Lectures & class recordings

Spring 2026 recordings

Class sessions are recorded and available for review. Recordings include AI-generated summaries and searchable transcripts.

Recordings are added after each class session.

Lecture summaries

AI-generated summaries from class recordings, reviewed for accuracy. Use these for review or if you missed a session.

Mar 31 — Style guides and brand kits

Key takeaways:

• A brand kit is the toolbox (logos, colors, fonts, imagery), while a style guide is the instruction manual (rules for using those assets). You need both.
• Cohesive branding creates an identity that’s recognizable even without a logo — think Apple’s minimalism, Nike’s moody action shots, or Patagonia’s earthy palette.
• Retrofit your existing work into the guide: audit everything you’ve already made, extract the assets (hex codes, fonts, logos), and write rules that justify the choices that work. Fix the ones that don’t.

Topics covered:

• Campaign cohesion — why visual consistency builds trust and signals professionalism. Brands like Apple and Nike are instantly recognizable because every piece of content follows the same visual language.
• Brand kit components — primary/secondary/tertiary color palettes (exact hex codes required), logo versions (primary, alternative, icon/wordmark), typography hierarchy (H1, H2, body, captions with specific sizes and weights), and approved imagery.
• Style guide rules — logo usage (placement, minimum size, clear space, do’s and don’ts), color application, typography rules (kerning, line height), tone of voice (voice is consistent; tone shifts by context), grammar rules (Oxford comma, em dashes, emoji limits), and contextual mockups showing assets in real-world use.
• Assignment process — audit existing content, document all assets, define rules based on what works, build a designed slide deck in Canva that follows its own rules. Brand kit draft due Thursday for in-class review; full style guide due next Tuesday.

Mar 24 — Social promo and graphic design critiques

Key takeaways:

• Submit images as raw PNGs/JPEGs in your Drive folder, not embedded in Google Docs or as PDFs. Google Docs for text only — they preserve version history. PDFs are for final print-ready files with crop marks.
• Use strokes, drop shadows, or gradient overlays to make text readable on busy backgrounds. The “blur your eyes” trick instantly reveals misalignment and contrast problems.
• Featured images almost always appear alongside the headline, so putting the headline in the image is redundant. Use the space for a visual hook instead.
• Social graphics and captions must promote the specific blog post, not just the brand. A disconnect between the graphic’s tone and the post’s argument confuses the audience.

Topics covered:

• File submission rules — raw PNGs/JPEGs for images, Google Docs for text, never PDFs for assignments. Rename final project folders with your last name.
• Text readability techniques — strokes (subtle outline), drop shadows (simulated light source, adjust offset/blur/opacity), and background gradients. Serif fonts for print, sans-serif for digital.
• Visual hierarchy and alignment — the “blur test” for spotting misalignment, mathematical vs. visual centering, aligning text to an image’s natural geometry. Canva background-remover sandwich technique for depth.
• Campaign cohesion — all promotional assets must flow from the blog post’s argument. Think about the viewer’s psychological journey: first impression → lasting memory → action.
• Brand style guide preview — Thursday’s topic. Goal: write instructions detailed enough that anyone could post as your brand and followers wouldn’t notice the difference.

Mar 19 — Social promo graphics: distribution and design

Key takeaways:

• Before choosing a distribution channel, define the goal: drive traffic to your site, grow newsletter subscribers, or build social following. The strategy shapes everything.
• Link cards on Facebook/LinkedIn already include a featured image + headline + base URL — don’t duplicate that information in your social graphics.
• Instagram requires standalone graphics because there’s no link card preview. Embed context (quotes, stats, attribution) directly in the image.
• Visual hierarchy in design (size, weight, color, position) guides the viewer’s eye in a predictable order. The design process is iterative — expect multiple layout attempts.

Topics covered:

• Content distribution strategy — Every piece of content needs a distribution plan. Newsletter strategy: full article vs. teaser vs. link list depends on whether the goal is retention or traffic. The Drudge Report as an argument for function over form.
• Platform-specific considerations — Facebook/LinkedIn auto-generate link cards from URLs. Instagram needs custom graphics with context baked in. Each platform requires adapting content to fit its native format and audience behavior.
• Canva design walkthrough — Photo selection (match expression to article tone), text placement in negative space, gradient overlays for contrast, typography hierarchy, fixing “orphan” lines, and Canva’s multi-size feature for cross-platform adaptation.

Mar 17 — Hooks, headlines, and social media

Key takeaways:

• The blog post assignment was a critical copywriting exercise: critique an industry problem, highlight real-world solutions, and subtly position your organization as part of the solution.
• Social media promotion is a distinct skill from writing. The headline, featured image, and social copy are the primary tools to hook readers and overcome their short attention spans.
• A good headline must be a hook that is intriguing but also delivers on its promise, avoiding clickbait. The featured image is critical for visual impact and taking up more screen real estate.

