Art and Design - Graphic Communication

ART AND DESIGN - GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION

WHAT IS GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION?
AS Graphic Communication is the study of visual communication; it is very different to GCSE Graphics. During the first year you will study areas such as typography, illustration and digital media. Being part of the Art and Design department this course has an emphasis on drawing and painting, which forms the foundation of the course. Graphic Communication students also have access to facilities such as the printing presses and painting studios.

WHY SHOULD I STUDY GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION?
Graphic Communication is a creative and practical course. The AS course is designed for students who want to study this at A2 as well as offering something different to students who only want to study for one year. This course allows you to explore contemporary issues in design and develop your practical skills.

USEFUL SKILLS & INTERESTS
You should have a keen interest in graphics and visual art generally. You should enjoy image making in both 2 and 3 dimensions. During the course you will be introduced to both traditional ways of working in graphics, as well as challenging experimental approaches.

COURSE STRUCTURE & CONTENT
Graphic Communication deals with communication of a message or idea through visual media. It is often associated with advertising or media studies, but good Graphic Design is as creative and experimental as any art form.
Most of the time you will be using traditional media such as drawing, collage and paint, however, you will be introduced to Photoshop and digital techniques in your AS year. The course is made up largely of practical tasks, however, you will be expected to make notes and analyse art and design works which relate to your own projects. Other things that will be studied throughout the course include model-making, packaging, typography and digital photography.
Most students complete the full course doing both the AS and A2 year. This is not compulsory and you can opt to do just the AS level.

HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?
All your work will be assessed by your subject tutor. At different times during the course you will be asked to hand in your work so that your progress can be monitored. You will receive feedback from your tutor, advising you on what to do to improve your grade. At the end of each topic you will submit your work for final assessment.
The AS course is made up of 2 units, Unit 1 is your portfolio unit and here you will submit a folder of work for assessment. Unit 2 is externally set so you are given an exam paper with different projects to choose from. Following an initial period of preparation time in lessons, you will have a 5hour exam which will focus on development work. You will then start a second period of preparation for this unit, the aim is that you will work to realise your ideas into a final piece. There is no revision as all the work is practical.

COURSE COMMITMENT
We expect our students to be well motivated and enthusiastic. You must attend all lessons and never book holidays in term time as this can seriously affect your overall grade. Each week you will be given a homework task which will underpin and reinforce ideas explored in lessons. You will be expected to spend 4 hours on homework tasks each week. In addition to your lessons you will have access to the Art and Design studios in Workshop time as well as in your Personal Study Periods.

COURSE COSTS
Art and Design can be an expensive subject to study. At Prior Pursglove College you will be given lots of materials free of charge, including materials such as charcoal and pastels, acrylic paint, oil paint, water based and oil based printing inks, paper, photographic chemicals, sewing threads, calico, silk, batik wax, fabric dyes and inks. We ask students to contribute £35 towards the cost of materials as you begin your course in September, this enables us to cover some of the costs of the materials we supply to you. You will also have free access to SLR and digital cameras, computers, sewing machines, darkroom equipment and printing facilities.

PROGRESSION ROUTES
Many students do decide that they would like to continue with their art studies at a higher level and there are a number of progression routes available to you. The usual route is to study a Foundation Diploma Course before applying to do Art and Design at degree level and we would recommend that students follow this line. However, we have had students who have wanted to apply directly to universities from A' level and many have been successful in obtaining places.
A lot of Graphic Communication students go on to apply to study courses in Architecture, Illustration, Computer Animation, Games Design or Graphics.