During the ancient times, the artistry and craft of reading and writing was considered one of the most prestigious knowledge’s that a human could possess. Today, it is commonplace, a basic educational building block in all schools across America. Unfortunately, it seems as though something has gotten lost in translation during the last 10,000 years where our ambition to master the communicative ability to disseminate information, through channels of text, have been discarded for more immediate and temporary means – mass media.

This lesson focuses on the origin of what historians consider to be mankind’s greatest invention: recordable language, allowing students to invent their own language (characters and sounds) and to use them in practice: a means to help establish the mental connections with how the technologies of old made newer technologies possible – all through recordable language

Objective: 

After completing this lesson, the student will be able to: Illustrate a new system for communication purpose

Steps:

1. Using a sheet of paper and a writing instrument (down the side of the page), write:
2. "A =”
   “B =”
   “C =“
   (All the way to “Z”)
3. Next to each letter, scribe a new symbol to represent that letter. Do the same for numbers 0-9.
   
   
4. 

Students will reillustrate their completed alphabets in the digital world, using industry standard software (Adobe Illustrator / Photoshop) to immortalize their new languages in wood, stone, steel, or whatever material they so choose. This exercise is to familiarize students with the tools and terrain of software and how it is used to augment communications, in a visual manner, while bolstering their appreciation for the analogous, and age-old, means of communicating.

In order to complete this assignment, the student must provide the following:

1. Create a new folder in your "Graphic Communications 1" folder and title it "The Alphabet" (This is where all materials for your Alphabet design will be stored)
2. Scan your Alphabet using Adobe Photoshop
   1. Place your Alphabet face down on the scan bed (the glass part), with the top of the page towards you and aligned to the left side.
   2. Go to "File" on the Menu Bar
   3. Select "Import"
   4. Choose "Epson Perfection V19" ( you may have to select WIA Support from the list first).
      
      
      
      
   5. Click on "Start"
      
      
      
      
   6. Choose Epson V19 and select "OK"
   7. Click on "Scan"
3. Export the file (as a .jpg file)in your "The Alphabet" folder in your "Graphic Communications 1" folder as "AlphabetScan.jpg"
4. Open Adobe Illustrator. (Go to Start - All Programs- Adobe Design Standard CS6 - Adobe Illustrator)
5. In Illustrator, go to "File" and then "New" and create a new document. Make sure that the document is "Letter" sized.
6. Next, "Place" . This will open a box that you will use to navigate to your scanned alphabet. You will "Place" your alphabet into your document.Open the Layer's panel in Illustrator.
7. Lock the layer that your scanned alphabet is on.
8. Create a new layer. This is the layer you will recreate your alphabet on.
9. Select the down arrow at the top right of the Layer's panel and select "Panel Options."
10. Select the button next to the word "Other" and then type then numbers 99 in the box to the right of it.
11. Click "Close"
12. Use the pen tool to re-create your letters in Illustrator. The Pen Tool allows you to create custom shapes.
    In order to use the pen tool effectively, go to "Help" in Illustrator and type in "Pen Tool" in the "Search" box.
    In-depth information on how to use the Adobe Illustrator Pen-Tool can be located here.
    
    
    1. Do not simply draw your letter, but trace around it.
       1. Trace around the outside of the shape
       2. Trace around the inside of the shape (if you have any areas that require it) - cutouts, holes, etc).
    2. Use the Fill/Stroke box to make your letters Black
       In order to use the pen tool effectively, go to "Help" in Illustrator and type in "Pen Tool" in the "Search" box.
       • Watch this video segment on how to use "Path Finder" in order to cut shapes out of other shapes
    3. In order to add type, like A, B, C, to your image, use the "Type" tool on the Illustrator Tool Box
    4. Your Alphabet should be broken up into three columns (Column 1: A-M, Column 2: N-Z, and Column 3: 0-9).
       • Use the "Align" function in Illustrator to make sure your columns and rows are nice and organized
       • You may have to group items together so that Illustrator sees them as a single item. If this is the case, select your objects (hold down Shift while you do this), select "Object" on the menu bar and then select "Group." Now, Illustrator sees these as a single object.
       • Scale your entire alphabet (by selecting all of your letters and shapes) so that it fits the page, leaving about a 1/4 to 1/5 inch border around the edge
         
         Your alphabet should appear sort of like this: 
         
         
         
         
    5. Save your file as an Adobe Illustrator (AI) file in your The Alphabet, in a new folder titled "Alphabet. Name it "Alphabet.AI"
    6. Export your file as an Adobe Photoshop Document (on the shared drive), in "Alphabet" folder. Name it "Alphabet.PSD"

• Open up Adobe Photoshop
• Go to "File" and 'Open"
• Navigate to your "The Alphabet" folder and open the Alphabet.PSD file
• Create a new layer
• Go to the Internet and locate an image of a raw material (marble, stone, rock, sand, etc - do not get an image cotton candy, logo for your favorite sports team, etc)
• Paste the image of your material on a layer underneath your alphabet
• On the Layer's Panel, drop the "Fill" of your Alphabet layer down to "0"
• Apply a Layer Effect to your aplhabet layer.
  1. Apply a Bevel
  2. Apply a "Drop Shadow"
     
     Experiment with these settings to generate a more realistic carved look for your alphabet.
     
     This is how my alphabet looks when it's finished.
     
     
     
• When you are satisfied with your results, save your file as a Photoshop PDF file titled "Alphabet Finished".

Part 1

• Hardcopy of alphabet/numbers that was created with a pencil and paper

Part II

• Completed Illustrator file containing all letters and numbers

Pari III

• Completed Photoshop file where the alphabet appears to possess that carved look (stone, steel, wood, marble, etc)
• Saved copy as a .PDF (Adobe Portable Document Format file)

STL 8 - The Attributes of Design (Students will develop an understanding of the attributes of design

• The design process
• Design problems are usually not clear
• Designs need to be refined

STL 11 - Apply the Design Process (Students will develop the abilities to apply the design process)

• Identify a design problem
• Refine the design
• Evaluate the design

STL 17 - Information and Communication Technologies (Students will devlop and understanding of and be able to select and use information and communication technologies)

• The purpose of information and communication technology
• Many ways of communicating
• Communicating through symbols