What do you study in graphic design abroad? Besides poster design and brochures, what else can we do? What should a good graphic design be? What kind of collection of graphic design works can be offered by famous schools? Many students have doubts about these problems. Today, Natural Light, a graduate of the Camberwell School of Art, London University of Arts, invites the trainer of the graphic design works collection to introduce how Camberwell MA Graphic Design Communication interprets the graphic design profession.

　　 Introduction to Studying Abroad in Graphic Design Major of Camberwell Art College:

First of all, it was mentioned in the professional introduction section to encourage diversified thinking and practice. In particular, imaginative design solutions shaped by materials, media, technology and public systems.

Screenshot from Camberwell official website Graphic Design Communication

What is more important about graphic design is not how to define it, but the process of looking for this "definition". We can also see the explanation about this in the official description of Camberwell. This major aims to combine current social and cultural issues with emerging design practices. In other words, graphic design is more important than what kind of specific work to make. It exists in a "way".

Screenshot from Camberwell official website Graphic Design Communication

　　 Training case of graphic design portfolio:

Let's take a look at a specific student's work collection. In the following Dazhou student's work collection, this project takes sound as the object of exploration. The range of human hearing is 20Hz - 2000Hz. Although it seems that the range is very large, we still do not know the world below 20Hz and above 20000Hz. This work shows the sound we can't hear through imagination.

The inspiration for the project comes from an exhibition held by Shanghai Minsheng Art Museum. In this exhibition, the artist used real and visible things, such as broken pipes, eggs, smart phones and microphones, as elements of sound, or as symbols of sound, to visualize sound.

Inspired by this form of expression, Dazhou tried to use different colors, brightness, tone and graphics to express his imagined voice. The superposition of lines and the distortion processing of graphics make it easier for the picture to show the sense of vibration. The whole group of works is finally represented in the form of visual posters and CD packaging.

When most students study graphic design in domestic colleges and universities, the design theme they face is often more concrete or real, such as a specific brand, or a competition, exhibition, etc. Moreover, general propositions are derived from teachers, and students rarely have the opportunity to take certain emotions or objects that are difficult to visualize as the theme. For example, in Dazhou's works, no one can hear the voice below 20Hz and above 20000Hz. What will be the feeling under these two sound ranges? We can only feel it with some props or visual comparison.

If you want to express this feeling, you need to give full play to your imagination to find the best way to express. In this case, Dazhou expressed his imagined voice with visual but emotional colors and graphics.

　　 Graphic Design Tutor of Camberwell Art College: What is a good graphic design like?

We know that the essence of graphic design is actually the transmission of information, but in addition to the information we want to convey, more importantly, I hope that every student can express their feelings and energy through their works. For example, in my teaching process, I hope that I can be in an equal relationship with students, not teachers and students, but as two designers to see the production of a work.

We are two independent artists who, as partners of each other, work together to promote the completion of a work. I will not force students to use any form of expression. I think that when you have a topic you are interested in, you can use any form to express it. At this time, it is the graphic design you understand. At the same time, I hope my students can start thinking about what graphic design or art can bring to human beings and society.

　　 What kind of graphic design portfolio can I get an offer? What skills does a good graphic design portfolio need?

The trainer of the Natural Light Graphic Design Works Collection said that the essence of graphic design is "communication", that is, "communication", but the content of communication is definitely not limited to "graphic visual works", it needs to convey the connotation and ideas behind the works.

Even untrained students will have many ideas of their own. For example, when conducting critical or presentation with students, almost every professional tutor will ask students this question: What kind of thoughts or emotions do you want to express through your works? The presentation of graphic design works is not simply to meet the visual enjoyment, but more importantly, to "convey" it.

In natural light, compared with crammed knowledge teaching, we hope that we can take the students themselves as the starting point to make them feel that in the process of artistic creation, they never understand what they have in mind, and from no clue to clear order. Only in this way can students truly "master" the major and "apply" the major, rather than understand and learn the major.

Rather than setting a theme for students, Natural Light firmly believes that the content that students want to express is often more able to let them grasp the connotation of the major. First of all, they have their own ideas and know what kind of problems or phenomena they want to focus on, so they can actively participate in Graphic Design Collection Creation In process. Compared with letting students acquire professional skills, natural light pays more attention to how to help students and unlock their personal creativity. For example, in the following work, Zhang discussed a very rare disease "dyslexia". The first time he knew about the world dyslexia was from a film called "The Planet Earth".

The film aroused Zhang's interest in this group, so Teacher Mona took it as a guide to lead Zhang students to start from the reading disabled group and get to know this group first. During the investigation, Zhang found that although few people know about this disease, in fact, there are not many children with dyslexia. Many people may think that this kind of disease only occurs in children with low intelligence. In fact, it is not. Many children with normal intelligence, or even very high intelligence, have dyslexia. The most prominent feature of dyslexia is that these patients cannot see the complete font during reading.

It is this most obvious disease that has also become the starting point of Zhang's design. Through constant and repeated brainstorming, teacher Mona helped ZHNAG to spread his thinking. Finally, she designed a group of fonts that did not affect reading, but were short of glyphs. She hoped that with this work, more people would understand the disease of dyslexia.

For different students, natural light always adheres to the teaching method of "many to one". As the tutor said, it is better to let students become the people who define graphic design than to understand the definition of graphic design with words. Just like the same theme, different students will have different understandings; Even if it is the same form of expression, different students will use it under different themes.

For Zhang, the best way to attract people's attention to the dyslexic group is to use font design. But for the following student, who is also a font designer, he is connected with architecture.

In this student's opinion, the relationship between design majors is not absolutely clear. When space meets graphic design, as long as their cross characteristics are reasonably combined, it can be displayed in a very interesting form. Compared with the previous research of ZHang, this project is more inclined to bold experimental creation.

Natural light insists on thinking, and also encourages our students to think constantly, because we know that thinking can bring creativity; We also advocate customized teaching for each student, focusing on the students themselves. Through inspiration, let them know their preferences, clarify their ideas, and conduct in-depth exploration.

　　 Instructor of the current collection of graphic design works:

Mona Mou

London University of the Arts Camberwell College of Arts

Good at: graphic design, visual communication, book art, pure art

Mr. Mou graduated from the London University of the Arts with a major in book art, majoring in artist book design, graphic design and installation art. His works have participated in the London Book Fair, Plymouth Book Fair, Shanghai Art Book Fair, Hong Kong Art Book Fair and other domestic and foreign art book exhibitions for many times, and have been widely praised. After graduation, Mr. Mou taught in the university, responsible for teaching graphic design and art history, and has rich teaching experience. Mr. Mou hopes to use his rich learning and teaching experience to help students with natural light apply to ideal art schools.

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Application requirements for art overseas works collection of Camberwell Academy of Arts

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