Unit 4 Outcome 1 | assessment task | Published: November 17, 2024 | Revised: April 17, 2026
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.
An abstract illustration for Unit 1 Area of Study 2 VCE Visual Communication Design, featuring a vintage airplane on a flying hand and a red delivery truck with a plane icon, set against overlapping circular backgrounds using bold design elements.
The image is completely blank with a plain white background and no visible objects, text, or features.
The image is completely blank with a plain white background and no visible objects, text, or features.
The image is completely blank with a plain white background and no visible objects, text, or features.
The image is completely blank with a plain white background and no visible objects, text, or features.
An illustration of a book labeled VCD SAT Folio #1, a folder or box with an apple image, and a T-shirt with apple designs in red and teal—all reflecting Unit 1 Area of Study 2 VCE Visual Communication Design Elements—on a green background.

VCD UNIT 4 AOS 1 V3 2026

Design process: refining & resolving design concepts.

How do designers resolve design problems?

In this Area of Study, students use Convergent Thinking in the Deliver phase of the Design Process to evaluate and select the best concepts for refinement. They resolve their use of Visual Language, including conventions and ways they communicate ideas and information. Following this refinement, they prepare mock-ups for a formal class presentation known as the Pitch, where they will present design concepts and receive feedback from their peers. Finally, they will process the feedback and further resolve design concepts, ready for the design and construction of the design solutions.

This Area of Study will use one phase of the Double Diamond Design Process: Deliver. It will refer to Components 7 to 10 on the Target Learning SAT workflow diagram.

outcome

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What students need to do
ON COMPLETION OF THIS UNIT THE STUDENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO

  • refine and resolve distinct design concepts for each communication need, and devise and deliver a pitch to communicate concepts to an audience or users, evaluating the extent to which these meet the requirements of the brief.

(VCE VCD Study Design 2024 – 28 p. 38. )

CAUTION

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Good to know
Learning and assessment tasks
Please note: This page is a combined Learning Tasks and Assessment Tasks page. It is organised into a sequence of stages. Target Learning refers to each stage as a component. Each component has an explanation based on the Key Knowledge, examples and tasks for students to complete to enable them to demonstrate the Key Skills for the Area of Study. Teachers may refer to these tasks or use them as a base for their lessons.

Introduction

This Area of Study is one of three, in the major design project in Year 12 VCD, the School Assessed Task. The image below shows each step students will be required to understand and do.
A visual outline for Unit 4 Outcome 1 in a design process, featuring components 7-10, each with tasks, and a red Deliver icon with a fire truck on the right.

This image illustrates a typical workflow for Unit 4 Area of Study 1. (Updated 17 April 2026).

Model answer

Students resolve selected design concepts, present them in a formal pitch and receive feedback to enable the refinement of concepts for each communication need.

A design process board for a pocket-sized puzzle toy shows client requirements, digital and physical concepts of a Lego dog, pros and cons for each, opportunities, and the designer’s outlined choices for the final design.

A POOCH Convergent Thinking strategy used to evaluate and select design ideas for refinement. Georgia-Mae Salvo.

A design board with handwritten notes, color swatches, type samples, and six illustrated plant descriptions, titled REFINEMENT. The layout shows ideas for backgrounds, fonts, and presentation of plant information.
The progressive refinement of design concepts. Olivia Willsher.
A presentation board shows a rectangular wooden box mock-up with technical drawings, material samples, color options, and a diagram of logo placement and cable use. Materials include Radiata Pine and Cedar in natural hues.
A mock-up prepared for the Pitch. Harry Tinker.
A table titled Design Options Evaluation compares two design options across eight criteria, with handwritten notes in each cell. Green leaf illustrations decorate the bottom corners of the page.
Evaluation of design concepts, post-Pitch. Raphael Nichols.
A feedback chart for a design pitch, split into three columns: What Was Done Well, What Can Be Improved, What Must Be Done. Below is a pie chart and survey data showing an average score of 4.5/5 for Presentation 1.

This page is a summary of the feedback comments received in the Pitch. Harry Tinker.

