Visual Communication Design (Auckland School of Design)

The world will be your oyster on completion of this degree course; our graduates are working all over the world from the Unites States to Europe. Visual Communication Design has a very important role in print design, as well as the ever-increasing range of digital media for web, video, film and computer games. You will leave the course with enough knowledge and hands-on ability to work in the worlds of graphic design, advertising, digital media (interactivity, animation and digital video) and illustration.

The course covers production for print, brand identity, publication design, packaging and typography. Advertising papers explore communication methods to connect with specific audiences through mainstream and non-traditional media. Illustration papers look at creating messages through visual narratives employing visual metaphors and sequencing to communicate. Digital media papers focus on design for two-dimensional and three-dimensional animation, web design, interactive multimedia and motion graphics as well as digital video.

First Year: You’ll make the transition to tertiary education in this year. In design studios you are introduced to generic art and design knowledge and skills and develop core competencies and practices. You undertake a visual communication design studio course and explore other design specialisations so that you can confirm or change your future pathway.

Second Year: You are introduced to the principles of visual communication design, along with an historical overview. Different disciplines of design are studied including typography, digital media, advertising and illustration.

Third Year: Experiences in your third year include specialist papers in graphic design, typography, advertising, digital design, web design and theoretical studies.

Fourth Year: You will develop and undertake individual research or studio-based projects, study professional business practice and complete a design project or a design research project. Entry into national and international design competitions is strongly encouraged. The outcomes of the research projects are exhibited in ‘Exposure’, a public exhibition at a central Auckland location in November of each year.