B1. Future of Communication Design & Delivery
August de los Reyes, Principal Director User Experience, Microsoft Surface
The impact of technology on the ways we communicate is more profound today than at any time in history. From the way businesses connect with customers, to how companies share ideas internally, and how individuals share thoughts and collaborate. Come discover how these changes are in their infancy, see how we will be communicating in the future, and the opportunities that exist for individuals and businesses.
15. Optimizing the Publishing Workflow from Design to Print
Haziel Olivera, Consultant, AGI Training
Find ways to make the workflow more efficient from the time a document is conceived to the time it is printed. Discover methods for streamlining the process through design, quality control, PDF creation, and printing. Understand ways to work more consistently so that every document can be delivered quickly and easily.
23. Adobe InDesign: Creating Documents Efficiently: Master Pages, Book Files, Templates, and more
Greg Heald, Training Manager, AGI Training
If you use InDesign, you won’t want to miss this session, you will discover ways to dramatically increase your efficiency. You’ll find ways to apply consistent formatting across multiple pages—even multiple books. You’ll learn about ways in which InDesign can automatically format objects for you, or quickly generate a table of contents for you. You’ll see how you can create templates that keep your documents consistent from one version to the next, allowing you to minimize the need to recreate similar content. If you create brochures, magazines, or catalogs, you won’t want to miss this session.
34. Adobe InDesign: Preparing Print Content for Use on the Web
Chad Chelius, Author, Instructor, AGI Training
If you design content for print using InDesign and also need to share it on-line, this session is for you. You’ll learn about steps you can take in your production process to simplify the transition of your content from print to the Web. You’ll also discover how to take your completed InDesign layouts and export them for easy incorporation into a web layout.
42. Adobe Illustrator: Creating Realistic Gradients, Blends & Meshes
Greg Heald, Training Manager, AGI Training
Never wonder how realistic illustrations are created. Attend this session to see how you can use the gradient feature in Adobe Illustrator, along with the gradient mesh to build realistic tones and into your graphics.
51. Graphic Secrets for Creative Pros
Greg Heald, Training Manager, AGI Training
In this session, you’ll glean many time-saving tips for creating tough selections, and learn fast ways to create today’s most popular photo effects like silhouettes, partial color, duotones, gorgeous grayscales, creative photo frames, and more. We’ll also take a look at the four secrets of great design that will ensure your layouts to look their very best.
59. Creating Beautiful Type
John Landis, Professor Emeritus, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
Jennifer Smith, Author, Vice President, AGI Training
This session can be a primer for creative professionals who do not have a formal design background, or a refresher for those who do. Gain a new understanding and appreciation of typographic letterforms in this visual presentation featuring the evolution of typesetting, advice on typeface choices, alignment styles, font mixing, body copy, and lots of examples of this most seen and significant element in virtually every visual communication.
66. Adobe CS4: Perfect Printing and PDF Creation
Chad Chelius, Author, Instructor, AGI Training
This session explores the best ways to get perfect prints and PDFs from the core Creative Suite applications for print design – Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign. Discover ways to make sure you get the best proofs, color that meets your expectations, and the highest quality graphics when printing from these applications individually or combining assets into a single job.
72. InDesign CS4: Advanced Techniques
(Double Session)
Chad Chelius, Author, Instructor, AGI Training
If you’re an InDesign user, this session is for you. You will be taken through time-saving tips and techniques so that you can get the most out of InDesign. Whether you want to use object styles, address complex transparency, or work with variable data—this half-day session will provide you with great time-saving information. Bring your questions—as the presenters have helped more than 100 magazine and book publishers transition more than 5,000 of their staff to InDesign, so they can help you take InDesign to the Max.
16. Organizing and Automating Your Creative Suite Workflow with Adobe Bridge
Greg Heald, Training Manager, AGI Training
In this session you will discover how Adobe Bridge—which is included with all Creative Suite applications—can help you to work more efficiently and creatively. Explore how to use Bridge to access, view, manage, search, and apply metadata data, as well as to take advantage of batch tools. Adobe Bridge is faster and better than before.
