Module 1: User Experience (UX)
As we continue to do business in the midst of the digital economy, with companies seeking to optimize and mobilize key business processes, the visual experience has taken on a larger role as sophisticated and technologically savvy consumers demand high quality, effective communication design that are not only aesthetically good looking but highly experiential, emotional and memorable. Visual communication designers today have to understand how emotion is an inseparable factor from behaviour and that the consumer's emotional reaction results holistically not only from visuals successfully embedded in their minds but in design processes that help build and positively reinforce the consumer's relationship with businesses. This module provides participants with a deeper understanding of user experience as applied in the visual communication industry.
Upon completion of the module, participants will gain knowledge of how businesses apply user experience in visual communication, as well as be equipped with a critical understanding of user experience, including consumers' psychological needs and wants, memories, emotional connections and psychographic analysis.
Module 2: Designing for E-media
Business is all about the building of relationships, established with consumers through effective communication. The world has become a global village where communication allows instant and vital exchange of feedback. The visual communication industry had seen the widespread evolution and use of electronic media changing many aspects of the business world with numerous companies integrating their communications to the digital space. With this module, participants will gain a deeper insight into e-media which encompasses electronic text, graphics, moving images and sound while deepening their understanding of the range of digital platforms and trends. Through experiential learning, they will be able to incorporate e-media holistically as part of their design concepts.
Upon completion of the module, participants will be able to critically develop and employ e-media effectively within concepts and designs for communicating in today’s multimedia environment.
Module 3: Branding
Branding is the process that creates a unique name and image for an organisation or product in the consumers' minds. This is achieved by establishing in the market a significant and differentiated presence and value that attracts and retains loyal customers. For a company to be successful in today's competitive and complex marketing dominated world it is important that organizations develop and build up astrong brand equity as brand equity results in consumer showing a preference for one product over another. This module provides participants with a deeper understanding of the use of brand design to translate branding ideas into communication, and work through both the branding strategy and its implementation, to ensure that the results are consistent with the intended brand attributes
Upon completion of the module, participants will be able to develop and create for the targeted consumer brand memories and experiences; vital elements to the success of any business.
Module 4: Design Business Strategy and Development
This module aims to give participants an understanding of the design business and the planning of design strategies for their own and clients’ businesses. Using a typical project as the basis, participants will learn crucial business know-how to develop solutions that make business sense to their clients. This may be delivered through lectures, discussions and dialogue sessions with established design entrepreneurs and business owners. Participants will also learn how to manage customer expectations and perceptions that are critical to a successful design business.
Upon completion of the module, participants will be able to develop and manage effective strategies to market and to operate their design business entities.
Module 5: Design Thinking
This module revisits Design Thinking and focuses on people as an elemental and critical component of the design solution. The participants will employ empathy to guide their identification and definition of a problem. They will develop the mindset, methods and tools to apply design thinking, build innovation capabilities and create effective design solutions.
Upon completion of the module, participants will be able to develop design thinking process from insights research to concept prototyping and testing.