Graphic Design

An individual work or series of works with a focus on graphic design (Visual Arts Stage 6 Syllabus).

In 2019, students submitting a Body of Work in this expressive form revealed innovative and diverse digital approaches to graphic illustration. There was an acknowledgement of the expansive and diverse genres of graphic design, ranging from traditional book illustrations to contemporary manga design and utilitarian functions. An understanding of the conventions of illustration, typography and graphic design was demonstrated through the use of restrained colour palettes and a refined illustrations. This included sophisticated application of digital software programs, such as tablet drawing, where thematic exploration was expanded. These themes included politics and propaganda, relationships, protest, nostalgia, fantasy worlds, social issues, mental health and critiques of social media. In using these concepts students were able to experiment with various technologies including the use of light boxes and light pads for aesthetic and functional intention and digital compositing of sourced, drawn and/or photographic imagery within a submission. These decisions extended to the displayed format of a work, through the use of multiple panel submissions or a single scroll when appropriate, and the synthesis of selected graphic genre, aesthetic conventions and paper stocks.