Year
2023Credit points
10Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unitUnit rationale, description and aim
Multimedia designers have the creative job of combining various types of media including text, imagery and sound, to create new visual connections and meanings. This unit focuses on animation and motion graphics as a tool for storytelling in a screen based environment.
In this unit, students will plan, develop and produce a semester long multimedia project to a self-directed or client-determined design brief where students collectively and individually develop and produce a broadcast quality graphics package or equivalent suitable for public screens in physical, online and broadcast spaces.
Assessment tasks will guide students through the design process steps to conduct appropriate research, planning and experimentation to produce a design proposal, to further develop their proposal's concepts and resolve design issues using feedback and reflection to create a prototype. Students will organise and implement the design choices into a functioning animation or broadcast package and communicate their design strategies in verbal and written forms.
The aim of this unit is to gain an understanding of the multimedia production process and to develop skills in motion graphics and animation using new and emerging design industry software to produce a functioning multimedia design outcome.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:
LO1 - Explain the design process steps in the planning and production of a multimedia design outcome (GA2, GA5)
LO2 - Evaluate and justify design approach, purpose, context and message in written, verbal and visual forms (GA4, GA5, GA9)
LO3 - Create a designed multimedia outcome that meets the standards of good design through the application of appropriate design principles and elements and is fit for purpose (GA5, GA7, GA10)
Graduate attributes
GA2 - Recognise their responsibility to the common good, the environment and society
GA4 - Think critically and reflectively
GA5 - Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
GA7 - Work both autonomously and collaboratively
GA9 - Demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media
GA10 - Utilise information and communication and other relevant technologies effectively
Content
Topics may include
- Development and use of graphic design in multimedia
- Development of animation skills using industry design software
- Interpretation and presentation of design briefs for multimedia outcomes
- Content development, design research, critique and evaluation
- Create complete multimedia projects
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit uses an experiential learning approach. Students will learn about designing for the web though the learning activities, group critiques and assessments. This will provide them with the foundation to apply web design principles to the creation of their own website.
Students undertake this unit in workshop classes that consist of a) an explication of the requirements and practices associated with graphic design projects, b) discussion and reflection on the standards of projects in the Australian creative industries and c) work designed to further the needs of students’ own projects.
The learning and teaching strategy and rationale for this unit is to create experiences through the assessment items that enable engagement with the graduate attributes addressing written and oral analysis and visual communication and presentation. Participation in class critique and discussion allows students to test and express values, knowledge and skills to think critically and reflectively and develop design thinking strategies.
Assessment strategy and rationale
This unit allows students to develop their expertise in the graphic design discipline. It provides opportunities to demonstrate skills and knowledge of the practices, materials, technologies and techniques in design practice. Students will be expected to work independently and will have the opportunity to show creativity throughout the process of developing a project brief.
The assessment strategy used allows students to progressively develop their knowledge and skills to the level of sophistication where they are able to produce their own designs for print and digital media. In order to develop this level of design capability, students first understand the design process through design briefs that further develop their understanding of graphic design concepts, techniques and software. The assessments are designed to address the learning outcomes relevant to graphic design in addition to instructional exercises in class to acquire technical design skills. This approach is designed to appeal to students with a preference for learning within a physical social environment and allows for essential skill development with expert support.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
Animation development: To allow students to explain concepts and design approaches in the proposal and planning for a multimedia outcome | 20% | LO1, LO2 | GA2, GA4, GA5, GA9 |
Multimedia Prototype and presentation: To allow students to test design solutions, get feedback and refine so as to be fit for purpose | 30% | LO1, LO2, LO3 | GA2, GA4, GA5, GA7, GA9, GA10 |
Major multimedia design outcome and critical reflection: to allow students to demonstrate design skills by creating a multimedia design outcome | 50% | LO2, LO3 | GA4, GA5, GA7, GA9, GA10 |
Representative texts and references
Barbic, J., & Deng, Z. (2015). Proceedings of the 14th ACM SIGGRAPH/Eurographics Symposium on Computer Animation. ACM.
Chapman, N. P., & Chapman, Jenny. (2009). Digital multimedia (3rd ed.). Wiley.
Cook, M. (2018). Early British Animation From Page and Stage to Cinema Screens (1st ed. 2018.). Springer International Publishing : Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan.
Furniss, M. (2007). Animation Art and Industry. John Libbey ; Distributed in North America by Indiana University Press.
Lyons, H., Westgate, A., & Crisp, D. (2017). Games and animation. Wayland, an imprint of Hachette Children's Group.
Macdonald, I. (2016). Hybrid Practices in Moving Image Design Methods of Heritage and Digital Production in Motion Graphics (1st ed. 2016.). Springer International Publishing : Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan.
Parent, R. (2012). Computer animation algorithms and techniques (3rd ed.). Morgan Kaufmann.
Selby, A., & Credo Reference, distributor. (2015). Animation ([Enhanced Credo edition]). Credo Reference.
Smith, V., & Hamlyn, N. (2018). Experimental and Expanded Animation New Perspectives and Practices (1st ed. 2018.). Springer International Publishing : Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan.
Torre, D., & Torre, Lienors. (2018). Australian Animation An International History (1st ed. 2018.). Springer International Publishing : Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan.
Vaughan, T. (2014). Multimedia : making it work (Ninth edition.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Zegala, A., (2008) Redback Graphix 1st ed. Canberra, A.C.T.: National Gallery of Australia.
Further references