COURSE TITLE:
JMS 562, Fall 2013
Advertising Creative Development
PROFESSOR:
Prof Joel Kordyak
Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:00pm– 4:00pm
Office Phone: ?
E-Mail: jkordyak@mail.sdsu.edu
MEETING PLACE:
PSFA 374
MEETING TIME:
Tuesdays:
TEXT:
The Advertising Concept Book - Pete Barry
GRADING:
Scored out of 100 points:
Final Project 30% - 30 points
Campaign 10% each (40% total) 10 points each/40 points total
Participation/Completion of assignments 30% (30 points)
4:00 – 6:40
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The goal of this course is to learn executional fundamentals to bridge the gap between creative thinking and creative
execution. The 3 primary objectives to be achieved within the class are:
1. Design/process fundamentals: creative brief, philosophy, branding, design principles, conceptual techniques,
vocabulary, etc.
2. Graphic training: education on basic design software: photoshop, illustrator, indesign
3. Execution: concept development from initial stages of sketches and mood boards etc., to final execution
To accomplish these objectives, you will learn to work in teams and individually to effectively conceptualize, evaluate,
and create ad mockups for a variety of client types, product types and media channels. The class is designed to simulate
an actual work environment with regards to deadlines, presentations and working circumstances. All campaign subjects
will be random assigned to ensure that fundamental processes for creating design are practiced and instilled as opposed
to working off "gut reactions" reactions to an assignment. Through constructive critic and analysis, you will learn to
thoughtfully question your work and strive to make it better.
NOTE: It will not be the professor’s responsibility to give you ideas. The purpose of this class is learn how cultivate
your own ideas and techniques to bring those ideas to life. Several mechanisms exist within the course structure that are
intended to develop creative concepts and provide feedback on those concepts. As such, the professor will give
guidance but the ultimate decision lies with each individual student.
CLASS ATTENDANCE: (from Bey-Ling Sha, JMS 481 Syllabus)
Class attendance is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. Class attendance involves being ON TIME to attend ALL of the
class. If you miss class, you are responsible for obtaining the information covered in that session from your classmates.
Furthermore, if an in-class exercise was assigned on the day you were absent, you will receive no credit for that
assignment, nor will you be allowed to make-up the assignment, unless your absence was excused.
When a student does not attend class, the absence is excused ONLY IF it was caused by (1) religious observance, (2)
participation in University activities at the request of University authorities, (3) debilitating illness, or (4) compelling
circumstances beyond the student’s control. Students claiming excused absences are responsible for demonstrating to
the instructor that their failure to attend was on account of one of these four causes. Such demonstration shall take the
form of a letter signed by a person in a position to make an authoritative determination as to the validity of the cause of
absence claimed by the student. Letters related to any planned absences must be presented to the instructor by the end
of the second week of classes; letters related to any unplanned absences must be presented to the instructor within one
calendar week of the date of absence, regardless of any holidays during that one-week period. The instructor reserves
the right to verify the content and authority of such letters.
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
University policy provides severe penalties for plagiarism, which is defined as “any activity wherein one person
knowingly resorts to the published or unpublished work of another in order to represent it as one’s own.” Plagiarism in
the context of this class would occur, for example, when two individuals hand in identical assignments, or when the
work of professionals is handed in. The minimum penalty for plagiarism is a “zero” on the assignment and the
lowering of the final earned course grade by one full letter grade.
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY: (from Bey-Ling Sha, JMS 481 Syllabus)
Some people believe that we should all be evaluated on the actual outcomes of our work, i.e., you get the grade that you
earn based on the knowledge that you demonstrate you know. Others believe that we should be evaluated on the effort
that we put into the work, i.e., you get graded based on how hard you tried. The challenge for many college students is
that college is a time when students must transition from the “effort-based” philosophy of K-12 education to
the “ outcome-based” philosophy of the real world.
The instructor of this course believes in outcome-based assessment, not effort-based assessment. Why? Because he
knows that, in the end, operating in an effort-based philosophy does a serious disservice to college students, who must
graduate to operate in the outcome-based world. What does this mean for you? It means that you will receive in this
class the grade that you earn, based on the grading criteria outlined on page 4.