Topics covered:

• Blog Post Assignment Debrief — Assignment Goal: A critical copywriting exercise to establish authority by critiquing an industry problem and showcasing solutions.
• The Art of Social Media Promotion — The Challenge: Most users only see a headline and image while scrolling. The goal is to make them stop and click.

Mar 5 — Critical copywriting with a solutions lens

Key takeaways:

• Use a “backlog” for out-of-scope ideas. This preserves good concepts without derailing the project’s core focus on the Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
• Master craft before style. Per Zinsser, writing style emerges from a strong foundation in clear, clutter-free craft, not from artificial flourishes.
• Adopt solutions-oriented writing. This method builds credibility by identifying an industry problem, explaining its impact, and highlighting other organizations implementing solutions.

Topics covered:

• Campaign strategy & project focus — The campaign strategy, personas, and research dossier are complete. Use a “backlog” technique to preserve out-of-scope ideas without derailing the MVP.
• Zinsser’s principles of copywriting — Strip writing of clutter to build a strong foundation. Use “I” strategically for intimacy and authenticity. Craft and style are separate: master the foundation first.
• Spring break assignment: solutions-oriented blog post — A three-part structure: call out a specific industry problem, explain its impact with evidence, and highlight organizations implementing solutions. Position your organization as part of a larger movement for positive change.

Mar 3 — Clear writing for strategic communications

Key takeaways:

• Submission Policy: All written work must be submitted as editable Google Docs (not PDFs) to enable direct feedback and verify revision history.
• Core Principle: Good writing is “invisible.” It serves as a clear vehicle for ideas, allowing the reader to focus on the message, not the prose.
• Primary Enemy: “Clutter”—unnecessary words, jargon, and euphemisms—must be ruthlessly eliminated to respect the reader’s limited attention.

Topics covered:

• Admin & Submission Policy — Campaign Strategy Doc: Due this Thursday.
• The “Invisible” Writing Principle — Core Concept: Good writing is invisible; it allows the reader to forget they are reading, focusing entirely on the ideas.
• Zinsser’s “On Writing Well”: Simplicity & Clutter — The class read aloud from William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well” to introduce core principles.
• Application to Strategic Comms — Relevance: Zinsser’s principles are crucial for strategic comms, which often requires writing within strict constraints (e.g., character limits, ad copy).

Jan 20 — Class expectations, student interests, and the final project

Key takeaways:

• Final Project: Design a multimedia asset package for a cause or company. The project is worth 500 points (vs. 50–100 for assignments), making correct submission critical.
• Submission Policy: All work must be shared via a Google Drive link with Editor access. Incorrect permissions will result in a zero, as the instructor cannot grade inaccessible files.
• Class Philosophy: Prioritize high-volume creation (“make dog “) to build skills and identify quality work, rather than aiming for perfection from the start.

Topics covered:

• Instructor’s Philosophy & Background — Joe Amditis’s career trajectory (from $4k grant recipient to Associate Director at $101k/yr) illustrates the value of basic tech competence.
• Student Interests & Final Project Brainstorm — A “round the room” exercise revealed diverse student interests, which serve as potential topics for the final project.
• Final Project & Class Logistics — Final Project: A multimedia asset package for a chosen organization, campaign, or cause.

Feb 24 — Customer/user personas working session

Key takeaways:

• Customer personas are semi-fictional archetypes of your target customer, built from data, experience, and intuition — the goal is to get inside their head, not just list demographics.
• You need 2–3 personas for the final project to validate that your campaign features and content actually serve your audience. Every new asset you add should be checked against these personas.
• Research Dossier deadline was for submitting the URL, not the completed dossier. Eight students have a zero for a missing assignment. The dossier is still a required component of the final project.

Topics covered:

• Research Dossier grades — the deadline policy: submitting the URL is the milestone, not finishing the document. This mirrors real collaborative workflows.
• Personas: definition and purpose — what to include: demographics, pain points (financial constraints, commuting, poor Wi-Fi), daily routine, media habits, goals and motivations.
• Strategic application — use personas to validate campaign features. Example: a coffee shop targeting college students highlights Wi-Fi speed and study spaces, not just coffee quality.
• In-class workshop — 35 minutes building personas for the final project. Verified sources and templates sent after class.
• New class resource page — a supplemental page with expanded assignment breakdowns, examples, common mistakes, and lecture recordings. Always defer to Canvas for official deadlines and grades.