A page titled Refinement displays logo design iterations for Brewed, featuring different fonts and leaf graphics above the W. Notes critique each version. At the bottom, the Final Concept logo is selected and shown on a green background.
Further refinement made in response to feedback from the Pitch. Jesse Briffa.

VCD Design process

The VCD design process is a framework that illustrates the process designers use. It is based on a model conceived by the UK Design Council in 2003. There are four stages to the VCD Double Diamond design process. Discover, Define, Develop and Deliver. Each uses different kinds of thinking. Sometimes designers need to think outside the box. Thinking outwards is called Divergent Thinking. At other times, they are trying to narrow and refine their ideas. This is called Convergent Thinking. The design process structures everything a designer does, from generating their first inspiration to delivering a design solution to their client.

Areas of study in Target Learning VCD emphasise different stages of the VCD Design process.

A double-diamond diagram illustrates the design process: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. It shows divergent and convergent thinking, with iterations, and icons for each phase including a lightbulb, document, and framed solution.

The VCD double diamond design process. Note the positions of Divergent and Convergent thinking. 

A graphic of a red sailing ship on the left with a dashed red arrow curving over a blue globe on the right, all within a gray circular border.

Discover

Use Divergent Thinking to challenge assumptions and explore design problems and opportunities.
A circular icon with blue and green arrows pointing outward in eight different directions from the center, set against a light green background.
A circular icon with a red and white quartered design, inspired by the Double Diamond Design Process VCD, is centered on a background of blue and light blue checkerboard squares.

Define

Use Convergent Thinking to analyse, evaluate and present information for Human-Centred design.
A pink circle with six red arrows pointing inward toward the center, creating a star-like pattern where the arrowheads meet.
A circular graphic with three stylized airplanes in blue, white, and red, layered diagonally on a light gray background. The planes have simple outlines and minimal details.

Develop

Use Divergent Thinking to challenge assumptions, test and explore ideas with unexpected results.
A circular icon with blue and green arrows pointing outward in eight different directions from the center, set against a light green background.
A red delivery truck with a white airplane icon and motion lines on its side, symbolizing fast or express shipping, on a light grey and blue background.

Deliver

Use Convergent Thinking to evaluate, refine, resolve and present design solutions to meet audiences and users' needs.
A pink circle with six red arrows pointing inward toward the center, creating a star-like pattern where the arrowheads meet.

Graphic indicators representing each stage of the design process used in Target Learning VCD.

Jump to
Component 7
Select & refine
Deliver
Compare, Consider & Select
Refine & Resolve Visual Language & Conventions
Describe evaluate & reflect
Component 8
Mock-ups
Evaluate design concepts
Mock-ups
Component 9
The pitch
Plan Pitch
Present Pitch
Receive & incorporate feedback
Legal & Ethical Obligations
Component 10
Further Refinement
Refinement
Assessment Criteria
Component 7

select & Refine

In this section, students will use convergent thinking in the Deliver phase of the design process. They will use relevant critical thinking techniques to compare, evaluate and select the best design ideas as concepts for refining and resolution. They will refer to the design evaluation criteria drawn from the brief to underpin their selection of the most suitable concepts. Following the selection of the most suitable design concepts, they will refine and resolve the use of Visual Language, including conventions.

key knowledge

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What we will learn about
key knowledge points for this outcome
  • the Deliver phase of the VCD design process
  • the role of the brief and convergent thinking when refining and resolving design concepts

(VCE VCD Study Design 2024-28, p. 39)

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 the Discover, Define and Develop phases of the VCD design process
  • use divergent and convergent thinking strategies when defining problems and developing ideas
  • use design research methods to define communication problems
  • apply legal and ethical obligations relevant to the designer’s work

(VCE VCD Study Design 2024-28, p. 39)

A red delivery truck with a white airplane icon and motion lines on its side, symbolizing fast or express shipping, on a light grey and blue background.

Deliver

Use Convergent Thinking to evaluate, refine, resolve and present design solutions to meet audiences and users' needs.
A pink circle with six red arrows pointing inward toward the center, creating a star-like pattern where the arrowheads meet.

