In August of 2018, The School of Graphic Communications Management (GCM) at Toronto’s Ryerson University included, as required reading, an updated edition of Introduction to Graphic Communication in its Fall curriculum for first-year GCM students. Ryerson contract lecturer and Graphic Arts Magazine columnist Diana Varma cited several reasons for the selection. “The book pairs really well with our first-year curriculum for our Graphic Communications Management students. It has a lot of excellent, up-to-date information about the printing industry that no other intro textbook on the market has right now.” At that time, early adopters included Keefe Technical High School, Lewis-Clark State College, Calvert County Public Schools, South Central College, and Arizona State University. Ryerson also noted the book’s use of interactive media to enhance the learning experience. “The interactive features also show students how print and digital can work together in the publishing world,” Varma added.
Now, two leading U.S. universities (Georgia Southern University and Illinois State University) have become the latest adopters of the textbook. They join a growing number of leading universities offering degrees in graphic arts and related areas. The book is the first to use Ricoh’s Clickable Paper technology to access videos and other related learning materials. Students and instructors at the University of Houston, another early adopter, have praised the book’s combination of print and digital media. “The primary textbook for this course, Introduction to Graphic Communication by Levenson and Parsons, is an impressive example of print-to-web technology,” one student noted. “I love the concept of Clickable Paper. I intend to reference the book in my career as a digital marketer.” Pat McGrew of Print Sample TV pointed out that Introduction to Graphic Communication “shows how Augmented Reality can tell additional stories as opposed to what is printed in the book…it extends print into other ways of communicating.”
One book, multiple learning experiences. Many schools are currently using the book to teach applications and technologies – from design and prepress, to press, to post-press, as well as industry history, industry segments, colour management, workflow, digital printing, best practices and more. Using a mobile device, the book enables access to videos, websites, technology demonstrations, and even chat groups directly from printed (i.e. ink on paper) pages. According to co-author Harvey Levenson, Cal Poly Professor Emeritus, “the book appeals to different learning styles, and seems to have become the go-to book for teaching graphic communication and related topics across education levels, and for industry training.” Published by IntuIdeas and printed on-demand by Yurchak Printing in Landisville, PA, the book also comes with a free syllabus to help instructors integrate it into their courses.
Increased adoption. Other schools adopting the book in addition to Ryerson University include Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Arizona State University, Bowling Green University, Calvert County Public Schools (Prince Frederick, MD), Georgia Southern University, Illinois State University, Keefe Regional Technical School (Framingham, MA), Lewis-Clark State College (Lewiston, ID), Metamora Township High School (Metamora, IL), South Central College (North Mankato, MN), and the University of Houston. Also, a consortium of colleges and universities in China is translating the book – including Beijing Institute of Graphic Communication, Shanghai Publishing and Printing College, Shenzhen Polytechnic, and University of Shanghai for Science and Technology.
Portions of the book are currently in the process of being licensed to printing companies and franchises for internal training use. For more information, please contact IntuIdeas at book@intuideas.com.
Ricoh Clickable-Paper-enabled book adoptions on the rise in print-education environments
