Visual Communication Design uniquely focuses on the study of visual language and its significance in conveying ideas, addressing problems, and shaping behaviors. Students develop skills in manipulating typography and imagery to create designs tailored to specific contexts, objectives, and target audiences. They explore and integrate both manual and digital techniques, media, and materials, applying core design elements and principles. Through this process, students gain an understanding of how aesthetic considerations enhance effective communication and problem-solving within design projects, recognising that a thorough comprehension of visual language, its functions, and potential is essential to sound design practice.

They undertake this study with focus on: 

- Consider how to best accommodate the varied needs of people and our planet  

- Focus on both current and future needs  

- Apply human-centred design principles  

- Incorporate ethical, legal, sustainable, and culturally appropriate design practices  

- Learn about the relationships between design, place, and time  

- Acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander design knowledges, histories, traditions, and practices

 Finding, reframing and resolving design problems

In this unit, students acquire and apply design thinking skills as well as drawing skills to create messages, ideas, and concepts, both visible and tangible. Students practice their ability to draw what they observe, and they use visualisation drawing methods to reframe design problems from a human-centered approach. 

Through experimentation and exploration of the relationship between design elements and design principles, students develop an understanding of how they affect the visual message, and the way information and ideas are read and are perceived. Students review the contextual background of visual communication through an investigation of influences of design styles. This research introduces students to the broader context of the place and purpose of design. 

Students are introduced to the importance of copyright and intellectual property and the conventions for acknowledging sources of inspiration. As a means of organising their thinking about approaches and presenting ideas, students are introduced to the four stages of the double diamond design model: discover, define, develop, deliver.

Areas of Study: 

1. Reframing design problems 

2. Solving communication design problems

3. Design's influence and influences on design

Design contexts and connections

This unit focuses on:

Areas of Study: 

1. Design, place and time

2. Cultural ownership and design

3.Desiging interactive experiences

 Visual Communication in design practice

In this unit students gain an understanding of the process 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 and materials, and the application of design elements and design principles, can create effective visual communications for specific audiences and purposes. 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. 

Areas of Study: 

1. Professional design practice

2. Design analysis 

3. Design process: defining problems and developing ideas

Delivering design solutions 

The focus of this unit is the development of design concepts and two final presentations of visual communications to meet the requirements of the brief. This involves applying the design process twice to meet each of the communication stated needs. 

Areas of Study: 

1. Design process: refining and resolving design concepts

2. Presenting design solutions