Communication Planning

Instructor

Peter Laundy

ID520 is designed to give communication designers and design planners an introduction to brand-building and to the role communications play in brand-building.
Each student will select a brand to study within one of four offering categories. You will do five weekly assignments concerning the brand you select. You will then edit the assignments and compile them into a final project. Weekly readings, including the instructor’s notes and outside articles and essays, will inform the assignments.

In the past, students have come in to the class with a great diversity of experience with brands and with communications. For those with considerable experience, the course is designed to help you step back and see the big picture more clearly into which your skills and experience fit. For those with little experience, it is designed to introduce you to the subject and help you look at corporate activities from a brand perspective.

Format & Grading

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SCHEDULE

1 October 26
Topics introduced: Brands and brand concepts

2 November 2
Topics introduced: Brand portfolios, communications, names and marks

3 November 9
Topics introduced: Brand identity (and diversity)

4 November 16
Topics introduced: Communication approaches and assets (for 1st week)
Communication audience, brand involvement stages, media use and content development (for second week)

5 November 23 (Thanksgiving) No class

6 November 30
No topics introduced:
(Class time will be taken up by longer presentations because they involve doing two weeks of assignments)

7 December 7 (tentatively scheduled at Doblin)
Activities: share final presentations in print form, review course

CLASS FORMAT

Typically, classes are conducted as follows:
1
Weekly assignments will be presented by a semi-random selection of students. Every student is to hand in a print-out (black & white OK) of weekly assignments and post to SeeID.
2
Discussion of presentation and previous week’s assignment and reading
3
Instructor will introduce following week’s topic and assignment
4
If we finish early, instructor will be available to meet with students individually.

DELIVERABLES

The five weekly assignments comprise the five components of the final project. If done well each week, you will need only to assemble them. Alternatively, you may decide it would be best to review and alter one or more of the components for final review. Projects will be handed in printed and electronic form on week seven. Each student will do an independent project covering a unique brand.

Projects can be done in page layout or slide presentation form. If in slide presentation form, they need to include a “voice over” script in the notes section and be printed in the notes view. All final projects must be submitted in digital read-only form compatible with both Macs and PCs on December 8, our last day of class.

GRADING

You will be evaluated on how well you participate in class, keep up with classwork, grasp the
concepts presented and apply them in what you say and make.

1/4 class attendance and participation
1/4 weekly assignments, handed in on time
1/2 final deliverable