Unit 3 Outcome 1 | assessment task | Published: October 8, 2023 | Revised: December 10, 2025
This assessment task has been prepared in response to the Key Skills for this outcome. Teachers are reminded that they must assess to VCAA assessment guidelines, for their local context and their own students' needs. The author of this website takes no responsibility for the suitability or compliance of this material. It is the sole responsibility of teachers to design and implement and update assessments.
A laptop displays architectural drawings labeled Plan, South Elevation, and North Elevation—reflecting Unit 1 Area of Study 2 VCE Visual Communication Design’s focus on Design Elements and Principles—next to a matching paper and a green triangular ruler on a light green background.
A simplified white human figure stands before a grid of nine circles, highlighting the interactive nature of design. The top center circle glows orange while the others remain gray, suggesting focus among various fields or environments.
Simple illustration of a person holding an orange bowling ball in each hand, set against a light gray circular background. This design highlights how interactive objects can communicate messages within visual environments.
A simplified illustration of a large white figure and a smaller white figure standing near a gray dome-shaped building with a dark doorway, set on an orange and beige background—evoking interactive environments and design messages.
An orange computer mouse cursor icon with radiating click lines, centered on a circular background with alternating light and dark horizontal stripes, evokes interactive environments and dynamic fields of design.
The image is completely blank with a plain white background and no visible objects, text, or features.

VCD UNIT 3 AOS 1 V2 2025

Professional design practice.

What are the visual communication practices used by designers?

The assessment of this Area of Study has two components. The first allows students to demonstrate their knowledge of how designers work within selected Fields of Design by comparing similarities and differences between selected designers, studios and projects.

 The second allows students to demonstrate skills using methods and processes acquired during their investigations of designers by engaging in two practical design exercises. Teachers will frame the precise nature of these two components in ways that suit the context of their class.

outcome

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What students need to do
ON COMPLETION OF THIS UNIT THE STUDENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO
  • compare the ways in which visual communication practices are used by contemporary designers, using research methods and practical exploration.

(VCE VCD Study Design 2024 – 28 p.33. )

CAUTION

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Good to know
What is a contemporary Designer?

Whilst students must study 'historical and contemporary design practices' (1), they must prepare two contemporary designers for their comparative analysis. 'A contemporary designer is defined as a designer who is practising current to the year of study for Units 3 and 4, and should be working at least post 2000'. (1)

(1) Visual Communication Design Frequently Asked Questions. Available from this VCAA page.

Model answers

Students will complete two design exercises for the practical exploration part of the assessment task. Here are some examples of practical explorations.

The animation, based on a mental health concept, has been designed to play at the beginning of a game, before the login screen appears. Universal symbols have been included to communicate the game concept. Abby Lederman, Shelford Girls' Grammar.
A chalkboard-style design board displays architectural sketches of a building, annotated with notes about shape, pattern, tone, audience, context, and purpose next to an open book showing a similar building sketch.

This project investigated two-point perspective drawing in an appropriate style for a book illustration. Aleks Connolly.

A site plan shows the current and proposed Year 7 area layouts with labeled trees, walkways, and buildings. Notes explain the purpose, audience, context, design decisions, and summary for a school renewal project.

This student investigated a badly used courtyard in his school. This is a one-point perspective of the existing space. Lucas Cumming.

A comparison of a grey lead draft and a fineliner hand drawing of a school corridor in one-point perspective, with descriptive text about purpose, context, and design decisions below each image.

He redesigned the space with a garden using the conventions of landscape design. Lucas Cumming.

A redesigned Crayola logo in camouflage colors appears on a marines uniform back and a close-up logo. Text explains the design aims to appeal to marines, featuring uniform-inspired elements and reduced color.

This student experimented with redesigning an existing logo for a different audience. He produced a version of the Crayola logo to be used by soldiers in the Marines. Raphael Nichols.

A three-story modern building drawn in 2-point perspective with large windows and balconies, labeled as a Year 12 Visual Communications project by Zane Kneebone on A3 paper.

This student practiced illustration using two-point perspective. Zane Kneebone.

A 3D two-point perspective drawing of a modern three-story building with two elevation views and one floor plan. Labeled with the student name, subject, paper size (A3), and drawing type (2 Point Perspective).

He also created a CAD model of the apartment block in Tinkercad to allow him to see it from different views. Zane Kneebone.

A children’s book titled “The Little Fox” with a cover showing a cartoon fox on a hill under a big sun. The book is displayed on a mustard-yellow armchair. Text about the book’s unique design is shown below the image.

This student produced a book cover for a children’s book. Olivia Willsher.

