Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

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

Rationale

In the production and presentation of communication products, you will need to understand various approaches to the creation of meaning within visual images. You will require the language to articulate and evaluate various forms of visual representation and must gain an understanding of the conventions and processes involved in the construction of meaning in order to be able to apply them effectively. On completion of this unit you will be able to apply knowledge of visual communication to the interpretation of visual images and the production of them for the purposes of communication.

This unit is concurrently taught with KIP401, with appropriate learning outcomes tailored for undergraduate students.

Aims

This unit aims to provide you with an understanding of the principles and conventions associated with the interpretation and production of meaning through visual representation. It will do this by providing a grounding in analytical approaches to interpreting meaning; by introducing established design and visual communication principles and methods; and by transposing this understanding to the creation and manipulation of meaning within images using appropriate technologies for visual design.

Objectives

On completion of this unit you should be able to:
1. identify and describe the construction of meaning within visual images and articulate the conventions of visual communication;
2. produce visual designs that communicate intention and are targeted to a defined audience, context and purpose;
3. use appropriate technologies to design, produce and manipulate various elements of images to produce meaning;
4. display and reflect upon your own creative outcomes to situate them within the field of design practice.

Content

This unit will introduce you to the principles, conventions and practices of visual communication. It addresses content such as:
- established approaches to producing meaning within visual representation such as aesthetic, coded, semiotic and rhetorical communication
- theories and methods for producing effective visual design and communication.
- the purposes of visual communication within the Creative Industries
- the orientation of meaning towards the specificities of a given audience, context and purpose
- the practical processes involved in producing visual representation using appropriate technologies. This includes the iterative design process, which involves the steps of observation, interpretation, representation through production, presentation for peer review and critical reflection upon the work you have produced, with subsequent design development.
- contemporary issues in relation to the implications of new technologies for visual representation and production.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

This unit is delivered via lectures, tutorials and workshops. Lectures will introduce the concepts and principles of visual analysis, design processes and production; workshops will develop a base level of practical skill required to construct and manipulate digital imagery; tutorials will explore concepts presented in lectures and provide a space to reflect upon concepts and principles that have been applied in practical workshops.

The unit is co-ordinated from the Blackboard web site where a range of support materials will be published.

Assessment

LATE ASSIGNMENTS
An assessment item submitted after the due date without an approved extension will not be marked. If you are unable to complete your assignment on time and you do not have an approved extension, 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 unitFORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
You will receive regular formative feedback on your progress in this unit during tutorials and discussions throughout the semester. This will be in the form of critical feedback from your tutor and peers, which will contribute to your reflective practice and iterative design process.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
You will be awarded a final grade on a 1 to 7 scale.

Assessment name: Portfolio of designs: Part 1
Description: Series of Visual Communication Designs. A coherent series of visual representations within a given theme, accompanied by an articulation of design decisions.
Relates to objectives: All
Weight: 50%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Mid & Late Semester

Assessment name: Portfolio of designs: Part 2
Description: Series of Visual Communication Designs. A coherent series of visual representations within a given theme, accompanied by an articulation of design decisions.
Relates to objectives: All
Weight: 50%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: End of Semester

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

Required Text

There is no set text for this unit.

There are some print costs associated with this unit.

Recommended References

Highly recommended
Whitbread, David (2009) The Design Manual (Revised and Expanded edition). Sydney: UNSW Press

Lidwell, William, Holden, Katrina and Butler, Jill (2003) Universal Principles of Design. Gloucester, Mass: Rockport

Lester, Paul Martin (2006) Visual communication: images with messages. Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth

Knight, Carolyn (2005) The Graphic Designer's Guide to Effective Visual Communication: Creating Hierarchies with Type, Image, and Color. Mies, Switzerland; Hove: RotoVision

Baldwin, Jonathan (2006) Visual communication: from theory to practice. Lausanne: AVA

Smith, Ken (Ed) (2005) Handbook of visual communication: theory, methods, and media. Mahwah, N.J.: L. Erlbaum

Jamieson, Harry (2006) Visual communication: More than meets the eye. Bristol: Intellect

Wucius Wong (1993) Principles of Form and Design. New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc.

Lauer, David A. and Pentak, Stephen (2005) Design Basics. Australia; USA: Thomas Wadsworth

Kress, Gunther and Van Leeuwen, Theo (1996) Reading Images, The Grammar of Visual Design. London; New York: Routledge Press

Itten, Johannes (1970) The Elements of Color. New York: John Wiley and Sons

Further resources can be found on the Blackboard web site for this unit http://olt.qut.edu.au/ci/kib801Blackboard

Risk assessment statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.

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: 05-Oct-2012