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT POLICY: (from Bey-Ling Sha, JMS 481 Syllabus)
We will work within a climate that fosters mutual respect, dialogue, and interaction. It is expected that students in this
class will comport themselves with prudence, courtesy, and dignity in all course-related activities. There will be no
discrimination on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or military/veteran status. Sexual
harassment of any sort will not be tolerated during or in association with the activities of this class. Students who wish
to obtain further information regarding the campus sexual harassment prevention policy should consult the San Diego
State University Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy in the SDSU Senate Policy File.
ASSIGNMENTS:
During the semester there will be 5 primary “ campaigns” due with assignments due within each campaign (4 "midterm
campaigns" and 1 final campaign". You will receive approximately 10 assignments worth 3 points a piece. These
assignments will not be strictly graded, however participation in these assignments is crucial. Your ability to effectively
interact and understand each assignment and how they relate to specific campaigns is the primary focus. As each
assignment is specifically designed to help you complete a task within every campaign, it is of the utmost importance
that they are completed. Participation in all assignments will be worth 30% of your grade. Assignments and exercises
are to be completed prior to class and you should be prepared to discuss your experience within the class setting.
Quizzes will be given to ensure assignments are completed.
Assignments will be based upon techniques learned for creative brainstorming, concepting, web tutorials, software
skills, brief development, and group sessions. All assignments should be taken seriously as they will ultimately reflect
your grade.
In some instances, it may be easy to skip an assignment and still gain credit. Ultimately the skills taught will be
reflected in your final grade for each campaign and your ability to perform within those campaigns.
MIDTERMS:
There will be four “midterm campaigns”due. They will be based on class lecture, assignments, and group work. Each
campaign is meant to build upon the last to reinforce learned skills as well as develop an over understanding of the
process of creative development. With each campaign, the expectation of execution is raised. It is important to note that
the effectiveness in communicating both visually and conceptually is the key. You are not expected to be professional
artists... But you are expected to show understanding and creativity.
TERM PROJECT:
Each student will submit a final campaign project that will be an elaboration upon of one of the 4 previous campaigns
developed. In select your final campaign subject, it is important to understand that it should not be a regurgitation of
previous work. The goal is to take a subject matter you have experience with and refine it for greater potential. You
will be asked to expand the selected campaign into a full creative presentation. For this final campaign, you will be
required to make a formal presentation to the class (approx. 10-15 minutes). Presentations will take place during the
last two weeks of the semester Dec 10th and 17th. The project is "worth" 30% of your cumulative grade. See more
information on this below.
GRADING:
Scored out of 100 points:
Final Project 30% - 30 points
Campaign 10% each (40% total) 10 points each / 40 points total
Participation/Completion of assignments 30% (30 points)
Grading Criteria for course project: Excellent conceptual and executional development is essential for succeeding in the
advertising industry. This class is designed to emulate an actual working environment where quality of presentation
and effectiveness to think through ideas and communicate those ideas are the ultimate indicators of success. To that
end, the instructor will grade lab work and assignments using the following criteria:
A (90-100) – All assignments are completed and presentations are thoughtfully presented taking into account the spirit
of all campaign projects. Shows consistently highly learning of concepts, software and techniques in the development
of a course campaign.
B (80-89) –Handled all campaigns fairly well fairly well, but missing key elements that really push a campaign over
the top.
C (70-79) –Consistent conceptual and executional issues which lead to generic and obvious work. Concepts which are
presented are disjointed and hard to understand.
D (60-69) – A poor product that indicates lack of understanding of the material and exhibits several major flaws or
problems.
F (59 and below) – A very poor product that demonstrates only minimal ability to deal with subject matter and present
them. May contain serious flaws in conceptual ideas and execution. The work is unacceptable.
A++ (perfect)=100
A+ = 98
A = 95
A- = 92
B+ = 88
B = 85
B- = 82
C+ = 78
C = 75
C- = 72
D+ = 68
D = 65
D- = 62
F = 55