100-level

DESI120
Introduction to Graphic Design
Description
This course introduces students to basic fundamental skills of graphic design. With the rise of ‘template culture’ traditional design skills and knowledge are critically important in building an understanding of design and how to generate a point of difference in your practice. In this course you will learn entry-level professional typesetting, 2D compositional skills, complex grids and information hierarchies, and basic image processing for digital and print platforms.
Occurrences
Semester One 2026
Points
15 points
Restrictions
FINA101, FINA103
DESI121
History of Graphic Design
Description
In this course students will learn a history of graphic design in the 20th century. Focusing on the ways language and images have been crafted and deployed within the margins of popular culture, this course will unpack graphic design as a totally pervasive practice in a century of massive technological, cultural, and political change. From early modernist typography to the formal explosions of post-modernism, students will learn that the way information looks is closely related to how it works.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2026
Points
15 points

200-level

DESI211
Graphic Design 2A
Description
Students will be introduced to and develop basic technical competence in the specialist discipline. Course work is undertaken by way of academically driven, practice-led projects that explore conventions, histories, techniques and technologies fundamental to the discipline. The practical and theoretical components of this course are driven by student participation in group meetings, technical workshops, field trips, critiques, reading groups and written critical reflection assignments. Documentation of all work undertaken for the course is to be submitted for assessment alongside realised project outcomes.
Occurrences
Semester One 2026
Points
45 points
Prerequisites
FINA103, and subject to approval of the Head of the School of Fine Arts. Entry to this course is limited.
DESI212
Graphic Design 2B
Description
Students in this course will develop on the technical, critical and conceptual knowledge base introduced within the prerequisite 211 course. Course work is undertaken by way of academically driven, practice-led projects that begin to encourage students to challenge prior knowledge and self-define areas of interest within the discipline. The course culminates in students defining and carrying out their own project, negotiating its conceptual scope and appropriate outcomes in partnership with the supervising lecturer. The practical and theoretical components of this course are driven by student participation in group meetings, technical workshops, field trips, critiques, reading groups and written critical reflection assignments. Documentation of all work undertaken for the course is to be submitted for assessment alongside realised project outcomes.
Occurrences
Semester Two 2026
Points
45 points
Prerequisites
DESI211, or subject to approval of the Head of the School of Fine Arts. Entry to this course is limited.
DESI220
Graphic Design: Digital Typography
Description
This course aims to introduce students to foundational knowledge, skills and experience in digital graphic design. Typography - the design and deployment of typefaces (or fonts) - is the ‘bread and butter’ of graphic design and, as such, will be central to this course. To understand why typefaces look the way they do and how they were designed to be used, students will investigate type design history and practice. Students will learn how type and form influences the communication of language and content on digital platforms through a series of projects exploring typeface design, type selection and implementation for digital media. Content for this core project will be directed by the supervising lecturer but tailored by each student to their interests.
Occurrences
Semester One 2026
Points
15 points
Prerequisites
15 points DESI at 100 level
Restrictions
PROD252, DESI211, DESI212

300-level

DESI311
Graphic Design 3
Description
DESI311 is a full-year course with specific emphasis on the development of practice based research within the studio context, and will afford the student the opportunity to develop a large-scale body of work. In the first semester, students will be assigned the broad framework for a project plus a set of loosely prescribed outcomes. This framework will encourage experimentation and pushing at the boundaries of discipline conventions and / or established modes of working or thinking. In the second semester, students will negotiate a wholly individual course of study and appropriate learning outcomes with their studio lecturer in the form of a Directed Research Proposal (DRP.) The practical and theoretical components of this course are driven by student participation in group meetings, technical workshops, critiques, reading groups and written critical reflection assignments. Documentation of all work undertaken for the course is to be submitted for assessment alongside realised project outcomes.
Occurrences
Whole Year 2026
Points
90 points
Prerequisites
DESI212

Not Offered Courses in 2026

200-level

DESI221
Graphic Design: Contemporary Contexts
Description
This course will introduce students to contemporary theories, practices, and critical discourses surrounding graphic design in the 21st century. Students will engage with key texts, case studies, and current design issues while exploring the relationship between design, culture, politics, and technology. This course will enable students to develop a personal perspective on the role of the designer in society.
Occurrences
Not offered 2026
For further information see DESI221 course details
Points
15 points
DESI222
Graphic Design: Branding and Identity Systems
Description
This course teaches students how to develop complex and meaningful visual identity systems that work across multiple communication platforms. Drawing on a critical understanding of ‘branding’ in the 21st century, this course will introduce students to logotype design and development, typography and colour specification, grid systems, and style guides for the consistent deployment of a visual language across 2D and 3D platforms.
Occurrences
Not offered 2026
For further information see DESI222 course details
Points
15 points