Deliver

During the Deliver phase, designers use convergent thinking techniques to resolve their design concepts and deliver design solutions. Designers will also use conventions in their fields of design to create documentation drawings that depict specifications of two-dimensional layouts, interactive experience sequences, and three-dimensional objects and environments. In this context, convergent thinking means moving concepts closer to fulfilling the brief's requirements. This involves evaluating, selecting, eliminating some ideas and synthesising others, towards the best design solutions.

Compare, Consider & Select

Students use critical thinking techniques to organise comparisons between several preferred ideas and to provide data that can be used for the identification of ideas that have the best potential and to select concepts for development, refinement, resolution and delivery.

A Pugh Matrix is a simple way to score ideas against the Design Evaluation Criteria drawn from the brief. Students create this kind of chart and rate the ideas they think are most suited for each communication need.

Other evaluation and data creation methods for selection include S.W.O.T (strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis and P.O.O.C.H. (Problem, Options, Outcomes, CHoices). Both tables support perspective shifting, allowing the student to examine ideas from different points of view. Other perspective-taking exercises can be used individually or collaboratively.

Teachers may ask their students to use a critical thinking technique that they think would be best to support the evaluation of their design concepts. The intention is to reveal data to be compared and evaluated. This can be done qualitatively or quantitatively. (Through comments or numerically).

For the process of elimination of ideas, Target Learning suggests the Pugh Matrix as it is a simple way to compare several design concepts with each other and to add up scores drawn from Design Evaluation Criteria.

Further information on evaluating and selecting concepts can be found here. Further information on Critical Thinking techniques can be found here.

A chart titled Development of Concepts: POOCH displays four columns—Problem, Options, Outcomes, and Choice—discussing book design ideas to teach about indigenous plants, with sketches and typed text in each column.
Using a P.O.O.C.H. table to support the evaluation of design ideas. Olivia Willsher.
A SWOT analysis page for two Ginger & Lemon Organic Tea package designs, featuring strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for each. The page is decorated with hand-drawn flowers on the borders.

A S.W.O.T. Analysis used to compare two design ideas. Jesse Briffa.

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task

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1.1 Evaluate and select

Create new A3 pages for your visual diary. Use a critical thinking technique to reveal data and compare and evaluate the design ideas you think are closest to meeting the requirements of your communication needs and design criteria. Redraw or copy in pictures of the ideas you are comparing. Ensure that the selections you make are clearly identified and soundly justified.

Do this step for each communication need.

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Refine & Resolve Visual Language & Conventions

key knowledge

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What we will learn about
key knowledge points for this outcome
  • features and functions of the design elements and principles used to create and resolve design concepts
  • manual and digital methods, media, materials and conventions used to create design concepts

(VCE VCD Study Design 2024-28, p. 39)

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
  • select and apply a range of manual and digital methods, materials, media and conventions, together with the design elements and principles to resolve design concepts 
  • use convergent thinking strategies to refine and resolve design concepts

(VCE VCD Study Design 2024-28, p. 39)

Design elements and principles

The design elements and principles, including the Gestalt principles of visual perception, are used to create aesthetic and functional effects. When students refine and resolve design concepts, they draw, redraw and adjust their compositions, layouts, objects, environments or interactive sequences. They may change how the components of designs are present within them by substituting design elements, such as line, colour, shape, etc., or they may change how the components are arranged, and relationships are created between them. These may be achieved through adjusting design principles such as balance, scale, contrast, proportion, etc. Finally, students who are working in the fields of Messages or Interactive Experiences may consider how ideas are being perceived and understood through their designs by investigating the effects of the Gestalt principles of visual perception. All these techniques are part of developing expertise in the use of visual language.

