Texas Tech University College of Architecture

DIGITAL MEDIA I Students implements all the features of Adobe Illustra-

ARCH 1353
Spring 2011
Instructor: Rob Diaz
Coordinator: Maria R. Perbellini
TAs: Kyle Meeks, Will Denman,
Christopher Davis, Jose Sanchez
COURSE INFORMATION
Catalogue description:
1353. Digital Media I - Prerequisite: AutoCAD. An introduc-
tion to the use of the computer as a design drawing tool with
an emphasis on conceptual knowledge and computing skills
for design communication. Levels: Undergraduate - TTU
Credits: 3 semester credit hours
NAAB STUDENT PERFORMANCE
CRITERIA 2009
A.3 Visual Communication Skills: Ability to use appropriate
representational media,such as traditional graphic and digi-
tal technology skills, to convey essential formal elements at
each stage of the programming and design process.
COURSE OVERVIEW
The course intent is to develop the ability to use representa-
tional tools and methods. Students are exposed to effective
visual communication strategies using arrange of media,
such as analog and digital drawings and graphics, to sup-
port each stage of the design process. The first stage of this
course introduces a general knowledge about images made
of pixels: type, size, resolution and all those basics informa-
tion that are necessary to acquire in order to be efficient
with graphics. The second stage of the course focuses on
the use of Adobe Photoshop. Students learn about how to
manipulate and edit pixel-images. They work with a full set
tor, including files export techniques from other programs
(Photoshop,AutoCAD) and text features. The fourth stage
goes more in depth on layout and additional graphical appli-
cations using Adobe-In-Design, instrumental for giving to the
students more proficiency in their portfolio representation
and organization. Students work on weekly assignments.
COURSE STRUCTURE
The course is designed to work both as the supporting
course associated with
ARCH 1411, Architectural Design Studio I, and as a “stand
alone” course.
Students apply the course digital knowledge and tools on
their studio design process, in order to be efficient and well
table of contents
prepared on graphical representations. Guided by the in-
structor and the coordinator, the section assistants will be
responsible for every in-class aspect of their particular sec-
intro......................... | 01
tion of this course: from taking attendance, to assignment
delivery, to assessment. A typical class day will include any-
thing from a program related presentation, a discussion of
pixel + grid............... | 05-06
an assigned reading, to a review of completed work. Each
section meets nominally for two hours each week at des- a collage.................. | 07-08
ignated times. The section assistants will have two hours a
week of regular office hours for students in their section. A
student with a median skill and acumen level should require
vectors expressions. | 09-14
9 hours of study a week outside class to successfully com-
plete the coursework. inner + connective... | 15-20

ii
of actions involved with reiteration,transformation, editing,
filtering and layering. The history of all these applications
must be documented graphically. The third stage explores
vectors and diverse ways to deal with lines and drawings.
 intro
Digital Media...

...is a course that explores the potentials in systems
and forms that generate from pre-existing conditions
from pragmatic ideas. The initial phase of the course
embarks on parameterized systems where geometry
conforms to a set of rules through a kit-of-parts. This
critical thinking process begins to stimulate the artist
and viewer’s mind as a guided series to articulate an
surrealism. Forms emerge not as a coincidence of
the time or space, but as a dependent result of
the derived system of the latter. In a controlled sys-
tem, the user can manipulate several elements that
could develop into a new vernacular idea or series of
geometries that unify the elements into a connective
assemble. Geometries in this discourse play a criti-

d i g i t a l m e d i a | 01
a design studio production |
www. d m 1 - i m a g i n e . b l o g s p o t .com
expression or idea. This begins the journey not as
a simple 2D abstract but as a means to understand
form and space as a magnetism between the oppos-
cal role, determining how all things (alike or not) can
cohere to a complex world of form and space. This
begins the critical thinking process where lines and
ing and the norm. objects do more than mediate a function, the deliver
the whole.
Further studies reveal that geometries emerge
from multi-faceted arenas regardless of their origi- - Rob Diaz
nal intent or statue. The art expressed in this book
determine how geometries interact with an existing
condition or controlled. In an pre-existing condition,
elements through variable elements can merge into

04
one another as a means of connectivity or abstract
A|01
Pixel + Grid
Assignment 1 explores the tectonic assemblies
of pixel and grid. This process is the develop-
able form that all images follow regardless of
their parameters. Pixels are everywhere. We
sometimes forget that pixels are the reason
why we see images on digital display monitors.
This exercise explores that reality by investi-
gating the natural order of a pixel and its rela-
tionship to the grid.