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Comparative Analysis
Practical Exploration
Documentation drawings
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Assessment Criteria

Comparative Analysis

The first part of this Area of Study assessment is writing a comparative analysis for students to demonstrate their understanding of Professional design practice in one or more Fields of Design. Teachers may elect to run a timed assessment task.

key skills

A simple, stylized illustration of a stand mixer with two beaters and a large base, shown in light purple and white.
How I will demonstrate skills and knowledge
key Skills points for this outcome
  • compare contexts in which contemporary designers work
  • describe and compare past, present and future professional design practices in selected field(s) of design practice
  • analyse and evaluate the characteristics and role of visual language in selected field(s) of design practice
  • explain the roles of, and relationships between, designers, specialists and stakeholders when resolving design problems
  • describe the techniques used by designers to evaluate design ideas
  • explain the economic, technological, cultural, environmental and social factors that influence design practices
  • identify and analyse design practices that acknowledge ethical and legal obligations
  • use appropriate design terminology.

(VCE VCD Study Design 2024-28, p. 33)

Timed assessment task

Teachers refer to p37 of the Study Design for Visual Communication Design for a list of assessment tools appropriate for the analysis component of this Area of Study. Teachers may use the prompt questions shown on the Learning Page to inform the writing of an assessment task. They are reminded to ensure that a broad range of prompts are given, in order to meet all of the Key Skills listed on page 33 of the Study Design.

task

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Show I know ...
1.1 Assessment task

Students complete an assessment task as directed by their teacher.

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Practical Exploration

In addition to demonstrating their understanding of professional design practice in the written comparative analyses, students must also engage in the practices of the designers they have researched. Here, they will select and complete two practical design exercises. Students will choose two design tasks that interest them and are related to professional design practices. During the design exercises, students will independently explore and develop skills in any relevant methods, media, materials, conventions and use of Visual Language and techniques. Students will submit these design exercises as part of this Area of Study assessment.

Students are advised to consider their choice of design exercises, as the knowledge and skills gained through written and practical work in this Area of Study and Area of Study 2 can inform their work in Area of Study 3 as they begin the SAT.

key skills

A simple, stylized illustration of a stand mixer with two beaters and a large base, shown in light purple and white.
How I will demonstrate skills and knowledge
key Skills points for this outcome
  • apply visual communication practices and processes used by contemporary designers in selected field(s) of design practice
  • use visual language to communicate ideas and/or information to specific audiences, and for specific purposes and contexts in selected field(s) of design practice
  • incorporate relevant conventions in documentation or presentation drawings in selected fields of design practice
  • use presentation formats characteristic of selected field(s) of design practice
  • adopt conceptions of good design aligned with selected field(s) of design practice
  • apply legal and ethical obligations relevant to selected fields of design practice.

(VCE VCD Study Design 2024-28, p. 33)

Select design exercises

Sample exploration ideas

Students reflect on the practices they have seen in their research for the comparative analysis tasks and select topics or methods for their two design exercises. Students are reminded that they can consider choosing experiments that could potentially build their skills and engagement for use in their SAT.

Topics for design exercises require negotiation with the teacher. Students should discuss their choices and ensure they are suitable before proceeding. Some examples of design exercises that are appropriate for this Assessment Task are;

A man arranges a detailed miniature model of a cityscape featuring a bridge, trees, buildings, streetlights, and piles of tiny cars, with urban graffiti painted along a wall in the foreground.

28 May 2018, Germany, Erfurt: Han Irwin Kittel, set designer of the Theater Erfurt, pictured with a model of the DomStufen stage at a press conference. The production concept and model of the set design for the DomStufen-Festspiele Theatre festival were presented. (Image: Bodo Schackow/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB/Alamy Stock Photo).

