2016 VCE exam guide — Visual Communication Design: The final hurdle
The exam is the final hurdle in your VCD journey.
Take a moment to reflect on your achievements so far and see the connections between each of the areas of study.
You will be demonstrating your understanding of the design process and design thinking, how designers communicate ideas and information and make their decisions.
These tips will help to ensure that you do your best:
Review and reflect
Look at the Study Design, VCAA examination reports, the feedback you have received from your SACs, results from practice exams you have completed.
Identify your strengths and weaknesses to put together an individual study plan tailored to improving the areas that require the most work.
Success with rendering and drawing
You will need Pens, lead and coloured pencils, water-based pens and markers, highlighters, erasers, sharpeners, rulers, set squares, protractors, compasses and circle and ellipse templates. This will enable you to complete accurate, precise drawings and render more effectively.
Take note of the light source and aim for a consistent tone when rendering which clearly defines each plane of the form.
Avoid “smudging”, it is hard to create strong contrasts.
Consider cast shadows, where they fall and the appropriate tonal value. Note that you cannot bring in texture boards, so practice rendering textures as part of your preparation.
Read the questions carefully
The VCAA examination report for 2015 highlighted that this was a common error made by students.
Each year questions are written with different emphasis, requirements and mark allocations. Re-read and highlight key words before you begin each question.
Ensure that you know the difference between terms such as identify, discuss, analyse, evaluate.
Use key terminology accurately
Ensure you are familiar with terminology such as observation, visualisation and presentation drawing, the stages of the design process, design thinking, and in particular the legal obligations of designers: copyright, trademarks and intellectual property.
Memorise the design elements and design principles and practice discussing and analysing their use in existing visual communications, as well as applying them in your own design work.
Focus particularly on design principles and understanding the difference between terms such as figure-ground, balance, contrast, cropping, hierarchy, scale, proportion and pattern (repetition and alternation).
It is essential to know the difference between materials, methods and media.
Remember that materials are the surface upon which you apply methods such as drawing or computer-based, using media such as pencils or digital applications (including vector-based and raster-based programs).
The table provided on page 39 of the ‘Advice for Teachers’ section of the Study Design provides definitions and a comprehensive list of examples.
Other useful definitions are available on pages 11-13 and 40-45. These include typographic conventions/terms and creative, critical and reflective thinking. Use this information to form a glossary or cue cards.
Study the VCAA Technical drawing specifications
Have a solid understanding of the different conventions associated with two-dimensional drawing (third-angle orthogonal drawings, floor plans and elevations, packaging nets) and three-dimensional drawing (paraline — isometric and planometric, perspective drawings).
Review the conventions associated with each drawing method, as outlined in the 2013-17 VCAA Technical Drawing Specifications Resource.
Look carefully at line styles and conventions, such as the differences between hidden lines and centre lines.
Revise dimensioning an orthogonal drawing and architectural drawing, drawing to scale, conventional letterform, labelling and the third angle projection symbol.
An understanding of how circles are constructed and orientated for paraline drawing and perspective drawings is also important.
Check the wording of the question as to whether you need to include dimensions.
Extend your knowledge of designers, specialists and design fields
Be familiar with all three of the design fields (communication, industrial and environmental design).
Increase your knowledge of designers and specialists and ensure that you understand the varying ways in which they use the design process and make decisions based on consideration of social, ethical, financial and environmental factors.
Do you have a clear understanding of the legal obligations of designers and the way in which intellectual property rules can protect their designs? How do they present and pitch their ideas to clients?
Practice writing and drawing to a time limit
The exam is worth 90 marks and you have 90 minutes to complete it.
Therefore look at the amount of marks the question is worth to gauge how long to spend on it. In the past, some students have spent too much time on a particular question (often the rendering) and then ran out of time for the rest of the paper.
When practising exam questions, always set a time limit so that you can render, draw and write within a given time frame.
Revise every day
Incorporate some revision into every day: complete a timed exam question, do a quick spot analysis of food packaging you buy, the shop windows you pass, the design of the transport you use. Focus on a particular key term (e.g. a different design principle) each day and find examples.
Christine Lloyd teaches at MLC, Kew
EXAM DETAILS
VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN
When: November 8, 2pm-3.45pm
Reading: 15 minutes
Writing: 90 minutes
Worth: 35 per cent of study score
