module specification

This module introduces a range of historical, cultural and industry contextual knowledge and practice. It enables students to carry out their creative practice in associated modules with a secure understanding of basic historic and cultural contexts, and visual communication industry practice and expectations.

The module aims to motivate students to be enquiring and to engage critically in the practice and culture of visual communication: students will be encouraged to ask questions and shown how to conduct information gathering and basic research in order to construct their answers. They will begin to acquire discipline-specific skills in designing and visual recording and communication, using industry standard techniques and media. In this way, the module will help students begin to shape their future direction of study as well as providing useful insights into their individual potential and abilities.

DN3002 Introduction to Visual Communication: Practice (co-requisite)

The module has two strands of study:

• the historical and cultural context of visual communication, and the standards and structures of contemporary industry;

• the industry-specific technical modes of practice for understanding and responding to a brief, researching, developing and executing an outcome across a range of media using experimentation and critical reflection.

In the first strand, students will be introduced to a carefully chosen range of exemplar historical periods, movements and examples of visual communication. Students will study the processes, techniques, tools, formats and contents that together create visual communication outcomes in graphic design, illustration and animation. Students will be asked to consider how the design reflects the social, historical, political, economic, or individual context that gave rise to it and so come to realise how they themselves are always working within a context for practice. In order to do this they will be shown how to ‘read’ a piece of visual communication, and discover how to search for information that may help them to do this.

Students will also conduct case studies of contemporary designers, illustrators, animators and visual communication companies. They will seek to discover how the practice of visual communication is conducted and the range of practice and outcomes that exist in the contemporary field. Particularly, they will arrive at an understanding of how teams are constructed and work, how responsibilities are shared and how suppliers, collaborators and other specialists are engaged to fulfil the project.

In the second strand, students will be introduced to the industry standard and required practices and conventions in the manipulation and innovation of digital tools, craft-based techniques and professional processes. This will support and enable the work undertaken in the associated module, DN3002 Introduction to Visual Communication: Practice.

Scheduled teaching ensures that independent study is effective and addresses the learning outcomes and assessment tasks. Students are expected to; and have the opportunity to continue with their studies outside of scheduled classes. There will be a range of learning strategies deployed and individual learning styles will be accommodated.

The module’s learning outcomes, its contents and delivery, have been scrutinised and will be regularly reviewed to ensure an inclusive approach to pedagogic practice. The module and course utilise the University’s blended learning platform to support and reinforce learning, to foster peer-to-peer communication and to facilitate tutorial support for students. Reflective learning is promoted through assessment items and interim formative feedback points that ask students to reflect on their progress, seek help where they identify the opportunity for improvement in learning strategies and outcomes, and make recommendations to themselves for future development.

Throughout the module, students build a body of work, including reflections on progress and achievement. The School’s programme of employability events and embedded work-related learning within the curriculum supports students’ personal development planning. Through these initiatives, students are increasingly able, as they progress through the year, to understand the professional environment of their disciplines, the various opportunities available to them, and how to shape their learning according to their ambitions.

On successful completion of the module, to the standard expected at Level 3, students will be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge of selected key movements and exemplars of visual communication and show with some critical understanding, how they respond to and reflect their context;

2. know how to locate, access and use a range of information sources (in libraries, collections, exhibitions, journals, e-resources) and be able to write and otherwise communicate effectively;

3. have an awareness of how the visual communication sector functions commercially, across a range of formats and media and contexts;

4. describe and record the elements of visual communication outputs using industry standard techniques at a basic level;

5. apply simple industry standard practices and conventions in the manipulation and innovation of digital tools, craft-based techniques and professional processes, applied to graphic design, illustration and animation tasks;

6. show evidence of self-reflection and an emerging awareness of their own interests and abilities and how they might relate to the visual communication sector.

There are two assessment items.

1. Essay and Case Study

Students will submit an illustrated essay (1200-1500 words) on a topic chosen from a list reflecting the areas of historical and contextual study studied. The essay will use academic apparatus, including referencing.

Students will submit an illustrated case study (800-1200 words) of a contemporary graphic designer, illustrator, animator or visual communication practice, examining and describing the practice in terms of how it functions, the type of work it undertakes, how it promotes itself and constructs its practice image and reputation.

2. Portfolio

Students will submit a portfolio of research, development and outcomes demonstrating their ability in a range of industry standard techniques and conventions.

Detailed requirements will be published in briefs at the start of the semester.

Core Texts:

Berger, J. (2003) Ways of Seeing, Penguin

Ingledew, J. (2017), How to have great ideas: A guide to creative thinking, Laurence King

Munari, B (2008) ‘Design as Art’, Penguin

Bierut, M., (2004) Looking Closer: 4, Critical Writings on Graphic Design, Allworth Press

Fletcher, A. (2001)The art of looking sideways, Phaidon Press

Bestley, R. and Noble, I. (2004) Visual Research An Introduction to Research Methods in Graphic Design, AVA Publishing

Journals:
Eye magazine
Varoom
Creative Review
Computer Arts
Eye on Design

Websites:
Itsnicethat.com
creativebloq.com
eyeondesign.aiga.org

Electronic Databases:
E-Flux Journal
e-flux.com/journal
The Serving Library
servinglibrary.org
Lynda.com