How to be Basic

This guest post is by Amanda Gisonni, a junior studying Psychology in the College. In this post, she describes various ways to gain basic skill sets in computer software programs by using resources in the Weigle Information Commons. 

This is not what you think it is. I am not here to instruct you on how to dress or how to act “basic.”  But I will tell you how you can gain some basic skills in certain computer software programs; in other words, boost your knowledge when it comes to Excel, PowerPoint, Illustrator, and more. Weigle Information Commons offers a variety of WICshops that demonstrate some introductory topics in a hands-on approach that will help get you started.

This is the WIC Seminar Room in which many workshops are held.

WICshops give a brief but thorough introduction to these programs. They are a starting point and meant to introduce you to the essentials of each program. You will start at the beginning, with opening the program, then you will actually get to use the program and finish by learning how to save your work. Also, these workshops are for people of all skill sets! So, if you are not so tech-savvy, these classes are great for you, and they are also great for people who have some knowledge and are looking to gain more.

Some of the ones I have tried and recommend include InDesign, Photoshop Basics, Photoshop Selection Tools, PowerPoint and more. This October and November, Weigle is offering a variety of workshops for students, some of which include:

• Introduction to Latex: For those looking to create a scientific document, learn what Latex is and the uses for it in this class. Use various documents, page layouts, fonts and images.
• Introduction to ArcGIS I: This workshop demonstrates the software and data behind creating maps and geographic analyses. There will be simple exercises to introduce the program to beginners.
• Introduction to Text Mining: This class is for beginners and those who have some prior experience. “Learn the why and the how of text mining, methodology, cautionary tales, and preferred tools.”

This WICshop calendar is comprehensive and easy to use.

But why stop there? If you are too basic for these, then take some advanced classes! I recommend signing up for Advanced Illustrator Techniques and Audio and Video in PowerPoint.

Each month new WICshops are posted; check the website periodically to see if there is a workshop you are particularly interested in. I also suggest attending office hours if you have a specific question or need help with a certain program. Excel Office Hours and Copyright Office Hours are offered each week. Staff in Weigle and the Vitale Digital Media Lab will also help answer any questions you may have!

 

 

Redesign One Sign at a Time

No one goes to the library to read—ugly signs that is. That’s why Lippincott’s own Business Librarian Melinda Roberts redesigned their food policy signs to be more visual. Congrats to Melinda! Her work was featured on the Librarian Design Share blog. Here are the old and redesigned signs:

Melinda doesn’t have a background in art but is surrounded by artists. She learned the basics of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign through WICshops. She’s taking on one sign at a time—including the redesign of Lippincott’s Research to Go poster.  She used a mix of serif and sanserif fonts, complementary colors, and design elements like rectangles and brackets to frame the content.

Here are Melinda’s tips for learning design programs, with a few design principles thrown in for good measure:

1. Take a WICshop and get the basics. It’s so much easier to be shown how to do something the first time. You don’t have to remember it all.
2. Google what you want to do. Somewhere out there is a person with a YouTube video about how to do it.
3. Take advantage of your networks. If there’s something you don’t know, ask someone who does.
4. Don’t use more than 3 fonts on any one piece (even though you really want to).
5. Look for inspiration. Melinda says that she can’t necessarily create designs from her head, but she can look at what other people have done and build on it or adapt it.
6. No one wants to read text. Use more graphics and fewer words.

Design WICshops are offered all the time—Find or request one soon!

Feb Club Graphic

Our own Dylan Petro is one of the organizers of this year’s Feb Club, an “epic month of events dedicated to getting the most out of senior year” aimed at the class of 2014.  He also single-handedly created the Feb Club website (http://febclub14.com) using WordPress.org and PHP, which he taught himself over winter break.

My favorite part of the site, though, is this awesome graphic, which Dylan created in Adobe Illustrator, drawing it by hand using the Pen tool.