Print Production and Design

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject introduces students to the aesthetics and practice of design and print production. It outlines the underlying principles of publishing design and page layout; the placement and flow of text within a visual field, the characteristics of readable type, and the interrelationship of images and text. Through reference to the history of printing, this subject will extend students' understanding of the impact of changing technologies on typography, graphic design and production processes, enabling them to develop a critical awareness of current trends in the field. Students will gain practical experience and skills in creating documents in a desktop publishing environment using industry-standard software. On successfully completing this subject, students will have improved their visual literacy, established a broad working knowledge of desktop publishing and print processes, gained an ability to appraise the visual and technical qualities of printed works, and understanding of the respective roles editors and designers play in print production.

• introduce students to the aesthetics and practice of print production and design;
• introduce the principles and value of good typography;
• extend understanding of the relationship between editing, publishing and design;
• develop analytical and critical understanding of contemporary design practice; and
• reach an intermediate skill level in the use of publishing layout software.

A bibliography of suggested further reading, and links to relevant articles and commentary will be made available on the subject LMS.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• the completion of exercises and assignments, and exposure to the protocols of publishing practice;
• acquire an understanding of the principles of document design through class discussion and the completion of exercises and assignments;
• acquire skills in research, including the use of online as well as print-based materials in the course of exercises and assignments;
• develop skills in time management and planning through managing workloads for recommended reading, tutorial presentations and assessment requirements; and
• develop a capacity for close critical analysis through engagement with a range of texts and critique of their structures and strategies.