NCEA Level 1 Design and Visual Communication
Course Description
Teacher in Charge: Nirtika Niranjan.
Kaua e rangiruatia te hāpai o te hoe; e kore tō tātou waka e ū ki uta. Do not lift the paddle out of unison; our canoe will never reach the shore.
The Technology Learning Area whakataukī offers a framework for understanding technology practice. It tells the story of ākonga, within Technology, embarking on a shared journey, collaborating with others in harmony to achieve a goal.
Design and Visual Communication is about the interrelated strands of design thinking, visual communication, and design influences.
Design thinking encompasses the ideation, exploration, progression, and communication of design ideas into potential outcomes that serve a specific purpose, provide innovative possibilities, and can be informed by design influences and a designer’s perspective.
Within Design and Visual Communication, design consists of product design and spatial design.
Product design focuses on the development of tangible items that have a specific function within people’s everyday lives. It is about understanding the needs of the people and how they will interact with the product. Products use visualisation methods of 2D or 3D forms to show design ideas. Product design may use anthropometric and ergonomic data to inform the designs to meet the needs of the user.
Spatial design is about the designing of three-dimensional spaces in terms of how they are experienced, occupied, or used by people. These spaces can range from those defined by walls and physical elements to those more permeable and determined by ritual, activity, or occupancy. Spatial design incorporates concepts from architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and urban design.
Visual communication addresses how design ideas and outcomes are appropriately presented to the viewer. Design ideas and outcomes are expressed in a manner that displays the learner’s thoughts, allowing for engagement, feedback, and collaboration.
In Design and Visual Communication, design influences are drawn from design heritages and refer to:
- history
culture
awareness of design
design tikanga
design fields (such as architecture, interior, product, landscape, fashion, and media design)
design eras
design movements
designers
design artefacts
the elements of design.
Designers acknowledge how their design ideas can meet the needs of people in various situations. Designers are responsive to the ethical, environmental, and cultural impacts they may have.
By developing the skills and techniques of Design and Visual Communication, ākonga will discover how to give form and expression to their ideas. In order to create purposeful and future-focused design ideas, ākonga must be willing to experiment, develop, respond to feedback, and reflect on their design thinking.
Developing these skills will allow them to improve and refine the product and spatial design ideas they propose. It will help them to build confidence in their strengths, talents, and abilities, as well as resilience, resourcefulness, and a sense of ethical responsibility to the peoples and places they are designing for.
Recommended Prior Learning
Successful completion of the Year 9 and/or Year 10 Design and Visual Communication course would be an advantage.
Course Costs
Description | Type | Value |
---|---|---|
Course Contribution | Contribution | $45.00 |
$45.00 |
Pathway
Credit Information
You will be assessed in this course through all or a selection of the standards listed below.
This course is eligible for subject endorsement.
External
NZQA Info
Design and Visual Communication 1.1 - Generate product or spatial design ideas using visual communication techniques in response to design influences
NZQA Info
Design and Visual Communication 1.2 - Use representation techniques to visually communicate own product or spatial design outcome
NZQA Info
Design and Visual Communication 1.3 - Develop product or spatial design ideas informed by the consideration of people
NZQA Info
Design and Visual Communication 1.4 - Use instrumental drawing techniques to communicate own product or spatial design outcome
Pathway Tags
This course will prepare you for taking Design and Visual Communication in Years 12 to 13 with pathways that include Spatial (architecture) Design, Product Design and a range of other design related opportunities., Animator/Digital Artist, Software Developer, Patternmaker, Architect, Architectural Technician, Art Director (Film, Television or Stage), Artist, Sound Technician, Tailor/Dressmaker, Boat Builder, Naval Architect, Urban/Regional Planner, Cutter, Fashion Designer, Sewing Machinist, Graphic Designer, Interior Designer, Industrial Designer, Jeweller, Make-up Artist, Graphic Pre-press Worker, Visual Merchandiser, Exhibition and Collections Technician, Florist, Game Developer, Landscape Architect, Landscaper, Photographer, Printer, Signmaker, User Experience Designer, Garment Technician, Technical Writer,
Disclaimer
Course availability is dependent on numbers and staffing, and course entry cannot be confirmed until the beginning of the 2025 school year.