Feb 26 — Pulling it all together to create your campaign strategy

Key takeaways:

• Personas need depth — go beyond demographics to include material conditions (finances, transit access, childcare) and specific digital habits (social follows, comment patterns). Treat persona-building as “data-driven role-playing.”
• Strategy guides tactics — a campaign strategy is a short guiding document, not a task list. The flow is: goal → strategies → tactics → KPIs → messaging/CTAs.
• KPIs must be specific — focus on 3–5 metrics tracking real business outcomes (sales conversions), not vanity metrics like impressions or follower counts. More than 5 and you stop tracking all of them.
• Content calendars require caution — pre-scheduled content can become irrelevant or tone-deaf when news breaks. This failure mode is called “tombstoning” (a funeral home ad appearing next to a story about a child’s death).

Topics covered:

• Customer persona feedback — reviewed student work including a Dave & Buster’s persona; the goal is to capture what customers actually want (e.g., an adult-focused, child-free environment), not just the company’s preferred brand image
• Campaign strategy document structure — five sections: overview (who is the org, what are its values), goal (one specific sentence with a measurable outcome), strategies (2–4 directional approaches), tactics (specific actions mapped to each strategy), KPIs (3–5 metrics), and messaging/CTAs
• Content calendars and “tombstoning” — useful for planning campaign progression, but scheduled posts can become irrelevant or controversial without real-time monitoring; the Applebee’s military discount ad example illustrated the risk

Feb 19 — Final project topic strategy

Key takeaways:

• Avoid large, established brands (Knicks, Air Jordan) for the final project — their existing marketing makes finding impactful improvements difficult
• Focus on small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) with clear growth potential — you can apply strategic skills to create tangible, measurable improvements
• The Research Dossier is a living document. The first submission (due Tuesday) is a low-stakes check for direction, not a final draft
• Use the class’s AI tools (slide decks, NotebookLM) to review material, find citations, and generate mind maps

Topics covered:

• Final project selection — three options: hyper-niche campaign for a large brand, creating a new brand, or (recommended) an SMB
• Research Dossier — first submission due Tuesday; share as a Google Doc with editor access; 35 points for completion/direction
• Customer personas — core dossier component: bio, daily schedule, goals and pain points, and how they interact with your product
• Class resources — slide decks, NotebookLM for AI-generated mind maps and Q&A from transcripts, office hours via Canvas

Feb 17 — Final project kickoff and research dossier

Key takeaways:

• All remaining assignments build toward a single final project: a multimedia campaign for a real or fictional organization
• The Research Dossier (or Landscape Scan) is the first deliverable — it maps the organization’s ecosystem before any creative work begins
• Choose a smaller organization or a hyper-specific campaign for a large one to avoid being overwhelmed by existing work
• Create a shared Google Drive folder with “Anyone at Montclair State University can edit” permissions — submit that folder URL for all assignments

Topics covered:

• Final project overview — cumulative campaign with all subsequent assignments as deliverables
• Project selection strategy — avoid dominant brands; choose local/fictional orgs or hyper-specific campaigns
• Research Dossier content — competitor analysis, audience analysis (current vs. potential), SWOT analysis
• Example: Hammond Museum Campaign — strategic goal, SMART objectives, audience funnel, CTAs
• Google Drive setup — one shared folder per student, submitted URL grants editor access for feedback

Feb 12 — Slide design and final project overview

Key takeaways:

• Final Project Assigned: A cumulative project to create a multimedia campaign for a real or fictional organization.
• Strategic Foundation: The project requires a Style Guide, Research Dossier, Customer Personas, and a Campaign Strategy document before creative work begins.
• Creative Deliverables: The campaign must include two written pieces, four social media graphics, and nine social media captions (three for Twitter to force conciseness).

Topics covered:

• Slide Deck Review & Feedback — River’s Presentation (Lizzie McAlpine):
• Final Project: Multimedia Campaign — Objective: Create a multimedia campaign for a real or fictional entity.

Feb 10 — Critique propaganda posters and introduce the next assignment

Key takeaways:

• Poster Critique: Designs were critiqued for poor hierarchy, excessive borders, and illegible text. Key advice: use the rule of thirds for clear focal points and align text left, not center.
• New Assignment: Create a 10-slide deck on a “nonsensical” topic, due Thursday, to apply design principles to a multi-canvas project.
• Final Project: The final project will be assigned Thursday, with spring break (starts March 8) as a potential work period.

Topics covered:

• Propaganda Poster Critiques — “Crush Their Nuts” Poster
• New Assignment: “Create a Slide Deck That Doesn’t Suck” — Objective: Apply design principles to a multi-canvas project (10 slides).

