BA (Hons) Graphic Design with Foundation Year

Module: 3VA001

Credits: 60

Period: 1

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

In this module you will work on a series of short projects that aim to introduce you to the core art and design skills that will support your development as an artist or designer at degree level and beyond. In semester 1 you will explore a range of approaches to drawing as a fundamental art and design tool for thinking through and communicating your ideas. Increasingly drawing will be seen as a basis for exploring 2d, 3d and media solutions to art and design problems. Alongside these practical workshops you will begin to explore how research, reflection and documentation can inform your ideas and support studio practice by creating a studio journal containing a series of structured tasks. In semester 2 you will have extended opportunity to work with specialist staff from the different art and design subjects taught in the school and develop projects responding to more defined areas of practice appropriate to your interests and ambitions for degree level study. You will be expected to develop a more focused and independent approach to research through your journal responses and studio practice. Increasingly you will be expected to take greater control and direction of your learning. In semester 1 the workshops, studio projects, research tasks and study visits will be clearly structured and you will be expected to attend regularly and participate in a range of learning activities within and outside of taught sessions. As the course develops and you start to define your subject and contextual interests you will necessarily need to become more independent in accessing appropriate resources for your personal development as an artist/designer. The studios, workshops and other resources are open 5 days a week and you are increasingly expected to manage your taught and independent studio/study time effectively to complete work well and on time.

Module: 3VA002

Credits: 60

Period: 1

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

In this module you will be introduced to the range of art and design subject specialisms taught in the School of Art. Academic and technical teams from across the school will introduce you to specialist workshops and provide a range of short project briefs to enable you to explore and test your ideas out in different mediums and contexts. This will be accompanied by contextual visits, lectures and seminars that will explore how the different artists and designers address genres and issues pertinent to their practice. Assessment reviews and tutorials will be used to support you to reflect on these experiences and begin to consider some areas for extended experience in Semester 2. In semester 2 you will work in subject groupings and propose an individually negotiated project aligned to a broad subject area in the school. You will work with Foundation and degree level tutors to develop your ideas and work towards degree level entry standard. You will need to demonstrate some ability to work and learn independently and reflect on your work to progress your ideas. Alongside practical work you will undertake a portfolio of contextual research which will underpin your core knowledge of your chosen area of study and learn the basic research and writing skills that you will need to progress to degree level study.

Module: 4VC019

Credits: 60

Period: 2

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

This module introduces you to a range of topics and processes pertinent to the broad practice of graphic design, as well as resources and staff within the University and the School of Art. It is an intensive practical module extending throughout the year and you will undertake a range of studio projects as a foundation to your professional practice as a graphic designer. Centred on design processes, including development of specialist skills, this module aims to maximise your graphic design potential. You will be supported throughout this module in making the transition between your prior educational experiences and full time graphic design study and practice. Developing time management skills through structured tasks, you will be expected to make use of independent study hours to further progress your graphic design skills and practice, subject studios, art school workshops and the Harrison Learning Centre. In Graphic Design: Preparation you will also learn to develop, and record your design ideas, taking inspiration from a range of contextual sources including artists and designers, gaining confidence to express and communicate design solutions with visuals, sketchbooks and journals within tutorials.

Module: 4VC020

Credits: 60

Period: 2

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

This module helps you to build an understanding of graphic design principles through investigation, and application to projects. You will have the time and space to practice and develop professional graphic design skills in response to project briefs and lectures. The emphasis of this module is on practice, guided by tutorials, feedback and experience, challenging and encouraging you to expand your subject knowledge, skills and confidence. This module provides the opportunity for you to identify and reflect on your strengths and weaknesses at every stage of design exploration, helping you to learn from feedback and experience, in order to appeal to potential audiences and specific situations. Introducing you to a range of contextual knowledge from both contemporary and historical graphic design practice and visual culture, Graphic Design: Principles will help you to understand professional practice and its place in society, cultural significance, impact and connection with audiences. You will engage in subject specialist lectures and seminars and produce a range of creative, academic and contextual assignments in response to project briefs. This module will encourage you to organise your time effectively, increase your ability to analyse your designs and the designs of others and to demonstrate intellectual and professional curiosity, stimulating your professional design skills and contextual knowledge while enhancing your ability to make professional judgements in response to briefs.

Module: 5VC022

Credits: 60

Period: 3

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

With emphasis on critical and experimental practice, this module aims to develop your understanding of graphic design through investigation of, and engagement with design projects. You will continue to develop professional graphic design skills in response to project briefs and lectures, and you will have opportunities to explore the creative and practical tools required to meet the needs of client-led briefs. As the module progresses, you will negotiate and manage design projects with increasing independence, and develop your individual approach to problem-solving and realisation of final design work through critical analysis and professional judgement. Your theoretical knowledge and understanding will be further developed, encouraging you to consider your relationship to, and place in graphic design, the creative industries and society. You will use visual and contextual research to inform your decision-making, and be encouraged to develop risk-taking strategies through experimentation in order to create new and surprising solutions appropriate to a range of outputs discussed in Graphic Design: Projects. As your confidence grows, you will also consider and establish effective methodologies to communicate and evaluate your creative work.

Module: 5VC021

Credits: 60

Period: 3

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

Developing your understanding of communication through graphic design, this module encourages you to engage with practical projects, introducing you to specialist disciplines in print and screen media creating work for a range of clients and outputs. The initial focus of the module will be on the acquisition and application of higher-level design skills, techniques and processes aligned to specialist practice, and you will engage with lectures, workshops and seminars to support your learning. Broad principles introduced at the start of the module will provide the foundation for detailed investigation of graphic design projects, and you will be encouraged to consider your individual approach to creative problem solving and developing visual language. Through engagement with projects on this intensive studio-based practical module, you will increase your knowledge of the graphic design industry, and reflect on your professional practice as a graphic designer in relation to potential future employment. You will continue to develop and record your design ideas, taking inspiration from contextual sources discussed in Graphic Design: Practice. Opportunities to engage with live and competition briefs alongside tutor-led assignments on this module will enable you to gain experience in understanding and responding to design specifications, and provide a platform for reflection across a range of professional and academic situations.

Module: 6VC022

Credits: 60

Period: 4

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

Graphic Design: Portfolio enables you to negotiate and produce a final body of creative work based upon your professional ambition and emerging specialisms. You will undertake a series of intensive practical studio projects, including live briefs, national and international competitions, and thematic group projects. There will be opportunities to further develop specialist knowledge, skills and understanding to support your increasingly personal visual language, to help demonstrate your ability to generate ideas and to create considered and targeted solutions as a practicing designer. Graphic Design: Portfolio is a student-led module, supported by the academic and technical team in group and individual tutorials, encouraging you to test your project management skills and increasing autonomy. You will be required to manage your time and workload effectively, synthesising prior learning experiences, and utilising design strategies and methodologies developed at levels 4 and 5.

Module: 6VC023

Credits: 60

Period: 4

Type: Core