Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2012

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

Copywriting and art direction are fundamental to creative advertising practice. Both tasks exist at the front end of advertising: copywriters and art directors help to bring advertising campaigns to life through creative concept development, writing, and liaising with both clients and producers. This unit builds on the introductory creative advertising unit to develop your practical and analytical skills. It examines contemporary advertising theory and practice and develops skills in writing and art directing.

Aims

This unit aims to provide you with creative advertising skills, with a particular focus on the relationships between words and images. In this unit, you will develop an understanding of the work involved in copywriting and art directing, and build your skills in completing the tasks involved in these roles.

Objectives

On completion of this unit you should be able to demonstrate:
1. Copywriting skills - including skills in planning a message strategy, writing creatively, writing to meet a client brief, and writing to suit an audience
2. Art directing skills - including skills in planning and managing the visual side of a creative campaign, and working with and briefing producers
3. Skills needed to plan and direct creative content in different contexts, including an understanding of audience research and testing
4. An understanding of the relationships between words and images and the skills required to manipulate those relationships
5. An understanding of the techniques involved in testing advertisements, drawing on audience responses and contemporary advertising theory

Content

This unit covers the following:
- The roles of copywriters and art directors
- Understanding and measuring audience involvement
- Developing and implementing the message strategy
- Developing advertising copy
- Developing advertising imagery
- Design and aesthetic issues for art directors
- Understanding and using audience research
- Evaluating ad campaigns
- Advertising in non-product environments

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

The unit will combine lectures, seminars, and workshops to develop practical skills in creative advertising. Guest lecturers from industry will discuss current case studies and work experiences. You will participate in group creative idea generation sessions, critiques of contemporary advertising and peer review of creative work. Case studies will examine a wide range of advertising campaigns, including campaigns to sell products, corporate reputations, and not-for-profit organisations.

Assessment

LATE ASSIGNMENTS
An assignment submitted after the due date without an approved extension will not be marked. If you are unable to complete your assignment on time, you should submit on time whatever work you have done.

Faculty Assessment Information
To access complete Creative Industries Faculty Assessment Information please refer to the Blackboard site for this unit.FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
You will receive formative feedback on your progress in this unit during tutorials and discussions throughout the semester. Weight: 0%

Assessment name: Exercises
Description: (Formative and Summative) Exercises in developing advertising concepts and copy (for discussion, and occasionally completion, during seminar). Five exercises - three developed in advance and brought to class for discussion, two written to a deadline during class time.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 4, 5
Weight: 40%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Throughout semester

Assessment name: Ad campaign and rationale
Description: (Formative and Summative) Select any product, company, or not-for-profit organisation (either real or fictional) and develop a multi-media advertising campaign. Print ads and support materials should be developed to mock-up stage; electronic ads should be developed as scripts and still visuals. Develop an implementation plan for the advertising campaign (approx 1200 words) and write a rationale to explain how and why your campaign will work (approx 1800 words).NB It is an academic requirement that you cannot recycle assignments and therefore you must base this campaign on a different product/service than what you are doing for other subjects/units. In total - 3000 words plus mock-up of three advertisements or scripts.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Weight: 60%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: End of semester

Academic Honesty

Academic honesty means that you are expected to exhibit honesty and act responsibly when undertaking assessment. Any action or practice on your part which would defeat the purposes of assessment is regarded as academic dishonesty. The penalties for academic dishonesty are provided in the Student Rules. For more information you should consult the QUT Library resources for avoiding plagiarism.

Resource materials

Required Text

Felton, G. (2006). Advertising concept and copy. (2nd Edn.) NY, London: W. W. Norton and Company.

Landa, Robin (2004). Advertising by design: creating visual communication with graphic impact. Hoboken : J. Wiley & Sons, 2004.

Recommended References

Ward Burton, Philip (1999). Advertising copywriting. McGraw Hill/Irwin.

Felton, G. (1994). Advertising concept and copy. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.

Jewler, J. & Drewniany, B. (2001). Creative strategy in advertising (7th ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth.

Moriarty, S. (1991). Creative advertising: Theory & practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Schudson, M. (1993). Advertising, the uneasy persuasion (3rd ed.). London: Routledge.

Risk assessment statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit. No responsibility will be taken for absence incurred in other QUT course units as a result of this program.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 28-Sep-2011