El Camino High School's Digital Media Pathway is a series of career technical education (CTE) classes that focus on digital media arts. The program features graphic design (marketing and advertising through images that have been digitally produced and enhanced), and web design (production of online content aimed at selling or promoting products or services).

The sequence of courses forms what's called a "pathway" which, when completed, shows you how to become a freelance designer capable of starting your own business or working at a professional design agency. Either way, it has the potential to start you on a very successful and lucrative career.

Grading Policy

Each assignment has clear expectations and a defined due date. If the student does not turn in the assignment by that date, the highest possible grade that you could get on that assignment goes down 10% each business day. If a student has excused absences for days that we worked on the project in class, they have that many days to make up the assignment with no penalty.

The value of the assignment goes down each day that it's late, much like it would if you were working in an actual studio. So, it's in your best interest to keep caught up and turn in late assignments as soon as possible.

If you are missing an assignment and believe that you already completed it, it is your responsibility to contact me via email (aaron.grable@oside.us) to get that fixed.

Google classroom is a useful tool for organizing your classes, viewing your assignments, interacting with each other and the teacher and turning in your work digitally. The district gives you unlimited space on their Google Drive but that goes away after your senior year. At that time, you'll need to find a way to migrate your information to your own Google Drive if you want to keep it.

This is the process for working with Google Classroom:

  1. Make sure you're logged in to your school Google Drive.
  2. Click on the green Google Classroom to the left or click here
  3. Sign in, using your school email (your student ID plus "@oside.us")
  4. Your password, if you haven't created one yet, is your eight-digit birthdate (for example, January 1st, 2025 would be 01012025)
  5. Sign up for classes using the codes I give you in class.
  6. Use this portal to view, complete and turn in assignments

Success tip: go to your student calendar (while logged in as a student) by clicking here and you'll see all your due dates for all your Classroom classes!

Note: If you don't plan on checking your district email (yourstudentid@oside.us), you should set it up so those emails forward to your personal account.

If your password is not working and you'd like me to reset it, please click on the button to the right and fill out the form. I'll get notified and I'll reset it to a default that you can then change. If it's not reset in 24 hours, send me a reminder email.

AI Statement: We realize that artificial intelligence is a part of our daily lives and that it is commonly used in everyday life. Instead of fearing it, we embrace it but not as a replacement for human thought and creativity.

AI should be used for creating, analyzing, refining, and troubleshooting. When it comes to creative expression, you should be able to rely on your own skill to create something that is truly yours. If you're going to use AI for something, be ready to admit it and justify it, not as a punishment but simply to keep you aware.

Schedule for Graphic Design:

(year-to-date schedule here, district schedule here, bell schedule here)

Portfolio: addresses will show up here, form to submit your address here. Links to your files will be here.

This week, you’ll focus on learning and practicing the Pen Tool in Adobe Illustrator. You’ll work on creating smooth curves and custom shapes by carefully placing and adjusting anchor points. The goal is to build control and accuracy, not speed. These Pen Tool skills will be used later for logo design, illustrations, and more detailed artwork, so this week is about building a strong foundation for the projects ahead.

Short for the week: Mind Games

02/08: Finish and clean up your two Column 1 logo mimics. Focus on smooth paths, clean shapes, and accuracy. If you finish early, begin tracing your first South Park character using clean vector paths.

02/09: Turn in at least two Column 2 logo mimics. Continue tracing South Park characters and aim to have two fully traced by the end of class. Pay attention to line quality and closed shapes.

02/10: Work on completing all four South Park character traces. Keep colors accurate to the original and focus on clean, confident lines. If finished early, start thinking about which character would work best on a T-shirt.

02/11: Turn in at least two Column 3 logo mimics. Choose one traced character and begin simplifying it to three solid colors only. Remove unnecessary details and focus on bold, readable shapes.

02/12: Finalize your three-color character design and place it on a T-shirt mockup. Choose shirt color and placement, then complete the reflection questions. Make sure everything is clean, organized, and ready to submit.

Please note: anyone who finishes their assignment is required to continue working on something (a) productive and (b) relevant to web or graphic design. You will lose one point for every class period that you don't.

Resources:

  • Assignment folder here
  • High quality ECHS logo here
  • Portfolio address/progress reports here
  • Graphic Design syllabus and outline
  • Elements of Design and Composition here
  • Slides templates for presentation
  • Great resource from Adobe for learning here
  • Pen tool learning resource here

Schedule for Web Design:

(year-to-date schedule here, district schedule here, bell schedule here)

Portfolio: addresses will show up here, form to submit your address here. Links to your files will be here. Link to Business Contact Tracker HERE (business listing here)

This week, you will focus on finishing your business toolkits and actively searching for real clients. You’ll work with your group to stay organized, set daily goals, and take real steps to get our work outside the classroom. At the same time, you’ll prepare for building real websites by practicing how designers plan, communicate, and follow up with clients. This work sets the foundation for the group websites you’ll build next and your final independent website later in the year.

Short for the week: Mind Games

02/10: Work on organizing and cleaning up your toolkit. Make sure all required materials are included and easy to understand. Review the shared folder so you know exactly where your final toolkit must be submitted.

02/11: Continue refining your toolkit content and visuals. Begin drafting your 200-word reflection about your outreach experience so far and how your toolkit supports your pitch. Update the board with your current outreach status.

02/12: Polish your toolkit for clarity and professionalism. Revise your 200-word reflection, focusing on what worked, what didn’t, and what you learned from real conversations. Review one recorded call and note one improvement you would make.

02/13: Finalize your toolkit and reflection. Double-check that everything is saved correctly in the shared folder and follows the naming instructions. Send at least one follow-up message to a business you already contacted and update the board.

02/14: Submit your completed toolkit in the shared folder with your 200-word reflection included. Confirm that your file opens correctly and is organized. If finished early, practice your short pitch using your revised script.

Please note: anyone who finishes their assignment is required to continue working on something (a) productive and (b) relevant to web or graphic design. You will lose one point for every class period that you don't.

Resources:

  • Assignment folder here
  • Business contact tracker here
  • Portfolio address/progress reports here
  • Web Design syllabus and outline
  • Click here if you need your work from previous years
  • Link to ECHS vector here
  • Link to WordPress site here

Revise your work:

In an actual studio, your work is not final until the customer is satisfied with its quality. When I grade items, my thinking is the same: if you produce work that is below the quality that I feel you're capable of, you have a chance to revise it and resubmit. Though the resubmitted work won't be worth the full amount of the original assignment, it will increase your grade significantly.

If you received a four, this is superior work. No need for revision. You've shown you understand the concept we're practicing and have even put some extra effort into making it perfect. You should be proud to show this off.

If you received a three, this work is adequate. You completed the assignment and though you didn't put obvious, extra effort into it, the finished product is "good".

If you received a two, this work is not as good as I know you're capable of. You may have misunderstood the assignment, chosen not to complete it, or rushed through it. The finished product is not something I would feel comfortable showing to others.

If you received a one, you have the option to re-do the assignment, incorporating my suggestions, one time. Though the resubmitted work will not get a perfect score (that would be unfair to those that turned it in on time), it will be rescored and the higher score will be put in the gradebook.

If you received a zero, you either didn't hand the assignment in or it was so far off the mark that it didn't function (in the case of a website) or it makes absolutely no sense (in the case of a print design). This is a complete do-over. Return to the instructions and re-do the assignment for a better score.