ADV4101C O P Y W R I T I N G & V I S U A L I Z A T I O N

I N S T R U C T O R : J U S T I N S I M M O N S • J C S 1 @ U F L . E D U • 3 8 6 - 3 4 4 - 3 1 2 6

C O U R S E S Y L L A B U S • S P R I N G 2 0 1 6

1

C O U R S E I N F O R M AT I O N

ADV4101 // Sect ion #0067 // Mondays & Wednesdays 1:55 - 3:50 p.m. (Per iod 7-8)

PREREQUISITES : 3JM-ADV, Minimum grades of C or bet ter in MMC 2100, ADV 3000, MAR 3023 and ADV 3203. Coreq: ADV 3501.

COURSE DESCRIPTION : Adver t is ing is one of the best examples in our ever yday l ives of the convergence of wri t ing and design. This course, Copywri t ing and Visual izat ion , takes a deeper look in to both the overal l theories of design and wri t ing, as wel l as the speci f ic e lements that make up many common types of adver t is ing, inc luding print , e lec tronic, and non- tradi t ional . By explor ing the creat ive s ide of the adver t is ing industr y, fu ture adver t isers can gain valuable ins ight in to what happens behind the doors (or wi thin the cubic les, at leas t ) of creat ive s tudios, regardless of his or her plans for a fu ture career path. P lease unders tand that th is course involves a high level of in teract ion between the ins tructor and your peers throughout the semester, of ten inc luding group cr i t iques of work. The course is designed this way to hone your aesthet ic sk i l l s and unders tanding whi le pushing your creat ive boundaries.

COURSE OBJECTIVES :

• To unders tand and ef fec t ive ly apply creat ive s t rategy to solve adver t is ing problems

• To unders tand the value and appl icat ion of creat ive br iefs in the adver t is ing industr y

• To gain a deeper unders tanding of the creat ive s ide of the adver t is ing industr y

• To learn how to apply a s t rategic message across mul t ip le types of media

• To gain experience generat ing creat ive ideas indiv idual ly and as par t of a team

• To develop creat ive presentat ion ski l l s

• To recognize and unders tand speci f ic design and layout pr inciples

• To learn how to communicate to var ying audiences, inc luding mul t ic i l tural and in ternat ional consumers

• To construct ive ly evaluate your own work as wel l as the work of your peers

• To learn about emerging technology in adver t is ing and how to take advantage of i t to execute a creat ive s t rategy

• To gain the ski l l s required to brand yoursel f to k ick of f and sus tain your fu ture career

REQUIRED MATERIALS : By the second c lass meet ing, you should have:

• 11”x14” unl ined sketch pad (having the correct s ize is cr i t ical )

• Several b lack magic markers (wide t ipped)

• F lash dr ive (8-16gb should be suf f ic ient )

• Access to Adobe InDesign & Photoshop (Adobe of fers Creat ive Cloud to s tudents for jus t $20 per month)

2

EVALUATION (GRADING) : The object ives of th is course inc lude learning speci f ic informat ion re lated to wri t ing and design as wel l as the improvement and development of your own personal creat ive ski l l s . Therefore, the grading sys tem is spl i t between exams, quizzes, ass ignments, c lass par t ic ipat ion, and especial ly your own creat ive work in the form of mul t ip le cumulat ive campaigns. The point breakdown is out l ined below:

Scheduled Exams (2 x 100pts) 200

Homework/Excercises 100

PARTICIPATION

Cri t iques/Class Par t ic ipat ion 50

Brand Yoursel f Presentat ion 50

CAMPAIGNS

Brand Yoursel f Campaign 100

Fun Product (4 execut ions x 50pts) 200

Major Campaign 300

A 100-95 // A- 94.9-90 // B+ 86-89.9 // B 83-85.9 // B- 80-82.9 // C+ 77-79.9

C 73-76.9 // C- 70-72.9 // D+ 66-69.9 // D 63-65.9 // D- 60-62.9 // F 0-59.9

EXAMS : We wi l l take two scheduled exams during the semester. The exams wi l l be held during c lass t ime. The subject mat ter covered by both exams is out l ined in the course schedule below.

