SmartStart Courses
What is SmartStart?
We at Friends of Design firmly believe that well-trained and nurtured employees bring innovation, flexibility and dedication necessary to build truly dynamic businesses. It is accepted across all industries that the best way to encourage and support individuals in a creative team is through professional development and training opportunities, amongst other things.
So whether you start from the basics and build from the ground up, or decide to upskill, Friends of Design has the training solution to suit you, with our newest range of courses built specifically to suit the otherwise busy aspirant or veteran creative professional.
One of these solutions is our “SmartStart” courses which are full time courses in nature. We have made available selected modules of our full time courses to the general public, giving you the opportunity learn new skills and gain insight into exciting new platforms and technologies on courses that run during the day. So, enjoy the classroom practical intensity of a full time course, but “hop on” and “hop off” as you need to throughout the year.
| Dates | Module Name | Related Applications |
|---|---|---|
| April 16 – May 25 | Image Editing | Adobe Photoshop |
| May 28 – Jun 15 | Motion Graphics 01 | Adobe After Effects |
| Jun 18 – Jun 29 | Motion Graphics 02 | Apple Final Cut Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, Adobe AfterEffects |
| Oct 1 – Nov 2 | Web Technologies | WordPress |
| May 7 – May 25 | Game Production Theory | Unity 3D |
| May 28 – June 29 | Layout Design Principles & Techniques 01 | InDesign |
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Acrobat X Pro Essentials
Convenient, instructor lead, foundational.
- Course Name: Adobe Acrobat Essential Skills
- Course Code: ACRO101-E
- Level 1: Basic to Intermediate
- Prerequisite/s: None
- Course Classification: Stand-Alone-Course
- Duration: 6 evenings (18 hours)
- Times: This is a customised course which runs upon request only, if there is a group of 5 or more people interested.
Intro
This course has been designed to give you comprehensive introduction to Adobe Acrobat and will cover all of the main areas and uses of the application.
Description
Most people are under the impression that Adobe® Acrobat X™ is just a PDF Creator and reader. However, Adobe® Acrobat X™ is so much more than that.
From creating, assembling and distibuting documents, to creating eye catching interactive presentations and multimedia projects, managing workflows efficiently and collaborating with your colleagues and clients on projects, Adobe® Acrobat X™ is definitely the chosen tool of forward thinking companies who wish to streamline their business.
The Adobe® Acrobat X™ software will allow any company to work on projects together with colleagues without the hassle of back and forth paperwork, saving the company both time and money, and ultimately delivering results to the client much sooner. Using groundbreaking collaborative tools, sharing, commenting and reviewing is phenomenally improved, removing the need for extensive paperwork. In addition, Adobe® Acrobat X™ has revolutionized the workflow of a variety of industries, by way of its user friendly interface and cutting edge sharing capabilities.
Friends of Design – Academy of Digital Arts, will teach you the skills to be able to easily navigate and use the basic tools of this incredible program with absolute confidence. Among various other easy to use tools, we will show you how to create high quality and visually stunning documents that stand out from the crowd, insert various links and speed up your workflow using the sharing and collaborating capabilities of this popular program.
Enrolment Form
Download the Enrolment Form.
Course Description
Download the Full Course Description.
Pricing also available for customised, on-site and group training.
eLearning Captivate Essential Skills
Want to be able to deliver top class, high quality learning to your team without the hassle of booking meeting rooms, lengthy training or even having to move from your desk? Does the idea of creating stimulating presentations and streamlining workflows appeal to you?
With Adobe’s® new eLearning Suite, this and much more is possible. Virtual learning has always been thought by consumers and an “easy way out” or less effective than contact training, but in this busy world, the bar has been raised with this great new way to train your staff on much needed programs without having to leave your desk, allowing you the space and time in which to ensure your day is productive and efficient, every day.
Friends of Design is the very first training institute to offer this course in which we will teach you how to use the eLearning Suite to build powerful course material for your staff to train in the programs they need to learn to take your company to the top.
