars and Pies....who doesn’t love a good chart? Effective designers not only work with images, but also transform data into compelling stories and actionable insights. This session will introduce users to important characteristics for working with data and the tools for creating graphs and plots, transforming data into an interesting story. Using Tableau Public (free), participants will build interactive charts and create an impactful infographic that can easily be transferred into a classroom assignment.
Stacy Moak
University of Alabama Birmingham
Tapworthy Life in Check
An exercise in community outreach within a mobile app design class
Rocky Restivo
Pittsburg State University
3D Camera Tracking Using Adobe AfterEffets
Ever wonder how to make cool graphics stick to a location within a piece of video? This session will show you how to easily place digital assets into moving video footage. We will examine the 3D camera tracking function and workflow in Adobe AfterEffects and how it relates to video projects.
Renmei Xu
Ball State University
Camera Profiling Using ColorChecker Camera Calibration
This presentation will demonstrate how to use the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport along with the ColorChecker Camera Calibration software to create a DNG profile for a camera, which can then be applied to photos captured by the same camera in Adobe Lightroom Classic.”
Sally Cramer
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Tapworthy Life in Check: an exercise in community outreach within a mobile app design class
The senior level Tapworthy Mobile App Design course held at the University of Alabama at Birmingham during the spring semester of 2021 used their new mobile app design skills to design mobile apps that will provide help and education to those previously incarcerated as they go through the steps to reenter their communities, and to their peers, mentors, and communities through designation of resources and simulations of the processes and experiences they may go through during reentry. In order to learn about this vulnerable population and their needs, the students of the Tapworthy class spent time with individuals involved with the criminal justice system of Alabama, and several members of the Offenders Alumni Association (OAA) who shared their experiences with incarceration and reentry. In addition, the class met with other individuals to learn more about the web and mobile app design industry.
This GCEA session will highlight the semester the Tapworthy class experienced including a summary of what they learned about mobile app design, and how they reached out into the community to help this often overlooked, vulnerable population of previously incarcerated people. We will learn a bit about app design and how this type of design requires an evaluation of some unique design questions. We will look at how the class used Adobe After Effects and Adobe XD to develop prototypes of their app designs, and how they used Adobe InDesign to layout a professional design pitch to present their ideas to their “clients”. We will also learn a bit about the Alabama criminal justice system and about reentry. Join me to take a look at the Life in Check and Life Track mobile app prototypes, and to see how community outreach can boost the value and learning of a graphic design class.
Keynote speakers include: Theresa Cambell, President of PIA MidAmerica, Steve Bonoff, President, Printing Industry Midwest, and Helen Blanchette, President, Printing Industry Midwest.
Jason Reid
Pittsburg State University
Building Responsive Websites with Bootstrap, HTML & CSS
Demonstrating proven methods of introducing students to building responsive websites with Bootstrap, HTML & CSS using the Visual Studio Code editor. You’ll learn the steps I take my students through to understand how responsive design works and the mindset behind designing responsive websites that can be coded by hand.
- Introduction to the Bootstrap Responsive Framework
- Using Container, Row & Colum Classes in Bootstrap
- Using Bootstrap Helper Classes
- Visual Studio Code basics
- HTML & CSS
- Using CSS Media Queries
- Targeting HTML Elements with CSS IDs and Classes
- Responsive Website Design Approach
- Building a simple responsive page
- Validating HTML & CSS
Dina Vees
Cal Poly
Using Acrobat’s Print Production Tools for Prepress
Overview of Acrobat Professional’s Print Production tools and how they are used in prepress. Learn the proper methods and settings for making color conversions, adding marks and preflighting. We will also discuss the Flattener Preview and Ink Manager as it relates to printing.
Diana Varma
Ryerson University
Sharing Untold Stories: Podcasting for Typography Class and Beyond
There are so many great reasons to start a podcast as an educator. A podcast is a high-value, low-cost tool that can help you: 1) provide flexible and inclusive course delivery options that get students out from behind their computer screens, 2) establish yourself as a mainstream thought-leader among students, 3) allow you to explore niche topics, speak to interesting people and produce content that can add value to your current set of resources, 4) provide students with a platform to share their work and unique gifts with a larger audience.
Jerry Waite
University of Houston
Converting a static data invitation to variable data using XMPie uPrint.
UH Digital Media students convert an event invitation they create in their Page Layout and Design class to a fully-individualized variable data piece in the Individualized Communications course. This project, designed in cooperation with Xerox’s XMPie division, has artistic, print technology, and logic components so that the final printed invitation gets the right message to the right recipient using variable data printing. Samples of excellent final products, along with the students’ project documentation, will be shared.
