OVERVIEW

The Product Graphics Thematic Laboratory of the Bachelor's Degree Course in Product and Communication Design at Unige explores graphic design as a discipline for conceiving, controlling, and shaping visual identity.

The course introduces methodologies for the critical analysis of identity image systems and provides the theoretical and technical-methodological knowledge needed to develop visual projects.

AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The workshop aims to delve into graphics as a tool for understanding and controlling image-formation processes, thereby providing students with opportunities to develop and consolidate visual ideation and design methodologies. Case studies applied to the visual communication sector will address themes related to industry tools and terminology, the visual value of text, the narrative power of visuals, brand identity, positioning strategies, and the critical analysis of advertising, while also developing design experimentation.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The Laboratory aims to equip students with the foundational methodological, theoretical and critical skills required for designing product-applied visual identity systems. The educational path seeks to consolidate the design process by structuring it through objective effectiveness metrics. Teaching activities focus on the balance between analytical-critical skills and the culture of design.

At the end of the course, students will have acquired a critical and methodological mindset that will enable them to not only produce cohesive graphic artifacts, but also to verbally justify and articulate their design choices.

PREREQUISITES

Students must possess knowledge of both analog and digital drawing for the ideation phase and project development.

The use of software for page layout, as well as image production and post-production, is essential for carrying out the course activities.

A foundational knowledge of the history of Graphic Design is also important.

TEACHING METHODS

Teaching activities alternate between lectures, design phases, and guided exercises. Depending on the complexity of the exam topics, these exercises may be carried out individually or within small groups.

Given the Laboratory-based nature of the course, continuous dialogue between students and faculty is considered essential. Therefore, while classroom attendance is not mandatory, it is strongly recommended.

Students with valid certifications for Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD/DSA), disabilities, or other special educational needs must contact both the Course Professor and the relevant area inclusion representative at the beginning of the course. This will allow them to arrange any teaching accommodations that, while respecting the learning objectives of the course, take individual learning needs into account.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The workshop will cover the following topics:

Visual identity systems

Historical references and cultural trends

Communication theory and languages

Regulatory and operational tools

Application areas of visual identity

Visual communication and new media

Techniques for creating animated logos

The syllabus may be subject to changes and additions should it become necessary to explore specific project themes in greater depth or to adapt the teaching path to the learning needs of the class. Any modifications will be adequately communicated.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bibliography: Thematic Laboratory in Graphic Design

During the lectures, the bibliography will be presented and texts useful for studying specific topics will be recommended.