From creating visually stimulating simulations to importing Movie, Video and Sound clips to creating interactive and fun, yet challenging tests and quizzes, this amazing new Authoring software truly has it all and we will ensure you walk away fully equipped with all the necessary tools in order to create, manage and collaborate with this software.
So why delay?
Contact us now to learn more about this amazing course, which can be specialised to suit you and your teams’ specific needs.
Call 021 402 0303 or email info@friendsofdesign.net for more info.
Adobe Digital Publishing Suite
Digital Publishing Suite for Mobile Devices Evening Courses 2012
Download the Enrollment Form.
Download the Course Description.
Evening Digital Publishing for Mobile Devices & Tablets Course
Inspiring, instructor-lead, detailed.
Course Name: Evening Digital Publishing for Mobile Devices & Tablets Course
Course Code: INDD-DPSE
Level 2: Intermediate to Advanced
Prerequisite/s: Adobe InDesign Essential Skills (INDD-DPSE), or relevant work experience.
Course Classification: Evening, part time or day course available
Duration: 45h (evening course) 48h (day course)
Times: Thurs – Fri 9:00am to 4:00pm
Dates : Contact us for upcoming courses
Please contact us for details : info@friendsofdesign.net
Above: Mercedes Benz uses digital publishing for advertising
Intro
Are you a Traditional Print or Graphic Designer looking to migrate to screen design for tablets an mobile devices? Or are you in the Book or Magazine Publishing or the Advertising industry? Learn how to export your InDesign Layouts to devices such as the iPad or Blackberry Playbook, creating stunning and readable content that reaches out to your target market in an richer and more interactive experience via richly designed and interactive layouts or structured ePub and .Mobi formats.
Description
From creating the layout design itself, to publishing it onto the mobile device, Friends of Design will guide you through each step, and ensuring you deliver your best material to your target market.
Learn how to prepare digital assets for rich media content that wows your readers, without any application development. With automated extras such as the InDesign CS5.5′s Overlay Creator and Folio Bundler and the Desktop Content Viewer, you will be outputting and testing rich media for devices in no time at all. Explore simple workflows from .folio file creation to testing and bundling to final distribution of your files as ebooks, newspapers or digital magazine. Understand he positioning and application of ePub and .Mobi formats and publishing for readers such as Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle.
Enjoy many professional examples of digital content already in distribution, get to grips with best practices for editorial and advertising layouts for each device, learn about current design and technical standards, choose from online distribution marketplaces and export your layouts to tablets and mobile devices such as the Apple iPad and Blackberry Playbook with ease and efficiency. Adobe’s new Digital Publishing tools will allow you to create a new genre of content for yourselves and your clients, whilst keeping the design and layout integrity of your original print publications.
Above: Project Magazine Ipad app cover
What our students say about us
“The Adobe DPS training with Eva of Friends of Design was very informative. It was in-depth, intensive and practical, with up to date software. It was an excellent experience!” – Oladimeji Tolulope, Creative Designer, IDS Africa (Nigeria)
“The DPS training was Insightful, interesting and educative. It has given me a whole new outlook to working with design tools and spurs me to design more. Great work Friends of Design!” – Ekaete-Cathey Ebong – IDS Africa (Nigeria)
“Awesome! Can’t wait to put this all into practice. Very good to be on the cutting edge of a fledgling industry!” – David Hecker – Freelance Designer (July 2011 Digital Publishing Suite Course)
“It was a great experience!” – Danie Jansen van Vuuren – Owner, Flame Designs (July 2011 Digital Publishing Suite Course)
Extra Info
Have you checked the general info on this type of course and when it is scheduled?
**All courses are intended for experienced layout artists who have worked with Adobe InDesign CS5**
Enrolment form
Enroll Online
Download enrolment form here or contact us to enrol.
Adobe InDesign Essential Skills
Convenient, instructor-led, foundational.
- Course Name: Adobe InDesign Essential Skills
- Level 1: Basic to Intermediate
- Course Code: INDD-100E
- Prerequisite/s: General knowledge of the Win / Mac operating environment.
