Postgraduate Course: Elements of Digital Design (DESI11194)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will provide you with a foundation in techniques and theory used in the design and development of digital media for screen and print publishing. You will gain practical and theoretical experience in design fundamentals such as colour, composition, typography, branding, semiotics and basic motion graphics. You will be supported through the stages of the design process including research, ideation, development and the production of professionally finished assets. |
| Course description |
You will study fundamental aspects of graphic design and their print and screen-based applications. The course will cover form, grid layouts and other compositional approaches, colour theory, typography, semiotics and symbology. You will be introduced to basic motion graphics. You will learn to identify your target audience and make design decisions that best suit their needs. Working from the problem-solving concepts of 'Design Thinking' an interative approach to design will be encouraged, from initial brainstorming through the development process to the final result. You will also learn methods to document the design process and present ideas.
The learning activities will help you develop the skills, knowledge and critical thinking required for the project brief. There will be live and recorded lectures as well as group discussions and crit sessions where you will discuss and reflect upon lecture content, set texts and your work. Production activities may include work relating to composition, typography and motion graphics, as pertaining to the project brief.
The course will consist of a series of weekly 2-hour lectures addressing the core principles of digital design. These lectures will include guests from the design industry. A weekly series of 1-hour critique sessions will provide feedback and discussion opportunities for students with regard to their ongoing progress with the coursework they will submit for assessment. Three practical workshops (each 3 hours) will also be scheduled to provide further opportunities for students to develop their digital design skillsets.
This course is delivered on campus. Recordings and additional resources will also be made available online.
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 32 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 11,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 9,
Online Activities 22,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
130 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
The course has two assessment components:
Assessment one (summative): project draft, documentation and reflective report of c. 800 words (40% of the total mark)
Assessment two (summative): completed project, documentation and reflective report of c. 800 words (60% of the total mark)
Submitted design work can encompass a wide variety of creative responses and challenges to an open-ended brief including graphic design, 3D models, animation and data visualisation. The first stage of the project will consist of designing a set of draft digital design assets accompanied by documentation in the form of a reflective project report. It will be due for submission in Week 4-6. The second stage will consist of refining and completing the assets accompanied by a reflective report detailing the creative decisions and changes made since the draft. It will be due for submission in Week 11-13.
|
| Feedback |
Ongoing formative feedback will be provided through the weekly group tutorials.
The weekly online group tutorials will inform the work presented for each summative assessment. These tutorials offer an avenue to guide the students along their learning journey, provide advice on the work that should be submitted for submission 1, and show how this work on submission 1 should feed forward into submission 2.
Summative written and oral feedback will be provided on submission 1 as per University regulations.
The summative feedback from submission 1 will directly inform the work presented for submission 2.
Summative written feedback will be provided on the submission 2 as per University regulations.
|
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate detailed knowledge and in-depth understanding of the fundamental principles of 2D design.
- Employ a range of tools to research and develop a 2D design project using established design approaches.
- Articulate and evaluate in writing the phases of the project research and development using appropriate academic protocols.
|
Reading List
Berger, J. (1972) Ways of Seeing. London: BBC and Penguin.
Bringhurst, R. (2012) The Elements of Typographic Style. Vancouver: Hartley & Marks, Publishers.
Dal Bello, R. (2021). Citizen First, Designer Second. Ifold: Counter-Print.
Muller-Brockmann, J. (1996) Grid Systems in Graphic Design: A Visual Communication Manual for Graphic Designers, Typographers, and Three Dimensional Designers. Salenstein: Niggli Verlag.
Norman, D. (2013). The Design of Everyday Things. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press
Rand, P. and Heller, S. (2016) Paul Rand: a Designer's Art. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Through this course you will:
- Explore topics relating to and expanding on your expertise in digital design
- Gain confidence to realise your potential through positive, fulfilling work on a local and global level
- Develop organisation and communication skills as a creative problem solver, critical thinker and researcher |
| Keywords | Graphic Design,Digital Design,Motion Graphics |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr David House
Tel:
Email: D.House@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Barbara Bianchi
Tel: (0131 6)51 5736
Email: barbara.bianchi@ed.ac.uk |
|
|
University Homepage