Grace Haworth
Pittsburg State University
Brand Color Recognition in Consumers
The typical human eye can see a difference between colors when the colors have at least a 3 Delta-E difference. The Delta-E measurement is the standard way in graphics and imaging of determining color differences within the L*A*B* color space. Given that this differentiation is possible at 3 Delta-E’s, can consumers identify a brand’s color from a group of similar colors that have a 3 Delta-E difference?
This presentation will outline a study determining if Pittsburg State University faculty, staff, and students can correctly recognize the school’s official crimson red, PMS 186, out of a group of reds that have a 3 Delta-E difference from PMS 186. This experiment will provide information on the impact of branding standards and the consumers’ trust in a brand.
Sid Chadwick
University of Houston
Data Mining in Education
Sid will talk about the importance of teaching Data Mining in Education.
Abigail Mitchell
Pittsburg State University
Incorporating Augmented Reality into a Photographic Mural
In an effort to confront the issue of racial diversity in a small Midwestern community, this study will use local demographical information to guide decisions on how to best promote diversity through a mural project. The project will include a photographic mural coupled with an augmented reality experience. The concept focuses on encouraging the public to revisit their feelings and possible biases through the sensation of walking in another’s path. All research and creative work will be presented with a slide presentation accompanied by a video reel overview of the project.
Gillian Mothersill
Ryerson University
Typographic Ornaments of the GIrl’s Own Annual, 1879—1905
This presentation investigates the use of typographic ornaments (know today as ‘Drop Caps’, in the Girl’s Own Paper (bound once per year as the Girl’s Own Annual), as well as the Boy’s Own Annual. The presentation provides an overview of the historical development of typographic ornaments, and their evolution today. The presentation answers the key question “Who were the designers and illustrators who created these ornaments?” Suggestions are made as to how printed ephemera can be used as teaching and learning guides.
Donna Templeton
Cal Poly State University
Remote-learning solutions to engage, excite, and encourage students in design courses. Proven methods using web-based differentiated learning tutorials, digital journals, and peer feedback.
I conducted an action research study with freshman in a Digital Publishing course in the Cal Poly Graphic Communication Department in Fall of 2019 that sought to answer this research question: What is the impact on student self efficacy, engagement, and skills when using differentiated scaffolding of web-based tutorials in a higher education graphic communication course? Often the diverse range of skills that students come into the program with produce a challenge for instruction. Past strategies may have been to “teach to the middle”, thus leaving those with the least and the most experience less engaged. This research shows that there is a way to engage and challenge all students, no matter where they are in their level of skill.
LinkedIn Learning “paths” were created that displayed tutorials that ranged in difficulty and allowed for students to select a tutorial that they believe aligned with their current abilities, thus allowing a differentiated approach to instruction for Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Students produced designs based on project prompts for the chosen tutorial and showed process through learning journals. Mixed-methods data collection in the form of surveys and analytics from learning courses were used to analyze the difference between the control (traditional instruction) and treatment (differentiated instruction) group. A paired-T test was used to determine the change in self efficacy from a pre-post survey. Visuals for this presentation will include data graphs, charts, and student design work in the form of final designs and learning journals.
The results of this research show that students who received the choice of differentiated tutorials were more engaged and this may have an effect on enhancing students‚ computer graphic skills and self efficacy. This information is quite pertinent now that we have a shift toward more technology-related instructional aids and remote learning after COVID-19. I believe many instructors will benefit from the findings in this study, as this provides data-backed results that help inform structuring of computer labs balancing online and in-person instruction. Beyond the study, this method of instruction was used in Fall of 2020 and Winter of 2021 (when we were all teaching remotely) and I have some great results to share from that as well.
Richard Adams
Ryerson University
Pressbooks Open Educational Resource Textbooks
Pressbooks is an online publishing platform in which you can write textbooks that students can read on the web or download in PDF, EPUB, or MOBI format. The platform has been adopted by all universities in Ontario and throughout Canada. Pressbooks is a paid plugin for the open format Wordpress web content management system. The interface features a "Visual" tab for users who are not familiar with the underlying XHTML/CSS code, and a "Text" view that enables editing the code. Text can be uploaded from Word, EPUB, or HTML pages. Photos in JPEG, PNG, and GIF are uploaded through a drag-and-drop Media interface and are stored as managed content. Pressbooks textbooks have proven popular with students because they are free, instantly accessible, and can provide relevant content in one place. Sample Pressbook: https://pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca/webdesign
Mark Hargrove
University of Houston
Data Mining
Information management and the technology involved are growing faster than we can exploit it.
