Taste of St. Mary’s University (StMU) is a community effort of graphic design and multimedia students who are learning how to publish a magazine and/or produce a short video episode throughout the semester. Focusing on food as a topic, they interview “chefs” whose recipes are archived on this blog and where their class projects are showcased.

Graphic Design Learning Objectives

Students enrolled in graphic design class are introduced to the entire publication process. Through guided exercises and hands-on experiences, they learn and develop skills in the following:

• interviewing
• journalistic writing and editing
• photography (shooting subjects, optimizing photo files, cropping)
• basic knowledge of media law and ethics in the digital age
• design elements (typography, color theory)
• creative advertising copywriting and design (full-page, special sizes and classifieds)
• page layout program (using industry-standard software Adobe InDesign and Photoshop)
• pre-press and publishing (pre-flight files, output/printing, binding)
• project management
• teamwork
• deadlines

Constructive critiques from the professor, fellow classmates, peers and professionals in the fields of graphic design and mass communication are given throughout the various stages of the publication process to help identify areas where improvement is needed and to encourage students to complete the challenges of the course.

The final project culminates in a multi-page color magazine, aptly titled “Taste of StMU,” which comprises articles and photos from fellow classmates. Each magazine is an expression of the student editors’ individual design styles and becomes a tangible part of their portfolios.

A magazine launch party is held near the end of the semester to celebrate their achievements. On the menu at this special event are foods prepared by the “chefs” they featured in their magazines. Awards are given to students in two categories, “Professionals’ Choice” and “People’s Choice,” and can be listed as an honor in their resumes.

Multimedia Learning Objectives

Students enrolled in the multimedia class participate in Taste of StMU by contributing a short two-minute video episode, a “foodie featurette,” for this blog. In preparation for showcasing a segment of their guest chef “dishing out” about a special recipe exclusively for Taste of StMU, students practice lab-based production techniques and learn the following:

• video conceptualization, storyboarding and scripting
• mobile journalism, electronic news gathering and interviewing
• basic audio and video production (recording, shooting, editing and packaging short stories for online publishing)
• digital file workflow and organization
• website content management
• legal and ethical issues relating to multimedia messages
• teamwork
• deadlines

Moreover, students establish and maintain a website, publishing their own multimedia projects online. Click on the links on the widget sidebar where they are listed on the Taste of StMU student sites blogroll.

Contact

Administrator e-mail:

tasteofstmu(at)gmail(dot)com

Mailing address:

Taste of StMU

c/o Department of English and Communication Studies

St. Mary’s University

One Camino Santa Maria

San Antonio, TX  78228