Methods media & materials

The methods, media, and materials used in design concepts are also resolved together with the Design Elements and Principles. Students continue to explore and refine the use of these components of visual language for the aesthetics and function of designs.
Conventions
The Deliver phase is the appropriate time to learn and adopt the conventions for the fields of design practice in which students are working. These may be stylistic conventions related to conceptions of good design or conventions for technical drawings. Students must familiarise themselves with and use the technical conventions for drawing methods such as Packaging Nets, Technical Flats, Third Angle Orthogonal and Plans and Elevations. Students working in the fields of Objects and Environments use two-dimensional technical drawings to convey information about products and buildings, such as Third-angle orthogonal drawings and plans and elevations. Students become familiar with these methods and adopt the conventions in documentation drawings. They may also depict objects or environments using three-dimensional methods such as paraline (isometric and planometric) and perspective (one and two-point) views. These typically begin as manual drawings but may then be constructed digitally using vector-based media. In addition, many CAD applications can output paraline and perspective views of their models for students.
Refine Communication of ideas & information
Students are mindful that their use of visual language is beginning to convey ideas and communicate information. They need to work intentionally, refining and resolving the ways visual language represents data clearly and how it projects tone. Students question the intentions of the design and resolve them accordingly.
Jump to
For further information on the Design Elements and Principles, Methods, Media and Materials, and Ideas and Information, click the links at right.
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.(opens in a new tab)
Design Elements
A stylized lowercase letter a on a green circular background, with a white horizontal line above it and a blue and white 3D cube on top, set against a teal background.(opens in a new tab)
Design Principles
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.(opens in a new tab)
Methods Media & Materials
A bold black eye icon centered inside a white circle with a thick red border, the image reflects ideas and information in designs, suggesting themes of surveillance, observation, or heightened attention.(opens in a new tab)
Ideas & Information
Minimalist architectural drawing of a building with three stacked rectangular volumes, wide stairs leading to double doors, and a large rectangular base featuring an open passageway. The design is clean and geometric.
Minimalist architectural illustration of a modern, rectangular building with sharp angles, large windows, and overhanging sections. The structure is shown in a clean, white, and gray color scheme on a white background.
Carefully refining the use of design elements and principles, along with technical drawing methods and media for environmental design. Balin Speight.
A collection of bold, red and black THE PATCH logo designs in various shapes and fonts, with handwritten notes describing design choices. A small figure holding a red circle stands in the lower right corner.
Three colorful cartoon figures with tomato heads labeled THE PATCH, striped pants, yellow boots, and waving hands. Handwritten notes critique the design, color choices, and head shapes, with a fork and trowel icon at the top.
Working intentionally to resolve both design elements and principles and methods, materials and media in a logo design. Daisy Tiernan.
Four cocktail menus with notes analyze their design. The left two menus are for Passion Fruit Mule (purple and orange), and the right two for Grape Fruit Martini (pink and teal), with handwritten comments on color and layout.
A chart titled Colour Analysis showing original colors, their actual complementary colors, and preferred color ways, with each swatch labeled and annotated with handwritten notes assessing their suitability and personal reactions.
A sheet with three pastel-colored cocktail labels for Passion Fruit Mule, Grapefruit Martini, and Espresso Martini, each with nutrition facts and ingredient illustrations, plus handwritten notes and edits in the margins.
Working intentionally to resolve both design elements and principles and methods, materials and media in a logo design. Daisy Tiernan.
A black and white architectural drawing showing a 3D exterior view of a modern building and four interior floor plans with furniture, bookshelves, round tables, desks, and restroom areas labeled “The Educational Space.”.
Adopting conventions for two and three-dimensional technical drawings. Balin Speight.
Architectural drawing showing a 3D perspective of a modern, angular building (left) and three floor plans (right) with seating arrangements, tables, and shelves, labeled The Educational Space for a design project.
Adopting conventions for two and three-dimensional technical drawings. Balin Speight.
Flat packaging design for Brewed Organic Tea, Ginger & Lemon Stress Relief flavor, featuring green leaves and yellow accents, nutritional info, brewing instructions, and a barcode on a cream background.
Adopting the conventions of a packaging net. Jess Briffa.
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task

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Please note:
The following four tasks can be taken separately or combined. Each one is aimed at refining separate components of visual language. However, in reality, design elements and principles, methods, media and materials and conventions will be combined to communicate ideas and information in design solutions. The point of showing them separately here, is for students to understand that each aspect must be considered.

1.2 Resolve Design Elements and Principles

Resolve the use of the design elements and principles, including the Gestalt principles of visual perception, in selected design concepts.

Create separate drawings or models for each test. Use separate A3 folio pages for each iteration. If working digitally, save different versions of the work for the folio. Allow space for writing annotations.

