89037 The Power of Design: to Improve Your Business Communications
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.
Credit points: 3 cp
Result type: Pass fail, no marks
Description
In this subject students learn to harness the power of design to create impactful and persuasive business communications.
Communicating ideas and persuading others through business presentations is THE crucial currency for today’s businesses. However, the majority of business presentations are dull and ineffectual. James de Vries uses the lens of his global career as a newspaper, magazine and strategic design leader to introduce the storytelling and design secrets of the world’s best magazines and newspapers to revolutionise how to communicate in presentations.
This practical, hands-on subject enables students to transform how they approach their business presentations by harnessing classic design principles and techniques. It introduces students to the fundamentals of good design and gives them practical tools and tips to create more meaningful and persuasive storytelling in a business context.
With lectures, exercises and critiques, this subject accelerates users in their persuasive storytelling ability. It demonstrates how good editorial design is not accidental and contains all the elements that can be used to increase the humanity, connection and influence of daily business communications.
The subject traverses core storytelling and design principles to build context, knowledge and conceptual thinking capacity.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
| 1. | Analyse information sources to Identify key arguments |
|---|---|
| 2. | Apply the fundamentals of visual communication design to the creation of an effective presentation |
| 3. | Utilise visual rhetoric and storytelling fundamentals to plan and deliver an effective presentation |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:
- Professional attitude to clarity, accuracy and effectiveness of communication (C.1)
- Ability to actively and independently develop new skills, knowledge and understanding (P.1)
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
This subject will combine online resources with face-to-face studio based teaching strategies and include critical analysis, low-stakes formative exercies, reflective practice, and group discussion.
Content (topics)
- Fundamental principles of visual communicaiton
- Stratagies for effective business communication
- Design thinking
- Key storytelling principles
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Finding the Story
| Intent: | In this task students analyse an existing piece of information to identify the key, overarching message/s, distilling this into a succinct form for the purposes of communication. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1 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 | ||||||||
| Type: | Exercises | ||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||
| Weight: | 20% | ||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Design Fundamentals
| Intent: | In this task students apply the design fundamentals of typography, image and colour in the design of a presentation. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 2 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.): P.1 | ||||||||
| Type: | Exercises | ||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||
| Weight: | 30% | ||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 3: Persuasion in action
| Intent: | Students apply their learnings in Task 1 and Task 2 to the design of an engaging and persuasive presentation. | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 2 and 3 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 and P.1 | ||||||||||||
| Type: | Exercises | ||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
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.