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Visual Narratives & Design Thinking: Creating compelling stories, creative problem solving

  • Module code: HA4301
  • Year: 2018/9
  • Level: 4
  • Credits: 60
  • Pre-requisites: None
  • Co-requisites: None

Summary

This module builds the skills and understanding needed to create and deliver effective visual and verbal communications, through Design Thinking. You will be introduced to theories on perception and communication and will apply them to the analysis of persuasive visuals used in advertising communications and marketing messages. You are simultaneously introduced to a fundamental set of conceptual and practical, thinking and decision tools.

Practical project tasks will give you the opportunity to develop or enhance your digital design software skills through the creation of visual concepts, hacks, short/long form video narratives, content creation for social and experimentation with VR and emerging platforms to explain the possible visual identities of an event, campaign or product. Drawing on Design Thinking, a creative problem solving approach and technique, you will learn to examine and redefine problems through close observation, and investigate the use of empathy with users. User experience, interface design and prototyping are used to enhance the quality of communication and the explanation and sharing of ideas. Concept testing then helps reveal the match between the problem and the solution. The module develops the principle that decision making can be enhanced and innovation more likely if the attitudes and processes of design are applied to organisational decisions, services and activities.

Aims

  • Enable the development of theoretical understanding of the use and importance of visual aspects of communication
  • Enable students to establish and build technical skills in the use of design software packages
  • Enable students to develop and enhance their ability to understand how storytelling techniques support presentations and conceptualise and communicate ideas
  • Encourage students to develop human-centred observation and research skills
  • Enable students to develop their problem solving skills
  • Provide students with opportunities for understanding of, and ways to evaluate, ideas and prototype solutions
  • Enable students to make an informed choice between degree path of art direction, design marketing or curation

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:

  • Develop and generate responses to a client brief
  • Construct a persuasive presentation of an idea, based on both visual communication skills and the evaluation of a client's needs
  • Create storyboards and visual/narrative concepts
  • Demonstrate an understanding of visual communication skills, including the role of typeface, image and layout
  • Demonstrate understanding of relevant theories underpinning creativity and design thinking
  • Develop teamworking abilities, including the different roles during ideation

Curriculum content

  • Theories of visual communication and creativity
  • Principles of visual design, image analysis and composition, user experience visual design
  • Immersive technologies and emerging platforms
  • Basics of industry standard design software
  • Delivering visual presentations using a variety of approaches
  • Design Thinking attitude to problem solving
  • Ideation techniques
  • Problem identification and clarification
  • Observation and listening techniques
  • Product/service design and development processes
  • Clarification of user requirements
  • The diferences between an advertising campaign and a marketing strategy
  • Business model generation - value proposition canvas-
  • Rapid prototyping, eg wire framing, concept design
  • Beta testing and evaluation - methods and methodology

Teaching and learning strategy

Teaching and learning will principally be achieved via a studio pedagogy, using challenges and briefs to develop students' skills and apply their understanding. These workshops and guided independent study will be structured around input sessions on theory and industry practice delivered by the tutors and supplemented by industry guest speakers and hacks.

Development of familiarity and skill in the use of industry standard software will be supported by technicians in the Digital Media Workstation. The emphasis is not on the technical execution of the visual outcomes (storyboards/images/GIFS, social media content, posters) but on the relevance to the brief, effectiveness and originality. Students will be encouraged to select appropriate media to support their visual stories so they could use a range of 2D work (graphic, video, photo, illustration) or even VR, AR and other immersive and emerging technologies depending on the skill and interests of the student.

These principles and practice are accompanied by studio based seminars where students apply their understanding to small discrete creative thinking challenges. It is vital in such a module to organise a project during which students can practice what they are learning and develop a thinking through making learning dynamic. A project will be provided that involves designing a new product, service, a creative work, activity or organizational process. This will be worked on in teams and guided by the module leader of guest lecturer. Project briefings will be supplemented by guided surgeries and project milestones, culminating in the presentation of the solution.

The module will make use of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Canvas for communication and dissemination of information between students and staff as well as making online learning materials available to all.

All courses based in the Kingston School of Art offer students free access to the online video tutorial platform Lynda.com. This provides a wide range of subjects to choose from, many with downloadable exercise files, including software tutorials covering photography, graphics, web design, audio and music, CAD and Microsoft Office software, as well as courses on Business and Management skills. Some of these are embedded in the curriculum and offer additional self-paced learning, others may be taken at will by students wishing to broaden their employability skills in other areas.