HOMEWORK & EXCERCISES : Throughout the semester, you wi l l have homework inc luding creat ing ini t ia l concepts, making presentat ions, and other ass ignments which wi l l e i ther be turned in for a grade or presented to the c lass for cr i t ique. I f you miss an in-c lass ass ignment due to an unexcused absence, or i f you do not have your mater ia ls on the due date, you wi l l be penal ized. Homework and excercises var y in point value and you must be present in c lass to present your work. P lease also keep in mind that , in addi t ion to penal iz ing points for missed ass ignments, unexcused absenses may also have a negat ive ef fec t on your c lass par t ic ipat ion points .

CRIT IQUES & CLASS PARTICIPATION : A major component of th is course is creat ive presentat ion and group cr i t ique. During the semester, you wi l l present many smal l ass ignments and also complete a formal presentat ion of your “Brand Yoursel f” campaign. During group cr i t iques, par t ic ipat ion is necessar y to ensure that ever yone receives construct ive feedback on their work. You wi l l receive points for each unique, ins ight fu l comment made during our group cr i t ique sess ions.

= 1000 POINTSDivide by 10 for your f inal grade

3

BRAND YOURSELF CAMPAIGN : This campaign is focused on branding yoursel f for potent ia l real-wor ld employers and c l ients . The campaign wi l l consis t of :

• An about me s tatement (20 pts ) • A personal logo (20 pts ) • A resume (20 pts ) • Your own personal websi te (40 pts )

During the semester, you wi l l present th is campaign as a formal creat ive presentat ion in f ront of the c lass (50pts. ) The presentat ion wi l l be graded separate ly f rom the content of the campaign.

FUN PRODUCT CAMPAIGN : This campaign is to get your creat ive ju ices f lowing throughout the semester based on concepts and lessons from the lec tures. At the beginning of the semester, you wi l l choose a “fun product” f rom which you wi l l create al l four f inal del iverables. Al l four execut ions in th is campaign wi l l be based on the same product , so choose wise ly – something for which you won’t run out of ideas. The campaign wi l l consis t of :

• A creat ive br ief

• One print execut ion (50 pts )

• One TV execut ion (50 pts )

• One digi ta l/onl ine execut ion (50 pts )

• One out-of-home, non- tradi t ional execut ion (50 pts )

F INAL MAJOR CAMPAIGN : Your f inal campaign wi l l be a cumulat ive, in tegrated campaign adver t is ing a s ingle product that f i t s in to one of the categories below (or another approved by me.) This campaign wi l l be completed pr imari ly outs ide of c lass and wi l l not have dedicated peer-cr i t iques. The campaign MAY NOT be targeted to the 18-24-year-old col lege demographic. The campaign also MAY NOT be for a res taurant or any local business.Your f inal campaign wi l l consis t of :

• A creat ive br ief

• Two print execut ions (2 x 50 pts )

• One TV or radio execut ion (50 pts )

• One outdoor execut ion (50 pts )

• One digi ta l/onl ine execut ion (50 pts )

• One non- tradi t ional execut ion (50 pts )

PRODUCT CATEGORIES:

• Any kind of to i le t r y (shampoo, toothpaste, e tc. ) • Any kind of packaged food i tem

• Any over- the-counter medicat ion • Cosmet ics

• Any kind of car • Beverages

• Any kind of household product • E lec tronics

• Air l ines or other k inds of ser vices • Other ideas that are approved by your ins tructor.

YOU MAY NOT DO A CAMPAIGN FOR: condoms, water pipes, hangover medicines, e tc. Use common sense!

4

You should s tar t working on your major campaign by mid semester. I am happy to discuss concepts and ideas wi th you throughout the semester, but do unders tand that the end of the semester gets hect ic and I can’t gauruntee we wi l l both have t ime to review al l of your work pr ior to i t s f inal due date. P lease also note, you may work with a partner on your final major campaign . I f you choose to work wi th a par tner, you wi l l both receive the same grade on the f inal campaign. There are no excuses i f a par tner fai ls to turn in the project or his or her por t ion of the campaign. To work as a pair, you must le t me know at the t ime you se lec t your major campaign’s product .

