Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication)

2023 Deakin University Handbook

Note: You are seeing the 2023 view of this course information. These details may no longer be current. [Go to the current version]

Year	2023 course information
Award granted	Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication)
Course Map	Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong) For students who commenced prior to 2023 only
Duration	3 years full-time or part-time equivalent
CRICOS course code	095257M Burwood (Melbourne), Waterfront (Geelong)
Deakin course code	A345
Approval status	This course is approved by the University under the Higher Education Standards Framework.
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 7.
The final intake to this course was in Trimester 3 2022. Students should contact a Student Adviser in Student Central for course and enrolment information. Further course structure information can be found in the Handbook archive.

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Enter the dynamic world of professional design with Deakin’s Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication). Learn the tools, strategies and design thinking methodologies required to be an adaptive, multidisciplinary communications designer.

From day one you’ll learn to shape your ideas into smart and influential concepts under the guidance of industry leaders and established designers.

Combine studies from related disciplines, including creative coding, photography, and animation, and enhance your skills through practical learning. Let your creativity run free and practice with the same tools and technologies professionals use in our world-class design facilities.

In your final year, you’ll enter the studio to work on real client projects, with the opportunity to showcase your finished product to the public. This practical experience prepares you for the challenges of your future role, and ensures you graduate ready to make a real impact in the rapidly changing field of design.

Want the skills to thrive in a career in communication design?

You’ll learn how to interpret design briefs and develop specialised skills in web design and user experience (UX), as well as traditional skills in typography, illustration, branding and print design.

Benefit from Deakin’s networks and relationships within the design industry and have opportunities to include your work in exhibitions and showcases.

Take your learning further and develop skills in:

creative coding
3D environments
digital photography
motion graphics
animation.

Professional recognition

Deakin’s Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) is recognised by the Design Institute of Australia (DIA), so you’ll be up-to-date with the current industry practices and developments. The DIA also offers student membership and access to some of the biggest design events and experts in the nation.

Career opportunities

Graduates are open to many career opportunities, including in the areas of advertising, graphic design studios, print houses, publishers, corporate companies, government and private practices. Potential careers include:

communications designer
art director/creative director
animation and motion designer
web designer
UX designer
graphic designer
interactive designer
illustrator
packaging (FMCG) designer.

For more information go to DeakinTALENT

Participation requirements

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.

Mandatory student checks

Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, Working with Children Check or other check.

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on your course, the type of fee place you hold, your commencement year, the units you choose and your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Use the Fee estimator to see course and unit fees applicable to your course and type of place. Further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods is available on our Current students fees website.

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Develop theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the forms, functions, processes, languages and materials of visual communication design. Developing the capacity to meet client requirements in a rapidly changing industry setting.
Communication	Effectively communicate ideas using specific language, concepts and media to transmit ideas in response to design briefs.
Digital literacy	Utilize theoretical knowledge and practical skills with digital technologies to achieve user experience design outcomes.
Critical thinking	Acquire skills in critical thinking and the analytical evaluation of design. Critically engaging a range of strategies to achieve professional industry based outcomes.
Problem solving	Utilize design thinking methods to empathise, analyse, ideate, prototype and test complex and ill-defined problems.
Self-management	Initiate autonomous and self-directed management techniques; demonstrating professional responsibility and accountability to a wide range of design projects.
Teamwork	Lead, deliver and perform within a collaborative professional team to deliver industry standard outcomes.
Global citizenship	Critically engage designs capacity to act as an agent of change in multiple contexts. To identify and develop proposals for personal and corporate social, cultural and ethical responsibilities in a global and domestic context.
Approved by Faculty Board March 2017