24. Adobe Photoshop: Color Correction Essentials
Jennifer Smith, Author, Vice President, AGI Training
In this session you’ll discover how to make your images pop with simple techniques. You’ll understand how to make healthy skin tones, create balanced images, and create professional grade color using a few simple steps.
35. Adobe Photoshop: Creating & Working with 3D Images
Jennifer Smith, Author, Vice President, AGI Training
3D technology is at your fingertips when you use Adobe Photoshop CS4 Extended. In this session you find out how you can turn graphics into 3D graphics, apply textures, and animate them. You will also discover how to import existing 3D objects into Photoshop, change their appearance and build into a composition.
43. Adobe Photoshop: Tips & Tricks
Haziel Olivera, Consultant, AGI Training
This session covers essential capabilities and new features that help make you more productive with the latest version of Adobe Photoshop. You’ll get tips and tricks from expert authors and instructors.
52. Adobe Photoshop: Taking Layers to the Max
Jennifer Smith, Author, Vice President, AGI Training
If you can’t get enough of Photoshop’s layers capabilities, this session is for you. You’ll discover how to take advantage of many possibilities to enhance image quality and expand creative horizons. This session explores working with adjustment layers, layer effects, and clipping groups. You’ll learn how to make color changes with adjustment layers, how to use the black and white adjustment layer, how to combine layer effects, and how to understand layer fill and opacity settings.
60. Adobe Photoshop: Getting Smart with Photoshop’s Smart Objects
Chad Chelius, Author, Instructor, AGI Training
Never destroy your original imagery again. In this session, you discover how to take advantage of the Photoshop smart object feature to apply nondestructive changes to your layers. Find out how to use smart filters, scale, update, and combine Smart Objects in order to create exceptional compositions.
67. Adobe Photoshop: Advanced Masking Techniques
Jennifer Smith, Author, Vice President, AGI Training
There is an easier way to create masks in Photoshop. In fact, there are many! In this session, you find simple tips and tricks with the selection tools~all the way through advanced masking techniques involving channels, layer masks, and clipping groups.
17. Adobe Acrobat: Checking, Correcting, & Editing PDFs
Chad Chelius, Author, Instructor, AGI Training
In this session, you will learn how to set up, manage, and use a Shared Review with internal and external customers. Because you can enable the review for people who use the free Reader, you extend this tool to just about anyone in your workflow. You will discover how to configure a comment repository using iDisk, WebDAV, or a network folder. You’ll also learn review best practices and techniques for getting the most out of an electronic review.
25. Adobe Acrobat: Reliable Real World PDF Print Production
Chad Chelius, Author, Instructor, AGI Training
This session examines workflows and strategies that help creative and print professionals adapt and prosper in a rapidly changing environment. This session examines new technologies and platforms that impact print publishing workflows, and discusses the direction of print and the impact that technological changes have on creative, marketing, and publishing operations.
36. Secure Document Distribution with PDF
Haziel Olivera, Consultant, AGI Training
This session explores the security options available for use within PDF files. This includes discussion of password security, self-sign security, and rights-enablement, along with a discussion of server-based real-time security options that allow for control and management of files, even after they have been distributed.
44. Creating PDF and On-line Forms: Capturing and Managing Data
Jim Healy, CEO, FormRouter, Inc.
This session explores different ways of working with data in your PDF forms. We will show examples of pre-filling data into PDF forms and retrieving data from PDF forms. You will learn about different technologies and techniques including inexpensive tools (Adobe Acrobat Professional) and more expensive tools (Adobe LiveCycle Servers). If you have ever wanted to post a form to a website and easily move data in and out of the form, this is the class for you.
53. Creating an Efficient PDF Review & Approval Process Using the Free Adobe Reader
Chad Chelius, Author, Instructor, AGI Training
Discover how to create an efficient electronic document review and approval process using PDF. You’ll find ways to include users that work with the free Adobe Reader software, and discover best-practices for commenting and collaborating electronically. You’ll find out about methods to consolidate multiple reviewers comments into a single file, sort, organize, and respond to comments, and other options.
61. Creating Interactive documents with InDesign and Acrobat
Haziel Olivera, Consultant, AGI Training
In this session, you discover how to use PDF to distribute electronic brochures and PDF magazines that integrate animations, movies, and sound. Discover how to include navigational buttons, hyperlinks, and options to create compelling PDF files for on-line viewing.
