VCE Studio Arts + VCD

In this area of study, we will:

• investigate how and where designers work, identifying the role of visual communication in professional design practice.

• Contemporary designers working in one or more fields of design practice are selected for study.

We will:

• compare the contexts in which these designers work, their applications of a design process, and the ways in which they use visual language to communicate ideas and concepts, and present design solutions.

• explore how designers collaborate with both stakeholders and specialists to shape and resolve design problems. 

• identify the impact of ethical and legal obligations, including issues of ownership and intellectual property, and the extent to which contemporary designers adopt sustainable and circular design practices.

• learn how contemporary design practices differ from those in the past and how they may change in the future, identifying the influence of technological, economic, cultural, environmental and social factors.

Alongside our study of contemporary designers, we will:

• experiment with visual communication practices typically used in their selected field(s) of design practice, developing the capacity to apply relevant methods, media, materials, conventions and techniques.

• present a minimum of two practical design exercises showcasing their emerging skills.

This research and practical experimentation, together with the study of visual language and aesthetic decisions in Area of Study 2, can be used to inform students’ own application of the VCD design process in Area of Study 3.

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Outcome 1 

On completion of this unit you should be able to:

• compare the ways in which visual communication practices are used by contemporary designers, using research methods and practical exploration.

To achieve this outcome the student will draw on key knowledge and key skills outlined in Area of Study 1.

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Key knowledge

• contexts in which contemporary designers work

• practices and processes, including relevant methods, media, materials and conventions used by contemporary designers

• conceptions of good design in selected design field(s) of design practice

• differences between past, present and future professional design practices in selected field(s) of design practice

• distinguishing characteristics and the role of visual language in selected field(s) of design practice

• roles, relationships and responsibilities of designers, specialists and stakeholders when resolving design problems

• techniques used by designers to evaluate design ideas

• decisions made by designers during the resolution of design problems

• technological, economic, cultural, environmental and social factors influencing design practices

• ethical and legal obligations of designers

• appropriate design terminology. 

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Key skills

Comparative analysis

• compare contexts in which contemporary designers work

• describe and compare past, present and future professional design practices in selected field(s) of design practice

• analyse and evaluate the characteristics and role of visual language in selected field(s) of design practice 

• explain the roles of, and relationships between, designers, specialists and stakeholders when resolving design problems

• describe the techniques used by designers to evaluate design ideas

• explain the economic, technological, cultural, environmental and social factors that influence design practices 

• identify and analyse design practices that acknowledge ethical and legal obligations

• use appropriate design terminology. 

Practical exploration

• apply visual communication practices and processes used by contemporary designers in selected field(s) of design practice

• use visual language to communicate ideas and/or information to specific audiences, and for specific purposes and contexts in selected field(s) of design practice

• incorporate relevant conventions in documentation or presentation drawings in selected fields of design practice

• use presentation formats characteristic of selected field(s) of design practice

• adopt conceptions of good design aligned with selected field(s) of design practice

• apply legal and ethical obligations relevant to selected fields of design practice.

 

VCD Study Design, p38-40 https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/vce/visualcomm/2024VisualCommunicationDesignSD.docx)

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Success Criteria:

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