Graphics is a digital media Art & Design course with a practical focus on digital illustration, moving image, animation and traditional graphic design skills. The course builds on different practical creative units underpinned with independent research and analysis to develop your design practice and creative critical awareness; this will allow you to embark upon the personal investigation exploring an area of personal interest. You will respond practically to a variety of design briefs using both traditional media and industry standard software package Adobe Creative Suite; mainly Photoshop for text and image manipulation, Illustrator for vector graphics and After Effects for moving image.

The course covers different set modules carefully structured around brand design, advertising and visual storytelling, to build an awareness of how graphic design and illustration are used to convey and sell a message, theme or idea, with a purpose. For the critically minded there is a Graphic Conscience module that encourages a more active engagement in different socio-politico-economic topics of your own choice.

Course Content and Methodology

The A-Level Graphics course explores the design process of question-answer by training students to respond to practical briefs and visual story telling through still and moving imagery.

Assessment

Exam Board OCR Assessment A-Level Components H602/01

Component 1:

Personal investigation 60% of total A-Level

Candidates should produce two elements:

1. A portfolio of practical work showing your personal responses, brief scenario or stimulus devised and provided by the candidate or centre (96 out of 120 marks)

2. A related study is a written component with a guided minimum of 1,000 words supported with practical evidence. (24 out of 120 marks)

This component is internally assessed and externally moderated.

Component 2: Externally set task

40% of total A-Level

The early release paper is issued on 1 February and will provide you with a number of themes, each with a range of written and visual starting points, briefs and stimuli. From these, you must select one, upon which to base a response.

Externally set task (80 marks) 15 hours

This component is internally assessed and externally moderated

Course Requirements

Good ICT skills are advantageous but not essential. An inquisitive mind and enthusiasm for the subject are recommended, in conjunction with good organisational skills and a desire to succeed.

The nature of Art and Design requires students with a genuine interest in the subject and a high degree of self-motivation. A large amount of the work for assessment is completed outside the timetable structure.

If you have an aptitude for the subject and if you are creative you have the basic skills to succeed, but hard work and determination is the key to success.

Students who have not done the subject at GCSE, can still access the course. Students should have an aptitude and flair for the subject, as well as demonstrate the basic skills to succeed. However, hard work, commitment and determination are the key to success in this dynamic and exciting subject.

Facilities