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.” read the rest here