Feb 5 — Design principles and slide design

Key takeaways:

• Every visual choice (hierarchy, space, balance, contrast) is a strategic tool to guide a viewer’s eye and convey a message
• Presentation slides are visual aids for a speaker (minimal text, 6x6 rule), while “read-ahead” decks are standalone documents — never read presentation slides aloud
• To fix a stuck slide design, try making a key image “big as hell” (dramatic focal point) or “a million tiny ones” (pattern/texture)

Topics covered:

• Hierarchy — guides the eye to the most important information first, using size, prominence, and color
• Space (whitespace) — creates focus and a clean, modern feel
• Balance and symmetry — creates a sense of order
• Contrast — creates visual interest and emphasizes differences
• Rhythm and repetition — creates movement or unity through recurring elements (motifs)
• Slide design best practices — 6x6 rule, use presenter notes, avoid GIFs, troubleshoot with scale
• Homework: alien propaganda poster — design an 8.5” x 11” vertical poster for an alien society using these principles (due Feb 10)

Feb 3 — AI tools and assignment submission

Key takeaways:

• Submit Google Doc/Drive links immediately when an assignment is released — the link is static, so you can keep working until grading begins (“Schrödinger’s Document” strategy)
• Sloppy AI use (unformatted text, generic phrasing) is immediately identifiable and unacceptable — use AI to augment skills, not replace them
• Recommended AI tools: Gemini (best value via Google One), Claude (best for technical tasks), ChatGPT (least recommended for this class)

Topics covered:

• Submission format — Google Docs and Google Drive folders required; treat assignments as professional deliverables
• Late submissions — assignments open for ~2 days post-deadline with a point deduction
• AI usage policy — allowed for research, note-taking, structuring; disallowed for generating final creative work
• Canva Pro setup — apply for free education account using your .edu email
• Upcoming assignments — alien propaganda poster (in-class) and “slide deck that doesn’t suck” (weekend)

Jan 29 — Cluetrain manifesto discussion

Key takeaways:

• The 1999 “Cluetrain Manifesto” was framed as a “95 Thesis” for the digital age, challenging corporate communication norms
• Getting a sense of humor “requires big values, a little humility, straight talk, and a genuine point of view” — not just jokes on a corporate website
• The “corporate roast” trend on social media (e.g., Wendy’s) is a superficial attempt at humor that fails to meet the manifesto’s standard of genuine humility

Topics covered:

• AI-generated slide decks — NotebookLM can create slide decks from lecture transcripts (QR codes don’t work yet, but content is accurate)
• Content distribution — recordings posted via Canvas Discussions to trigger email notifications (bypasses 50MB file upload limit)
• Cluetrain discussion — thesis #20-22 on companies needing to lighten up and take themselves less seriously
• Keyboard shortcut stickers — given as rewards for strong discussion answers

Jan 22 — Introduction and digital literacy

Key takeaways:

• The syllabus is the primary guide, but Canvas Announcements are the definitive source for updates
• Treat your computer as a personal tool to be customized, not a fragile machine — mastering shortcuts signals advanced digital literacy to employers
• Install a password manager, ad blocker (uBlock Origin), and tab manager (OneTab) as essential browser extensions

Topics covered:

• “Mountain of principle” — the core philosophy is to create and experiment without fear of imperfection
• Keyboard shortcuts — copy, cut, paste, new tab, reopen closed tab, switch applications, jump to address bar
• Essential browser extensions — password manager, uBlock Origin, OneTab, CopyClip (Mac), Grammarly, Video Speed Controller, Greenshot
• File types — plain text (.txt), markdown (.md), and HTML (.html)
• First assignment — read the “95 Theses of the Cluetrain Manifesto” and the Josh Topolsky article

Lecture slides

Slides are shared after each class when applicable.

More slides will be added throughout the semester.

Key concepts by week

Week 1-2: Foundations

• The “mountain of principle” — just make stuff
• Enshittification and platform decay
• Digital literacy and keyboard shortcuts
• File organization best practices
• Media markets and information needs
• The Cluetrain Manifesto and authentic communication

Week 3-4: Design principles

• Contrast, hierarchy, alignment, balance
• Why bad design hurts credibility
• Color theory basics
• Slide deck presentations and peer critique

Week 5-7: Research & strategy

• Introduction to the final project
• Building a research dossier
• Competitive analysis
• Campaign objectives and platform strategy
• Creating customer/user personas
• Beyond demographics: psychographics

Week 9-10: Copywriting

• The “solutions lens” for copywriting
• Writing with clarity and voice
• Adapting tone for different platforms
• Peer review and workshop

Week 11-13: Visual production

• Featured images for web
• Social media graphic design
• Accessibility and alt text
• Brand consistency and style guides

Week 14-16: Integration

• Final project workshop
• Portfolio presentation skills
• Final refinements and polish

Study resources

Looking for more context on class discussions? Check the Resources page for readings, tools, and reference materials.

Recording policy

• Class recordings are for enrolled students only
• Do not share recording links outside the class
• Recordings may be removed after the semester ends
• If you need accommodations related to recordings, contact me