Breakdown of Teaching and Learning Hours

Definitive UNISTATS Category Indicative Description Hours
Scheduled learning and teaching Input sessions and workshops 96
Guided independent study Reading and preparation for workshops Project 504
Total (number of credits x 10) 600

Assessment strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to focus on the use of visual techniques to conceptualise and communicate ideas rather than on the student's technical level of competence. Their skill in image production, video, illustration or graphics etc. must be sufficient for the idea to be communicated effectively. A mix of milestones and project surgeries plus opportune interventions during the studio work will give formative feedback.

The 10% assessment in HA4301 is aimed at providing students with a chance to test their understanding of assessment and learning and to flag up where further support is needed or attitudinal changes on the part of the student. It also enables the students to understand the process of familiarize themselves with the process of submitting work through a VLE.

Summative assessment will be in the form of:

-       an early review presentation of studio work;

-       individual studio work for a project brief;

-       reflecttive multi-media blog incorporating research, development and reflective writing and/or video explaining the project (1500 words plus media content);

-       an accompanying pitch (10 mins).

Mapping of Learning Outcomes to Assessment Strategy (Indicative)

Learning Outcome Assessment Strategy
1) Develop and generate responses to a client brief Early review presentation (of work in progress) Studio work
2) Create storyboards and visual/narrative concepts Reflective multi-media blog Studio work
3) Demonstrate an understanding of visual communication skills, including the role of typeface, image and layout Reflective multi-media blog & pitch Studio work
4) Develop teamworking abilities, including the different roles during ideation Reflective multi-media blog & pitch
5) Construct a persuasive presentation of an idea, based on both visual communication skills and the evaluation of a client's needs Reflective multi-media blog & pitch
6) Demonstrate understanding of relevant theories underpinning creativity and design thinking Reflective multi-media blog

Elements of Assessment

Description of Assessment Definitive UNISTATS Categories Percentage
Studio work Coursework 10%
Early review presentation. Reflective multi-media blog (1,500 plus media content) + 10 min pitch Coursework 90%
Total (to equal 100%) 100%

Achieving a pass

It IS NOT a requirement that any element of assessment is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.

Bibliography core texts

Works cited are for initial reference only. Module leaders will further enhance and focus it depending on project and assessment tasks.

Brown, T (2009). Change by design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation, Harper Business.

Kelley, T. (2001). The Art of Innovation: Lessons in Creativity from IDEO, America's Leading Design Firm. HarperCollins Business: New York  

Lester, P.M. (2016). Visual Communication: Images with Messages 6th Edition. Cengage Learning: Boston

Patnaik, D. (2009). Wired to Care: How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy. FT Press: London 

Cross, N. (2011). Design Thinking: Understanding How Designers Think and Work. Bloomsbury Academic: New York.

Seelig, T. (2015). Insight Out: Get Ideas Out of Your Head and into the World. Harper One: New York.

Ideo

Sherwin, D. (2010). Creative Workshop: 80 challenges to sharpen your design skills. How Books: Ohio

Sykes, M., Malik, A.N., and West. M.D. (2013). Stories that Move Mountains: Storytelling and Visual Design for Persuasive Presentations. John Wiley & Sons: Chichester 

Bibliography recommended reading

Berger, J. (2008). Ways of Seeing. Penguin: London

Bono, E. (1990). Lateral Thinking: A textbook of Creativity. London: PenguinBrown, T. (2008). Design Thinking. Harvard Business Review, June.

Brown, T. (2009). Change by Design: How Design Thinking Creates New Alternatives for Business and Society. Collins Business.

Buchanan, R. (1992). Wicked Problems in Design Thinking. Design Issues, Vol, 8(2) Spring.

Hanks, K., and Belliston, L. (2006). Rapid Viz: A New Method for the Rapid Visualization of Ideas. Cengage Learning: New York

Kleon, A. (2012). Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative. Workman Publishing: New York.

Lankow, J., Ritchie. J., and Crooks, R. (2013). Infographics: The Power of Visual Storytelling. John Wiley & Sons. New York.

Myerson, J. (2004). Ideo: Masters of innovation. Laurence King: London.

Whitaker, A. (2016). Art Thinking: How to Carve Out Creative Space in a World of Schedules, Budgets, and Bosses. Harper Collins: New York.

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