Messages
  1. Create and populate a grid layout
  2. Use leading and kerning to reproduce headlines and body type in a newspaper or magazine article
  3. Experiment with and create an effective hierarchy for information on a poster
  4. Design a poster layout using and emphasising selected Gestalt Principles of Visual Perception
  5. Make a stylised illustration of an object using a limited or triadic colour scheme
  6. Create a brand identity in three different contexts or on three carriers
  7. Redesign a logo to suit a different audience
  8. Experiment with relationships between type and image in a digital collage
  9. Trial an image or motif illustration with three different manual methods and media
  10. Make an editorial illustration to accompany a newspaper story
  11. Experiment with Illustration using manual printmaking techniques
  12. Shoot an image and recompose it in a manual and digital collage
  13. Communicate ideas using contrary methods, media or colour schemes
  14. Make a type-based poster, using large, cropped Type forms
  15. Create a portrait from of type
  16. Create an original typeface using conventions of typography
  17. Create a bespoke typeface using photos of objects
  18. Create an instruction sheet for a simple process like lighting a match, tying shoes, etc. using visual language only
  19. Create a style guide for a wayfinding system in your school
Environments
  1. Do a Plan and Elevations of a small part of a building
  2. Do a One-Point perspective interior from observation
  3. Do a Two-Point perspective of a courtyard from observation
  4. Do a Two-Point perspective of the exterior building from observation
  5. Render a three-dimensional illustration (above) using colour to show form, shade and materials
  6. Make a sample board of materials to be used in a kitchen, for a presentation to a client
  7. Do a site analysis of a location with drawings and photos
  8. Do a plan for a themed landscape design
  9. Do a One-Point perspective of a theatre set design for your favourite story or TV series
  10. Make a model of a theatre set design for your favourite story or TV series
  11. Do a 3D CAD drawing of a built space or landscape
  12. Make a foam-core or simple model of a structure
  13. Create a collage to represent a futuristic digital environment for a game
Objects
  1. Do a Third Angle Orthogonal drawing of a simple object
  2. Do a detailed analysis explaining dimensioning in Third Angle Orthogonal drawing
  3. Do paraline or perspective drawing of a simple object
  4. Do a tonal or colour rendering of a simple object
  5. Make a low-fi prototype of something (bike, school bag, etc.)
  6. Use free CAD software or Sketchup, etc. to design a simple object
  7. Draw an existing object and use S.C.A.M.P.E.R to create variations
  8. Do time-limit drawings of a simple object
  9. Experiment with techniques of biomimicry on an existing object
  10. Draw an existing object three times and render it in different media
  11. Illustrate three key characters’ costume designs from a story
Interactive Experiences
  1. Apply selected Gestalt Principles of Visual Perception in a screen example
  2. Analyse and illustrate different website structures
  3. Take a variety of images and optimise them in Photoshop for web use
  4. Make an animated GIF logo for a specific audience
  5. Create a storyboard for an app design
  6. Make a short animation for web use
  7. Create a wireframe prototype for an app design
  8. Create a style guide showing consistent typography and colour schemes for an app design
  9. Shoot and image, create a colour scheme from the image and identify colours by hex and RGB codes
  10. Design a range of icons to depict aspects of mental health, transportation, etc
  11. Design a range of buttons or interactions to be used in an app design
  12. Design the home screen for a wayfinding kiosk display
  13. Design a mock-up home page for a website using a grid structure

Document practices

Students will examine the methods, processes or practices they have chosen for their design experiments. They will consider each one, describing how designers in their chosen field use selected aspects of Visual Communication specifically. This will ensure that students have a background understanding of what kinds of knowledge and skills they will need to understand and use to complete their design exercises.

Design exercises Plan

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Field of Design

Environmental design

Describe the visual communication practice

Plan and elevation of dining room

Three-dimensional CAD model of dining room

Visual language to communicate ideas to audiences, for purposes and in contexts

Clear and concise use of black lines only. For client to see the room that is proposed, shown in architect’s office

Use of perspective projection, tonal graduations to show form to depict a proposed space for client in architect’s office

Conventions for documentation and presentation drawings

Australian Standards conventions for Plans and Elevations incorporating elements such as; set out, two-dimensional views, line types, dimensions, annotations, symbols and title box

Use of perspective projection. Cropped to emphasise the composition and presented on the sheet with margin and title box

Presentation format

One sheet Plan and Elevation

One sheet of projections from three points of view

Conceptions of good design

Clarity, consistency and compliance with Australian Standards conventions

To use realistic natural points of view, shade or render to ensure clarity, simplicity

Ethical and legal obligations

Must be original work, must comply with Australian Standards conventions

Must be original work, acknowledge sources of textures or CAD objects provided online

Explore practices

Students work independently (or in focus groups linked by shared fields of design) to develop and complete their two design exercises. Students may find it helpful to draw in the information on the pages linked below.

Annotate your work
Remember to annotate your work to explain and justify your design choices.

A hand-drawn, colored 2-point perspective illustration of a modern, three-story building with handwritten notes about audience, purpose, context, and design decisions around the drawing.

Remember to annotate your work to demonstrate you are addressing the Key Skills for assessment of your work. Zane Kneebone.

incorporate conventions

Each presentation or documentation drawing method, in each Field of Design has its own set of conventions. These can include generally accepted practices or technical drawing conventions. Investigate the conventions used in the Field of Design you have selected and incorporate them accurately in your work.

