The purpose of Presentation formats is to organise and structure one or more presentation drawings for a Design Critique, Pitch or Final Presentation of a design solution. Presentation drawings in Visual Communication Design can be made at different stages of the Design Process. Students may be asked to present their ideas or design concepts for a Design Critique. In Unit 4 students are required to present design concepts to their class in a Pitch. Presentation drawings made during the design process include low-fi prototypes and printed materials. Presentation formats made at the end of the Delivery phase include high-fi prototypes.

Final presentations are the realisation of the Design Process. They are the endpoint for students and the means for them to demonstrate their skill in satisfying a brief; its constraints include the purpose, context, functional and aesthetic considerations and the application of Design Elements and Principles, materials, methods and media, relevant technical and/ or stylistic conventions and technical processes.

Presentation formats made at Junior and Middle secondary school are typically composed of a single design or presentation drawing. A rendered isometric drawing or a logo printed on paper are examples of simple presentations. As students progress through Senior secondary towards VCE, their presentation formats will become more complex and grow to involve multiple components. A branding presentation, for example, may include logos in context, a style guide, typography and colour usage information on a large format sheet. Final presentation formats for senior students working in the fields of Objects or Environmental design may also be multi-sheet presentations that include two and three-dimensional illustrations, technical drawings or models. Students in Units 3 and 4 also need to be aware of the correct ways to label their presentations.

Students are not required to make functional prototypes in Visual Communication Design.  This means that if they are designing a machine, they are not required to build a working device. However, students are required to communicate their design ideas effectively. A mock-up is a representation of a design. A mock-up can be a digital print of a brochure or poster, a three-dimensional print of an Object design, a printed and folded package design, large format printed plans and elevations of environmental design or a partially operational website with limited functionality. The purpose of a mock-up is to provide the viewer (the client or assessor) with the experience of seeing, reading, holding or using the student’s design. As such, the student is expected to use selected Design Elements and Principles of design, choose and apply methods, and media and use or indicate materials that would be used in the real functioning design. The mock-up will also reveal the student’s application of technical, stylistic and typographic conventions and ways to engage audiences or users. Finally, when students prepare print mock-ups they will be expected to demonstrate competence in pre-press techniques including image size and file management. All of these factors demonstrate the student’s use of visual language, which is paramount in visual communication.