68. Using PDF Portfolios to Create Brilliant Presentations
Haziel Olivera, Consultant, AGI Training
Discover how to create rich and engaging presentations using Adobe PDF Portfolios. This session explores the ways to bring together a variety of file formats, images, documents, and assets and present them in an easy-to-use format using Adobe Acrobat. Create one container for all your assets and present them in a way that provides a logical and easy-to-use interface for the reader.
18. Web Design 101: Essentials You Need to Know When Designing Web & Interactive Content
Jeremy Osborn, Author, Training Director, AGI Training
If you’re looking to apply your traditional or print design skills to the web, you’ll benefit from this “software-free” session. You’ll discover which design skills and sensibilities are transferable from print to web, and which don’t work when creating usable web interfaces. You’ll discover proven techniques for adapting your message from the printed page to the browser’s monitor, without giving up the strong layout, color, and composition that characterizes your design.
Attendees will learn how to:
- Address differences in the way users “read” pages on the web
- Translate composition and page organization to a Web-based audience
- Control the treatment of typography in the limited environment of HTML
- Evoke an emotional response from your viewers through the use of color
- Repurpose previously-created images and text without sacrificing quality
- Overcome usability issues
26. Prototyping, Wireframing and Site Design
Jeremy Osborn, Author, Training Director, AGI Training
Compelling design, continuity, and ease of use helps users navigate your site and make it easier for them to take action. In this session you’ll discover how to take steps, such as pre-planning with pencil and paper, building flowcharts, and constructing templates to build successful websites. You will not only have an opportunity to hear high-level concepts, but discover some tips and tricks to comping, or creating a wireframe for a website using Adobe Fireworks.
37. Fundamentals of XHTML and CSS
Jeremy Osborn, Author, Training Director, AGI Training
Text on the web is an overlooked aspect of web design. Good use of HTML and CSS on your website can improve your site’s search engine rankings, make the site easier to maintain and update, and most importantly, make your pages readable to all users on all platforms. Topics of discussion include how to properly structure and style the navigation, paragraphs and headings on your pages, how to apply advanced styling such as letterspacing, line-height and gradient effects. You will also learn how to incorporate text as images without sacrificing search engine indexing.
45. Adobe Flash: Introduction to Flash Animation
Fred Gerantabee, Author, Web Developer, BrandWizard
In this session, you will explore how Flash allows you to create animated content for the Web. Learn how designers use the basic toolset in Flash to create web banners, animated buttons and intro screens. Flash’s drawing tools, importing Photoshop files, creating basic animation and exporting will all be covered.
This session is for: Creatives, Graphic Designers
54. Getting Started with Streaming Video on the Web
Jeremy Osborn, Author, Training Director, AGI Training
Video can be displayed on 96% of all Internet-connected computers and has rapidly become the standard for online video distribution. This session gives an overview of the three-stage publishing process: Edit, Polish, and Publish. You’ll see how you can get up-and-running in minutes with both Flash and Silverlight Video, and customize your player to create custom-branded content.
• Video Deployment Options
• The Step Publishing process
• Hardware/Software needs for Flash and Silverlight Video
62. E-mail Marketing: Designing Effective E-Mail Campaigns
Jeremy Osborn, Author, Training Director, AGI Training
Learn how, in this non-software-based look at a burgeoning delivery medium. Discover how to overcome the challenges of list management, bounced mail, and angry subscribers; and use this non-invasive push media to bring layout, graphics, and interactivity to the e-mail genre.
Manage lists & list segments for optimal performance
Create concise but effective subject lines
Add creative elements and design to provoke a positive response
Provide permission-based opt-ins
Test click-through rates & other statistics
Recognize significant new e-mail technologies and trends, such as RSS.
Get the answers you need.
73. Getting Started With Web Design Using Dreamweaver (Double Session)
Greg Heald, Training Manager, AGI Training
This half-day session gets you up-and-running with Adobe Dreamweaver. You’ll discover essential skills for using Dreamweaver to plan, create, and upload your site. The session is led by one of the co-authors of the Digital Classroom: Adobe Dreamweaver CS4 book.