1.3 Resolve methods, media and materials
Resolve the use of methods, media and materials in selected design concepts. Create separate drawings or models for each test. Use separate A3 folio pages for each iteration. If working digitally, save different versions of the work for the folio. Allow space for writing annotations.
1.4 Adopt Conventions

Part A
Gain a clear understanding of the conventions used in documentation drawings for the field(s) of design practice you are working in. These could be stylistic or technical drawing conventions. Revisit your research, now that you have a clearer understanding of your ways of working. Now, a few months in, you will be able to engage with your research in more meaningful ways.

Part B
Compare your recent work with the designs you found in your research. Question: How are you using conventions in comparison with them? Are you using Gestalt principles of visual perception strongly enough? Are you using technical drawing conventions correctly and consistently?

Part C
Describe ways you can improve the use of conventions in your designs in informative annotations in your folio pages. Identify two or three different improvements you could make.

Part D
Improve the use of conventions in selected, preferred designs.

1.5 Refine communication of ideas & information
Use the information gained from convergent thinking techniques earlier in this Area of Study to improve how designs convey ideas and information to audiences and users.
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Describe, evaluate & reflect

Students should use reflective thinking to describe and evaluate their process of refinement and resolution of their design concepts. Suggestions for annotating designs include:

  • Describe the design elements and principles selected and used
  • Evaluate the use of design elements and principles against design criteria
  • Describe the materials, methods and media selected and used
  • Evaluate the use of materials, methods and media against design criteria
  • Evaluate design decisions against relevant principles of good design
  • Evaluate the aesthetics of design concepts against design criteria
  • Evaluate the functions of design concepts against design criteria
  • Describe and evaluate the role of factors in influencing decisions in the design solutions
  • Describe the role of stakeholders, audiences or users in influencing decisions in design solutions
  • Any other information that informs the reader of the reasons for design decisions
A designer’s brainstorming page for the word “bloom,” showing logo sketches and notes. Variations include stylized flowers in the text, color logos, and black line art versions, with handwritten ideas and feedback around them.
Annotations describing and evaluating design decisions. Billy Hose.
A design board with handwritten notes, color swatches, type samples, and six illustrated plant descriptions, titled REFINEMENT. The layout shows ideas for backgrounds, fonts, and presentation of plant information.
Annotations referring to the use of design elements and principles. Olivia Wilsher.
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1.6 Document the Design Journey
Use the suggestions for annotations of design decisions shown above. Make sure each stage of work is annotated in real time. Annotations should not be saved for the end.
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Component 8

Mock-ups

In this brief section, students prepare mock-ups or prototypes for one design concept for each communication need. The first step will be to evaluate their many design concepts and select the two they will mock-up to present for the pitch.

key knowledge

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What we will learn about
key knowledge points for this outcome
  • methods and techniques used to evaluate, test and resolve design concepts

(VCE VCD Study Design 2024-28, p. 39)

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
  • stest and evaluate the suitability and quality of refined design concepts, drawing on the requirements of the brief

(VCE VCD Study Design 2024-28, p. 39)

Evaluate design concepts

In this brief section, students prepare mock-ups or prototypes for one design concept for each communication need. The first step will be to evaluate their many design concepts and select the two to mock up for the pitch. Students place a copy of each mock-up in their folios and evaluate how effectively they have met the design criteria.

Mock-ups

A mock-up is a practice presentation board used to present design concepts during the pitch. Students create one mock-up per concept, for each communication need. Mock-ups should present concepts clearly so the audience can evaluate them and provide constructive feedback. Students should refer to their design criteria when constructing mock-ups to ensure ideas and information are communicated as intended. Medium-level fidelity is expected for pitch presentations.
A presentation board shows a rectangular wooden box mock-up with technical drawings, material samples, color options, and a diagram of logo placement and cable use. Materials include Radiata Pine and Cedar in natural hues.

Mock-up presentation 1. Cable organiser. Harry Tinker.

A mock-up of a blue Zenit Cable Organiser packaging design, shown as a flat net and assembled box, displayed on a store shelf. Colour swatches and codes for blue and yellow are included.

Mock-up presentation 2. Packaging. Harry Tinker.

