PLEASE NOTE: All CMIT modules have now been withdrawn,
and are unavailable for the 2010/11 academic year
These web pages and lecture notes are left as reference for those students
requiring CMIT modules to complete their programme only, and are not an
indication of modules currently offered.
Graphics I
Essay Titles
Choose one essay from the list below if you are taking the module for 15 credits (MIT3109) or two essays for 20 credits (MIT3209).
All essays must be presented with a bibliography of the material that you have read in preparation for the essay - the essay mark will be affected if it is absent!
- Use the module bibliography as a starting point for your reading.
Be aware of the rules against plagiarism. Refer to the student handbook for the section on plagiarism and read the guide to presenting essays. There are severe penalties if you plagiarise!
Essays should be about 2,000 words, excluding bibliography and notes. Essays can be longer if you wish provided what you write is relevant and pithy. There are no extra marks just for extra words.
Some essay titles are probably easier to attempt after completing the Graphics 2 module.
- What are the limitations to the information that pictograms can be used to convey?
- Examine the implications of colour blindness in graphic design. (Graphics 2)
- Compare the role of images of men and women in an area of graphic design. (Graphics 2)
- How important is the typography of a printed advertisement compared to the copy and illustrations? (Graphics 2)
- The designer Charles Voysey wrote in 1893 'To be simple is the end, not the beginning, of design'. What did Voysey mean, and is it true in today's multimedia world?
- Provide an analysis of the contribution that the study of the mind and brain might bring to the field of graphic design.
- 'A badly designed sign is worse than no sign at all!' Examine some examples of unsuccessful signs and analyse their problems.
- Our high streets and city centres are dominated by national and international retailers. Examine the differences and similarities of their brand designs. (Graphics 2)
- Some company logos remain virtually unchanged for decades, other organisations change their branding on a regular basis. What factors are involved in the longevity or otherwise of a logo design? (Graphics 2)
- We use computers in graphic design in the same way as pens, stencils and straight-edges were used in the past. But could a computer exhibit creativity itself, besides the input of programmers and operators?
- Are 'generic cities' an invevitable result of successful logo and brand design? (Graphics 2)
- Discuss the contribution of Logical Positivism and its exponents to the history of graphic design.
- Examine the role of design in facilitating globalisation. (Graphics 2)