Detailed Syllabus for Creative Ability

This course delves into the core elements and principles of visual communication and design. Students will learn to craft compelling visuals for a wide range of applications, from traditional print media to digital platforms. The syllabus is divided into two primary sections: 

Main Categories

1. Visual Communications

   • Engage with visual elements like posters, logos, and more, focusing on communication and brand representation.

2. Creative Fundamentals

   • Dive into essential artistic principles such as drawing techniques and color psychology to enhance creativity.

Full OPUS Syllabus in attachement at the end of article

Section 1: Visual Communications

This section focuses on applying design principles to real-world projects across various media.

• Compositions (including urban-scapes and landscapes): Explores the arrangement of visual elements within a frame.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Imagine waiting for a bus, facing a street with buildings of different heights. There are cabs, people crossing, and two distant skyscrapers. Draw this cityscape.
    • Visualize three houses with gable roofs on a street corner, with people sitting in front. The narrow street has pedestrians and cyclists, and houses line both sides. Draw and shade this scene.

   

• Posters: Students learn to design posters for promotion and communication, utilizing both text and graphics effectively.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Design a poster to express sympathy for victims in Ukraine.
    • Create a poster using creative typography to convey the message "Good Vibes Only".
    • Design a poster on "Woman Empowerment" using only a single illustration.

   

• Stamps: This module covers the design of postage stamps, incorporating key elements like denomination and imagery.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Design postage stamps for New York, Qatar, and Shanghai.
    • Create two postage stamps focused on saving an endangered animal.
    • Design a postage stamp promoting Religious Harmony.

   

• Visiting Cards: Students learn to design professional visiting cards for various professions, conveying essential information concisely.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Design visiting cards for the following professions: Lawyer, Sports Person, Chartered Accountant, and Pilot.

   

• Banners: This topic covers banner design for marketing, events, and public awareness campaigns.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Design banners for: Back to School Promotion, Flash Sale of Clothes with 50% off, Learning while having fun, and Digital Design Webinar.

   

• Hoardings: Students learn to design large-scale hoardings for advertising and branding purposes.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Design a hoarding for "2-3 BHK Luxurious Homes".
    • Create a hoarding for a Food Restaurant.
    • Design a hoarding for "Suits Logue - Suits, Blazers & Accessories".

   

• Tickets: This module focuses on redesigning existing tickets for various purposes, considering functionality and aesthetics.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Redesign an existing Movie ticket.
    • Redesign an existing Water Park ticket.
    • Redesign an existing Government Bus ticket.

   

• Book Covers: Students learn to design book covers that visually represent the book's genre and content, creating an impactful first impression.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Design book covers for the following themes: Drama, Fantasy, Romance, and Thriller.

   

• Greeting Cards: This topic covers designing greeting cards for various occasions, utilizing imagery and typography to convey specific sentiments.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Create a greeting card celebrating the "Festival of Light".
    • Design a greeting card for "Happy Mothers Day".
    • Create a high five greeting card for a graduating student.

   

• Standee Boards: Students learn to design stand-alone advertising displays for events, products, or companies.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Create a standee board for a Design Seminar with relevant information.
    • Design a standee board for a popular chips company, featuring a main character occupying 70% of the design.
    • Create a standee board showcasing the modern annual report of a company for a specific financial year.

   

• Mascot Design: Students will explore the creation of mascots representing brands, teams, or organizations.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Design mascots for these themes: "Monstery" for gaming, "Hummingbird" for digital tech, and "White Spawn" for an esports team.

   

• Sequence Drawing (Storyboarding): This module introduces the concept of visual storytelling through a sequence of images.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Depict the opening of a bottle cap in five steps.
    • Illustrate the combing of a lady's hair in five steps.
    • Create a storyboard on the theme "All about me".
    • Develop a storyboard beginning with the first frame: "A Child playing underneath a tree".

