Diploma of Graphic Design CUA50720

If you love design and technology and have a bit of experience with graphic design (self-taught or through work experience), then the Diploma of Graphic Design may be the course for you. 

The Diploma is a great way to get the skills you need to launch a brand-new career, or if you have been working in the industry, it is the perfect way to formalise your skills and get the qualification you need to take the next step in your career. 

During your studies, you will learn: 

• Design fundamentals, such as, typography, colour, visual communication and manipulation of graphics and layouts 
• How to master drawing and illustration, as well as print and packaging 
• How to understand and interpret branding and identity 
• How to understand and work with a client design brief 
• How to work in digital design 
• Creation of multiplatform assessments 
• Key skills around developing your own professional design practice, setting you up to work effectively as a freelancer, or in an agency environment 

The duration for the course is maximum 24 months. As a self-paced online course, the time it will take you to complete is flexible and dependent on ability and time available.

Entry Requirements

Mandatory Local Entry Requirements 

To enter this qualification, students need to be able to demonstrate and/or provide evidence of their graphic design skills and ability. Skills and knowledge may have been acquired through personal or work experience or formal study. 

Students need to be able to: 

• Produce multiple examples of graphic design work that respond effectively to different design challenges 
• Produce typography that supports the overall design solution 
• Use graphic design software 

To ensure a student meets these requirements, you will be required to: 

• Complete the two graphic design tasks using Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and/or Photoshop, OR 
• Provide examples of your own existing work that meet similar criteria as below, OR 
• Enrol in E1414 Graphic Design Pathway program, which includes D0121 Graphic Design Essentials. Successful completion of the Graphic Design Essentials course will provide students with the knowledge and skills to meet the module entry requirements. NOTE: You will not get access to the Diploma of Graphic Design until you have completed Graphic Design Essentials. There is an extra cost associated with the Graphic Design Essentials, which will be discussed as part of enrolment.

Task 1: Produce an A3 (297mm x 420mm) typographic poster that gives reasons why you want to be a graphic designer. The poster must: 

• Use only 3 colours 
• Use only one serif font and 1 sans-serif font 
• As part of the design process, undertake some research into current design trends and incorporate this into your design 

IMPORTANT NOTE: While working on your poster and postcard, you must take 2 screenshots while each piece of work is in development. This allows us to see the software and tools that you are using.

Task 2: Produce a 105mm x 148mm postcard to match your typographic poster. The postcard must: 

• Share the same style and theme and typography, however, it can only be black and white 
• Only have 1 reason why you want to be a graphic designer on it.  Select the reason that is most important to you 

IMPORTANT NOTE: While working on your poster and postcard, you must take 2 screenshots while each piece of work is in development. This allows us to see the software and tools that you are using.  

Recommended Local Entry Requirements 

• Are 18 years old (students under 18 will need permission from a parent or guardian to enrol) 
• Have language, literacy and numeracy skills that ensure the ability to read and comprehend technical terms design terms, learn complex design task in an online self-paced environment, and communicate effectively through email. These skills are equivalent to those that would be required to successfully complete a qualification at Certificate IV level or higher 
• Access to a modern computer with high-speed internet 
• Access to Microsoft Office or equivalent 

To successfully complete this course, students will require the following basic computing skills on enrolment. This includes: 

• Basic skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign 
• Creating, saving, and editing Microsoft Office documents 
• Accessing and searching the internet 
• Downloading and saving documents from websites 
• Uploading documents through websites/Cloud computing 
• Understanding of participating in online discussions 
• Attach and use peripheral devices such as scanners, digital cameras, media storage (e.g., flash drive for design storage). 
• Saving a compressed file (.zip) 
• Saving a PDF File and multipage PDF’s 
• Connecting digital cameras and downloading and storing images 
• Connecting digital video devices and downloading and storing videos 
• Compressing image audio and video files 

It is also highly desirable that entrants have: 

• Familiarity with Internet searches 
• Experience with social media platforms 
• Basic experience with Adobe Creative Cloud software 

It is recommended that a student achieves the following ACSF levels to successfully complete this course and be able to learn effectively in a self-paced online environment:  

• Learning,– Level 4 
• Reading, writing, oral communication & numeracy – Level 3 

If the student is still concerned about whether they have the skills to complete the course, they will be referred to Admissions as part of the enrolment process to complete a formal LLN assessment through BKSB. If the student does not achieve the recommended ACSF levels, their application will be sent to the Education Manager to determine if Open Colleges has the required level of support services available to support the needs of the student. In some cases, the student may be referred to an external provider such as their local TAFE to complete additional foundation skills training before being enrolled into the course. 

Minimum age

You will need to be at least 18 years old.

Computing

All users:

• Microsoft Office 2013 or above
• Broadband Internet connection. Please note, ADSL2+ minimum, is recommended due to the volume of downloading and uploading large files required by the course
• 8GB of RAM minimum, 16GB recommended
• 1280 x 800 display (1280 x 1024 recommended) with 16 – bit colour and 512 MB of V RAM
• Adobe Acrobat
• Access to a printer and associated software
• Scanner and associated software
• File compression software
• Back-up: External Hard drive 1T or above

Mac OS users:

• Mac OSX El Capitan v 10.11.4

Windows users:

• Microsoft Windows 8.1 or higher (Windows 10 recommended)
• 1 .3GHZ minimum or faster processor (2GHz recommended

You will also require a digital camera or mobile phone with camera and related software for taking photos for design tasks and projects and documenting design processes.

Equipment and tools

This course requires you to have access to a specific tools, equipment, and resources.   

Software Requirement (This is Mandatory Material) 

This course requires the use of design industry software.  

You will need access to the Adobe Creative Suite, which can be purchased on subscription through the Adobe Creative Cloud (ACC).  

The ACC subscription is not included in the course fee. Student subscriptions are available at a reduced price.  

Refer to the Adobe website for current pricing.  

Access to others 

Students will need to work with one or two other people to participate in video or audio roleplays. It is the responsibility of the student to find their own suitable role-play participants.