Orthogonal drawing of a geometric object showing top, front, and right side views with all dimensions in millimeters. Title block at the bottom lists project and student details.

A Third Angle Orthogonal drawing of a stack of geometric-formed blocks. This drawing method uses a set of rules known as technical drawing conventions. They govern the kinds of lines used, the layout of the views, labels, a special symbol and how sizes are recorded on the drawing. Harry Tinker.

Present practices

Students choose an appropriate presentation format to present their Design Solution. Students at Year 12 level should be making client presentations with a title block and captions to describe the work they are presenting.

A person in a yellow sweater sits at a desk in a modern office, working on a computer displaying user experience design screens. Office supplies and a lamp are on the desk, with colleagues visible in the background.
An Interactive Experience designer working on a low-fi prototype presentation for an app design. (Image: Gorodenkoff@shutterstock.com)
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For further information on the Materials, Methods, Design Elements and Principles and Sustainable and Visual Language click the links at right.
A blue circle featuring three shapes: a white cube with orange sides, a circle divided into five colored segments, and a metallic grid with rows of circular holes—symbolizing manual and digital based methods media materials for VCD.
Methods Media & Materials
An orange circle with key design elements: a white lowercase letter a, a white vertical line, a white hexagon above the a, and a shaded 3D cube to the left of the line.
Design Elements
A green and teal shield shape features key design elements: a large white lowercase letter a, a white horizontal line above it, and a small blue and teal 3D cube at the top.
Design Principles
A solid black heart shape centered on a red circular background with a dark gradient along the edges.
Visual Language

task

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Show I know ...
2.1 Select design exercises

Review and consider the research you have done on the two designers in your field of choice. Choose two design tasks using methods, techniques or processes you would like to explore and develop skills in. These may be areas you think you might like to incorporate into the Design Process for the SAT. Make sure you communicate your preferences with your teacher promptly and are cleared to go before you begin practical work.

Developmental Folio work
Describe and justify the practices you have chosen to use

2.2 Document practices

Create a table similar to the one shown above in Design exercise techniques. Describe how the two design explorations you have chosen will address the Key Skills for this section of the Assessment Task.

Developmental Folio work
Complete this table in your developmental folio

2.3 Explore Practices

Select and use appropriate methods, media, materials and other components of Visual Language in your two design explorations. Refer to the case studies you researched and collected to ensure you are appropriately developing skills and techniques.

Developmental Folio work
Describe and justify your use of Visual Language, including design elements, principles, methods, media, materials, and relevant technical drawing conventions in your developmental folio. Record your progress and annotate your journey to describe your practice and your design decisions.

2.4 Present practices

Choose an appropriate presentation format to deliver your completed Design for assessment. View the examples on the Presentation Formats page to see how students create title blocks and captions to accompany and describe their designs. Use conventions for your Presentation Format, creating an appropriate hierarchy that enhances the delivery of ideas and information in your Designs.

Developmental Folio work
Describe and justify the selection and use of presentation formats and explain how they communicate ideas or information.

2.5 ethical & Legal

Ensure that you have worked legally and ethically in your developmental folio and the two design explorations

Developmental Folio work
Ensure that all non-original work is acknowledged and referenced correctly. Ensure that all of your work is your own

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assessment criteria

Below is a broad indication of the evidence a student should show.

Click here to purchase a complete assessment rubric for this task.

Comparative Analysis

The extent to which the student:

  • compares contexts in which contemporary designers work
  • describes and compares past, present and future professional design practices in selected field(s) of design practice
  • analyses and evaluates the characteristics and role of visual language in selected field(s) of design practice
  • explains the roles of, and relationships between, designers, specialists and stakeholders when resolving design problems
  • describes the techniques used by designers to evaluate design ideas
  • explains the economic, technological, cultural, environmental and social factors that influence design practices
  • identifies and analyses design practices that acknowledge ethical and legal obligations
  • uses appropriate design terminology.

Practical Exploration

The extent to which the student:

  • applies visual communication practices and processes used by contemporary designers in selected field(s) of design practice
  • uses visual language to communicate ideas and/or information to specific audiences, and for specific purposes and contexts in selected field(s) of design practice
  • incorporates relevant conventions in documentation or presentation drawings in selected fields of design practice
  • uses presentation formats characteristic of selected field(s) of design practice
  • adopts conceptions of good design aligned with selected field(s) of design practice
  • applies legal and ethical obligations relevant to selected fields of design practice.

Please note: To achieve good marks in criteria-based assessment, you must include some work for each part of the task. Spread your time evenly across the tasks.

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