Topics covered include:
• Defining and Uploading a Site
• Using Images and Animations
• Working with Hyperlinks Internal Links
• JavaScript
• Introduction to Behaviors
• Building Tables
• Using Meta Tags
• Site Synchronization
• Using the Site Map
• Using the Link Checker
Creating Web Graphics
Greg Heald, Training Manager, AGI Training
In this session find out how to create images that look good and are optimized for the Web. In this session, you will learn how about compression, file formats, color, and slicing.
69. Getting Started with Interactive Design Using Flash
Double Session
Fred Gerantabee, Author, Web Developer, BrandWizard
In this half-day Adobe Flash CS4 session, you’ll learn how to get creative with Flash’s drawing tools and bring graphics to life on the stage through motion and shape tweens while incorporating images, video and audio to create total interactive experiences. Learn to optimize and publish your content for delivery on the Web
19. Interactive Design Essentials—Expanding Photoshop and Illustrator skills to the Internet to create Silverlight Experiences
Arturo Toledo, Project Manager, Microsoft
Find out how Silverlight can help designers and design agencies expand their existing skills and business opportunities by collaborating with developers. Microsoft ® Silverlight™ is a cross-browser, cross-platform plug-in for delivering the next generation of .NET-based media experiences and rich interactive applications for the Web. Silverlight supports fast, cost-effective delivery of high-quality video to all major browsers. In this session Arturo demonstrates how you can take content from native Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop files and make it interactive, without writing code.
27. Integrating Social Media into Your Marketing Efforts
Christopher Smith, Author, President, AGI Training
Find out ways that sites such as Facebook, Myspace, and Youtube can be used to promote your business and compliment your existing marketing efforts. Explore ways in which Twitter can help communicate with customers and prospective clients. Learn about social bookmarking sites, and ways to combine these capabilities to benefit your business or organization.
38. Search Engine Strategies: Getting Found On-line
Benjamin Rudolph, Director of Business Development, Search Discovery, Inc.
If customers can’t find you on-line, you’re not in the game. With billions of searches occurring each month, you want to make certain that your customers and prospects can find your business. In this session, you’ll get an overview of the options and strategies to get noticed on-line.
- Differences between Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Search Engine
- Marketing (SEM), and Pay Per Click (PPC)
- Key strategies for effective SEO
- Establishing a SEM and PPC campaign
- Understanding metrics for measuring success
Publishing on Multiple Platforms
Chad Chelius, Author, Instructor, AGI Training
Discover the most efficient ways to create documents that can easily be shared between their print layout, on-line, and mobile or e-reading devices. This session explores strategies and processes available using common software to create documents that are portable and can easily be reformatted, depending upon where they will be used. You’ll get an understanding of options available for structuring documents and how XML can make it easy to create documents one time and share them among multiple destinations.
55. What Everyone Needs to Know About Good Design
John Landis, Professor Emeritus, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
This creative idea-generation session includes a visual presentation featuring many examples of attention-attracting, and aesthetically-pleasing, design as well as ways to come up with those all important concepts that separate the ho-hum from the extraordinary.
This session is critical for all creative and marketing professionals who are involved in print, or web design.
63. E-publishing: Extending Brands and Generating Revenue Online
Christopher Smith, Author, President, AGI Training, Greg Heald, Training Manager, AGI Training & Panel
This session explores ways to extend the value of printed content on-line. It examines options for extending the value of your content to your brand, and ways to generate revenue while keeping your content within your control. This session also explores the widespread flaws with Adobe’s ebook format that have concerned many publishers about lost revenue and control, ways to mitigate these security problems, along with alternative and emerging publishing options.
70. Design Jobs of Tomorrow: The Evolution of the Creative Economy
Jeremy Osborn, Author, Training Director, AGI Training
Come discover the direction of the creative job market and hear about the kind of skills that employers are seeking today. Find out about how roles and jobs are evolving in creative and communications roles. Learn about changes in the way both employees and employers are viewing roles, and how companies can succeed in attracting the right candidates and how individuals can match their roles to what companies are looking for today and what they’ll be seeking from employees in the future.