Book mockup presentation showing a pastel color palette, typefaces, and a sample book layout. Includes images of the cover and internal pages for a book titled Plants of the Bellarine with floral illustrations.

Mock-up presentation 1. Nature book. Olivia Willsher.

A presentation showing a greenhouse design: on the left are an isometric sketch and technical drawing with dimensions; on the right are color-rendered 3D, front, and side views of the final tall greenhouse concept.

Mock-up presentation 2. Portable greenhouse. Olivia Willsher.

task

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2.1 Use convergent thinking to select concepts for pitch

Select and use a critical thinking strategy to examine your design concepts in detail against your design criteria and evaluate them so that you can select the preferred concept for each mock-up. Create separate A3 folio pages for each critical thinking routine you use. Flick back to the links for these techniques above to access them in detail.

2.2 Create mock-ups

Place your selected design concepts on a mock-up presentation for use in the pitch. Mock-ups can be created manually or use digital methods to combine components. Make one mock-up presentation for each communication need.

2.3 Annotate mock-ups

Copy each mock-up into a separate sheet and evaluate how effective they are for presenting ideas or information to audiences or users.

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Component 9

The pitch

In this section, students use a more formal collaborative technique called a ‘pitch’ to obtain constructive feedback on design concepts. This technique is a variation on the one professional designers, art directors, or chief designers use to propose design concepts to clients before production begins. Similarly, students in VCE VCD present and explain their developed design concepts to their class, where they receive feedback that they can use to further resolve and refine them. This somewhat daunting step is made simple with appropriate guidance and planning.

key knowledge

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What we will learn about
key knowledge points for this outcome
  • Techniques used to deliver a pitch to present and explain design concepts
  • The extent to which design concepts meet the requirements of the brief
  • Conceptions of good design
  • Legal and ethical obligations relevant to the designer's work
  • Appropriate design terminology

(VCE VCD Study Design 2024-28, p. 39)

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
  • devise and deliver a pitch that supports the presentation of one design concept for each communication need
  • apply practices that fulfil the designer’s ethical and legal obligations
  • use appropriate terminology to document the refinement and resolution of design concepts.

(VCE VCD Study Design 2024-28, p. 39)

Plan pitch

The Pitch is part of the assessment for the SAT. It is a formal way for students to present and explain their design concepts to the whole class. Teachers will plan the schedule and materials required for their students to present a pitch. They should emphasise that the pitch is not intended for students to explain their process, in a 'how did I do it?' session, but for them to explain their 'design thinking and decision making' (VCD Study Design 2024–28, p. 38). The outline shown in this section will give teachers an indication of how to prepare their students for the pitch.

Students prepare written and visual material to support them as they explain the design problem, the design thinking and design decisions that have enabled them to create a design concept that meets the needs of their target audience or users. The visual material comprises the mock-ups and other support material that will help students to explain how they have addressed the design criteria and conceptions of good design. Teachers may ask students to prepare feedback strategies, paper or digital forms, for their peers to record feedback. Alternatively, teachers may create these forms for their students.

Present pitch

Students will present the pitch to the class following their teacher's directions. Support materials for the pitch, such as mock-up concept boards or models, may be presented in real life or digitally by making a PDF file.

Students must present information that allows their peers to comment on:

  • The extent to which the design concepts satisfy the requirements of the brief
  • The incorporation of the students' conceptions of good design in each design concept

Please note: Teachers must provide a suitable method for students to record constructive quantitative and qualitative feedback on peers' concepts before conducting pitch presentations.

Feedback methods include paper forms or digital collaborative survey forms, which allow for data analysis.

Receive & incorporate feedback

Following the pitch presentations, students will receive feedback about the effectiveness of their designs. They should process and present the feedback showing how well their audiences felt their design concepts met their design criteria. This evidence will be used to inform decisions about how to refine the designs for each communication need. There are many ways to process and present feedback, but one safe strategy is to use a three-part model. In this, students highlight negatives, positives and make suggestions for improvements. Each of the following examples uses this model in slightly different ways.
A feedback sheet titled FEEDBACK – PITCH with evaluation criteria, scores, positive comments, and suggestions for two presentations. It’s decorated with purple flowers and green grass graphics in the bottom right corner.
This feedback presentation presents raw data from a Google Survey, positives then suggestions for improvement to designs. Billy Hose.
A scanned feedback sheet for a housing project, featuring color-coded feedback, lists of positives, negatives, and improvement suggestions. Decorative green leaves are at the corners of the page.

