DG1S005 - Social Design 01 Sep 2023 - 31 Aug 2028 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: DG1S005
Module Title: Social Design
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Games and Design
Faculty Sub Group: Design
Module Leader: Sarah Down
Module Team: Emma Marshman, Rachel Grainger, Stephen Leadbetter, Ryan Preece
First Intended Intake: SEP 2023 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 4
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100632 - visual communication
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Sep 2023
Valid To 31 Aug 2028

Module Aims

Provide an opportunity to apply skills and understanding developed in the course so far.

Build confidence in engaging and communicating with members of the public, assessors, and peers.

Solve a meaningful problem faced by other people by using graphic communication.

Content Summary

Graphic designers are frequently required to identify and solve human-centred problems, responding to design challenges with meaningful design solutions that are often the result of an understanding of human needs. Graphic design can be perceived as a tremendous force for social justice through the production of ethical-facing solutions. Recognising that design can change the life of one person for the better, or contribute to saving the planet, has become a powerful attribute to the subject discipline.

In this module, you will learn what it means to be a socially responsible 21st century graphic designer, capable of bringing about change with an effective solution that is both creative and ethical.

This module will allow you to tackle a problem as you mix all that you have covered so far to work with stakeholders in your local community – it could be schoolchildren, foster carers, the elderly, teachers, or paramedics – to co-design a solution to a challenge they identify. This module will be an opportunity to bring together everything you have learned this year to produce a meaningful project with a positive impact on others.

You will work with a stakeholder during this module and aim to help them tackle a problem that they are facing. You may not be required to solve the ‘big’ issue but address a relative key challenge. The outcome may be a proposal for a website, or it might be an information-based campaign. You may create an event, or a service, or help a group set up a publication. The key is that the solution you develop will be driven by your stakeholders’ audience needs, established and understood through your use of the tools and techniques developed in earlier modules.

You will be guided through your learner journey on this module through lectures, workshops, group activities, individual tutorials to help nurture your creative outcome.

This module will encourage your understanding of expected designer responsibilities and further your knowledge of twenty first century citizenship.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lecture 4
Seminar 16
Tutorial 2
Project supervision 10
Independent Study 100
Directed Study 64
Formative Assessment - Scheduled 2
Formative Assessment - Independent 2
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Identify a social problem to solve.
LO2 Select a design solution to the problem identified based on research.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Project Output 1 A designed outcome showing clear links to research and the use of design thinking techniques and stakeholder engagement 0 N/A 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Project Output 1

Reading List

Bozzola, M., D. Dal Palù, and C. De Giorgi. (2017) “Design for Leftovers. From Food Waste to Social Responsibility.” The Design Journal, 20 (1), pp.1692–1704.

Chick, A., and P. (2011) Micklethwaite. Design for Sustainable Change: How Design and Designers Can Drive the Sustainability Agenda. Lausanne, Switzerland: Ava Publishing.

Clarke, A. J. (ed.) (2018) Design Anthropology: Object Cultures in Transition. New York: Bloomsbury Academic.

Fass, J. et al. (2021) Design & Digital Interfaces: Designing with Aesthetic and Ethical Awareness. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts.

Fisher, T., and L. Gamman (eds.) (2019) Tricky Design: The Ethics of Things. First edition. London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Manzini, E. (2015) Design, When Everybody Designs: An Introduction to Design for Social Innovation. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press.

Tromp, N., and P. Hekkert, P. (2019). Designing for Society: Products and Services for a Better World. 1st ed. London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.