Undergraduate Course: Graphic Design: Studio Practices (LLLA08009)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This 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.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | - Sketchbook
- Pens and pencils as appropriate.
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Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2019/20, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 12 |
| Course Start |
Full Year |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 54,
External Visit Hours 3,
Formative Assessment Hours 3,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
136 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Formative Assessment
A formative assessment session will occur around halfway through the taught elements of the course. Each student will undertake a verbal presentation with their practical work in progress to other members of the class group followed by a group critique supported by the course tutor.
Indicative and supportive feedback will be summarised in a written form, within the Digital Learning Journal, which will give an indication as to the areas to be addressed in order to meet the published learning outcomes. This will comprise of a short, written summary of action points.
Summative Assessment
(Occurs at least 2 weeks after the last taught class)
Two weeks after the end of the class teaching, this course will be assessed by the submission of:
A digital Learning Journal, documenting a summary of the learning journey as evidenced in the portfolio.
This may include a summary of idea development, media exploration, contextual research, critical reflection and outcomes through notes, annotation, illustration and photographs.
A portfolio of visual art/design works
This will include a selection of sketchbook works, preparatory studies, visual research, resolved works and evidence of a contextual awareness and references.
The Digital Learning Journal and Portfolio must be presented in a clear and professional manner appropriate to the discipline. The submission should include work undertaken within the class as well as any directed and independent study out with the class.
The combined Digital Learning Journal and Portfolio submission will be assessed against the three learning outcomes for this course. These are equally weighted (33.3% each) and each will be given a percentage grade. To pass, students must achieve a minimum of 30% in each learning outcome and an overall combined mark of 40% minimum. |
| Feedback |
Feedback will comprise three components,
1. Informal on-going peer and tutor feedback in class.
2. Formative Assessment - tutor feedback through the reflective Learning Journal and group crit.
3. Summative Assessment of a reflective Learning Journal and portfolio of work.
Formal Formative Assessment: This will comprise of a short written summary of action points of areas requiring addressing to meet the learning outcomes, but no indicative grades will be given.
Summative Assessments: On completion of the assessment, each student will receive a % mark for each learning outcome, along with written feedback putting a context to the % mark and outlines areas for development.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate creative purposeful ideas and targeted research methods for meeting visual communication briefs and demonstrate reflexivity about one's role as practicing designer.
- Demonstrate ability in utilising a range of graphic design methods, approaches and processes that are appropriate to specific visual communication briefs.
- Evidence appropriate judgement to document, select and present several targeted graphic design responses which are appropriate to the client brief.
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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.
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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. |
| Keywords | graphic design,professional practice,Adobe Photoshop,Adobe Illustrator,Adobe InDesign,Mac |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Oliver Reed
Tel:
Email: Oliver.Reed@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Kameliya Skerleva
Tel: (0131 6)51 1855
Email: Kameliya.Skerleva@ed.ac.uk |
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