Visual Communication

It is always an honour to acknowledge the efforts of the current graduating year. The final year students of Visual Communication in 2011 have set a staggeringly high bar of achievement with their enquiring, challenging, and intelligent approach to graphic design practice. Their work, as evidenced in the following pages, demonstrates an independent and enquiring attitude to our discipline and all its component parts: typography, image, materiality, narrative, branding, colour, and above all, an ability to communicate. Wit and humour are employed alongside the sombre and business-like. The individual personalities of each young designer come to the fore. Their education has, since day one, stressed the importance of the person behind the design. How they calculate a design solution must be led by their own capacity to research, question and challenge a design brief; then marry their findings seamlessly with their own approach and independent skill set.

The studio is the most important component to a graphic designers education. It is where they learn from their mistakes; but more often where they taste phenomenal success. At Monash it is also where they learn to engage with others, speak the language of design, and where concept and context becomes a ruling component to their design thinking. For a discipline whose future is still embedded in a studio paradigm, preparing our graduates for this is imperative.

The strength of the Monash design education is reliant on the strength of its teaching staff, many of whom are drawn from the industry itself. We are incredibly grateful to the professionalism and creative abilities of our visiting lecturers; Paul Troon, Liz Cox, Dan Milne, Tamara Jordan, Jen Butler, Liana Luca-Pope, Niko Spelbrink, Pamela Salen, Robyn Robbins, Janet Mills, Wendy Ellerton, Neil Minott and Regina Newey. I would also like to welcome Ned Culic and Warren Taylor as full-time members of the Visual Communication staff after many years as sessional. Their expertise and unbridled enthusiasm is a fantastic addition to our small but dedicated team of Sarah Jones and Brad Haylock. I would also like to acknowledge the inspirational input of Karel Martens, internationally renowned typographer, who spent two weeks with us in July conducting classes with all levels of our undergraduate program.

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the designer of our catalogue, 2010 graduate Andrew Murray. He has worked tirelessly to create a publication that all within it can be truly proud of. This keen group of graduands is ready, eager and talented. I wish them every success in their future careers and look forward to proudly highlighting their success in years to come as great designers and Monash graduates.

Gene Bawden

Course Coordinator
Visual Communication