The idea is based on the simple order of or-

thonogonal originality of grids and pxiels. The
grid forms the parametric orders where the
void spaces become the active cubonic device
that illustrates the next phases of visualization
through color and texture. The edge definition
from this experiment from overlay orders to
displacement and transformation will attain a
spatial reality from one relationship to another
as images get more complex.

06
A|02
a Collage
A picture can host several different events, ob-
jects, environments, and so on. This particular
assignment will examine how these pictures
formulate a relationship with the prescribed
object and its connectiveness with each seg-
ment the object inherits. This is an assessment
of detail and arrangement of photos for a type
of collage/photomontage. This process will
explore how certain qualities of the image can
play a role in arrangement and connection to
the next image or images. Certain aspects of
the image such as straight-edge conditions or
linear projections can help develop the collage
so that each image has a connected relation-
ship to the next.

by Sonya Shah

08
A|03
Vectors Expressions
An exploration of collages and vector lines.
The purpose is to understand the general con-
cept of a lineweights through extraction and
abstraction of profile and shadow lines. This
is a two part assignment because the first part
will entail a collage of a building in persepctive
view and then by the general concept of the
building delivered in a vector-base output com-
position.

The vector exploration is the examining of how

geometric exploration
vector lines and simple geometry can play a
significant role in any composition. Lines help
illustrate an image or detail drawing as a visual
representation. Geometry is just about every-
where and thing we see, touch, and feel. Lines
help provoke a system whole into a complex or
simple series of vectors that emerge into geo- architecture collage
metric shapes.

Falling Water | architect | Frank Lloyd Wright

architecture collage
10
phase 01

phase 02

12
phase 03
14
A|05
iNNER + connective

components
When you draw a line from a point to another
point, you begin to articulate a certain dialogue
between space and moment. This variance 01 02 03
between the two points can illustrate a unique
system that is governed by a set of rules or-

002 | composite
dained by the director. When the line continues
to expand from its origin, it begins to transpire
into a new order, delivered by a degree or a 01
juxtaposition of other lines. As lines begin to
meet one another, intersections are explored
as vertices where a object or shape emerges.
02
This study will investigate the potentiality of ge-
ometries as a fundamental emergence of two
or three basic geometries selected by the user.
The geometric shapes will determine the direct
order but the user will take the few lines that
emerge from the shape as a radiancy transpir-
ing selection that will interact with its neigh- 03

001 | composite
boring segments and connect with opposing
systems. The idea is to explore the geometries
16
transition

that emerge from the inner-connective seg-

ments as they meet with each other and ex-
scheme | 01 18
 statement
The initial transition of geometries
along the path begin the articulate
a dialogue between the moment
of its movement to the final rest-
ing position, if one is negated. The
gradual change in size and rotation
determine a relationship between
lines and form where new geom-
etries emerge. Extended lines from
the original component intersect
one another a precise moments
regulated by a series of rules that
reveal certain geometries that may
not exceed a limited parameter of 6
sides. The nature of this transition
from lines to geometry is articulate
because the number of lines that
radiate from the geometry prede-
termine how the overall geometric
crystals will develop.
scheme | 02
The end result resembles some-
what of “broken glass” where lines
intersect and one or another mo-
ment, creating a inter-woven idea of
forms. There isn’t a real pattern that
emerges except for what was deter-
mined from the transitional transfig-
uration momentum. As one merges
these systems on each other, a se-
ries of 2D manipulations further ex-
plored reveal a certain “depth-ness”
to the composition, especially as
transparencies begin to play a role.
This composition then begins to
embark what appears to be a chaos
stratum but is actually a selected
series of systems that dance on the
canvas, enforcing a type of depen-
dency on the other.
20