HOW CREATIVE WORK IS GRADED : Don’t worr y. Not ever yone is in teres ted in working in the creat ive s ide of adver t is ing – I know that . However, i t i s impor tant that you have a ver y good grasp on what goes in to execut ing creat ive work. In th is course, your work wi l l be graded based on many di f ferent factors, none of which require a t remendous amount of ar t is t ic abi l i ty. Our major projects are based on a 50 point scale. Each of the fo l lowing e lements factors in to your f inal grade and takes in to account ever y s tep in the creat ive process, f rom s trategy to f inal execut ion. For some projects , the scale wi l l be modif ied according to the f inal point value (e.g. a 20pt ass ignment wi l l be adjus ted down propor t ional ly) :

10 PTS : STRATEGY / BASED ON “RESEARCH” : Do you have the requis i te knowledge to speak credibly about the products and ser vices you have chosen? Have you learned about the target market , what mot ivates them, and what doesn’t? Do you have a good plan for posi t ioning your product in the marketplace? How wi l l you use media to get your message across? Should you use al ternat ive media? Al though this c lass does not require formal research, you should be able to explain each conscious decis ion throughout your creat ive process based on real-wor ld cr i ter ia.

20 PTS : CONCEPT : I s your idea fresh? Extendible? Ef fec t ive? Your concept is the idea for an adver t isement that you wi l l develop based on your background research and knowledge. A s trong concept wi l l communicate to your audience your under ly ing campaign s t rategy through a c lear and creat ive idea. Your concept wi l l a lso be judged based on i t s or iginal i ty. Has the idea been done before? Can you create a unique, in teres t ing way of looking at the product or ser vice, so that people actual ly want to hear what you have to say about i t?

15 PTS : EXECUTION/CRAFT/QUALITY OF WORK : I s your layout wel l -designed? Is your body copy t ight , memorable, and evocat ive? Do the layout and copy work wel l together? Is the mater ia l presentat ion of your work at t ract ive? Does the typography work? Does your design and copy f i t your target audience and the product? Is/are your v isuals appropriate and arres t ing? Keep in mind that , jus t because you might not consider yoursel f an ar t is t , you s t i l l have the tools necessar y to create ver y high qual i ty work.

5 PTS : CAMPAIGN CONGRUENCE : Does your concept f i t in wi th your overal l product campaign? An impor tant factor in the adver t is ing world is the “extendabi l i ty” of a concept. The more ideas that can come from a s ingle concept, the bet ter.

5

EXECUTION : Usual ly, thumbnai ls or rough marker comps – jus t enough to convey the idea – accompanied by copy by due date for roughs. F inal layouts should al l be done on the computer, preferrably in Adobe InDesign. No res tr ic t ions on medium or color – whatever works. You have learned how to use computers for layout , but in the f i rs t few weeks, the computer is a hindrance to good idea generat ion. I ’d rather you use your t ime to develop great concepts, not computer layouts. Writing assignments and scripts must be typed ( the proper format wi l l be provided).

You are u l t imate ly enter ing the f ie ld of communicat ion. Therefore, spel l ing and grammar do count . You wi l l be penal ized 5 points for ever y misspel led word ( inc luding mixing up homonyms such as i t ’s and i ts ) and 5 points for ever y grammar/punctuat ion error. These points wi l l be doubled on the f inal por t fo l io.

Always make a backup copy of your work; lost originals are not an acceptable excuse for missed deadlines.

ABSENCES : There is a high corre lat ion between regular c lass at tendance and the best grades. I reser ve the r ight to reduce your f inal grade 1/2 a le t ter grade for each unexcused absence. We only meet twice a week so come to c lass.

An absence is excused for urgent personal or fami ly heal th condi t ions cer t i f ied by a physic ian or counselor, re l igious hol iday, cer t i f ied Univers i ty business or par t ic ipat ion in a Univers i ty spor t ing event, or a cer t i f ied mi l i tar y obl igat ion . ( I ta l ic ized must be pre-approved by the ins tructor one week in advance of the event . ) In al l o ther cases, you must not i fy the professor by noon on that c lass day that you wi l l be or were absent in order to be excused. Don’t schedule non-urgent doctor’s appointments (year ly dental check-up, physicals , e tc. ) dur ing c lass t ime; these won’t be excused. I f you know you’re going to miss c lass, you must submit i t to me in wri t ing.

What doesn’t count for excused absences? Enter taining out-of- town guests , miss ing airplanes (unless weather-re lated), s ick roommate/pet , e tc. I f i t i sn’t ment ioned in the paragraph above, i t i sn’t excusable. Addi t ional informat ion is avai lable at : h t tps://catalog.uf l .edu/ugrad/current/regulat ions/info/at tendance.aspx.