Data volumes are expanding exponentially; over the past five years, we have gathered more data than was collected in the previous history of humankind.
We must stay on top of the curve to realize the potential and harvest the benefits.
Business and technology professionals have access to an array of information to help them understand the systems in use today and how to use that technology to enhance performance and explore, gather and organize data.
You will be amazed by the types and volumes of available data and surprised by how easy it is to access.
Amanda Bridges
Clemson University
Data Mining
This session will present findings from a recent study I conducted on the most needed competencies and tools in higher education graphic communications programs. Participants included both educators and industry professionals. The study overwhelmingly identified soft skills as being the most needed competencies, and software applications were selected as the most needed tools. A detailed list of competencies and tools will be shared with participants. The session will also include some discussion from attendees on strategies for teaching soft skills in a graphic communications classroom.
Elizabeth Rodwell
University of Houston
Teaching UX Research: An Interdisciplinary Approach
There is insufficient scholarly literature on User Experience (UX) pedagogy in general, and a particular lack of work on how to construct a UX Research degree program, rather than UX Design. Therefore, this paper seeks to examine what the requirements for such a program would be, the impediments to building it, and whether a distinct program emphasizing research is even necessary. Based on experience working as a UX Researcher and as an Assistant Professor teaching UX/Applied Anthropology, I argue that the industry would benefit from interdisciplinary UX Research programs that harness the strengths of several departments to teach to the relevant skillset.
Harvey R. Levenson, Ph. D.
Cal Poly
UPDATE—INTERACTIVE BOOKS USING RICOH’S CLICKABLE PAPER APP
At last year’s conference, we provided an informational presentation on how an interactive PRINTED textbook, Introduction to Graphic Communication, was being used for online teaching and learning at all levels of education. The presentation explained the technology behind Ricoh’s “Clickable Paper” and focused on the book’s value for online education in light of COVID-19.
The book is now used in over 20 schools, including high schools, technical schools, community colleges, and four-year colleges and universities. This year’s presentation will include case studies of the diverse ways in which the book is being used and feedback received from teachers and students. New videos are being planned for inclusion in the book’s online companion portal. With online teaching and learning likely to continue along with in-classroom teaching, the publisher is also exploring new ways to augment the learning experience for graphic communication students‚ especially those facing the challenges of remote learning.
Lee Geisinger
University of Northern Iowa
Background Oriented Schlieren Imaging: Visualizing the Flow of Transparent Materials
Schlieren imaging is an optical density visualization technique that has been utilized for years to study the flow of transparent materials. The study of flow diagnostics has been employed for many applications for material testing and within industries such as aerospace and manufacturing engineering. The Background Oriented Schlieren (BOS) method is a form of Schlieren imaging that provides a way to quickly visualize the flow of transparent material. The BOS method utilizes an acceptable background (control) image and measures the visual alterations, caused by the flow of material, between the control image and the test image(s). Utilizing equipment and software found in many graphic communications laboratories, this form of technical visualization can be taught in mid to upper-level courses to students who have a basic knowledge of DSLR and/or high-speed camera function as well as post-editing software such as Adobe Photoshop. This presentation covers the components needed to implement BOS imaging into a graphic communication course. This includes the fundamental concepts of BOS imaging as well as a demonstration of the four components, 1. camera/lighting setup, 2. creation of the background pattern, 3. pattern disturbance caused by the flow of transparent material, and 4. image processing utilizing Adobe Photoshop and batch processing.
Dr. Charles T. Weiss
Clemson University
Research Papers Re-imagined
In the classroom we often assign students some sort of research paper. We might ask them to look at an historical event, or look at a certain printing process in depth, and we tell the students that the paper must be at least certain number of pages and should have a certain number of references, but in the world of graphic communication is this the best way to present research? My suggestion is that we revise the research paper and turn it into a visual representation of the research. Students can take their research and present it using the software they are learning in the classroom thereby using their software skills, their design skills, and their research skills all to create a visual representation of a research topic. I will share not only my student research project, but also visual examples of what my students have create in the past.
Andrea
McConnaughey
Pittsburg State University
Inclusive Design: Encouraging inclusion empathy in designers
Novice designers can have a tendency to design inside a vacuum of their personal likes and preferred design trends. Educators need to encourage the next generation of professionals to approach each project with principles of diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility incorporated. Associate Professor Andrea McConnaughey from Pittsburg State University, will share how student interest and industry demand led to the creation of "Inclusive Design" a class open to all areas of graphics communication students that has had positive impact on design projects for the university and community as a whole. Strategic approaches for students to pursue each project with diversity, equity, inclusivity and accessibility principles in mind will be shared.