This summary of feedback shows the raw data, a summary of the positives and negatives then what needs to be improved. Raphael Nichols.

A feedback evaluation chart for a pitch presentation, displaying a color-coded table of raw data at the top, followed by separate sections listing 5 positives, 5 negatives, and a summary of steps for moving forward with the project design.

This evaluation of feedback shows the raw data, positives and negatives and then a comprehensive moving forward section. Olivia Willsher.

Legal and ethical obligations

Students must demonstrate an understanding of the legal obligations of designers when using any material that the students did not generate in their presentations. This includes but is not limited to images, typeface designs, text, colour swatches, patterns, etc. Each instance of non-original material must be referenced by placing the source beside the resource.

Further information on how to cite references can be found here.

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task

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3.1 Plan pitch

Follow your teacher’s directions on what to include in your written and visual material for your pitch presentation and how to provide it when required. Remember, it is not a ‘how I made it’ presentation, but a ‘why I made it’ one.

3.2 Present pitch, offer feedback

Take turns presenting your pitch. Be respectful of your classmates and listen carefully as they explain their designs. When asked, provide constructive feedback about their designs on the form your teacher provides.

3.3 Analyse and present feedback

Take the feedback you received and consider it carefully. Process the data, identify common trends and present it on separate A3 pages for the visual diary. Ways to summarise feedback include:

  • View, consider and present raw data
  • Synthesise five positives and five negatives from the feedback
  • Synthesise five areas that need improvement
  • Suggest five ways to achieve the improvements, referencing design criteria and conceptions of Good Design
3.4 Ethical & legal obligations
Ensure that any non-original material used in student presentations for the pitch is correctly acknowledged.
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Component 10

Further refinement

The final step for Unit 4, Outcome 1, is for students to use convergent thinking to further refine design concepts, taking into consideration the feedback they processed and presented after the pitch.

Refinement

Students act on the feedback they have processed and synthesised from the pitch. They should resolve and refine each concept by once again, losing themselves in the methods, media and materials, visual language and conventions they are using to evoke emotions or communicate ideas and information to audiences and users. This is the most exciting time, a time when students get to see the results of their work.
A design process board shows the development of a green watercolor logo, its placement on business cards, and accompanying text explaining design choices, use of clipping masks, and considerations for clarity and brand consistency.

Further refinement and resolution involve getting every detail of a design exactly right. This may entail going back and re-making certain components or just tweaking them over and over. Don’t forget to print your work at each stage of refinement. Alyssa Ngo.

A sheet with eight logo design variations for The Educational Space and The Educational Centre, each featuring outlined geometric buildings and different font styles and placements for the text.
A page with seven versions of a 3D text logo reading The Educational Centre in various black, white, and blue color schemes, along with handwritten notes evaluating aspects of the logo designs.
A design sheet displays various logo concepts for The Educational Space/Centre, combining text with geometric building outlines and colorful circular elements, along with handwritten notes analyzing different font and layout styles.
Three images of folio pages showing the progressive refinement and resolution of a logo design that complements the environmental design done for the student’s other presentation. Balin Speight.
Technical drawing of a rectangular cabinet with glass-paneled doors, shown in top, front, and right-side views. The right side features a triangular roof. Dimensions and scale information are noted.
Further refinement involves the resolution of conventions. Olivia Wilsher.
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task

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4.1 Refine design concepts
Refine and resolve each selected design concept carefully to ensure that it reflects the suggestions you made after processing the feedback from the pitch, and it fulfils the requirements of your design evaluation criteria. Print each version of refinement and place them on A3 pages for the visual diary.
White percent symbol (%) on a coral pink background.

assessment criteria

The criteria for assessment of the SAT is published annually under the title 'VCE Visual Communication Design: Administrative information for School-based assessment in (Year ...)'. It is usually published in February of the relevant year.

Click here to visit the VCAA VCD page where assessment and other information can be found.

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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