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This course builds upon the fundamental processes of graphic communication introduced in Graphic Communication I. Color theory, color separation, 2-color lithographic production, and advanced photomechanical (darkroom) processes, are among the new print-related concepts introduced in this class. In addition, electronic mail, and digital audio/digital video/multimedia processes are introduced.
 PrePress/Color Separation (Photoshop, Digital Proofing, Color Proofing, etc.
- Package Design w/Composited Image: FreeHand, Photoshop, Digital Proofing, etc.
- Brochure development: PageMaker, Photoshop, etc.
- Photomechanical Exercises: Halftones, duotones, posterizations, proofing systems, etc.
- Digital Video: Premiere, SoundEdit 16, Photoshop, Analog and digital camcorders, etc.
- Web-based Portfolio: Image maps, animated GIFs, buttons, frames, etc.
- Digital Photography
- Flexography Labels/Gravure Exercises
- The students in the photographs above and to the left are using a VCR as the source for digitizing video segments to help generate QuickTime movies. Hi-8 decks are also available.
Lithography
 Two-color brochures are a "standard" in the graphic communication industry. They are relatively inexpensive to produce, yet capable of communicating a great deal of information to a large audience. For this course, each student will design and produce a two-color, two fold brochure for a local non-profit organization.
In the image at the right, these students are assessing the quality of a halftone. Halftone photography is the process used to break down continuous-tone photographs into high contrast dots of various sizes so that the photographic image can be reproduced on a printing press. So, halftones are used for printing photographs in a lithography job, such as a two-color brochure.
Prepress / Color Separation
Electronic (Scanned) Color Separation (with Adobe Photoshop)
 Printers are able to create the illusion of continuous tone color using only four inks: yellow, magenta, cyan, and black. This phenomenon is known as "process color." All color photographs (and slides) may be "separated" to produce the yellow, magenta, cyan, and black "printers." The most common method of making these "color separations", as they are known, is electronically, using a laser scanner.
Package Design w/Composites
FreeHand and Illustrator are the two Postscript drawing tools used most commonly by professional illustrators. These are used primarily for producing "freeform" artwork of very high quality. FreeHand creates "EPS" (encapsulated postscript) files. When output on Postscript printers these illustrations have absolutely no jaggies, such as those created when you draw with a "paint" program such as MacPaint or even Photoshop. This activity begins with a basic exercise that will begin to familiarize you with the FreeHand application.
One of the powerful features of Photoshop is its ability to create images in layers. This makes it relatively easy to superimpose one image on another. "Composite" images, as they are known, are very common in the graphic communications industry. The challenge in this part of the activity is to create/import two images (that would never be seen together in real life) into  two different layers in Photoshop to create a composite. We might call this composite a "humbug," a term used to describe things that do not look like they go together.
Once you've mastered the basics, you will design a package with FreeHand, and import the Photoshop composite (humbug) into FreeHand as the primary illustration on the "cover" of the package. Be sure the composite/humbug is large enough to make a lasting impression!
Digital Multimedia Production
 Multimedia is a big umbrella. It means different things to different people. In this course, students use Adobe Premiere and many accompanying tools such as SoundEdit 16, Morph, analog and digital camcorders, Photoshop, etc. to create digital video movie. They output these movies to analog videotape, and removable digital media. These processes represent the basic building blocks of digital multimedia production.
Web-based Portfolio
Web-based portfolios are an excellent way to display all sorts of work, inlcuding text, graphics, and multimedia. This activity builds upon the Web-based Portfolio begun in the Graphic Communication I course. Throughout Graphic Communication II, students convert both conventional products and digital assignments into "Web-viewable" file formats, and assemble these into a Web-based Portfolio that communicates about the work completed during the course.
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