Image, Design, and Photography

• Pinotti, A. (2024) Il primo libro di teoria dell’immagine [The First Book of Image Theory]. Torino: Einaudi.
  The volume explores the pervasive presence of images in our daily lives, offering a critical approach to understanding them through various disciplines such as semiotics, psychology, and philosophy, including new media.
• Strzeminski, W. (2023) Teoria del vedere. Sulla creazione dell’immagine [Theory of Seeing: On the Creation of the Image]. Milano: Il Saggiatore.
  The volume collects the reflections of Władysław Strzemiński on the mechanisms of visual perception and image production, exploring the history of art and inviting a conscious observation of reality.
• Pinotti, A. (2021) Alla soglia dell’immagine. Da Narciso alla realtà virtuale [At the Threshold of the Image: From Narcissus to Virtual Reality]. Torino: Einaudi.
  The volume explores the human desire to enter into the image, from ancient mythology to modern VR technologies, analyzing the relationship between reality and representation through history and art.
• Mitchell, W.J.T. (2018) Scienza delle immagini. Iconologia, cultura visuale ed estetica dei media [Image Science: Iconology, Visual Culture, and Media Aesthetics]. Milano: Johan & Levi.
  The volume collects sixteen essays by W.J.T. Mitchell, exploring visual culture, media aesthetics, and semiotics. The author analyzes the role of images in culture, from cinema to biocybernetics.
• Mitchell, W.J.T. (2017) Pictorial turn. Saggi di cultura visuale [Pictorial Turn: Essays on Visual Culture], edited by Cometa M. and Cammarata V. Milano: Raffaello Cortina Editore.
  The volume collects essays by Mitchell on the "pictorial turn" that places the study of images on the same level as language. It introduces concepts such as image/picture, metapicture, and biopicture, exploring their social and cognitive influence.
• Munari, B. (2017) Design e comunicazione visiva [Design and Visual Communication]. Roma-Bari: Laterza.
  The volume explores visual communication as a universal language, analyzing graphics, the role of designers, and their creative logic through a manual illustrating the principles and techniques of design.
• Pinotti, A., Somaini, A. (2016) Cultura Visuale. Immagini, sguardi, media, dispositivi [Visual Culture: Images, Gazes, Media, Apparatuses]. Torino: Einaudi.
  The volume explores the evolution of "visual culture," analyzing how new digital technologies have transformed images and visual perception. It examines theories and methodologies for studying images from cultural, social, and historical perspectives.
• Monguzzi, B. (2011) Cinquant’anni di carta 1961-2011 [Fifty Years of Paper 1961-2011]. Milano: Skira.
  The volume retraces the career of Swiss graphic designer Bruno Monguzzi through posters, catalogs, and sketches, exploring his professional evolution from 1961 to the present. The catalog includes contributions from experts and reflects the impact of his international graphic work.
• Spera, M. (2005) Abecedario del grafico (La progettazione tra creatività e scienza) [The Graphic Designer's ABCs: Design Between Creativity and Science]. Roma: Gangemi Editore.
  The volume collects Michele Spera's lectures on graphics, creativity, and science, exploring topics such as grids and layouts, enriched by over 2,000 images and projects by the author.
• Baroni, D., Vitta, M. (2003) Storia del design grafico [History of Graphic Design]. Milano: Longanesi.
  The volume explores the evolution of graphic communication, from the birth of the post-impressionist poster to the digital revolution, analyzing photography, corporate, institutional, and advertising graphics.
• Barthes, R. (2003) La camera chiara [Camera Lucida]. Torino: Einaudi.
  The text explores photography as a perceptual and temporal phenomenon through a series of emblematic cases.
• Sturken, M., Cartwright, L. (2001) Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture. New York: Oxford University Press.
  The volume offers an overview of visual culture, exploring how images influence communication and daily life. It analyzes visual theories with a focus on media, politics, and culture, including examples and illustrations to apply theory practically.
• Gilardi, A. (2000) Storia sociale della fotografia [A Social History of Photography]. Milano: Bruno Mondadori.
  The text explores the evolution of photography with dictionaries, inventories, and a significant bibliography.
• Klein, N. (2000) No Logo. New York: Picador.
  The volume examines the use of images in branding, analyzing how they can reinforce or challenge stereotypes related to minorities and social groups, thereby influencing cultural perceptions and representations.
• Evans, J., Hall, S. (1999) Visual Culture: The Reader. London: SAGE Publications.
  The volume brings together essays on the influence of images on cultural and social identities, offering an in-depth overview of visual culture and its impact on collective perceptions.
• Hall, S. (1997) Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. London: SAGE.
  The volume analyzes how images contribute to the construction of social and cultural identities, exploring themes related to the representation of gender and minorities, and their impact on collective perceptions.
• Newhall, B. (1997) Storia della fotografia [History of Photography]. Torino: Einaudi.
  The volume features 452 pages with black-and-white photographs, cloth-bound editorial binding, and a dust jacket.
• Massironi, M. (1989) Comunicare per immagini. Introduzione alla geometria delle apparenze [Communicating via Images: An Introduction to the Geometry of Appearances]. Bologna: Il Mulino.
  The volume analyzes the principles and techniques of visual communication, exploring how images convey meaning through perceptual, iconographic, and stylistic elements.
• Calabrese, O. (1987) L’età neobarocca [The Neo-Baroque Age]. Roma: Laterza.
  The volume examines contemporary visual aesthetics through the concept of the Neo-Baroque, analyzing its influence on image culture and design, highlighting its impact on modern artistic expressions.
• Mitchell, W.J.T. (1986) Iconology: Image, Text, Ideology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  The volume explores the relationship between image and text, investigating how images are used ideologically within culture to influence perceptions, narratives, and social values.
• Barthes, R. (1980) La camera chiara: Nota sulla fotografia [Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography]. Torino: Einaudi. PDF available online for free.
  The volume offers a semiotic exploration of the photographic image, distinguishing between the emotional and cultural meanings of photographs, and analyzing how these meanings affect visual perception.
• Berger, J. (1972) Questione di sguardi [Ways of Seeing]. Torino: Bollati Boringhieri.
  This classic text explores the influence of the image on perception and social dynamics, analyzing how images alter our way of seeing and interpreting reality.
• Eco, U. (1964) Apocalittici e integrati [Apocalypse Postponed / Apocalypse and the Integrated]. Milano: Bompiani.
  In this volume, Eco explores the influence of media and images on society, offering a critical view of visual and mass-media culture and its impact on social and cultural dynamics.
• Panofsky, E. (1961) La prospettiva come forma simbolica [Perspective as Symbolic Form]. Firenze: Sansoni.
  The volume analyzes perspective as a symbolic convention in visual representation, exploring its fundamental role in understanding and interpreting images within different cultural contexts.
• Gombrich, E.H. (1960) Arte e illusione [Art and Illusion]. Torino: Bollati Boringhieri.
  The volume analyzes the perception of images, exploring how visual illusion is created in the figurative arts and how this influences our interpretation and understanding of the artwork.
• Arnheim, R. (1956) Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye. Berkeley: University of California Press. PDF available online for free.
  The volume offers a psychological analysis of the perception of visual arts, providing tools to understand how people interpret images and how visual composition affects their perception.

