Visual Communication Design Unit 1: Finding, reframing and resolving design problems

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this unit although students are encouraged to have undertaken two units of Visual Communication Design in the Middle Years and a semester in Year 10.

Course Description

In this unit students are introduced to the practices and processes used by designers to identify, reframe and resolve human-centred design problems. They learn how design can improve life and living for people, communities and societies, and how understandings of good design have changed over time. Students learn the value of human-centred research methods, working collaboratively to discover design problems and understand the perspectives of stakeholders. They draw on these new insights to determine communication needs and prepare design criteria in the form of a brief.

This process of discovery introduces students to the phases of the VCD design process and to the modes of divergent and convergent thinking. Students integrate these ways of thinking and working into future design projects, together with their newly evolved conceptions of good design across specialist fields.

Practical projects in Unit 1 focus on the design of messages and objects, while introducing the role of visual language in communicating ideas and information. Students participate in critiques by sharing ideas in progress and both delivering and responding to feedback. Students learn to apply the Develop and Deliver phases of the VCD design process and use methods, media and materials typically employed in the specialist fields of communication and industrial design. Student projects invite exploration of brand strategy and product development, while promoting sustainable and circular design practices. They also consider how design decisions are shaped by economic, technological, cultural, environmental and social factors, and the potential for design to instigate change.

Areas of Study

Reframing design problems

How do designers find and reframe human-centred design problems?

In this area of study, students learn that designers not only deliver design solutions, but also find and reframe problems that can be complex, misunderstood, or ill-defined. They draw on conceptions of ‘good design’ and apply research methods to identify human-centred design problems. This process asks students to engage with the Discover and Define phase of the VCD design process and includes both divergent and convergent thinking strategies.

Solving communication design problems

How can visual language communicate to audiences and shape behaviours?

In this area of study, students draw on conceptions of good design and their understanding of human-centred design problems when developing visual language for a brand or business. They learn that visual language serves as part of a larger strategy to increase engagement, influence behaviour and reposition the brand or business among audiences or users. It can include but is not limited to a visual identity applied to various outcomes and collateral, a signature colour palette, graphic icons and typography.

Design’s influence and influences on design

What influences design, and what does design influence?

In this area of study, students learn about factors that impact design decisions, as well as the impact of design on people and our planet. They consider these influences when designing three-dimensional objects for specific purposes, contexts, and users. Students integrate newly developed understandings of good design and move beyond human-centred mindsets to also consider the needs of other species, our planet and its future. In doing so, sustainability and circular design practices become an area of particular focus.

Assessment

Outcomes	Assessment Tasks
Outcomes	(school-assessed coursework)
On completion of this unit the student should be able to use human-centred research methods to reframe a design problem and identify a communication need.	Reframing design problems A report or presentation exploring conceptions of good design
On completion of this unit the student should be able to create visual language for a business or brand using the Develop and Deliver stages of the VCD design process.	Developing visual language A folio of work demonstrating the Develop and Deliver stages of the VCD design process to create visual language for a business or brand.
On completion of this unit the student should be able to develop a sustainable object, considering design’s influence and factors that influence design.	Designing a sustainable object · a folio of work demonstrating the Develop and Deliver stages of the VCD design process, and using circular design practices to develop a sustainable object

Overall Final Assessment

End of Semester Examination – 1.5 hours.