Visual Communication DesignQ&A by dot point

the analysis of existing visual communications, examining how visual language, design elements and principles, methods, media and materials create meaning and serve purpose, function and aesthetic impact for an intended audience

the influence of culture on design and the protocols for the respectful and lawful use of cultural knowledge, with particular focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander designs, including ownership, consent and the role of Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property

the selection and application of design elements and design principles to create visual communications that meet the requirements of a brief, its purpose, audience and context

the three fields of design practice, communication, environmental and industrial design, including what each field designs, the conventions and presentation methods typical of each, and how visual language is applied differently across them

design thinking and the use of divergent and convergent thinking strategies to expand and then narrow possibilities at each stage of the VCD design process, including how the two modes alternate across the double diamond

the practices of contemporary designers, including how they research, generate and develop ideas, and how design innovation responds to social, cultural, environmental, economic and technological factors

the range of primary and secondary research methods used in the Discover stage, including human-centred and ethical research practices, to investigate users, contexts and existing solutions before reframing the problem

the use of human-centred research methods to investigate users, reframe a design problem and develop a brief that defines the communication need, purpose, audience and context across the Discover and Define stages

the use of design thinking, ideation methods and the Develop stage to generate, explore and develop distinct design concepts that respond to two separate communication needs defined in the brief

the legal and ethical obligations of designers, including intellectual property, copyright and trademark, attribution and consent, and the professional responsibilities designers hold toward clients, audiences and the wider community

the principles of sustainable and responsible design practice, including reducing environmental impact through choices of methods, media and materials, considering a design's life cycle, and weighing social and economic impact alongside environmental impact

the four stages of the VCD design process, Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver, represented as a double diamond, and the iterative, non-linear way a designer moves through and revisits them when solving a communication problem

the use of manual and digital drawing methods and technical drawing conventions, including two-dimensional and three-dimensional drawing systems such as plans, elevations, paraline and perspective drawing, to communicate design ideas and resolved solutions accurately

the evaluation of the extent to which resolved design concepts meet the requirements of the brief, using evidence, feedback and the brief's own criteria to make justified judgements about each communication need

the selection and application of methods, media and materials, and of appropriate presentation formats, to produce and present resolved design solutions suited to the purpose, audience and context of the brief

the devising and delivery of a pitch that presents resolved design concepts to an audience, selecting presentation formats and communicating design decisions, rationale and fit to the brief

the selection and production of appropriate presentation formats for resolved design solutions, matching format to the design field, purpose, audience and context, so the final solution is communicated in a form suited to how it will be seen or used

the refinement and resolution of distinct design concepts for each communication need, using iteration, testing and feedback in the Deliver stage to produce resolved design solutions that satisfy the brief