Media Magazine

A Course Titled Digital Media: Multi-platform Design & Storytelling

Posted on the 10 January 2014 by Themarioblog @garciainteract

This is the weekend edition of TheMarioBlog and will be updated as needed. The next blog post is Monday, January 13

TAKEAWAY: Here is an idea of the topics to be covered in the class I am teaching this semester at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

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Building of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism

Thanks to all of you who are sending me good wishes as I embark into my return to academia: teaching a Spring semester course as the Hearst Media Professional in Residence at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

Your mails inspire me, and, as several of you would like to get an idea of what topics I will cover in the course, here are highlights from the class syllabus, which, by the way, is available in its entirety here: http://garciamedia.com/syllabus/

Why this course

Readers get their news from multiple platforms, and today’s journalists must therefore learn to tell stories for and across these platforms. This course will focus on design (visual presentation) and storytelling (story structures and genres) for mobile, tablet, web and print. It will also cover issues of technology, advertising and other revenue strategies. Students will gain hands-on experience designing story prototypes for the major platforms, taking into account the unique characteristics of each. The course will also include lectures by the instructor and guest speakers, readings and critical analysis of contemporary news organizations’ offerings.

Topics by the week

Week 1: Storytelling in the age of the tablet

Week 2: WED and iWED

Week 3: Fundamentals of visual storytelling & design

Week 3: Visual storytelling

Week 4: Typography, color, grids and usability

Week 5: Mobile storytelling: Designing for the mobile context

Week 6: Mobile storytelling: Designing for touch

Week 7: Tablets

Week 8: Doing print happily

Week 9: Responsive web design

Week 10: Multimedia storytelling

Week 11: Economics / the future of the media quartet

Week 12: Work on final projects

Week 13: Work on final projects

Week 14: Presentations of final projects

Week 15: Presentations of final projects

Week 16: Conclusions

Updates and the class

I do plan to post blogs about each of these lectures (in summary style) the day after I give them for the students.  This course will not be an online class, so my summaries should help those who wish to keep up with class content.

Please refer to the online syllabus for an idea of the readings and projects that the students will be able to complete.

I am excited to return to academia, and to learn much from a group of students who represent the brightest and the best.

Of related interest:

Mario Garcia named Hearst Digital Media Professional-in-Residence for 2013-14 School Year

http://www.journalism.columbia.edu/news/873

A return to academia: Teaching multi-platform storytelling at Columbia

http://garciamedia.com/blog/articles/a_return_to_academia_teaching_multi-platform_storytelling_at_columbia

SPD Competition 2014

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So you have done all this good work, and the audience loved it, and you, too, were quite pleased with the results.

Time to enter that fantastic print and/or digital material in the Society of Publication Designers annual competition.

Take advantage of the special entry rates that remain in effect for 9 more days. The standard rate of $45 per entry for members, $90 per entry for non-members, holds through January 17, after which there’s a $10 surcharge on each late entry.

For more information:

http://www.spd.org/competitions/

TheMarioBlog post # 1408

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