DG2S006 - Digital Design in Practice 01 Sep 2023 - 31 Aug 2028 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: DG2S006
Module Title: Digital Design in Practice
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Games and Design
Faculty Sub Group: Design
Module Leader: Stephen Leadbetter
Module Team: Ryan Preece, Sarah Down, Emma Marshman, Rachel Grainger
First Intended Intake: SEP 2023 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 5
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100061 - graphic design
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

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

Module Aims

Develop an understanding and awareness of 21st century digital practice within the creative industries.

Prepare and develop your knowledge of digital design principles, methods, techniques, and commercial workflows to encourage and refine employable graduate attributes.

Encourage practice and experimentation within a range of current digital technologies and trends, applying them to relevant design challenges.

Content Summary

This module introduces you to the exciting world of digital product design, with a focus towards how design practice and team cultures are shaped and influenced by digital technologies to respond to creative challenges.

You will learn about the numerous roles, responsibilities and challenges faced by design practitioners that operate in digital teams.

This module will provide you with an understanding of what it means to be a commercially practicing designer in a digital age. Exploring principles and techniques will be encouraged to further your knowledge of collaborative digital tools in a professional setting and realise how and to communicate ideas to designers, clients, users, and stakeholders.

As well as being introduced to commercial digital design practices and established frameworks such as interaction design, user interface design and online collaboration, you will also explore visual systems for information, navigation, and identification along with the creation of design assets (digital photography, animation, 2D and 3D design) for digital formats.

This module develops key communication and digital literacy skills that are utilised throughout the rest of the course as you explore what it means to create a successful piece of strategic design communication for screens.

The module programme provides a series of taught workshops, methods, and tutorials that will help form the basis of your practice within your team-based project

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Lecture 6
Practical classes and workshops 18
Supervised time in studio/workshop 12
Independent Study 50
Directed Study 64
Groupwork 50
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Select and apply digital design principles and production techniques to commercial and creative challenges.
LO2 Recognise and develop digital skills for communication and collaboration with designers, users, clients, and stakeholders.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Portfolio 1 A digital sketchbook evidencing a range of digital-led solutions to commercial challenges. 0 N/A 50 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Creative Designs / Art 1 A digital sketchbook evidencing your design process and response to a design challenge 0 N/A 50 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Portfolio 1
Creative Designs / Art 1

Reading List

Banfield, R., Lombardo, C.T. and Wax, T. (2016) Design sprint: a practical guidebook for building great digital products. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media, Inc

Caplin, S. (2001) Icon Design. Watson-Guptill Publications.

Cooke, A. and Lewis, A. (2018) Graphic design for art, fashion, film, architecture, photography, product design and everything in between. Munich: Prestel.

Cooper, A. et al. (2014) About face: the essentials of interaction design. Fourth edition. Indianapolis, Indiana.

De Bono, E. (2000) Six thinking hats. Rev. and updated ed. London: Penguin.

Duckett, J. (2011) HTML & CSS: design and build websites. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley.

Fass, J. et al. (2021) Design & digital interfaces: designing with aesthetic and ethical awareness. London: Bloomsbury Visual Arts.

Ford, R. and Wiedemann, J. (2019) Web design: the evolution of the digital world, 1990-today. Koln: Taschen.

Iconism (2021). Hamburg: Gingko Press.

Lewrick, M., Link, P. and Leifer, L.J. (2018) The design thinking playbook: mindful digital transformation of teams, products, services, businesses and ecosystems. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.

Preece, J., Rogers, Y. and Sharp, H. (2015) Interaction design: beyond human-computer interaction. Fourth edition. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Wang, S. (2020) Typography for Screen: Type in Motion. Barcelona: Hoaki Books S.L.