Course detail

Visual Communication

FSI-YVC-AAcad. year: 2025/2026

1. In lectures and workshops, the student will gain an orientation in the theory and practice of visual communication design and will acquire basic skills in creating visual communication.
2. Emphasis is placed on the analytical processing of assignments, on independence and a creative approach to solving tasks and on the design qualities of project and task processing.
3. The course in the study program complements the main 3D workshops of industrial design with the 2D design, ie work with type, symbol and image, which is an integral part of a comprehensive portfolio of industrial designers.

Language of instruction

English

Number of ECTS credits

4

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. Ing. arch. Jan Rajlich

Department

Institute of Machine and Industrial Design (ÚK)

Entry knowledge

Drawing skills, pencil and pen drawing, stylization, perspective.
Knowledge of art composition and theory and practice of working with colors.
Basic knowledge of the theory and practical use of Latin (Roman) type in typography.
Knowledge of graphic programs (CorelDraw, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Indesign, etc.).

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

Acquiring credit is conditioned by attendance at lectures, attending the required consultations, submission of all given tasks and projects in the whole range of assignment in sufficient quality of elaboration and oral defense of projects and tasks.
The exam includes an assessment of studio work (max. 75 points, min. 38 points) and a written test (max. 25 points, min. 13 points). 
To successfully complete the course, it is necessary to obtain at least half of the maximum number of points in both parts (36+13).
The course is evaluated with the ECTS Evaluation Degrees.


Lectures: participation is recommended and controlled by the teacher.
Exercises (studios): participation is mandatory and controlled by the teacher

Aims

Graduates will understand the history, theory and techniques of visual communication design, and practical challenges of working with typeface, symbol, color and composition in designing visual communications.
- Orientation in the history and theory of visual communications design
- Ability to apply design of visual communications in the field of corporate design (unified visual style)
- Visual communications design applications in business service graphics (corporate printed materials, stationery, forms, etc.)
- Visual communications design in information, orientation, and operational graphics, ie. especially in connection with industrial design

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

BRINGHURST, Robert. The elements of typographic style. 3rd ed. Point Roberts: Hartley & Marks, 2004, 382 s. ISBN 0-88179-206-3. (EN)
MEGGS, Philip B. a Alston W. PURVIS. Meggs' history of graphic design. 5th ed. Hoboken: John Wiley, 2012, 603 s. ISBN 978-0-470-16873-8. (EN)
RENDGEN, Sandra, WIEDEMANN, Julius. Information graphics. Taschen, 2012, 480 s., ISBN 978-3-8365-2879-5. (EN)

Recommended reading

DREYFUSS, H.: Symbol Sourcebook: An Authoritative Guide to International Graphic Symbols. Wiley, 1984, 288 s. ISBN 0471288721 (EN)
FIELL, Charlotte a Peter. Graphic Design for the 21st Century. Köln: Taschen, 2003, 640 s., ISBN 3-8228-1605-1. (EN)
MÜLLER-BROCKMANN, Josef. Grid systems in graphic design: a visual communication manual for graphic designers, typographers and three dimensional designers = Rastersysteme für die visuelle Gestaltung. 8th ed. Zürich: Niggli, 2012, 176 s. ISBN 978-3-7212-0145-1. (EN)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme N-PDS-P Master's 1 year of study, winter semester, compulsory
  • Programme B-VKP-P Bachelor's 3 year of study, winter semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

13 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. arch. Jan Rajlich

Syllabus

- Introduction to visual communications and to the design of visual communications (DVC) – basic terms, graphic design and the DVC, fields of the DVC, role and meaning of the DVC).
- Typeface and typography – overview of the development of visual communication and typeface, terminology, categories of Latin typefaces, typeface in the DVC, typography.
- Symbol, logotype and a trademark – history of symbol, terminology, creation of symbol, law aspects, applied semiology.
- Corporate identity programme – history, the CIP in a corporation and in advertising, the creation of CIP and its use, design manual, advertising campaign.
- Publicity design – history, means of publicity design: poster, leaflet, watermark, prospectus, advertisement, catalogue, publicity design in architecture – neon, big sized advertising, signmaking, etc.
- Fields of the DVC in industry and environment – operational graphics, information design and orientation graphics, service graphics, packaging and exhibition graphics.
- A brief survey of the DVC in the 19th and the 20th centuries – epochs, styles, schools, personalities.

Studio work

39 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. arch. Jan Rajlich

Syllabus

- The main project of the semester of the DVC, e.g. “Corporate Identity Programme” in two parts.
Example No. 1: “The CIP of an event: trade fair, exhibition, conference, workshop, competition, etc.” 1st part – symbol, colours, typeface choice. 2nd part – the CIP application: poster size A1, tickets, invitation card, programme, web presentation etc.
Example No. 2: “The CIP of a firm.” The 1st part – trademark, corporate colours, corporate typeface (written analysis of the topics of the assigned project, documentation on similar topics, draft drawings and sketches of the 1st part, alternative designs, final design, accompanying report). The 2nd part – the CIP application: service graphics, cars, web design etc. including the concept of the design manual lay-out. Working on the 2nd part (the complete semester project including all the attachments: written and pictorial analysis, written accompanying report, sketches, alternative designs, drawings of final designs, design manual, digital archive)
- Additional (short-term) tasks during the semester – assignments in the field of DVC in the range of 2-4 weeks, designed and completed along with the main semester task. (Examples: New Year's card, programme, poster, leaflet, advertisement, operating instructions manual, calendar, product label, product controllers, website, brochure, optical illusion, ambigram, comics, etc.
- Elaboration of the presentation of visual communication design personalities
- An excursion may be included: visit to a graphic studio, exhibition, fair, etc.
- Oral defense of the DVC workshop work.