THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2018/2019

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Centre for Open Learning : Creative Arts

Undergraduate Course: Graphic Design: Studio Practices (LLLA08009)

Course Outline
SchoolCentre for Open Learning CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course explores the potential of contemporary graphic representation through a series of focused projects, each responding to a graphic design brief. Students will begin to develop a professional approach, showing initiative in analysing and researching each brief, generating and pitching ideas, and developing a 'graphic' resolution, using Adobe software. Students will be supported and guided as they work through their creative briefs, being encouraged to reflect upon how their own developing skills and interest align with the varied professional contexts of Graphic Design.
Course description 1) Academic Description

This course is designed to develop in students the confidence to conduct autonomous graphic design practice. It will reinforce, to students, their own potency through reflection-in-action. The course purposefully targets the liminality between the academic and vocational.

Over-arching theoretical concerns about professional graphic design practice are explicitly raised. These are: contemporary targeted mass communication; challenges and productivity of constraint; starting, doing and finishing. The themes are explored through substantial practical projects, encouraging students to iteratively form linkages between theory and practice.

These theoretical areas are divided into practical questions, concerns and dilemmas around graphic practice, and introduce graphic industry-standard tools. The iterative template of learning and teaching emphasise the major themes of the course.

Students studying on full-time courses within the University of Edinburgh can take this credit course, but this cannot be used or counted towards any degree they are studying.

2) Outline Content

The course has a tryptic of over-arching major thematic areas, each suggesting specific concepts:

1) CONTEMPORARY TARGETED MASS-COMMUNICATION
Exploring target-related practical concerns of audience, message, and medium.

2) CHALLENGES & PRODUCTIVITY OF CONSTRAINT
Exploring constraint-related practical concerns of the client, platform, and resource.

3) STARTING, DOING AND FINISHING
Exploring maker-related practical concerns of designer, process, and reflexivity.

These are introduced in the first block of the course, then revisited through practice and reflection within each further block.
Each later block of the course itself has a specific practical theme that introduces a related industry-standard professional design tool from the Adobe Creative Cloud suite:

1) IMAGE & SEMIOTIC
Focusing on raster manipulation. This strongly infers the use of industry-standard Adobe CC Photoshop software.

2) REPRESENTATION WITH POINT, LINE & PLANE
Focusing on vector manipulation. This strongly infers the use of industry-standard Adobe CC Illustrator software.

3) PUBLISHING & FLOW
Focusing on a multi-page layout, flow and type-setting. This strongly infers the use of industry-standard Adobe CC InDesign software.

This final block also consolidates the learning from the whole course by requiring practical use of raster and vector elements from previous explorations.

3) Student Learning Experience

The course introduction will set a template for the core processes of graphic design:

1) RESEARCH
Evidenced through journaling and presentation.

2) IDEATION & SELECTION
Evidenced through a body of sketches and presentation.

3) ITERATION & RESOLUTION
Evidenced through development from pitches, peer critique, tutorials, and 'client' presentation.

The evidence from all three (journal, sketchbook, and resolved graphic designs) will be provided for both formative and summative assessments in accordance with established formal assessment points within the Centre for Open Learning.

Students will initially research, develop, and resolve a graphic design that is a case study of a professional graphic design practitioner. This learning and teaching arc is echoed within each other block of the course, with parallel expectation of process, outcomes and evidence.

The format of each later delivery block will be a separate practical project requiring the exploration of directed themes and issues through the use of professional industry-standard tools. Each project will be set through a 'client brief', with students provided 'client', peer and tutor feedback and academic guidance at key stages.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs - Sketchbook
- Pens and pencils as appropriate.

Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate creative purposeful ideas and targeted research methods for meeting visual communication briefs and demonstrate reflexivity about one's role as practicing designer.
  2. Demonstrate ability in utilising a range of graphic design methods, approaches and processes that are appropriate to specific visual communication briefs.
  3. Evidence appropriate judgement to document, select and present several targeted graphic design responses which are appropriate to the client brief.
Reading List
Essential
Baldwin, J. & Roberts, L., 2006. Visual communication: from theory to practice, Lausanne [Switzerland]: AVA.

Davis, M., 2012. Graphic design theory, London: Thames & Hudson.

Kane, J., 2002. A type primer, London: Laurence King.

Lupton, E. & Miller, J.A., 1999. Design writing research: writing on graphic design, London: Phaidon.

Recommended

Ambrose, G. & Aono-Billson, N. (2017) Basics Graphic Design 01: Approach and Language. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Leonard, N. & Ambrose, G. (2017) Basics Graphic Design 02: Design Research: Investigation for Successful Creative Solutions. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Leonard, N. & Ambrose, G. (2017) Basics Graphic Design 03: Idea Generation. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Shaughnessy, A., 2009. Graphic design: a user's manual / |c [written and designed, Adrian Shaughnessy; foreword, Michael Bierut]., London: Laurence King.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Understand the relevance of personal methodologies for development of self-directed practice.
Select and utilise appropriate graphic practice and digital tools to meet the constraints and opportunities of different graphic design briefs.
Develop a capacity to expand critical and self-reflective research practice.
Work with others in a constructive and cooperative way.
Contextual understanding of contemporary visual media and its creation.
Keywordsgraphic design,professional practice,Adobe Photoshop,Adobe Illustrator,Adobe InDesign,Mac
Contacts
Course organiserMr Oliver Reed
Tel:
Email: Oliver.Reed@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMr Benjamin McNab
Tel: (0131 6)51 4832
Email: Benjamin.Mcnab@ed.ac.uk
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