- Course Classification: Evening, part time, Print publishing course
- Duration: 4 weeks
- Next Course: 28 May 2012 – 20 June 2012
- Then: 27 Aug 2012 – 19 Sep 2012
- Times: Mon – Wed, 5:30pm to 8:30
Intro:
Whether it’s a magazine spread, a poster, or even a Web page, nothing connects or communicates like an effective layout. Layout design, the art of what goes where on a page or editorial spread, is a creative challenge for any graphic or digital designer. Learn how to build strong foundations for your page design, explore creative applications for lines and shapes, and discover how to break the rules while maintaining the underlying structure of a page.
Description:
Learn to typeset single and multi-page documents with professional results. Learn about document set up and typography basics, modifying documents and workflows, drawing techniques, advanced typography and tables, and preparation of documents for final production, print settings and preventing problems. With Indesign CS3 you have the ability to output your final files to a broad range of formats for print and the web. Course includes practical projects.
What our students say about us
“I have studied in a lot of different schools and think that Friends of Design is absolutely one of the best! Very professional and of high level. I can only say great things about the time I had here, I will be back and I will definitely recommend you to other people.” Liz (May 2010 Indesign Essentials)
“Great – all round DTP Part Time course, well done Friends of Design!” Justin (Feb 2010 Indesign Essentials)
“Throughout school and college, this is probably the place where I learnt the most. Very good lecturers and training, and amazing teaching. I leave happily knowing that I can work well in InDesign” Lindsay Ansell (Feb 2011 Indesign Essentials)
“I thoroughly enjoyed it!” Natasha Morris, Marketing Associate – Investec (August 2011 InDesign Essential Skills)
“I enjoyed the course a lot and will be back to do Illustrator CS5. I will recommend Friends of Design!” – Mariana Hudson (November 2011 InDesign Essential Skills)
” I enjoyed the fact that the lecturer could relate what we are doing to the “real world” – Laticia Harker – Instructional Designer – (March 2012 InDesign Essential Skills)
“Great lecturer with a sense of humour!” – Sally Shaw – Sally Shaw Interiors – (March 2012 InDesign Essential Skills)
Extra Info
Have you checked the general info on this type of course and when it is scheduled?
Enrolment form
Download enrolment form here or contact us to enrol.
Enrolment form
Download enrolment form here or contact us to enrol.
Pricing also available for customised, on-site and group training.
Games in Advertising
Convenient, instructor lead, foundational.
- Course Name: Games In Advertising
- Course Code: GAME-100E
- Prerequisite/s: General knowledge of the Win / Mac operating environment. Photoshop is an advantage.
- Course Classification: Standalone course
- Duration: 2 weeks
- Times: This is a customised course which runs upon request only, if there is a group of 5 or more people interested.
Intro
Take advantage of this unique course at Friends of Design in October!
How could games be used effectively in Advertising?
Computer and online games have become the entertainment for the masses in the recent years. With more and more people having computers and internet access at home, games are accessible to almost everyone. From high-end computer or console games, to Flash or browser-based casual games, there is something that appeals to everyone, so take advantage of this exciting ne medium to reach potential clients.
Although advertising has been used in games in the past, many visual designers and art directors are unaware of barriers to, and the benefits of, creating an effective game for the advertising environment.
Course Description
As a creative professional, you may have already considered using computer games as part of your advertising campaigns, but you are not sure what makes a game fun, what the production costs might be or how long it takes to create a game of a certain calibre.
This two week course will demystify the topic of the use of games in advertising, and equip you with the theory and practical tools you will need to kickstart a small game production as part of an advertising campaign, including:
- The basic elements and rules of an entertaining game.
- An overview of what is needed in terms of software, workforce and planning to create a game.
- Distribution of games.
- The pro’s of using games as a medium for clients.
- Tips of distinguishing between good advertising game concept and ineffective ones.
- Developing and professionally pitching an advertising game concept.
You will get answers to all commonly asked questions surrounding this exciting medium and walk away with a new understanding of the numerous opportunities that online, mobile and educational games can offer you and your clients.
This seminar will benefit you, in particular, if
- you are a digital or graphic designer, who wants to offer design services to your clients or advertising agencies.
