Class Description

Classes offered include Graphic Design, Digital Photography, and Website Design.  There are classes for students age 6 through adult.  Students are combined into classes by age, not by skill.   Each student receives individualized instruction so teachers train in different skill levels, project types, and software during each class. The teacher discusses with each student what his/her goals and interests are and then customizes the curriculum.  Each student chooses what he/she wants to work on for each project, at the discretion of the teacher.  Students are requested to come 10 minutes early to their first class so that the teacher has time to talk with them individually.  Class size is kept to a maximum of five students per teacher. 

Beginners- We suggest that students who have had little or no training in computer graphics begin in our Graphic Design Course so that they acquire the basic design and software skills.

COURSES 

Graphic Design (Suggested for Beginner, Intermediate, & Advanced Graphic Artists or Business Professionals)

Students will use Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.  As they create each project, they will be introduced to new tools and features of the software. They will learn design techniques, typography, layout design, image enhancement, photo touch-up, cropping, color usage, cutting out images and other critical skills.  Students who draw and paint may scan their original artwork and use that in their projects creating unique works of art.  They may also learn to create artwork directly on the computer.

1. Beginners learn the basics of Photoshop and Illustrator, and how the two can be integrated to get the best efficiency and results on each project.  Students learn the benefits of each program, and when to switch from one to the other.  Students will have the option to do projects such as movie posters, greeting cards, bookmarks, personalized calendars, CD or DVD design, and much more. 
2. Intermediate and Advanced students will have the option to create movie posters, CD or DVD design, product/packaging design, scrapbooks, and many other items.  They will learn the more advanced functions of the software, resulting in much more refined, professionally designed products.
3. Business Professionals  We teach beginning and advanced business professionals.  Our goal is to help businesses succeed and grow through good promotional material and branding which customers will learn to recognize.  Strong graphic design and branding can enhance customer experience, understanding, and sales. Students may choose to create promotional materials for their business such as business cards, letterhead, flyers, ads, redesigning of their logo, and more. 

Digital Photography (Suggested for Intermediate and Advanced Graphic Artists)
Students will learn to manipulate photographs and add creativity using features of  Photoshop and Illustrator.  They will learn about filters, pen and brush tools, image enhancement, photo touch-up, cropping, color usage, cutting out images, design techniques, typography, layout design, and the many other features.

Website Design
Students create their own customized website using GoLive and learn to update the site. They learn important elements of design and layout so that the site is aesthetically appealing.   They are taught to properly set up navigation that makes it easy for users to find the information desired and move back and forth between pages.  Those that wish to create photo galleries can display fun vacation shots, birth announcements, graduations, school plays, and much more. 

1. Business Professionals
   Students learn to create a professional and attractive website that will impress their clients and give a clear picture of their services. They learn what elements are critical to include in their site and how they can best use their site for promoting their business.  They have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of search engines and how to make their site easier for prospective customers to find.

Software Programs

For our graphic design and photo editing classes we use Adobe Creative Suite 2.  These include Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Golive. These are industry standard design programs, that are used for business, personal, and entertainment purposes. Creative Suite is also available for student pricing but must be purchased through an academic site. For our Anime (Animation) and Manga (Cartoon) classes we use products from e-frontier. These includes Anime Studio & Manga Studio. These are both industry applications and affordable for home us. Each are very powerful but people of various computer skills are able to quickly create exciting projects.

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Materials
The class price includes one printout on standard paper per project.  If the student wants additional copies, wants to assemble projects such as a CD case, or laminate his project, there will be additional costs.  See the material price list for details.  If parents are dropping off children for class, we request that they discuss with their teacher before the first class if they would like only the basic printouts or to be invoiced for the full projects.  If we have not been given permission to charge the additional costs for completed project materials, we will produce the basic printouts.

Lab Time
Uninstructed lab time is an opportunity for the student to practice what he/she is learning in class. The lab is open morning through evening.  Make an appointment with the office. Lab use is charged at an hourly rate.