TPP. Blog Post Two. Colourful Units. MA Design for Art Direction application of Colour Theory to code the five units to ease way-finding for neurodivergent students.
Introduction.
This blog post will reflect upon the MA Design for Art Direction (MADAD) current practice of introducing numerical ordering and colour theory to code and identify the five units that make up the course. In addition, it will look at how this could be improved in the future.
Numerical Transformation.
Translation of units to numerical classifications. This occurred in 2020.
Before. After.
Critical Perspectives and Research Methods. Unit01: Critical Perspectives and Research Methods.
Defining Design for Art Direction. Unit02: Defining Design for Art Direction.
Collaborative Unit. Unit03: Collaborative Unit.
Specialist Practices. Unit04: Specialist Practices.
Final Major Project. Unit05: Final Major Project.
This simple classification proved to be a dramatic improvement for clarification. Students prefer to refer to the units as the abbreviated Unit01/02/03/04/05 than the full titles. In addition it provided a numerical timeline for their progression through the academic process. In March 2020 feedback from students on this confirmed a positive reception to the change.
MADAD Course Handbook, Course Diagram. (UAL, 2023).
Context.
MADAD consists of five overlapping units over a 15month academic period. Critical Perspectives and Research Methods, Defining Design for Art Direction, Collaborative Unit, Specialist Practices, and Final Major Project. That is 17 words to describe five units. An average of 90% of MADAD students are international whose first language is not English, and 29% of Art school students and staff are neurodivergent [1] (Freeman, C and Morris, B. 2022), compared with 15% of the population (Henley, R. Jordan, J. 2020). To enhance communication and clarity, we implemented two major changes to help code the units and the content within. One is a simple numerical order from one to five, and the second is colour coding with applied colour theory[2].
Colour Transformation.
In addition we have colour coded each unit, and integrated colour theory into the implementation of the pedagogy.
Unit01: Critical Perspectives and Research Methods. The Red Unit.
Unit02: Defining Design for Art Direction. The Blue Unit.
Unit03: Collaborative Unit. The Green Unit.
Unit04: Specialist Practices. The Pink Unit.
Unit05: Final Major Project. The Orange or Golden Unit.
MADAD Colour Theory Application.
Autumn Term. Spring Term. Summer Term.
Two primary colours. Two Territory colours. Metallic territory colour.
Colours are used in the practical communication wayfinding of the units, such as Moodle pages, course documents, and presentations. The students also prototype and make in these colours.
Examples.
Moodle Page GIFs. (Ferreria, B. Healy, L. and Hodgson, J.J. 2023).
Presentation coding. (Hodgson, J.J. 2024).
Reimagined Course Diagrams. (Hodgson, J.J. 2024).
Padlet Workshops. (Healy, L. and Hodgson, J.J. 2023).
Exhibition. Pink Exhibition. (MADAD WIP. 2023). Image by Carolina Yang.
Expert Interviews with Colleagues on MADAD.
‘It was a nightmare before.. the poor students had enough LCC acronyms and colloquialisms to contend with already, without us adding long titles to explain simple and important things. The new way is much better, it’s clear.’ (Healy, L. 2024).
Colour Conversation.
Each year through workshops, exercises and discussion the MADAD students define the meaning of these colours as a collective as we are aware that colours have different cultural meanings [3]. This investment in processing and applying a meaning helps build connections between the content and the students (Zwiers, J. Crawford, M. 2011).
Future developments
MADAD course is undergoing the revalidation process in 26/27. The course it is switching from a 15month model to a 12month model. During this process we will look to further refine names of units.
Option One. Option Two.
Unit01: Research. Unit01: The Red Unit.
Unit02: Manifestos. Unit02: The Blue Unit.
Unit03: Collaboration. Unit03: The Green Unit.
Unit04: Practice. Unit04: The Pink Unit.
Unit05: Final Project. Unit05: The Golden Unit.
Footnote.
[01]. Neurodiversity, sometimes abbreviated as ND, means having a style of neuro-cognitive function that diverges significantly from the dominant societal standards of normal. Neurodivergent people include people with Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADHD, Autism, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia OCD, or Tourette’s Syndrome.
According to the Achievability Westminster Commission.
[02]. Colour theory is a set of principles and guidelines that explain how colours interact and are used in art, design, and aesthetics. It covers topics like the colour wheel, colour harmony, temperature, contrast, and psychology. Understanding colour theory helps artists and designers create visually appealing compositions and evoke specific emotions or moods using colour.
[03]. Green in the Europe, can be positive, meaning go or associated with the environment. Green in South America can mean danger or hazard, as it can be associated with jungle.
Reference List.
Ferreria, B. Healy, L. and Hodgson, J.J. (2023). ‘MADAD Unit02: Defining Design for Art Direction Moodle Page’. Available at: https://moodle.arts.ac.uk/course/view . March 2024.
Freeman, C. and Morris, B. (2022). ‘Submission to the Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee Enquiry into the Impact of Covid-19 in DCMS Sectors’. Available at https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/6613/pdf/. Last Accessed 09th March 2024.
Healy, L. (2024). ‘Interview on Digital Delivery, with a MA Design for Art Direction Lecturer’. Interviewed by Jordan Jon Hodgson.
Healy, L. and Hodgson, J.J. (2023). ‘Responses to Blue’. Available at https://artslondon.padlet.org/lhealy16/responses-to-blue-djwbe75h5a1bfilx . Last Accessed 09th March 2024.
Henley, R. and Jordan, J. (2020). ‘Neurodiversity’. Available at https://www.local.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Neurodiversity%20Slides%20200920.pdf . Last Accessed 09th March 2024.
Hodgson, J.J. (2024). ‘Introduction to Unit03: Collaborative Unit’. UAL, London College of Communication. Unpublished presentation.
Pink Exhibition. MADAD WIP. (2023). Exhibited at Well Gallery, University of the Arts London, London College of Communication, London. Last Accessed 09th March 2024.
University of the Arts London. (2023). ‘MA Design for Art Direction Course Handbook’. University of the Arts London, London College of Communication, London.
Zwiers, J. and Crawford, M. (2011). ‘Academic Conversations, Classroom Talk that Fosters Critical Thinking and Content Understandings’. Available at https://accounts.taylorfrancis.com/identityv1/#/login?authorize=true&client_id=1e4a7127d79e837214ba643156e37f599d0c2cd15c69d1b2d31cdcf9ee2279d0&response_type=code&scope=mail&redirect_uri=https:%2F%2Fwww.taylorfrancis.com%2Flogin%2Fcallback&state=eyJjdXJyZW50VXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGF5bG9yZnJhbmNpcy5jb20vYm9va3MvbW9uby8xMC40MzI0Lzk3ODEwMzI2ODA1MTQvYWNhZGVtaWMtY29udmVyc2F0aW9ucy1qZWZmLXp3aWVycy1tYXJpZS1jcmF3Zm9yZCJ9&flow=&brand=ubx, Stenhouse Publishers; 1st edition (4 Nov. 2011). Last Accessed 09th March 2024.