Designers in this area are employed to use their creativity and knowledge to determine the optimum effectiveness of the message, visually communicated to a selected group of people. The message may be designed to instruct, direct, inform, entertain or persuade, most often incorporating words and images produced freehand or with the assistance of photographic, video and digital technologies. The aim of the combined degree in Visual Communication and International Studies is to produce graduates who have developed perspectives and understandings that will enable them to meet the professional demands of an internationalised marketplace.
Students spend the fourth year of study at a university overseas.
The combined degree program in Visual Communication and International Studies provides students with additional practical skills, making them aware of the international contexts of visual communication by providing the opportunity to acquire knowledge and understanding of a language and culture other than English. Visual Communication studies focuses on an understanding of the way the design process is mediated by the contemporary sociopolitical framework within which it occurs. All students are required to gain practical experience in professional design practice to augment and complement their academic studies. In Sydney, students study Language and Culture for at least two years, followed by a period of study overseas. Chile, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Spain and Thailand.