- you are an art director, project manager or freelancer in the advertising business who wants to be able to offer new products and means of advertising to customers.
The workshop also includes foundational info such as:
- Insights into the local and international gaming industry
- Exploration of who the players are, various careers and job descriptions
- Theory on different types of games including casual, educational and online gaming the workflow process of game design, from concept to presenting the pitch to preparing game graphics to clients
- Storytelling techniques
About the trainer
The course will be lead by experienced and acclaimed Game Designer: Lars Espeter from Schwerin, Germany. As a Game Designer and Producer, he has been involved in the European gaming industry for twelve years. In 2007, his mobile game Starship troopers: Roughnecks was awarded the title “Best Mobile Action Game” by a German developer.
Lars Espeter is currenty the Head of Dept. of the Game Design Faculty of the Design School, Schwerin, Germany, where he presents seminars in game theory and game design on a regular basis.
Enrolment
Contact us to enrol.
General Info
Below you will find general information about the evening part time courses available in the evenings.
Part-Time Courses Info
Web Publishing Evening Courses 2012
Download the Enrolment Form here.
Download the Course Description here.
Print Publishing Evening Courses 2012
Download the Course Enrolment form here.
Download the Course Description here.
Motion Graphics Evening Courses 2012
Download the Enrollment Form here.
Download the Course Description here.
Drawing Essential Skills 2012
Download the Enrollment Form here.
Download the Course Description here.
Part-time Courses
Starting Times
The evening courses start at 5:30 and end at 8:30 PM
Days of the Week
The evening courses run 3 nights a week, namely Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.
Parking
Parking is FREE from 5PM onwards.
Security Tags
Once you have enrolled, you will receive an access tag (Deposit of R200 to be paid) which will allow you access to the building. Once you have completed your course with us, this access tag MUST be returned on your last evening here. If this tag is not returned, we reserve the right to retain your Deposit Fee.
Deposit
Once you have completed the enrollment form and faxed it back to us, we will send you an invoice.
A deposit of R1000.00 needs to be paid to secure your place on the course.
Payments
The course or module that you have enrolled for needs to be paid in full before the course commences.
We don’t, unfortunately, accept any cash payments at our premises. Please be advised to make payments via EFT with the following bank details:
Account Holder: Friends of Design – Academy of Digital Arts
Account Type: Cheque
Bank: Standard Bank, Adderley Street, Cape Town
Branch Code: 020 009
Account No: 070 282 692
Discounts
If you enroll for and pay for all consecutive modules in a series of course, for example all 3 available Web Publishing courses or all 4 available Print Design courses, you will receive a discounted rate. Please contact us for details before enrolling as conditions apply.
What you get at the End of the Course
You will receive a Attendance Certificate (Adobe and Apple Certified), which will state what modules you have completed and the date of completion.
Certificates Policy
No certificates will be issued if you have not returned your access tag and paid for the course in full.
Your Data
Any files you produce whilst on the course will remain on our server for only one month after you have completed your course. It is your own responsibility to backup your data during the course, and also to remove any important files on completion of the course. We accept no responsibility for lost files during or after the course has been completed.
Our Staff
Our trainers have deep, wide-ranging practical expertise in their respective fields. Our trainers are highly qualified technical trainers with CTT+, Adobe or Apple accreditations.
Our Training Environment
We offer a relaxed, friendly yet professional environment in which you can meet and mingle with other like minded creative people. Lessons are instructor-led with many hands-on practical exercises. You are provided with your own Apple Mac machine, with all the relevant applications already installed, which is yours to use for the duration of the course, so there is no need to bring any personal equipment to class. We do recommend a memory stick on which to save your work files should you wish to take them home for revision or homework purposes.
Our Online Community
If you would like to keep up to date with our events, future courses and loads of daily featured sites, tutorial tips and links, then feel free to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to plug into our buzzing network of creatives.
WordPress Essential Skills
Convenient, instructor lead, foundational.
