Undergraduate Course: Graphic Design 3B: 48-Hour Survival Guide (DESI10121)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course supports students in exploring and developing a first-hand understanding of ethnographic research techniques, and utilise these methods to offer a dynamic and original alternative to existing library or internet research.
Exploring these research skills allows students to originate and develop new approaches to information-gathering, analysis and reflection.
Through creative design methodologies and reflective practice, students will create a significant body of research and understand prototyping as part of that exploratory process.
This involves student-led critical engagement with experimentation, and development of their own self-directed understanding of design approaches. |
| Course description |
This student-led course supports you in exploring critical and reflective approaches to design ideation and outcomes. Over the semester students will make an alternative guide or related response to a new experience or place. The focus of the research should be somewhere safe, but unfamiliar. Their job in the first instance is to explore this place/space and document the experience for 48 hours.
Students should explore, experience and document their time in their chosen location. This process must begin with a thorough research proposal which outlines the intended area of research focus and rationale for this choice as well as a thorough plan of information gathering and approaches.
Students will engage with a range of design methods and tools learning to document their processes and reflect on the outcomes, participating in Lectures, Workshops and Group Tutorials. Research should not be overly reliant on laptops, mobile phones or day to day technologies and should embrace a process led approach to recording and visual documentation. The course is designed to support a breadth of outcomes responding to an outward facing investigation and, as such, first-hand research is a necessity in order to facilitate original thinking.
Lectures and workshops: Sessions introducing a variety of approaches and perspectives within design, offering insights and foundational knowledge to inspire and guide students in developing their projects.
Group Tutorials: Weekly tutorials during studio sessions to provide tailored guidance and support, ensuring student projects align with learning outcomes. Students will present work in progress and receive feedback from tutors and peers.
The course will:
1. Support students in planning, developing, and articulating design projects to a high critical standard.
2. Enable students to build confidence in empirical methods and tools within design and applying their learning to their self-directed practice.
3. Develop students ability to reflect on their learning and creative processes through documentation of their work.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This course is only available to students on a Degree Programme in the School of Design.
This Course does not require any additional costs to be met by the Student. |
| Additional Costs | This Course does not require any additional costs to be met by the Student. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Only available to visiting students in the Design School
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| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 2,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 4,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 22,
Fieldwork Hours 30,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 4,
Formative Assessment Hours 1,
Summative Assessment Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
132 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This course has 3 components of assessments:
Artefact
The physical outcome(s). This should be a graphic design focused physical artefact. It should be documented, art directed and presented in a context appropriate format and included in your portfolio. This component of assessment will be submitted at the final hand in. This counts 33% towards the final grade.
2.¿¿¿¿Portfolio (20-25 pages)
A considered and reflective overview of your research, development and outcome. Show us the research journey here and annotate your decisions, whist also including documentation of your final outcome. This component of assessment will be submitted at the final hand in. This counts 34% towards the final grade.
3. Research Blog (25 blog posts minimum)
A digital sketchbook. Documentation of all your research and development. No limit on page numbers, leave nothing out, but focus should be on visual thinking with limited text. The blog should be compiled in tandem with a physical sketchbook. This should not be a copy of your portfolio but an in-depth record of your process. This component of assessment will be submitted at the final hand in. This counts 33% towards the final grade.
All components must be passed. |
| Feedback |
Formative Feedback
Formative feedback will be provided verbally by the course organiser, tutors and peers during weekly seminars and tutorials.
At mid-semester 20 slide x 20 second presentation should be presented. This should introduce and summarise the initial 48hour research experience, including sketchbook work. Verbal feedback will be provided following the presentation. This feedback will offer guidance on potential approaches to developing initial findings, suggesting areas of focus and considering possible research routes to explore towards resolved outcomes for summative assessment.
Summative Feedback
At the end of the Course you will be given written feedback plus summative grades. The course work components will be considered during assessment with each aspect of the brief being considered. Summative feedback will be provided in writing by the course organiser and tutors
Summative feedback will be provided according to University regulations. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- 1.¿Research: Demonstrate an ability to apply and integrate a range of research techniques.
- 2. Develop: Expand initial findings through experimentation and prototyping as part of a research narrative.
- 3. Communicate: Deliver original research, analysis and initiatives in well-structured, coherent and creative formats
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Reading List
O¿Rourke, K. (2013). Walking and Mapping: Artists as Cartographers. MIT Press. ¿¿
Harman, K. (2013). You Are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination. Princeton Architectural Press.¿
Shepherd, N. (2011). The Living Mountain (Canons): A Celebration of the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland. Canongate
Gray, C, (2004). Visualizing Research: A guide to the research process in art and design. Ashgate
Bestley, R & McNeil, P (2022). Visual Research: An introduction to research methods in graphic design. Bloomsbury |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Critical Thinking - students will improve their skills in independent research by learning to integrate and apply their knowledge to graphic design projects. They will learn to analyse, synthesise and reflect critically on their research process, focusing on how hands on, subjective field work can be translated into graphic design outcomes.
Curiosity and Refection:
Students will develop reflective awareness of their methods and tools used in developing visual materials, potential contexts of graphic design and broader understandings of process led design. They will improve their capacity for self-reflection and creative approaches to developing student-led projects. They will learn to improve their research process through self-reflection and peer feedback.
Communication: A key intention of the course is to develop visual thinking and primarily consider visual communication techniques. Students will have opportunity to improve verbal and written communication through presenting their projects and reporting critically on the process of developing them. They will also develop their interpersonal communication skills through group discussions. |
| Keywords | Ethnographic Research,Design Process,Experiential Design,Prototyping,Graphic Design |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr David Lemm
Tel: (01316) 515800
Email: dlemm2@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Eimi Muraki
Tel:
Email: emuraki@ed.ac.uk |
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