Hello class ~

It was fun to meet you on Wednesday and talk about plans for Concept Design 2 this semester. I just want to follow up our conversation with a couple of clarifications.

In the interest of emulating a collaborative studio environment, I would like to encourage as many of you who are willing, to participate with the main body of the class in focusing on L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz as the subject text for our class projects this semester, using The Art of How to Train Your Dragon as a style guide.

As I mentioned, I also recognize the need and desire to develop a distinctive portfolio as you progress toward the completion of your degree and prepare to compete in the workforce for creative job opportunities. In the interest of supporting that desire, I have suggested that some of you may have in mind a different subject that would better suit the kind of work you want to do, and I offered the option of proposing an alternative subject or theme you would like to pursue.

I want to clarify a few stipulations for those considering this option:

1. Student must submit a brief written proposal (2 pages max) identifying the text or narrative you have in mind, a short synopsis of it (one paragraph or less), and a clear explanation or justification of why it is more relevant to your portfolio than Baum's Oz. Your proposal should also identify 1-3 specific stylistic influences you will refer to as a design guide. You may post your proposal here on our class blog or email it directly to me.

2. If more than one student would like to work together on the same alternative project, you are encouraged to team up, thus helping restore a portion of the collaborative design experience you might otherwise miss out on by pursuing an individual project.

3. Your assignments will be due with the same frequency as the rest of the class, art directed, critiqued by your peers, and held to the same standards of quality as the Oz project.

4. In order to maintain the integrity of the BFA or BA degree and its substantial expectations, work submitted for credit in this class must not be submitted for credit in any other class. It should be original, separate, and distinct from your work in other accredited projects or courses, such as your BFA Final Project, Directed Studies, Studio electives or Senior Portfolio classes. It should complement and support your portfolio, not merely duplicate other projects or serve as a means of earning double credit for the same work.

Please let me know if there are any other questions or concerns.

Thanks,

Justin