Undergraduate - UnitTDN2002 - Communication design theory

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2013 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

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Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture
Organisational Unit	Department of Design
Offered	Caulfield Second semester 2013 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Brad Haylock

Synopsis

This unit covers significant theories and readings specific to the discipline of communication design. The histories of print- and screen-based communication are studied, with particular consideration given to the social and technical changes that have influenced the development of communication design. Theories of communication, readability and authorship are considered. A particular focus lies with the technologies of typography and the evolution of the written word. Students will develop an appreciation of the history of the discipline and its social significance, in order to better understand contemporary communication design.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

understand the history and the prehistory of communication design;
critically discuss different perspectives on the social significance of communication design;
recognise historical and theoretical references in contemporary works of communication design;
articulate an informed position in relation to key issues in communication design discourse; and
analyse and discuss the social or disciplinary significance of works of communication design.