Graphic Design
The aims of the course at AS-level are:
• To make you technically proficient in Graphic Design.
• To allow you to appreciate the medium of graphic design as a form of artistic expression.
• To encourage you to use the medium as a form of communication and social documentation.
• To teach you to make aesthetic judgements.
Exam Board: Edexcel
Continuous portfolio development
The AS-level
At lower-sixth level, the programme incorporates Photography, Hand Skills and Computer Design. You take one unit of coursework and one externally set exam. These form the AS-level which can stand as a qualification on its own or form the first half of the full A-level. The initial projects are designed to introduce you to the idea of working towards a thematic approach in your work.
Unit 1: Coursework
The coursework forms the basis on which you develop your knowledge, skill and understanding in creating a visual language within the context of selected ideas. You will learn to carry out appropriate research and use this to develop your work.
Unit 2: Externally Set Exam
The set exam is an eight-hour assignment for which preparatory studies are made throughout a six-week period before the exam.
Your work journal, preparatory studies and unaided work during the examination should show evidence of all the assessment objectives and an understanding of how they are related.
The A2-level
The A2 consists of a further two units of assessment. Taken together with the two AS units it leads to the full A-level qualification.
Unit 3: Coursework
The first unit of the A2 programme incorporates two linked elements: Exploratory Studies and Personal Study. In this unit you build on your knowledge and experience developed during the course. The Exploratory Study provides the opportunity for you to study a range of other forms of art, craft and design. The Personal Study requires you to produce an illustrated dissertation on a selected aspect of art, craft and design.
Unit 4: Externally Set Exam
This unit includes a 12-hour unaided piece of work developed from your own individual studies, providing the opportunity to show the full extent of your knowledge of the subject.
The Externally Set Assignment (A2) provides you with the opportunity to show the extent to which you can use the language of the subject, the formal elements, the processes and the practices, to communicate your ideas, thoughts and feelings. By this stage in the course, you will have evolved a personal style in your work, and you will be able to integrate effectively and sensitively the formal elements, processes and practices to support your chosen focus of study.
Background needed
The high practical component of the course is designed to help you develop attitudes, conceptual processes, creative methods and technical skills that are the basis to all forms of the Design medium.
The one-year course
The A-level can be taken as a one-year course. The syllabus is very demanding and requires enthusiasm and hard work.
Suitable combinations
Many students choose Graphic Design to complement their interest in subjects such as Art, Media Studies, Film Studies and Photography, or to provide a contrast to an A-level programme of theory-based subjects.
After A-level
Graphic Design is obviously helpful if you are thinking of a career in any of the Media areas: advertising, newspapers, film and television. It is also useful in contributing to a successful application to art colleges, or related courses at university.
