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No. 15: Printing Design and Publication 14-18 July 1997 |
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1. How useful were the pre-course readings?
1: Very useful. The pre-course readings gave the class a helpful base of knowledge that was built upon the lectures. (This gave students who had less knowledge of design and publication a good introduction to the processes.) 2: Useful introductory readings on basic principles, typefaces, etc., were prerequisites for detailed treatment in the classroom. 3: Very useful. 4: Somewhat useful for the course more useful for a philosophic overview of the principles of the course. 5: Quite useful as a jump start. 6: They gave me a good idea of what to expect left me wanting more. 7: Very, they gave me a better sense of what to expect and got me up to speed so that I might participate in class dialogue. 8: Useful. |
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2. Were the course syllabus and other materials distributed in class useful (or will they be so in the future, after you return home)?
1: Yes! GA has provided us with much information that I intend to refer to in the future. 2: Yes. There were many handouts which I propose to study more carefully; I propose to use these as checklists for my projects. 3: Very useful and relevant I will refer to them in future. 4: The handouts and other materials were excellent to have real learning tools and will be referred to very often after my return home. 5: 6: Yes very relevant for my type of work. Lots to digest in a short period of time I will enjoy reading them later. 7: Yes, oh, yes. I leave with a veritable graphics manual carefully prepared and organized and jammed pack with useful information. It will sit with my other important reference books. 8: Yes. |
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3. Was the intellectual level of the course content appropriate?
1: Very much so. 2: Yes. 3: Yes, very much so a high level of intellectual content as well as practical information. 4: Perfect. 5: At first, I thought too many trees had been felled for handouts. Then I realized the principle of emphasis by isolation was being used. I will put all the handouts into a binder and consolidate my separate notes on them. 6: Yes good variety, from very basic to quite sophisticated. 7-8: Yes. |
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4. If your course had field trips, were they effective?
1: n/a. 2: Not applicable. 4: We spent a short amount of time on web site design and browsed the Internet which was fun and informative. 5: The 90 minutes on the www were just right. It was useful to note the differences between publishing on paper and on the Web. Any further time would have been a waste. That is really a topic for another course. 6: N/A. 7: Yes we scanned the Internet to get a sense of how graphics are used to communicate in that medium. 8: Not applicable. |
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5. Did the actual course content correspond to its RBS brochure description and Expanded Course Description (ECD)? Did the course in general meet your expectations?
1: This course (as well as RBS as a whole) has far exceeded my expectations. 2: 1) Yes. 2) Yes. 3: Yes; I would like to see a little more time spent on making design choices. A bit of time on why certain decisions were made by GA. 4: The course by far exceeded my expectations. 5: Yes and yes. 6: Basically, yes. For some reason I thought we would have more computer time to experiment with possibilities. 7: Yes and surpassed my expectations. 8: 1) Yes. 2) Yes. |
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6. What did you like best about the course?
1: GA's enthusiasm about the subjects was definitely a positive aspect. Also, the fact that he has so much experience with the subject matter. GA has a keen sense of design and the ability to communicate effectively why certain things work. (I suppose my answer could be summarized as the quality of the instructor!) 2: The wide selection of actual examples, interpreted by reference to basic principles of design. 3: GA's excellent teaching style: open, informative, didactic (but graciously so), appealingly comic. 4: I liked the level of enthusiasm and professionalism with which it was taught. Wonderfully full of GA's information and practical knowledge. 5: The expertise and ebullience of the instructor. 6: 1) GA wonderful instructor. 2) Learning from others' examples. 7: I always had the sense that I was sitting at the feet of a master whose quick mind generated story upon story packed with the most useful information. 8: Instructor. |
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7. How could the course have been improved?
1: A trip to a paper mill or printing company may have added to the course, but I don't believe that time would allow it. GA has suggested that the students undertake this on their own, and I intend to do so. 3: Perhaps the inclusion of a hands-on session related to design. Less emphasis on book design, since fewer people would actually be doing it. 5: I found the humorous style of discourse very enjoyable and it was a great mix of students from different walks of life. Two thumbs up! I couldn't improve the week. 6: 1) Computer time. 2) More time for questions. 3) Four more days of listening to GA. 7: Only by making it longer perhaps SA and GA would allow us to move in with them so that we might soak up their genius. 8: Goals set were appropriate and the instructor well equipped to accomplish those goals. A unit in which we observed someone using a complete design program would have been useful for those of us who have never done any design. |
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8. Please comment on the quality/enjoyability of the various RBS activities in which you took part outside of class, e.g. Sunday afternoon tour, Sunday night dinner and videos, evening
lectures, Bookseller Night, tour of the Alderman digital/electronic centers, printing demonstrations, &c.
1: The Sunday night dinner was a nice way to break the ice and meet people. The evening lectures were informative. 2: There was a wide range of choice, though I could manage only one evening the lecture in the Rotunda. 3: I would like to have seen the tour of Alderman digital/electronic centers and printing demonstrations; I was not aware of these as public activities. Also a tour of Alderman. 4: I partook in the evening lectures, most of which were quite enjoyable. I thought the break time and offerings of snacks were quite generous and a wonderful time to network with the other students & instructors. 5: I attended and enjoyed all three lectures. 8: As previously, I most enjoyed Tuesday's bookseller night and PS's lecture. Snacks are crucial as means of encouraging contact with students. |
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9.Any final thoughts? Did you get your money's worth?
1: I will recommend this course to friends. I have enjoyed my week thoroughly and would like to thank everyone who had a hand in its success. Most definitely. 2: I would recommend GA's course to anyone interested in book design, including those involved with trade books, because the principles cannot be too often revisited. 3: I would highly recommend the program. I definitely got my money's worth! 4: Absolutely inspiring, well worth the money and packed full of useful information. 5: Bring lots of examples from home to evaluate. Yes (but I hope the price doesn't go up). 6: Yes, money's worth no question. Send extra applications to pass around in the office. Send GA to large cities as your salesperson his enthusiasm is contagious! Very well done! 7: Yes. What a worthwhile and enjoyable experience. Within a week I have a deepened appreciation for the layout and design of printed pieces (particularly books), as well as a heightened sensitivity to elements I had before taken for granted. 8: Yes. |
| Number of respondents: 8 |
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There were eight students; two were graphic designers (25%), one each was a general librarians with no rare book duties, a government administrator, and institutional administrator, worker in a museum at work not directly related to the library, a rare book librarian, and proprietor of a small press (12% each). |