Graphic Design

"Not everything is design. But design is about everything.

So do yourself a favour: be ready for anything."

– Michael Beirut

The Graphic Design course develops creative, visually literate and digitally adept students with the ability to understand, interpret and decode the visual information and messages encountered in everyday life.

Students will investigate the relationships between typography, image, icon and message, understanding that Graphic Design is everywhere, from advertising to propaganda. Then, through practical activities, students explore the design process creating innovative, imaginative ideas and developing their critical thinking and problem-solving skills to produce creative design solutions to real-world problems.

By exploring emerging and new creative practices and technologies, students will learn transferable soft skills by mastering digital tools like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Procreate, enabling them to realise their intentions creatively.

Course Aims

Develop critical thinking skills, understanding how designers and digital artists manipulate and combine imagery, typography, symbols and design elements to create powerful messages.
Realise that all graphic design has a purpose and function. Whether to inform, inspire or influence your choices, promote a product or service, or simply get a message across.
Understand and use the design process to promote creative thinking, idea generation and design decision making leading towards imaginative, original solutions to real-world problems.
Investigate and explore emerging and established digital and analogue processes, techniques, methods, and tools, developing visual and digital literacies that allow students to express their own ideas and intentions.
Create and present meaningful, practical responses, demonstrating an understanding of and empathy for the clients' needs.

Course Outline

Grade 9 Course: Foundations

Word: Typography is Everywhere
The power of typography, lettering and font design. Projects include Found Letterforms, Facesplitter, Experimental Letterforms and Typographic Portraits.
Image: Narrative & Storytelling
Image creation through photography, digital drawing, and manipulation. Projects include Surreal Collage Editorial Illustration and Cultural Folk Tale Illustrations.
Icon: Branding & Identity
Branding and Identity design with vector drawing tools. Projects include Personal Logo & Branding Guide, Service & Activity Branding and Animated Logo.

Grade 10 Course: Advanced Practices
Prior study of Graphic Design 9 or a similar course is strongly recommended

Message: Advertising, Propaganda & Activism
The psychology of advertising and propaganda through typography, illustration and branding. Projects include Shepard Fairey & Activism and Soviet Constructivist Advertising.
Object: Surfaces, Structures & Packaging
Packaging Design and 3D Responses. Projects include Robot Flat-pack Surface Graphics, Personal Packaging and Design Movement Food Package.
Create: Final Creative Project
Student-directed personal, creative design project. The final project will identify and answer an external design problem focusing on one or more of the following areas: Word, Image, Icon, Message or Object.

Skills Developed

- Working to a design brief
- The design process
- Research and analysis skills
- Idea generation
- Creative thinking and problem-solving
- Thumbnail and development drawing
- Digital drawing and painting
- Analysing, understanding and using the visual elements and design principles
- Visual hierarchy, layout & composition
- Digital lettering
- Software skills: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects, Animate, Character Animator, Procreate, Fresco, Aero
- Animation and motion graphics skills
- Visual communication
- Dealing with a client
- Combining traditional and digital media
- Publication, portfolio and presentation skills

Assessment

Students will create a digital and physical portfolio comprising various individual projects completed throughout the course. The portfolio will demonstrate the student's ability to:

Develop ideas through investigations, demonstrating a critical understanding of designers and their creative practice.
Refine work by exploring ideas, selecting and experimenting with appropriate media, materials and techniques.
Present a personal, meaningful response that realises intentions and demonstrates an understanding of visual language.
Demonstrate effective strategies and approaches towards the creative process and independent practice.

Report abuse