Layout

• Gilbert, R. M. (2019) Inclusive Design for a Digital World: Designing with Accessibility in Mind. New York: Apress. PDF available online for free.
  Edited by Regine Gilbert, this volume explores inclusive design to make digital products accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities, offering practical solutions in line with WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
• Voelker, U. (2019) Structuring Design: Graphic Grids in Theory and Practice. Sulgen: Niggli.
  The volume provides an analytical and practical approach to using grid systems in typography and page layout, showcasing how strict structures can lead to flexible design solutions.
  

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Classes will begin on Tuesday, September 22nd at 9:30 AM.

Any changes will be promptly communicated through AulaWeb.

Students are therefore urged to access the Laboratory's AulaEwb page to enroll in the course and ensure they receive all updates and announcements.

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

The examination consists of presenting the design projects developed during the Laboratory.
Depending on the progression of the course, mid-term assessments and a final test may also be administered to support the evaluation of individual skills. Any additional tests dynamic to the final Laboratory presentation will be promptly announced.

Laboratory (Laboratorio di Disegno, 1st year) and the Product Graphic Design Laboratori (Laboratorio di Grafica per il Prodotto, 2nd year). In this regard, please note that courses are considered passed, and their respective credits recognized, only after they have been formally recorded and registered in the student’s academic career record.

Finally, please remember that to sit for the exam, it is mandatory to sign up for the sessions through the "Exam Reservation" (Prenotazione Esami) section within the UniGe Online Services.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

The assessment of learning outcomes is based on the presentation of the project(s) carried out during the Lorkshop.

The evaluation focuses on the student's capacity for critical analysis of design problems, the reflective skills necessary for concept definition, and the methodological development of the design process.

Specifically, the following will be evaluated:

- quality of the graphic design deliverables: completeness, clarity, and overall effectiveness;

- quality of the graphic presentation: structure of the presentation, informational efficiency, and visual impact supporting the oral defense;

- quality of the oral presentation: delivery, appropriate use of discipline-specific terminology, and the ability to engage in critical reasoning regarding the assigned topic.