Lecture notes
Notes from completed Fall 2026 class sessions. Use Canvas for assignment instructions and deadlines.
September 11: File workflow and visual design
Based on the shared Granola summary for the September 11 class. The session resources include instructions for the tools demonstrated in class.
Organize the work so someone else can use it
Create a Google Drive folder for the course and star it for quick access. The naming example from class was LastName-STCM140-Final. Use descriptive names for files and drafts. A date such as 2026-09-11 keeps dated files in order when sorted by name.
Share the course folder with amditisj@montclair.edu as an Editor. The class instruction was to clear the notification checkbox before sharing. Check access on the files inside the folder as well.
The goal is a collection of work that the instructor can find, open, and review without requesting access to each file.
Use shortcuts for repeated tasks
The class demonstrated tab controls, file renaming, and pasting without formatting. Use the shortcut shown in the app’s menu when a command differs between programs.
| Task | Mac | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Open a Chrome tab | Command + T | Ctrl + T |
| Close the current Chrome tab | Command + W | Ctrl + W |
| Reopen a closed Chrome tab | Command + Shift + T | Ctrl + Shift + T |
| Rename a selected item in Drive | F2; some keyboards require Fn + F2 | F2 |
| Create a folder in Drive | Control + C, then F | Alt + C, then F |
| Show Drive’s shortcut list | Command + / | Ctrl + / |
The Drive folder command is a sequence. It differs from Command + C on Mac or Ctrl + C on Windows, which copies an item. The official shortcut lists provide the full commands for each system.
Keep the writing process visible
The class discussed reviewing Google Docs revision history instead of relying on AI detectors. Draft in the working document so the development of your ideas remains visible. Pasting a finished piece from another app does not show that process.
Writing is part of thinking through an argument. A finished block of text does not show the decisions behind it. Keep your drafts and revisions available for review. Follow the course’s AI policy and the instructions for each assignment in Canvas.
Make design choices serve the message
The class moved from file workflow to the choices that guide attention in a composition.
| Principle | What to examine in your work |
|---|---|
| Hierarchy | What will the viewer notice first, second, and third? Use size and position to establish that order. |
| Contrast | Which differences matter? Light and dark, large and small, or old and new can make a relationship visible. |
| Balance | How is visual weight distributed? An uneven composition can serve a message if the choice is deliberate. |
| Rhythm and repetition | Which elements repeat? Their placement can connect separate parts of a design. |
| Motif | Does a recurring image carry meaning? The class used Parkway signs in a report as an example. |
| Movement | Where does the eye travel? Lines and changes in scale can imply movement in a still image. |
A drop shadow can help separate text from its background. Typography and color also affect how viewers read the message. Use the design resources to explore those choices.
The kinetic typography example used Stephen Fry’s narration to show how moving text can hold attention. The discussion also examined pacing: A long pause can interrupt an otherwise effective sequence.
Apply the principles to the alien propaganda poster
The exercise places you in a fictional galactic public-relations organization. Invent an empire, a planet, and one message you want an audience to accept.
Build the poster from a blank design rather than a template. Use hierarchy, contrast, balance, and repetition to make the message legible. The campaign can be subtle and does not need a war theme.
The class discussed a vertical 2:3 composition, with other formats possible when the choice serves the idea. The purpose is to practice persuasion through visual choices.
For the Canva workflow demonstrated in class, open Share, select Anyone with the link, and choose Can edit. Copy that link into the Canvas submission. A downloaded image does not provide the same access to the working design.
Use Canvas for the current assignment brief, required dimensions, due date, and grading details. These notes summarize the class exercise.
Review your draft
These questions are for practice, not a separate assignment.
- What is the single message of your poster?
- Which element attracts attention first? Does that order support the message?
- Which repeated element or visual difference helps the audience understand it?
- Can the instructor open and edit the submitted design?
September 4: Audience trust and platform dependence
Based on the September 4 Fathom transcript, with the shared Granola summary checked against it. Times below are minutes and seconds from the recording. The reading guide connects these ideas to the course readings.
Read Cluetrain as an argument
Discussion starts at 02:42. The class tested the 1999 Cluetrain Manifesto against current media habits. A useful response identifies a thesis, explains its claim, and supports or challenges it with a specific example.
Some ideas still apply: People talk to each other about products, compare experiences, and challenge company messages. Other claims need context. Advertising, audience feedback, and online communities work differently today.
A human voice starts with community concerns
12:32–22:24. The Pepsi advertisement with Kendall Jenner served as a case study for thesis 34. The class examined how the ad used protest imagery while avoiding the concerns behind the protests.
A casual tone alone does not establish trust. Ask whose concerns a message represents and whether the organization understands the people it addresses.
Separate criticism from measured effects. Negative attention does not, by itself, prove that a campaign reduced sales. The class discussed possible business effects without presenting sales data.
Advertising can work even when people recognize it
22:24–38:25. The discussion of thesis 74 challenged the claim that audiences are immune to advertising. An ad can offer useful information, entertainment, or a product someone needs. The Quiznos commercial illustrated the entertainment approach.
Influencer marketing and user-generated content can introduce products through people an audience already follows. Recognizing an ad does not make someone immune to its influence.
- User-generated content (UGC): Posts, videos, or other material made by users. Some campaigns ask people to contribute it.
- Call to action (CTA): A request to do something specific, such as subscribe, comment, or post with a hashtag.
- Marketing funnel: The steps through which someone moves from learning about a product toward becoming a customer.
The class distinguished planned campaigns from unexpected audience participation. A brand cannot assume that people will promote its products without a reason.
Listen to people and help them find useful information
56:50–59:47 and 66:12–71:43. Audience feedback can reveal problems that an organization misses. Large volumes of comments also require judgment about relevance and reliability.
The discussion of hyperlinks connected this idea to publishing. Link to useful sources, including work outside your own site. Readers should be able to follow the evidence without searching for the original source themselves.
These principles also apply to nonprofits, public campaigns, clubs, and other groups that communicate with people.
Build for an audience, not the latest platform trend
72:41–88:42. Joshua Topolsky’s Your media business will not be saved framed the second part of class. The discussion connected the industry’s enthusiasm for video with repeated promises that one new format or tool will solve its problems.
More output does not establish a useful purpose. Start with a specific audience and something worth making for that audience. Consider why people would return and how the work can continue over time.
A platform’s recommendation system can affect distribution. It cannot decide what your organization should contribute.
Keep the work usable beyond one platform
91:55–104:54. The class used Cory Doctorow’s account of platform decline to discuss dependence on social platforms. In that account, benefits shift from users to business customers and then toward the platform’s own returns. Creators have limited control over those changes.
The practical lesson: Treat the work itself as something you can preserve and distribute in more than one place.
Audio podcasts using open RSS feeds provided an example. A feed lets compatible apps find episodes without requiring every listener to use one app. Platform features and exclusive content can still differ.
Review questions
Use these questions to review the session. They are study prompts, not a new assignment.
- Which Cluetrain thesis does a campaign support or challenge? What evidence supports your answer?
- What makes a message useful or credible to its intended audience?
- What action does a campaign ask people to take? How does that action serve its goal?
- What would happen to your work if its main platform changed its rules or disappeared?
The session closed with a preview of design principles and the alien propaganda poster. Check Canvas for the assigned readings and submission requirements.