Course syllabus — AY2024

Please read the course policies carefully, prior to taking this course.

Course overview

This course provides a gentle introduction to the fundamentals of visual communication design. Students will learn design theory, concepts, and skills, developing knowledge and understanding of the foundational creative components of visual communication. By emphasizing practical skills relevant to digital industries, students will learn how to utilize design concepts and theories, and use contemporary design applications to create their own digital design works.

This course will be delivered through a series of interactive lectures and hands-on tutorials. The course covers design principles, elements and layouts, as well as file handling for digital media. Through a series of small design projects, students who take this course will put design theory into practice. There will be two design projects, and quizzes, to test your knowledge of the course material. Feedback on assignment work will be given within approximately two weeks, via Manaba. You will also be assessed on your engagement in class activities.

Please note: GLA students should not take this course if they already passed Design Practice in 2019-2022, as there is significant overlap in the contents and assessments.

Course objectives

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

• Describe what visual communication design is and its various implementations.
• Identify, describe, and analyze the concepts and theories of visual communication, including design composition, elements, and principles, and use of type and various modes of visual depiction.
• Apply design concepts and theories to effectively communicate visually to an audience.

Course readings

Selected readings from:
Hagen, R., & Golombisky, K. (2017). White space is not your enemy: a beginner’s guide to communicating visually through graphic, web & multimedia design (3rd ed.). CRC Press.

This text is available in the library, but also as an ebook via the library website. While it is not necessary to purchase a physical copy of the book, you are encouraged to do so. Previous editions are OK.

Software

For this class, we will use Lunacy software, which is available for free on both Mac and Windows. See more here about working with design software in the tutorial sessions of this course.

Weekly schedule

1. Introduction (Reading chapter 1)
   Asynchronous content: Marsh, L. (2023). The History of Graphic Design Styles - Part 1 - Bauhaus and Art Nouveau [Video file]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiKebTS_dy0
   Marsh, L. (2023). The History of Graphic Design Styles - Part 2 - Swiss Design and Art Deco [Video file]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j__3SX0z2IM
2. Design research, design history (Reading chapter 2)
3. What not to do in design (Reading chapters 3-4)
4. Design elements and principles (Reading chapter 5)
5. Typography (Reading chapter 7)
   Asynchronous content: Excerpts from Hustwit, G. (Director). (2007). Helvetica [Film]. Film First.
   https://vimeo.com/398873298
6. Typography (continued)
7. Colour theory (Reading chapter 8) — Quiz 1 in tutorial class
8. Images in design (Reading chapter 9) — Design project 1 draft due in tutorial class; final version due Monday of week 9
9. Images in design (continued)
10. Layouts (Reading chapter 6)
11. Infographics (Reading chapter 10)
12. Infographics (continued) — Quiz 2 in tutorial class
13. Course review — Design project 2 draft due in tutorial class; final version due Monday after the final class

Wednesday classes will be lectures, while Friday classes will be tutorials. Please bring your PC to all tutorial sessions. Note that weeks 1 and 5 contain two weeks' worth of asynchronous content, which is material that could be covered in both of the quizzes, so should be reviewed before  the tutorial session of Week 7. The content will also be part of in-class discussion prior to the first quiz. 

Note that this schedule may change due to unforeseen circumstances. However, the overall topics and methods of assessment will not change. Students will be notified via Manaba immediately of any changes after the commencement of semester.

Please confirm all assignment deadlines on Manaba. Students are responsible for ensuring that their own work is completed and submitted on time.

Assessments

• Design project 1: 20%
• Design project 2: 40%
• Quizzes and tests: 30%
• Engagement in class activities: 10%

Further details of assessments, including due dates, will be announced in class. Feedback for all assessment items will be given through Manaba and, where appropriate, in-person. Feedback on assignments will generally be returned within two weeks (10 working days), unless notified otherwise.

Quizzes and tests cover 1-2 of the course objectives. The two design projects cover all of the course objectives. Engagement in class activities is also relevant to all of the course objectives.

Design project #1

This is an exercise primarily in typography. Also important is your application of design elements and principles. You are to design a menu based on the constraints and details given in class. The submission should also include evidence of brainstorming and sketches. A draft and sketches will be shown in class, as per the schedule.

Design project #2

This is an exercise in layout, imagery, and typography. Also important is your application of design elements and principles. You are to design a feature story layout based on the constraints and details given in class. The submission should also include evidence of brainstorming and sketches. A draft and sketches will be shown in class, as per the schedule.

Quizzes and tests

Multiple-choice and short-answer quizzes and tests will be delivered throughout the semester. Questions will be directly related to the course content and readings, including online content.

Engagement in class activities

Your engagement will be based on the following criteria, with each criterion having equal weight:

• The student displays a positive attitude towards their own learning.
• The student is focused on and engaged in tasks and activities in class.
• The student proactively contributes to class by offering ideas and asking questions.
• The student comes to class prepared, having done required reading or work beforehand.
• The student is prompt and attends classes.

Note that any absences unaccounted for will affect this grade. Being late by 10 minutes, without a compelling reason, will count as an absence.

Citation style

All written work should use APA 7 referencing format. You can find a "quickstart" guide at http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/~haimes/publications/citation.pdf. A more comprehensive resource is the official APA 7 guide at https://apastyle.apa.org.

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