Design Perspectives - DESG4022

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Module delivery information

Location Term Level1 Credits (ECTS)2 Current Convenor3 2026 to 2027
Canterbury
Autumn Term 4 20 (10) Becky Upson checkmark-circle

Overview

How have historical and contemporary practices and practitioners contributed to the discipline of graphic design? And where does graphic design sit within cultural, political, and commercial contexts? 

You’ll learn critical and core theories
analysing design artefacts through the lenses of process, identity, form, affect and environment. In doing so you’ll study a range of global design movements and outcomes from Mass Production to Post Modernism, from typographic design to political propaganda. You’ll engage in essay writing and develop skills in research, academic referencing, and the articulation of arguments through writing and graphic design. 

Each week you’ll explore and discuss a different design movement, gaining insights into global graphic design projects from the exceptional to the ordinary and assess their impact. This will enable you to draw on historical design ideas to inform and inspire your future graphic design solutions.

Details

Contact hours

Workshop / studio 40

Method of assessment

5 x 200 words = 1000 words Report. Assessment Details: Analytical studies 
in the form of illustrated report worth 50%. This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.
100% Portfolio Portfolio. Assessment Details: Design learning materials worth 50%. This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.

Reassessment Method: Like-for-like

Indicative reading

Learning outcomes

On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:? 
Discuss important designers with reference to their impact and influence on the development of twentieth and twenty-first century visual communication. (A1) 
Analyse a range of relevant theoretical and critical texts developing skills such as finding and using appropriate sources, producing a bibliography, and developing an argument. (B3, C1) 
Identify and communicate connections between designers, artefacts, texts and contexts. (A4)

Notes

  1. Credit level 4. Certificate level module usually taken in the first stage of an undergraduate degree.
  2. ECTS credits are recognised throughout the EU and allow you to transfer credit easily from one university to another.
  3. The named convenor is the convenor for the current academic session.
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