Aims and Purpose

The Higher Graphic Communication Course provides opportunities for you develop your own ideas graphically. It allows you to develop skills in reading and interpreting graphics produced by others and to continue to develop graphic awareness in often complex graphic situations, expanding your visual literacy.

The Course is practical, exploratory and experiential in nature. It combines elements of creativity and communicating for visual impact with elements of protocol and an appreciation of the importance of graphic communication standards, where these are appropriate.

The Course allows learners to engage with technologies. It allows learners to consider the impact that graphic communication technologies have on our environment and society.

The aims of the Course are to enable learners to develop:

• skills in graphic communication techniques, including the use of equipment, graphics materials and software
• creativity in the production of graphic communications to produce visual impact in meeting a specified purpose
• skills in evaluating the effectiveness of graphics in communicating and meeting their purpose
• an understanding of graphic communication standards protocols and conventions, where these apply
• an understanding of the impact of graphic communication technologies on our environment and society

Entry to the course

This is at the discretion of the department; however you would normally be expected to have attained one of the following:

• • National 5 Graphic Communication or Art & Design at Grade A or B

 

Course Outline

The course is made up of two units (2D and 3D), an assignment worth 36% of the final grade and the final course examination also worth 64%.

2D Graphic Communication Unit

Students who complete this Unit will be able to:

• Produce and interpret 2D orthographic sketches1 and drawings
• Produce 2D computer-aided designed/draughted production drawings
• Produce preliminary 2D designs and illustrations for a multi-page promotional document
• Create a multi-page 2D promotional publication and a project set of promotional publications

 

3D Graphic Communication Unit

Students who complete this Unit will be able to:

• Produce and interpret pictorial sketches1 and drawings
• Produce 3D computer-aided designed/draughted models and associated production drawings
• Produce pictorial and 3D illustrations of everyday objects
• Plan and produce promotional publications incorporating pictorial and/or 3D models

 

Assessment

The course assessment has two components:

Component 1:  The Question Paper has 90 marks, which is 64% of the overall marks for the course assessment.

Component 1 — question paper

The purpose of the question paper is to assess your skills, knowledge and visual literacy through the graphics techniques and practice you have acquired. The format of the questions will allow a variety of response types across the paper.

The question paper will give you an opportunity to use your graphic communication skills, knowledge and understanding to:

• demonstrate your understanding of computer-aided design/draughting techniques including commercial / industrial practice
• demonstrate reasoning ability by justifying graphics in specific contexts
• explain the use of digital technology in graphic communication
• interpret/respond to given 2D, 3D and pictorial drawings and sketches
• identify and describe drawing standards, protocols and conventions
• define, describe and evaluate the use of recognised desktop publishing features
• describe, define and evaluate the use of design elements and principles in promotional graphics
• comment knowledgeably on graphic communication as it impacts on the environment and society
• The question paper will have 70 marks out of a total of 140 marks. This represents 50% of the overall marks for the Course Assessment.

Component 2 - The assignment has 50 marks, which is 36% of the overall marks for the course assessment.

The purpose of the Graphic Communication assignment is to draw on, extend and apply the skills and knowledge developed and acquired during the Course. Evidence will be produced through your graphic response to an appropriately challenging graphic communication brief.

The assignment will give you the opportunity to:

• Demonstrate creativity in responding to realistic and contextualised graphic tasks and situations.
• Demonstrate skills in the use of graphic communication technologies in meeting a purpose.
• Produce relevant preliminary, production and promotional graphic responses to a brief.
• Apply illustration and presentation techniques to create graphics responses with relevant visual impact and clear purpose.
• Produce 2D and 3D production drawings1, applying appropriate standards, protocols and conventions; including third angle projection, dimensioning, line type and the use of scale.
• Produce promotional graphic publications with relevant visual impact that are planned and designed to meet a market, purpose, content and style.
• Review, evaluate and justify their decisions on the choices of graphic items and communication techniques employed.
• The assignment will have 70 marks out of a total of 140 marks. This represents 50% of the overall marks for the Course Assessment.