The studio focus is visual language. Visual and material metaphor will be explored as devices for visual communication in various media and applied to convey literary themes on book covers in at least one of the key assessments. The wider field of inquiry is the intersection of graphic design and narrative in communication design practice. The studio suits those interested in the art of graphic design, graphic design history, illustration, photography and typography.

Visual and material literacies will be investigated in short, in-class lectures and during field work, including visits to bookshops, libraries and the State Library Victoria Rare Books Collection. You will research historical examples of book cover design practice to decipher and interpret techniques to gain an understanding of the significance of materiality in postdigital graphic design. Research will also be made of your practice as it develops in this field and your findings will inform the design of the final, SKO project.

As the studio progresses you will learn to apply the communication techniques mentioned above to translate abstract, literary and other non-visual concepts to an audience. You will also be introduced to series design and programmatic strategies to extend a single idea into a suite of related designs, for example a series of book cover designs.

You will experiment with communicative techniques in groups and independently to design: a series of visual/material metaphors that communicate non-visual concepts a series of book covers visual expressions of literary themes outside of the book, for example, in the urban or natural landscape

The assignments are 1) a series of visual metaphors based on a theme (eg. music) 2) a series of book cover designs 3) SKO: Open visual media, group or independent submissions. For example, expressions of literary themes in the landscape. The design of the SKO will interpret what you have learnt about communicating to audiences using visual languages.

'Visuality; thinking in terms of images' from 'Some virtues of design' Gui Bonsiepe, 1997

Giramondo Publishers

Design and the Post-Digital, Designing through Image, Designing Publications