Use a range of research and study skills to support discussion of your design discipline, through its developments to current usage

Enquiry


Recognise key design movements and influences. Relate learning gained in work practice and in taught sessions to the challenges encountered when responding to a work-based creative brief.

Knowledge and Understanding


Discuss the relationship between cultural inheritance and current creativity

Analysis


Justify your own work in relation to the cultural context of a specified target audience through the development and delivery of products/events/activities that use a range of appropriate communication techniques.

Communication


Work as part of a team to meet identified common goals that require you to plan, design and produce appropriate material outcomes for a specific need in the creative arts industry

Application / Working with others

Assessment 1: Illustrated learning journal of key design milestones in the previous 50 years, discussing international social, cultural and political context, with specific reference to the impact on own specialism (40%) [LO 1,2, and 3]

Assessment 2: A creative response to a key design milestone, political, cultural or social event (50%) [LO 4, 5, and 6]

Assessment 3: Presentation (5-6 minute Pecha Kucha) of a key success story in context to own specialism, analysing lasting impact. Develop a presentation incorporating visual information on a success story, such as an entrepreneur, a sell-out exhibition, or a designed object, along with a supporting portfolio of information related to legislation and industry guidelines, annotated to describe their implications for the selected success story. (10%) [LO 1, 2, 3 and 4]



Further clarity will be provided in detailed project brief.

In this module, you will investigate an example success story in your area, evaluate its achievements, and present your findings to an audience. This will help you understand contemporary practitioners’ practical constraints, and external factors like legislation and ethics. Additionally, you will explore current trends, historical influences, and potential future developments to understand the broader context of your work within the creative industries.

You will be able to explore the artistic, social and political influences on design over a significant period, in order to evaluate reasons for current design trends in your specialist area. You will gain insights into the impact of context on design so that you can plan your practical work with a better understanding of the cultural expectations of the audience you are aiming for. By recording your findings in your Reflective Learning Journal you will be able to develop your analytical and evaluative skills through discussing the ideas and influences relating to your work.

This module also helps you to deepen your experience of the application of skills; you will be able to relate the design theory and context that you are exploring in your Reflective Learning Journal with the application of your skills in a professional context. You will be expected to gain a substantial part of the evidence for assessment from work-related projects. You will address an identified need in the working environment, which may be part of a larger programme of work being undertaken in the workplace, or experience associated with working freelance or in an entrepreneurial role. This may, for example, be the design of material for a publicity campaign, the process of organising an arts exhibition or creating products for an identified market or audience.

You will increasingly be working independently, and may identify and/or initiate a project in order to meet the outcomes of the module: such a project should be planned in consultation with your tutor and, where appropriate, your mentor.

How do contemporary practitioners navigate the dynamic landscape of the creative industries? In this module, you'll delve into a success story within your field, evaluating its achievements and presenting your findings. You will explore how historical influences, legislation, and ethics shape current trends, and consider future developments in design. By reflecting on the social and political contexts of your work, you will enhance your understanding of cultural expectations and refine your analytical skills. This module bridges design theory with practical application, preparing you for professional projects that address real-world needs in diverse creative settings.

Introduction to module
Series of lectures, visits and seminars relating to design history and design context
Workshops developing journal content with studio tutorials
Problem solving workshop
Design process
Research workshops
Practical studio workshops
Methods of evaluation
Group tutorials and critiques with formative feedback
Individual tutorials

VLE (Virtual Learning Environment)

Dyson, S. and Kuchta-Helbling, S., 2022. Art Now: The Last Decade. Thames and Hudson.

Okediji, R., 2016. Copyright Law in an Age of Limitations and Exceptions. Cambridge University Press.

Resch, M., 2019. How to be a Successful Artist. London: Whitechapel Gallery Ventures Limited.

Reynolds, G., 2011. Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery. 2nd ed. New Riders.

Stokes, S., 2020. Art and Copyright. 3rd ed. London: Hart Publishing.


Journals:

Walton, J.F. (2020) Sharpening the Haze. London: Ubiquity Press. Available at: https://doi.org/10.5334/bcd.



Aesthetica Magazine
Artforum Magazine
Frieze Magazine
Tate Magazine

Websites:
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/ (Semiotics for Beginners)
www.tate.org.uk
http://www.vam.ac.uk/
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

Students will have access to studio space and college library and computer resources.
University learning resources are available on campus at Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent, and online via the partner Need to Know pages of the university website.
http://www.staffs.ac.uk/courses_and_study/partnerships/current_students/email/index.jsp