- Course Name: WordPress Essential Skills
- Level 2: Intermediate to Advanced
- Prerequisite/s: Module 2 (HTML/CSS Essential Skills), Adobe Photoshop Essential Skills
- Recommended: Adobe Photoshop Essential Skills
- Course Code: WPRESS-100E
- Course Classification: Evening part time Web design / Module 3
- Duration: 4 weeks
- Times: Mon – Wed, 5:30pm to 8:30pm
- Next course: 19 March 2012 – 11 April 2012
- Then : 25 June 2012 – 18 July 2012
Intro
Want to make web sites that connect ? Learn to build beautiful websites with commercial value and more powerful back-end features.
Description
If you are an aspiring web programmer who wants to enhance add commercial value to your already functional HTML & Flash sites – and thereby enhance the usability and professionalism of your web sites – then this is the course for you!
This 4 week evening course is not intended for absolute beginners. You will require Module 2 (XHTML/CSS Essentials) and Adobe Photoshop Essential Skills, or equivalent work experience, in order to manage with the content of this course.
You will cover popular topics in the field of advanced web programming such as an introduction to cutting-edge technologies like Server-based scripting in PHP, and how work with basic PHP using WordPress, editing and creating your own WordPress templates, using external sources to fill your website with content, such as XML and advanced HTML. Practical projects make this course a must!
Course Outline :
Introductions
- Introduction to Content Management Systems and Database driven websites
- Introduction to web 2.0 principles and technologies
- Introduction to WordPress (Open Source Content Management System)
Administration & Setup
- Administering the WordPress Content Management System.
- Understanding the admin interface of the WordPress software
- Installing WordPress On live servers & On a local testing servers
WordPress Theme/Templating Basics
- Understanding the structure of WordPress Themes
- Learning basic to Intermediate WordPress coding
- Understanding the WordPress Loop (The main content engine)
- Learning to Build Custom WordPress Themes step by step.
WordPress site development Intermediate
- Adding Plugins & other custom functionality to WordPress Themes
- Building your own WordPress theme
- WordPress Custom Templates
- Custom Fields (creating custom data types & data structures)
Advanced Theme Development Techniques
- Custom Loops (using queries to output custom collections of posts)
- Conditional Statements using if, while & else statements
The course will also include:
- using The WordPress System to develop non-traditional application style websites
- aspects of developing portfolio websites with galleries and ajax functionality
- Integrating other web technologies and platforms into a WordPress site (eg. facebook, twitter, flickr, external feeds)
What our students say about us
“Enjoyable lessons made easy by the lecturer. Easy, understandable methods!” Warren Talmarkes (June 2011 WordPress Essentials)
“Thanks very much for bringing in experienced lecturers – really covered everything I needed to know! ” Angelique Dos Santos (June 2011 WordPress Essentials)
“Excellent stepping stone to the world of WordPress! ” Anon (Sep 2011 WordPress Essentials)
“Thanks for a great course!” Bianca Bird – Website Designer (April 2012 WordPress Essential Skills)
“The lecturer explains complicated issues in simple language, and presents it logically” Janet Morris, Social Media Marketing Consultant (April 2012 WordPress Essential Skills)
Extra Info
Have you checked the general info on this type of course and when it is scheduled?
Enrolment form
Download enrolment form here or contact us to enrol.
Course Description
View the full course description here.
Enrolment form
Download enrolment form here or contact us to enrol.
Pricing also available for customised, on-site or group training.
After Effects Essential Skills
Inspiring, instructor-lead, detailed.
- Course Name: After Effects Master Class
- Course code: AE-100E
- Level 1: Basic to Intermediate
- Prerequisite/s: None, but Photoshop is an advantage
- Course Classification: Stand-Alone-Course
- Duration: 4 weeks, 12 evenings
- Times: Mon – Wed / Tues – Thurs , 5:30pm to 8:30pm
- Dates: 2012 – TBC
- Then: TBC
Intro
This course has been designed to give you an extremely comprehensive introduction to Adobe After Effects and will cover all of the main areas and uses of the application.
Description
At the end of this course you will be able to import footage items, add text and effects, animate various parameters, incorporate design elements into video footage, and export to a number of different formats for viewing.
