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Professional Practice 10

Unit Code: HDG625

Duration	Contact Hours	Campus	Prerequisite	Corequisite
20 Weeks		Prahran	Nil	Nil

Credit Points: 37.5 Credit Points

Related Course/s:

A unit of study in the Master of Design (Communication Design), Master of Design (Industrial Design), Master of Design (Interior Design), Master of Design (Multimedia Design) and .

Aims & Objectives:

The unit aims to provide a professional learning that fosters excellence in all aspects of design and design management through a professional learning experience, manifest as an internal, institute-based version of industry-based learning.

After successfully completing this unit you should be able to:
* demonstrate students’ professional design abilities through applied projects
* demonstrate and extend students’ professional design management skills to prepare them for industry practice
* serve as an internal, school-based, version of Industry Placement.

Teaching Methods:

Participants are required to engage in all aspects of design management to guide individual projects through a staged process, to a final point of delivery. Participants are assigned to working groups for projects, and each will be required to take on the role of team leader for some projects and be team members for others. Independent projects may also be undertaken in consultation with a Manager. Team leaders will assume greater responsibility for project management and be the daily point of contact for the client. Participants are requierd to engage in all aspects of design management to guide individual projects through a process to a final point of delivery. Independent projects may also be undertaken in consultation with a Manager.

This unit is delivered in a professional design studio environment where all of the learning is project-based. Applied design projects are both commissioned and/or organised by the Design Centre Management Team and provides an opportunityi for the students to engage in 'real world' experiential approaches to learning.

Assessment:

100% project work. Work should follow the relevant industry format for design projects and include relevant design deliverables and documented evidence of contextual research, concept development, design process and rationale, plus the appropriate application of software. In assessing projects strong emphasis is placed on reflective practice and the student’s own role in evaluating their participation and contribution. Project reports and reflective journals, coupled with self and peer assessment, are used in the assessment procedures. The specific project and reflective deliverables will be determined in consultation with the relevant Manager.

Generic Skills Outcomes:

You will be provided with feedback on your progress in attaining the following generic skills:
* teamwork skills
* analysis skills
* problem solving skills
* communications skills
* ability to tackle unfamiliar problems

Content:

Projects will be undertaken in the Faculty of Design’s Design Centre. The Design Centre is a working design studio that develops innovative design projects, especially where innovation is supported by applied design research. Projects may include both commissioned projects and independent projects.

Design projects are the context through which participants are informed about:

The creative methods and strategies used in design practice.
Best practice client management processes, including project and time management skills, proposal writing, timelines, quoting and invoicing, protocols for meetings and presentations, and methods for describing the design process and design outcomes to clients.
Internal management of a design studio, including ways of managing work flow, organisational structures, teamwork, studio forms, etc.
Design research methods for applied practice.

The various clients and projects that are being dealt with will largely dictate the topics to be discussed. The following aspects will be covered as appropriate: client liaison, brief taking, contract development, supervision and coordination of suppliers, preparation of written quotations and creative proposals, project and production management, group leadership, concept presentation to clients. All will be considered in a process of reflective practice appropriate to a professional context.

Reading Materials:

Borja De Mozota, B, Design Management: Using Design to Build Brand Values and Corporate Innovation, Allworth Press, New York, 2004.
Philips, PL, Creating the Perfect Design Brief: How to Manage Design for Strategic Advantage, Allworth Press, New York, 2004.