A NOVEL APPROACH TO GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION EDUCATION

Abstract

Working as educators for future graphic communications experts we have to have two things in mind: how to prepare students for the real market opportunities and how to make their portfolios better. Scientific pedagogical approach was taken to do so and it is based on simulating a real-world environment: working with real world companies on real life examples, organizing students into advertising agencies where everybody has its predefined role, working in steps and competing with others. First step in our process is to divide all participants into teams of five. Each member of a team can choose his or her role: leader, designer, copywriter, speaker or technician. These roles were determined by studying different types of modern creative environments. Next step is team-building. Team has to begin working together and the final results of this cooperation is team's identity (name, logo). First real life assignment is done with a help of real advertising agency. We invite an art director to present a brief of a real order which every group will be working on for six weeks. Each week teams get live feedback from the agency. The assignment that follows in the next six weeks is done directly for the customer. This is possible because of the experience students get when working for/with advertising agency. The final step is organizing an event, a public exhibition of work that was done in the semester. The developed process prepares our students for the job hunting. In the paper, we explain which are the most important steps and approaches a modern educator should take to prepare their students for the real life. Results are presented as an analysis of final works, employees, co-operators and other experts in the process.