Software modules
- Overview & Getting started
- Importing Files
- Compositions & Layers
- Using the Timeline
- Animation Essentials
- The Principles of Animation
- Animation : The Next Level
- Getting Creative with After Effects
- Introduction to Effects
- Working with Text
- Video Editing
- Masks, Mattes and keying
- Working with Audio
- Introduction to 3D
- Photoshop & After Effects
- Integration with Other Adobe Applications
- Exporting
- Helpers
What our students say about us
“I never thought I’d pick up on a technical programme like AfterEffects so quickly but I did and would make the most of the knowledge I have learnt now” Megan Mitchell (June 2011 AfterEffects Essential Skills)
“IThe course was excellent, inspirational and a great basis for Motion Graphics!” Roger Williams (December 2011 AfterEffects Essential Skills)
Enrolment form
Download the Enrolment Form.
Course Description
View the full Course Description.
Enrolment
Contact us to enrol.
Pricing also available for customised, individual or on-site training.
Schedule at a glance (Evenings)
Subscribe to our Friends of Design newsletter here for monthly updates on courses, dates and prices. Please note:
- All advertised dates and times are subject to change without notice.
- Please confirm all dates and pricing, prior to booking online, via email or contact us on 021 402 0303.
- You may begin enrol on any evening module with the exception of the Finishing Art (Evening DTP course series) or WordPress (Evening Web publishing course series) modules, as both require learned skills from preceding evening modules.
Evening Desktop Publishing & Print Design
All Evening DTP training is from 5:30pm – 8:30pm, 3 nights per week (Mon – Wed).
Book four consecutive modules and qualify for a discount*. (*Conditions apply, so please contact us for details)
LEVEL 1 – Part time evening DTP (Print Design) courses:
- Module 1: Adobe Photoshop Essential Skills (4 weeks, 12 Evenings) Next course starts 30 Apr 2012 – 23 May 2012
- Module 2: Adobe InDesign Essential Skills (4 weeks, 12 Evenings) Next course starts 20 Feb 2012 – 14 Mar 2012
- Module 3: Adobe Illustrator Essential Skills (4 weeks, 12 Evenings) Next course starts 19 Mar 2012 – 11 Apr 2012
- Module 4: Finishing Art for Designers (1 week, 3 Evenings) Next course starts 23 Apr 2012 – 25 Apr 2012
- Module 5: Digital Publishing Suite (5 weeks, 15 Evenings)
Web Design Publishing
All Evening Web Publishing training is from 5:30pm – 8:30pm, 3 nights per week (Mon – Wed).
Book four consecutive modules and qualify for a discount. (Conditions apply, so please contact us for details)
LEVEL 1 – Part time evening Web publishing course:
Complete all three web essential skills courses and earn our part time Web Publishing attendance certificate. Also, pay a discounted price when booking all 3 of the following modules.
- Module 1: Adobe Flash Essential Skills (15 evenings, 5 weeks) Next course 23 Apr 2012 – 23 May 2012
- Module 2: HTML & CSS Essential Skills (12 evenings, 4 weeks) Next course 20 Feb 2012 – 14 Mar 2012
- Module 3: WordPress Essential Skills (12 evenings, 4 weeks) Next course 19 Mar 2012 – 11 April 2012
Motion Graphics & Video Editing
All Evening Motion Graphics training is from 5:30pm – 8:30pm, 3 nights per week (Mon – Wed).
LEVEL 1 – Part time evening Motion Graphics & Video Editing course:
- Module 1: Adobe AfterEffects Essential Skills (12 evenings, 4 weeks) Next course 2012 TBC
Adobe® Acrobat X Pro
All Evening Adobe Acrobat X Pro training is from 5:30pm – 8:30pm, 1 night per week (Thursdays).
LEVEL 1 – Part time evening Motion Graphics & Video Editing course:
- Complete the Adobe Acrobat X Pro Essential Skills course and earn our Adobe Acrobat X Pro part time attendance certificate.
- Module : Adobe® Acrobat X Pro Essential Skills (6 evenings, 6 weeks) Next course 2012 – TBC
- Games in Advertising 2 weeks: Next course: Dates to be confirmed
