Visual Communication & Design
Purpose and Structure
The focus of this study is on using visual language to design and communicate messages, ideas, and concepts. Students develop and apply design thinking, drawing, and production skills to make their ideas visible and meaningful, recognising creativity as a gift from God. They research problems to better understand and care for the needs of others, designing ethical solutions that serve people and minimise harm to the world and environment as part of responsible stewardship.
Through learning about presentation drawings, students use a range of methods to illustrate or build their ideas, presenting their final outcomes with clarity, integrity, and purpose. They are encouraged to create work that reflects truth, care for others, and a commitment to contributing positively to the world.
Unit 1: Introduction to Visual Communication Design
The primary focus of this unit is on students developing drawing skills as a means of communication and an understanding of how visual communications are shaped by past and contemporary factors.
There are three areas of study in this unit:
• Drawing as a means of communication: producing a folio of small observational, visualisation, technical and presentation drawings
• Design elements and design principles: applying these to a set project
• Visual communications in context: learning about design history and the influences that society, events, environment, culture, politics, new technologies and media have upon design through the last century.
Unit 2: Applications of Visual Communication Design
This unit focuses on the application of Visual Communication Design knowledge, design thinking skills and drawing methods to create visual communications to meet specific purposes in designated areas.
There are three areas of study in this unit:
• Technical drawing in context (architecture)
• Type and imagery in context (print communication design)
• Applying the design process (product or package design project, applying the full design process.
Unit 3: Design Thinking and Practice
Students gain further understanding of the process which designers employ to structure their thinking and communicate ideas with clients, target audiences, other designers and specialists. Through practical investigation and analysis of existing visual communications, students gain insight into how the selection of methods, media, materials and the application of design elements and design principles can create effective visual communications for specific audiences and purposes. Three fields are considered: Communication design (print and digital design), Industrial Design (product designs) and Environmental design (Architecture, including exterior, interior, way finding and landscape design).
A large folio project is then begun, with students selecting a client with two visual communication needs to be resolved, described in a design brief. They collect research for these and generate a range of ideas that lead to the selection of two design concepts for each communication need.
Unit 4: Design Development and Presentation
Students continue work on their Folio project from Unit 3. They investigate and experiment with the use of manual and digital methods, media and materials to make informed decisions when selecting suitable approaches for the development of their own design ideas and concepts. The focus of this unit is the development of design concepts, a pitch of their concepts to peers, and the production of two final visual communication presentations that meet the requirements of the brief.