Makeup work for excused absences wi l l be due the next c lass or lab period. Turn i t in the minute you walk in the door. Make sure this work is c lear ly marked “Makeup” at the top center of the page. Also i f you missed c lass and i t was an excused absence, i t i s your responsibi l i ty to ask for any ass ignments, handouts, e tc. in the fo l lowing c lass per iod and not r ight before the exam. I f you have an unexcused absence, I WILL NOT provide you wi th copies of handouts, e tc. I f you miss c lass/lab, you wi l l not receive credi t for work missed and no makeups wi l l be of fered. I wi l l not review mater ia l that has already been covered in c lass. I f you miss c lass, i t i s your responsibi l i ty to acquire missed handouts, notes, and/or explanat ions of missed mater ia l f rom your c lassmates.

NOTE: Many of the lab periods during the semester inc lude separate points for work that you wi l l be present ing. You wi l l lose these points i f you come to lab unprepared ( i f your ad/concept is not ready to present ) ! I a lso reser ve the r ight to deduct points i f I fee l that you threw the work together r ight before c lass.

5

LATE POLICY : Don’t worr y. Things happen. However, at tendence is extremely impor tant to your success in th is course. I ’ l l g ive you two freebies during the semester to be late to c lass. Late means up to 15-20 minutes af ter our scheduled t ime. Anything later than that wi l l be considered an unexcused absense and could have a negat ive impact on your grade. Any late arr ivals af ter the f i rs t two could also resul t in deducted points f rom your f inal grade.

THINK YOU’RE NOT CREATIVE? : We can’t a l l be Alex Bogusky. That ’s ok. I unders tand that many of you have no in teres t in working in the s tudio in your fu ture career. However, jus t because you don’t consider yoursel f creat ive DOES NOT mean you can’t create excel lent work. Res t assured that the ef for t you put in to your work shows at ever y s tep in the process, regardless of your creat ive prowess. I f you work hard and genuinely focus on the pr inciples of wri t ing and design that we discuss, you’ l l have no problem earning a high grade.

In addi t ion to your f inal work, th is course also aims to develop ski l l s that wi l l he lp you in any career path you choose – namely the abi l i ty to grow and improve from construct ive cr i t ic ism. No mat ter how many hours you put in to a project , somet imes al l i t takes is 30 seconds and a fresh set of eyes to take i t to the next level . P lease unders tand that the cr i t iques you receive throughout the semester, f rom me and your peers, are 100% in the in teres t of improving your work. Jus t as you wi l l sure ly see oppor tuni t ies for ref inement in your peers’ work, they wi l l see i t in yours. Focus on receiv ing their comments wi th an open mind.

STUDENTS WITH DISABIL IT IES : S tudents request ing c lassroom accommodat ion must f i rs t regis ter wi th

the Dean of Students Of f ice. The Dean of Students wi l l provide documentat ion to the s tudent who must

then provide this documentat ion to me when request ing accommodat ion. I f your disabi l i ty requires

special tes t ing arrangements (e.g. , extra t ime, quiet environment) , you wi l l be taking your exams at the

disabi l i ty of f ice and not in the bui lding. You wi l l a lso need to keep track of the appropriate paperwork

for th is . “Students wi th disabi l i t ies request ing accommodat ions should f i rs t regis ter wi th the Disabi l i ty

Resource Center (352-392-8565, www.dso.uf l .edu/drc/) by providing appropriate documentat ion. Once

regis tered, s tudents wi l l receive an accommodat ion le t ter which must be presented to the ins tructor when

request ing accommodat ion. Students wi th disabi l i t ies should fo l low this procedure as ear ly as poss ib le

in the semester.

THE HONOR CODE : UF s tudents are bound by The Honor P ledge which s tates, “We, the members of

the Univers i ty of F lor ida communi ty, p ledge to hold ourse lves and our peers to the highest s tandards of

honor and in tegri ty by abiding by the Honor Code. On al l work submit ted for credi t by s tudents at the

Univers i ty of F lor ida, the fo l lowing pledge is e i ther required or impl ied: “On my honor, I have nei ther

given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this ass ignment.” The Honor Code (ht tp://www.dso.uf l .

edu/sccr/process/student-conduct-honorcode/) speci f ies a number of behaviors that are in v io lat ion

of th is code and the possible sanct ions. Fur thermore, you are obl igated to repor t any condi t ion that

faci l i ta tes academic misconduct to appropriate personnel . I f you have any quest ions or concerns, p lease

consul t wi th the ins tructor or TAs in th is c lass.”

Class schedule fo l lows on next page. Syl labus is subject to change wi th ins tructor not i f icat ion. There may be extra credi t oppor tuni t ies re lated to research s tudies.