87010 VC Design Studio: Socially Responsive Design

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

Subject handbook information prior to 2025 is available in the Archives.

UTS: Design, Architecture and Building: Design
Credit points: 12 cp

Subject level:

Undergraduate

Result type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): 87731 VC Design Studio: Narrative, Form and Time AND 87443 VC Project: Typography in Context

Description

Socially Responsive Design has evolved over the past 2 years. Projects are larger and more fully refined than previous years and a higher percentage of final work used in the real-world. With a stronger emphasis on client collaboration and design leadership, students are taught how to run briefing workshops with their clients.

Teamwork, professionalism and a human-centred approach to design form the basis of this subject. As members of design teams, students take part in live projects, responding to the needs of a community-based organisation as their client and developing outcomes inspired by research in a contemporary global context. This subject allows students to refine their design practice and learn to work collaboratively at a professional level. Typical project work includes team and project management, client briefings, empathy research, user testing and product sourcing and specification. Design projects are developed iteratively, regularly critiqued in peer groups and assessed through a series of formal presentations to the client and peer group.

This subject is offered at a crucial time in the third year of the course where the general focus is on the design profession. It provides students with an authentic work experience in which they develop ethical values and socially responsible attitudes as part of becoming a professional designer. The subject involves working with a wide range of 'not-for-profit' community organisations, providing design assistance where limited funding would normally disallow it.

Subject learning objectives (SLOs)

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1.	Engage with the social and cultural dimensions of design
2.	Analyse and synthesise a client context
3.	Critically reflect on practice
4.	Communicate work through oral, visual and written presentation
5.	Work collaboratively with peers to respond to a client brief
6.	Apply sensitivity to craft in visual processing
7.	Work collaboratively with other disciplines/stakeholders
8.	Utilise appropriate research methods

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)

This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:

Work cooperatively and professionally as part of a team, initiate partnerships with others, take a leadership role when required, and constructively contribute to peer learning. (C.1)
Communicate ideas effectively in a variety of ways, including oral, written and visual. (C.3)
Create designs that respond to their context in formally or conceptually innovative ways. (I.1)
Advance ideas through an exploratory and iterative design process. (I.2)
Independent development of high level technical and craft skills for the production, presentation and documentation of work. (I.3)
Employ a range of qualitative research approaches including practice-led visual and material exploration and social and participatory methods. (R.2)
Analyse, synthesise and formulate complex ideas, arguments and rationales and use initiative to explore. (R.3)
Reflect and engage in self-critique and critical thinking. (R.5)

Contribution to the development of graduate attributes

The term CAPRI is used for the five Design, Architecture and Building faculty graduate attribute categories where:

C = communication and groupwork

A = attitudes and values

P = practical and professional

R = research and critique

I = innovation and creativity.

Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs) are linked to these categories using codes (e.g. C-1, A-3, P-4, etc.).

Teaching and learning strategies

The subject is structured into weekly 4-hour tutorial sessions from 1–5pm on Thursdays with 1-hour lectures from 10am–11am. Please check the program in this outline for dates.

The PBL (problem based learning strategy) continues to underpin the learning experience. At this level of study, students are presented with self-directed learning options through project choice. Professionally specific visual communication problems are briefed and examined through a number of case studies which introduce students to the role and responsibility of professional designers practising in specialised areas (publishing, corporate identity, television graphics, animation, web design etc). Authentic experience of professional practice is gained by undertaking live projects directly exposing students to the role and responsibility of professional designers and the issues surrounding team work and client relationships. Activities for this subject are structured according to the following:

Lectures introduce key principles and dimensions of professional work practices in visual communication, through case studies situated within broader social and cultural contexts. They will add to your understanding of and give your work meaning in a contemporary global setting.

Tutorials. Students work in small groups with a community client to define the project brief and work to fulfill the project aims to the client's satisfaction. Teamwork, client liaison, the ability to understand and rationalise complex issues, costing analysis, research, professional design skills and presentation are all part of this rich engagement with these worthwhile organisations. Students will be expected to engage in a professional way in group and individual tasks, advised by a supervising lecturer.

