Everything that you see has been designed by someone. The choices that graphic designers make effects all our lives daily. Raising the awareness of these design choices with young people gives them an opportunity to understand the world around them more deeply.  By allowing students to deconstruct the design around them, they become acutely aware of how the media effects their lives, more appreciative of the design processes that go into graphic pieces and more informed about how elements such as colours, fonts and images all play a role in targeting certain groups in society.   

Graphic design and media is the perfect blend of analytical skills, artistic appreciation and creative exploration.  As a subject, it nestles between ICT and Art and there are strong cross curricular links between these subjects.  Graphic design and media is, in itself, an art form. The skills and confidence that students have developed through their art lessons are transferable skills that students will utilise within their Graphic design and media lessons, as are the ICT skills that are taught in KS3.  Graphic design and media relies heavily on software that enables students to create unique artistic pieces and so programs such as Photoshop and Illustrator are used frequently.  The curriculum aims to build on the foundations of KS3 ICT by revisiting these programs throughout project work and embedding a mastery of the tools and applications such programs provide.  

The Graphic design and media curriculum will: 

Develop the character of all students  

Graphic design and media students will learn to: 

• Question what they see around them; why use those colours, what does that logo represent? Overall awareness raised.   

• Understand design choices, see beyond the obvious and develop an appreciation for graphic design and skills used.   

• Explore designers such as Aaron Draplin, Paula Scher & others; the faces behind the global brands students know and love. 

• Form opinions on graphic design, developing their own taste and appreciation for artwork and good design.   

• create pieces that have a character of their own, allowing students to grow as unique artists.   

Ensure all students are literate and numerate 

• Students develop the skill of inference; read a logo, poster or piece of art as one might a text.  

• Key vocabulary is embedded into all lessons and is addressed frequently, allowing students to develop a fluency when discussing the graphic design pieces of others and their own.  

• Numeracy skills are also embedded into lessons, although more discreetly, as students will not only look at scale and measurements but also transformation techniques that may need to be applied in order for graphic designs to play out better within the given space.  

• Students build reading stamina by using web- based reading material to complete independent research into designers & styles. 

Build knowledge and aspirations of all students 

• Learners provided with the opportunity to develop sector-specific knowledge and skills in a practical subject.   

• Qualification is based around the principal that students will approach tasks as professional design briefs.  This gives them a first hand experience of what the world of work is like for graphic designers.  Students who have aspirations to work in the creative media sector are then able to draw on this vocational experience in later studies.   

• The vocational curriculum is planned as a sequential series of projects that build key skills, embed new knowledge and give students the opportunity to independently produce graphic design pieces for their portfolio.   

Ensure all students have the secure foundations to progress into further education and employment 

• Btec Tech vocational course- all learner units of study are work and ‘real world’ related in their  

• The course showcases and studies professional graphic designers and the design companies they work for, giving students an insight into what role graphic designers play within the real world and their employability.  

• Graphic design skills post 16 at a variety of local level 3 providers are explored.  Courses range from A- level Media and Graphic Design, Level 2 / 3 Game Design, A- level photography, Btec Level 3 Graphic Design, Btec Digital creation at the UTC and other graphics and media related courses.  

Develop cultural capital of all students  Graphic design students will: 

• Study the works of the some of the UKs most influential graphic designers, such as Drew Millward   

• Explore through project work the UK based powerhouses of global design such as Bulletproof Designs and Wolff- Olins.   

• Review how graphic design shapes the UK; London 2012 Olympics and the heritage behind Cadbury’s design.   

• Explore art works ranging from film posters to album covers, often from areas beyond their cultural comfort zone.  

• Be exposed to the world of graphic design as often as time will allow in the hope that a life-long love of art is planted and that the notion that ‘art is for everyone’ grows within them.  

Mrs S Bamford
Curriculum Leader