Bachelor of Design specialising in Marketing and Communication Design

Modern-day marketers integrate the principles of marketing with technology to communicate messages in a rapidly changing environment.

The Marketing and Communication specialisation offers students an integrated approach to the traditional marketing principles in: Marketing strategy and analysis, consumer behaviour, integrated marketing communications, trends and segmentation, economics, organisational and global communication, public relations, advertising, brand management and sales and distribution and combines this with innovative design thinking and design fundamentals.

Graduates will be able to tackle all aspects of marketing management, strategies and implementation and combine this with a thorough understanding of the theoretical concepts and implications of design conventions applied to professional design practice.

• Consumables cost 1st year (+-R1000) **estimates only
• Continuous project-based assessment
• Digital and print portfolio submissions in 2nd and 3rd year
• Final years graduate in December
• Degree candidates can go on to apply for postgraduate studies pending they meet the application and entrance requirements of the relevant Institution.
• Our programmes are quality assured and standardised across all Inscape campuses nationally.
• You can enrol for our Bachelor of Design programme at any campus to complete your 1st year.
• Students who are accepted into certain degree specialisation programmes might be required to complete their 2nd and 3rd-year studies at another specialised Inscape campus.

What is included in the course

• MacBook * optional
• Wacom tablet
• Software licenses (as per programme requirements)
• Prescribed textbooks
• 1st-year preliminary art equipment
• Online library subscription
• Digital study guides and courseware
• Internet connectivity

Excluded

• Monthly consumables
• Digital camera

Course Information Year 1

FUNDAMENTAL DESIGN 1st year – DESIGN SKILLS

• Developing fundamental design skills to create design savvy, critical thinkers.
• Developing foundational Drawing Skills, Basic Material and Manufacturing awareness, Digital Image Making, Communication, Software and Leadership skills to create well-rounded designers fit for any design industry.
• Developing an awareness of the integrated nature of design, advancing the unique thinking of our students.
• Introducing an appreciation for Design History.
• Establishing fundamental building blocks for creative problem-solving.

Course Information Year 2

DISCIPLINE-SPECIFIC 2nd year – DESIGN KNOWLEDGE

• Discipline Specific knowledge will be developed through the study of the advancement and use of communication and media in society. Studies in the social, political, economic and the technological role of communication will equip the marketing and communication designer in their practical exposure to digital design fundamentals. Further topics such as consumer and buying behaviour, integrated marketing and communication media studies will also be covered.
• Applying theory to practice through progressive organisational and global communication skills will set the marketing and communication designer apart from their peers. Public relations, marketing principles, business law, market research and analysis, media planning, brand management and digital marketing are a few of the major topics covered.
• Advancing software skills and technical knowledge through data visualisation software programmes that help to promote strong visual messages and includes developing data analysis techniques.
• Developing an understanding of the business of design by addressing marketing philosophy topics such as Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology.

Course Information Year 3

SPECIALISATION 3rd year – DESIGN STYLE

• Developing a signature marketing design style by exploring marketing management models, ideas and innovation implementations through critical and innovative thinking.
• Developing advanced knowledge and expert skills in international marketing, sales and distribution management, service marketing and advertising. Communication management is a key factor in acquiring publicity, marketing and industry practice skills.
• Awareness of the latest design technologies and innovations through practice in analytical based software programmes.
• Developing an understanding of the guidelines and principles involved in running a design business. Promoting business vision, mission and values give graduates the confidence and ‘know-how’ to start their own design initiatives based on a foundational knowledge of strategic development, marketing strategies, the importance of branding and managing finances.

More about the bachelor of Design Degree (B.DES)

This three-year full-time qualification produces professional designers equipped for a rewarding career in design. Students qualifying can practise as junior designers or study towards an Honours Degree. As this qualification is universal, it applies to a variety of design disciplines, including fashion design, interior design, graphic design, multimedia design, jewellery design, industrial design, product design, spatial design, design research, design writing and design for the environment.

Traditionally, the various fields within design and design education have been separated. Public and private Higher Education schools have offered all sorts of qualifications. Our Bachelor of Design qualification aligns industry standards and educates designers following common guidelines. It also implements the long-awaited minimum standards for designers of all disciplines.

Design is globally recognised as a profession. Worldwide, designers are required to have at least a three-year qualification. Inscape offers the Bachelor of Design Degree with common competencies and specialisations through elective subjects.

The first year of the Bachelor of Design provides a foundation in design thinking, constructs and visual communication, photography, material studies, image making and design history, communication studies, leadership and unique thinking and software include basics in Adobe products. We love that our students learn alongside aspiring designers of other disciplines. This kind of exposure blows a student’s design perspective wide open and teaches relevance and appropriateness in terms of design solutions within the business world.

At the end of the first year, students are required to select their chosen stream as a specialisation of their future career choice. Our students love the fact that they have a full year to become fully entrenched in the world of design. They attest to the fact that when they make their final decision regarding a chosen specialisation that they do so with confidence and fully informed.

Second and third year are intense. Each specialisation stream is packed with knowledge and technical skill required of the respective discipline. Our students, however, are well prepared in the first year and enter into the senior years equipped with the ability to think critically and apply themselves effectively. Our success rates are a testimony to the fact that our unique approach to teaching design, works.