Visual communications

Module title:

Visual communications

Module overview:

This module introduces students to visual communication design; elements, principles and application.

This module is part of the media area of study, actively taking students through visual creation, storytelling, and creative thinking. The skills learned in this module will contribute significantly to other future modules in the field of media.

This module is taught by integrating theory and practical examples. The module check is based on analysis and critical review of given examples, individual student projects, homework with an individual approach and an oral exam. The individual student project is based on the comprehensive creation of a visual brand whether the focus is on the student's personal brand, client or work related to the competition

Students will learn:
• design elements of visual communication
• design principles of visual communication
• time as a unit of decision making and creation
• composition and focus as an active role in conveying a message or story
• brand, visual identity and design application
• infographics and interactive media.

Literature:

Required reading:

1. Malamed, C. 2011 Visual Language for Designers: Principles for Creating Graphic that People Understand. Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers

Additional reading:

1. Baer, K. 2010 Information Design Workbook: Graphic approaches, solutions, and inspiration, Beverly, MA: Rockport Publishers
2. Landa, R. 2013 Graphic Design Solutions, 5th edn, Boston, MA: Cengage Learning
3. Bringhurst, R. 2002 The Elements of Typographic Style, 2nd edn, Vancouver, B.C.: Hartley and Marks Publishers
4. Smashing Magazine (2021) Smashing Magazine [Online]. Available at https://www.smashingmagazine.com/ (Accessed: 22 April 2021).
5. A List Apart (2021) A List Apart [Online]. Available at https://alistapart.com/ (Accessed: 22 April 2021).
6. Google Inc. (2021) Think with Google [Online]. Available at: https://thinkwithgoogle.com (Accessed: 20 April 2021)
7. HubSpot Inc. (2021) HubSpot Blog [Online]. Available at: https://blog.hubspot.com/ (Accessed: 26 April 2021)
8. Creative Bloq (2021) Creative Bloq [Online]. Available at: https://www.creativebloq.com/ (Accessed: 22 April 2021).
9. Web Designer Depot (2021) Web Designer Depot [Online]. Available at: https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/ (Accessed: 22 April 2021).