GDE750 – Week 1

This week has been a whirlwind of information. I joined the webinar with Dan and honestly, the notes just kept coming. To stop myself from drowning in details, I have pulled everything together here — partly as a record for myself, partly to make sense of it all.

First Impressions

GDE750 is the Final Major Project for the MA in Graphic Design — the point where everything I have been building towards finally comes together. It runs for 24 weeks, is largely self directed, and it feels both exciting and daunting. The tutors are now “supervisors” rather than lecturers, which reinforces the idea that this module is more about independence and ownership.

Webinar Notes

Module Overview:

  • There are three assignments:
    1. Critical Report (30%)
    2. Studio Practice (60%)
    3. Research Journal / Blog (10%)
  • Support: three hours of one to one supervision across the module, plus webinars, peer learning, and resources through the Course Hub and library.
  • Focus: balance research with making, and keep both parts distinct (the report is reflective and theoretical, the studio practice is about creative production).
    • 1. Critical Report (30%)
    • 2. Studio Practice Document (60%)
    • 3. Research Journal/Blog (10%)

Key Deadlines & Timeline

  • Week 4 – Project Draft Summary (two pages and ethics form)
  • Week 8 to 11 – two minute case study presentation to an expert panel
  • Week 13 – Draft Critical Report (feedback after summer)
  • Week 23 – Final submission (Critical Report and Studio Practice + BLOG)
    • FRIDAY 4TH DECEMBER 2025

Project Components

1. Project Draft Summary (Week 4)

  • 1x A4 page: Project proposal with research question, context, aims, and written submission type
  • 1x A4 page: Critical path / Gantt chart (timeline, logistics, resources)
  • Ethical review form and draft consent form

2. Critical Report (30%)

  • Reflective and theoretical
  • Not a discussion of your creative work
  • Avoid overlap with studio practice

3. Studio Practice (60%)

  • The making and doing
  • Creative response to the research question

4. Journal / Blog (10%)

  • Digital sketchbook
  • Weekly updates recommended
  • Use any platform (Notion recommended)

Learning Outcomes (Summarised)

  • Learning Outcomes
  • The module expects me to:
  • Contextualise: frame work socially, politically, historically.
  • Evaluate: analyse and critique research.
  • Imagine: push ideas and take risks.
  • Plan and Make: test, prototype, refine.
  • Design: deliver clear, strategic outcomes.
  • Communicate: adapt for different audiences.
  • Manage: organise time, resources, and project flow.

Support & Resources

  • Supervisors: 3 hours total tutorials must be pre-booked
  • Student Advisors: studentadvisor@falmouth.ac.uk
  • Webinars: Not weekly; check the calendar.
  • Padlet/Ideas Wall: Weekly updates encouraged- Peer Learning: Strongly encouraged (Teams/Discord/Slack)
  • Resources:
  • Course Hub: Guest lecture archive
  • UN Sustainable Development Goals
  • Unschool toolkit
  • Falmouth Library (Talis, Sarah Pink, ethics)

Project Guidance

  • Pick a subject you’re genuinely interested in
  • Projects can be academic, commercial, community-oriented, or personal
  • Don’t worry about the final outcome early – focus on the research area
  • Consider your audience, methods, and position as a designer

Grade Expectations

  • Average grades are typically lower for this module
  • Distinction is rare (70% in GDE750 and 65% average overall)
  • Focus on project quality over chasing grades

Unit Audit

Reflecting on previous modules helps me see where I am starting from:

  • GDE710: Experimental, expressive, lots of self discovery. I made the silly mistake of applying for an extension, only to submit a day early anyway. Lesson learnt.
  • GDE720: Heavily research driven, with rich historical and contextual thinking. I struggled with ideas at first, but eventually typography and language became my focus.
  • GDE730: My favourite unit. I thrived in tutorials, had time to develop ideas, and loved working through a business plan as if it were real.
  • GDE740: A mixed bag. The self initiated project hit at the same time as creative burnout, so my outcomes were poor. But the industry brief reignited my love for design.

Closing Thoughts

Starting GDE750 feels like opening the final chapter. It is daunting, but also energising. If the earlier modules taught me anything, it is that my best work happens when I am immersed in a theme I care about — and for me, that continues to be dialect, typography, and cultural identity.

This week has been all about absorbing information, but from here the focus shifts to planning, refining, and setting a clear direction for the months ahead.

TUNE OF THE WEEK

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