What You'll Study

2D Motion Graphics

This module aims to deliver a practical approach to designing moving images for graphic communication solutions. Students will learn to create 2D motion graphics as a medium for design expression. Through studio sessions students are encouraged to explore key concepts and processes, such as ideation, storyboarding, graphical illustration, animation, audio insertion and special effects for 2D motion graphics projects. These skill sets are intended for use in the creation of music videos, title treatments, and other graphics for broadcast, film, web and advertising.

Basic Drawing Class

This module introduces sketching as the basic visualisation tool for designers. Students will be exposed to the fundamentals of drawing concepts, observation and sighting techniques. Through still life, perspective and human figure drawing exercises, the module provides a fundamental ground for form, texture, proportion, spatial relationship perspective, tonal values and composition studies. Students will learn both analytical and expressive components of the drawing process.

Communicating for Personal and Team Effectiveness

Aims to equip students with the necessary skills to develop self-confidence in their spoken and written interactions with intended audiences for specific purposes, in informal contexts.

Critical and Analytical Thinking

This module aims to equip students with skills in critical and analytical thinking, which includes the ability to evaluate different perspectives, articulate a point of view and support it with relevant and credible evidence. The module also provides students with opportunities to practise information literacy, and critical and analytical thinking skills through the exploration of contemporary local and global issues.

Design Theory and Research 1

This module aims to inculcate basic skills of critical analysis, reading, writing and research for first year design students. Using a set of design lenses as critical and theoretical building blocks, students will learn to apply theoretical ideas to augment their conceptual ideation, to build design arguments and evaluate design propositions through reflections, presentations and writing, and understand the foundations of design conceptualisation and thinking.

Digital Arts Studio

This module will introduce students to key techniques, industry standard tools, and process to apply digital imaging into graphic and advertising outcomes. Students will be exposed to in-depth understanding and industry standard software applications for training. Integrating creativity and conceptualisation skills, students will be trained to convert raw images into outcomes used in the thriving digital media industry.

Digital Photography & Image Processing

This module exposes students to the theory and practice of digital photography within the framework of an integrative digital workflow, including the finer points of digital image enhancement & manipulation. Students will be taught product and portrait photography and learn the essentials of controlling and balancing artificial lights with natural lights to achieve impactful aesthetics for photography. Students will focus on studio and outdoor digital photography and equipped with the fundamentals of preparing digital images and advanced image manipulation techniques. By the end of the module, students would have created a portfolio of photographic fine prints for commercial applications.

Experience Design Methods

Design Research Methods (XDM) aims to instil a wide repertoire of user research methods essential for design students. This module will equip students with basic image capturing techniques to conduct meaningful and unobtrusive user studies. Observational and analytical methods will be taught to allow students to understand the users as social being interacting with spaces objects and time. Student will also be equipped with facilitation skills to engage users at various levels in order to identify potential design outcomes and entrepreneurial opportunities.

Foundation Design Studio

This module introduces the basic skills in design and creative processes. Ideation will be taught through a series of short projects to explore various design methods. Students will be taught to un-learn the preconceptions that they may have accumulated and learn to question normality and standard practices and to think creatively and critically.

Graphic and Visual Communication

This module introduces students to various means of digital media. Students will be introduced to the basic fundamentals of digital photography, vector graphics creation and typography. Photography skills will be taught to equip students with the vocabulary of the medium to convert photographs with basic digital retouching skills to transform images into meaningful storytelling images. Digital Vector Illustration with practical sessions in typography and layout design are also introduced. Students will understand the basics of page hierarchy and effective visual flow through layout & composition design. Students will have a portfolio of typographic, photographic, vector design work and projects demonstrating the application of the module topics.

Narrative Thinking

This module aims to equip students with the skills to critically evaluate the elements of narratives used in a variety of contexts, and to appreciate and harness the power of storytelling in our daily life. Students will analyse narratives to connect and contextualise self to society, and learn to craft impactful personal narratives to inspire or influence others.

Visual Design Studio

This module offers a focused study of graphic design concepts and the practice of graphic design communications. Building upon their foundational understanding in graphic design, students will hone their sensitivity and creativity in Typography and Colour, to formulate emotionally resonant visual solutions for effective communication. Students will learn the framework and strategies of infographic design.

Brand Design Studio

This module provides a key overview of applied design within real world commercial context, focusing on brand experience in an integrated communications environment. Students will learn key concepts and components of marketing and branding through the formulation of marketing plans and executing creatives in the areas of Corporate Identity, Packaging Design, Advertising Campaigns and Publication Design. Practical sessions on Desktop Publishing tools will equip students with the technical aspects of design visualisation. Pre-press skills and production knowledge will also be taught to ensure that students have a thorough understanding of the visual communications design ecosystem.

Design Theory and Research 2

This module aims to develop students’ critical and analytical skills with various design lenses in the research and study of technological, social, political, historical, cultural and economical aspects. This inquiry allows students to comprehend the influences and impacts that these factors can catalyse design propositions.

Ethics and Law of IT and Media

Provides students with an understanding of the ethical and moral aspects of Information Technology and media management, as well as the basic and general aspects of the law arising from the Information Technology and media industries. Upon the successful completion of this module, students will become aware of the ethical and moral issues faced by professionals in the Information Technology and media industries. They will also learn, understand and be able to apply general aspects of the law in Information Technology and the media to their work in future.

Portfolio Design

This module equips students with the skills to design a portfolio package to aid them in their post-polytechnic placement in the industry, and the required skills to market themselves suitably to the potential employers. Students will have their personal branding differentiated and articulated, and their works archived on a chosen platform creatively. They will also be trained to present themselves professionally at interview sessions, and identifying opportunities through industry networking.

Sustainable Innovation Project

This module, tapping on what students have learnt in the Common Core Curriculum, aims to equip students with a Design Thinking mindset to create an innovative solution to tackle local societal issues mapped to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Students collaborate in multi-disciplinary groups to apply design thinking method and tools backed by research and qualitative data, to create sustainable and innovative prototype solutions for real-life issues faced by a local user in need. In the process, they develop a better understanding of themselves, and empathy for a local user in need. Students will also be able to apply their teamwork skills in the course of their sustainable innovation project, and communication skills in the presentation of the project.

Web Design

In this module, students will learn the basics of design, as well as front-end development for web. Students will begin with a practical understanding of information hierarchy and interface design, which escalates into the planning and production of multi-page web projects. The module focuses on web content management with the emphasis on user needs analysis.

Communication Design Studio

After Visual Design Studio (Year 1) and Brand Design Studio (Year 2), the students then ladder up to Communication Design Studio in Year 3 to further refine their creative, conceptual and communication skills. Students will learn to address strategy and aesthetics in communications design, while experimenting with the possibilities and constraints of virtual, physical and mixed spaces. With an increasingly mixed-media landscape, the module covers different ways of engaging with the masses in a more interactive and personalised manner. Covering both traditional and digital media, students will also explore creating brand stories in alternative and new media using techniques from basic electronics to experimental photography. The module will culminate in the Final Year Project, where the next generation of visual communicators will be assessed on how they synthesize creativity, strategy and technique to create immersive brand narratives.

Design Theory and Research 3

This module aims to explore and challenge design methodologies, forms and practices. This allows the students to employ the theories in their final year project with the intent to expound their design propositions.

Internship Programme

This module aims to immerse students with the real-world industry experience. This programme comprises a 12-week internship programme integrating a structured learning outcome which facilitates authentic learning.