Pre-work. The program includes pre-work sections each week that describe what you need to do to prepare for and bring to lectures and tutorials. Learning activities variously engage students in secondary research, online discussion, peer-group critique on work in progress and client presentations. At the end of each session, please read the Pre-work section for the next session.

This full twelve-credit point subject requires between 18 and 24 hours of work per week (including class contact hours). Therefore, please take this into account in your project planning.

Content (topics)

Professional Practice
Critical thinking
Industry focussed research
Rebriefing and Strategy
Client Liaison
Workshop development
Teamwork
?Project Management
Presentation skills

Assessment

Assessment task 1: Brief and detailed strategic plan

Intent:

This is an authentic assessment task providing you with an opportunity to meet real-life clients, extract and amend project briefs and devise a design strategy. The task mirrors professional practice by requiring you to research your clients' backgrounds, liaise with clients and studio leaders, and obtain clients' sign off on the final briefing document.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

2, 4 and 8

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

C.1, R.2 and R.3

Type:

Project

Groupwork:

Group, individually assessed

Weight:

35%

Criteria linkages:

Criteria	Weight (%)	SLOs	CILOs
Capacity to use a variety of research methods evident in your briefing document and strategic plan	40	8	R.2
Ability to analyse and synthesise complex ideas in defining a brief and strategic plan that takes into account the clients context	30	2	R.3
Effective written communication skills in the briefing document and strategic plan, with clear organisation of content and concise descriptions	30	4	C.1

SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 2: Community Project

Intent:

This assessment task requires project groups to present the results of their collaboration on the project, including liaison with the client, production of a prototype and visual presentation (slides, video, pdf etc) of the outcomes. Its purpose is to emulate professional collaboration in the production of socially responsive design. The group project will allow you to explore the client brief developed in task 1. You will work as a group to develop a design project. The project will be evaluated on the basis of your response to the needs of your community based organisation and the level of professional practice and presentation.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

C.1, C.3, I.1, I.2 and I.3

Type:

Project

Groupwork:

Group, individually assessed

Weight:

55%

Criteria linkages:

Criteria	Weight (%)	SLOs	CILOs
Degree of creativity or innovation in the group's solution to the communication objectives of the community client.	20	1	I.1
Sensitivity to craft. Level of attention to design detail in the work presented to the client	15	6	I.3
Quality of the oral and visual communication skills in the final client presentation	15	4	C.3
Professionalism of the group's approach, including ability to work as a team, timing, deadlines, client liaison etc	15	5	C.1
Professional work practices as evident in the client check in sessions and workshops	10	7	I.2
Design aesthetic and solution that is appropriate for the client�s needs and context	15	2	I.1
Quality of presentation of project exhibition panel	10	6	I.3

SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Assessment task 3: PEP Report

Intent:

In this task you will write a report on your professional experience program. You will reflect on your industry placement.

Objective(s):

This task addresses the following subject learning objectives:

3 and 6

This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.):

I.3 and R.5

Type:

Report

Groupwork:

Individual

Weight:

10%

Criteria linkages:

Criteria	Weight (%)	SLOs	CILOs
Ability to reflect on practice as evident in the PEP report	50	3	R.5
Sensitivity to craft and professionalism of final PEP Report.	50	6	I.3

SLOs: subject learning objectives
CILOs: course intended learning outcomes

Minimum requirements

The DAB attendance policy requires students to attend no less than 80% of formal teaching sessions (lectures and tutorials) for each class they are enrolled in to remain eligible for assessment.

Other resources

The Generic Faculty Subject Information Booklet will be available in both hard copy and electronic format. Hard copies will be placed outside the Student Centre (Level 4, DAB Building) for the first two weeks of each semester and teaching period. The electronic version of the booklet will be continuously available via UTS Online and the DAB website www.dab.uts.edu.au/courses/subjects