   

• Product Design: Students learn to design and develop innovative product solutions for specific user needs and market demands.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Design a utility bag for a female reporter.
    • Create a multipurpose pen for a soldier.
    • Design a keyboard specifically for gamers.
    • Address the issue of bathroom clutter and slipperiness by designing a solution for organizing shower essentials.
    • Considering student comfort and posture, design affordable furniture for primary government schools.

   

• Character Design: This topic explores the development of fictional characters for various media, including their appearance, personality, and backstory.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Design characters for the following themes: Sci-Fi movie, Spy thriller set in the 1920s, Post-Armageddon survivor, and Space Pirate.

   

• Icon and Pictogram Design: This module covers the design of simple, universally recognizable icons and pictograms for communication and wayfinding.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Design a set of five icons for: the Olympics, a Railway Station, Mobile functions (Calling and Social Media), and Instagram story highlights.

   

• Logo Design: Students learn to design logos that effectively represent brands and create visual identity.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Design logos for: Gin-yard creative and Co, HJM- Luxurious housing, Home-book - Education, and Tattoo - Enlighten yourself Est 1998.

   

Section 2: Creative Fundamentals

This section focuses on the foundational skills and concepts that underpin visual communication:

• Drawing: This fundamental module covers observation, imaging, and representation techniques to develop drawing skills.

  • Observation: Students learn to carefully observe subjects, paying attention to detail and form.
  • Imaging: This involves processing and interpreting visual information, understanding structure and meaning.
  • Representation: Students translate their observations into graphical representations through drawing.

• Scale and Proportion: Students learn to represent objects accurately in relation to each other and within a composition.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Draw your study table with books and stationery.
    • Draw your neighbour's house as seen from your window.
    • Draw a set of kitchen utensils.
    • Draw a traffic scene with buses, cars, and bicycles.
    • Draw a pottery shop with pots of different sizes and shapes.

   

• Perspective: This topic covers various perspective techniques to create the illusion of depth and space in two-dimensional drawings:

  • One-point perspective: Used for objects directly facing the viewer, with lines converging towards a single vanishing point.

  • Two-point perspective: For drawing objects at an angle, using two vanishing points on the horizon line.

  • Three-point perspective: Used for depicting objects from above or below, with three vanishing points

    Sample Questions:

    • Draw a single street view in one-point perspective.
    • Draw a street crossing from a corner perspective using two-point perspective.
    • Draw the same crossing as seen from the top of a building using three-point perspective.

     

• Light and Shade: Students learn shading techniques to represent light and shadow, creating form and depth in their drawings.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Arrange three fruits on a table and draw them with light and shade.
    • Draw a lit kerosene lamp at night.
    • Draw a glass of water on plain white paper.

   

• Memory Drawing: This module focuses on developing visual memory and recalling images to create drawings.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Draw a character or scene from a movie you watched recently, conveying the mood and atmosphere.
    • Draw the angry face of someone you recently argued with, relying on your memory.
    • Draw your favourite spot from a recent holiday destination, from memory.

   

• Colour Psychology: Students explore the psychological effects of colour and its influence on perception and emotion. They will study the colour wheel and the relationships between primary, secondary, and tertiary colours.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Choose a theme and corresponding mood from the provided lists, and create a coloured visual in a 15x15 cm frame.

   

• Elements of Design: This topic covers the fundamental building blocks of visual design, including point, line, shape, form, colour, value, texture, and space.

• Principles of Design: Students learn the principles that guide effective and aesthetically pleasing design compositions, including emphasis, balance, proportion, and hierarchy.

  Sample Questions:

  • • Design a logo using your initials.
    • Create a poster condemning the war in Ukraine.
    • Develop an illustration conveying the rupee's downfall against the dollar.
    • Design a visiting card for your future profession.

   

• Composition: This topic revisits composition in a broader context, encompassing urban-scapes, landscapes, and the rule of thirds.

Lettering in Design: Students explore the art of lettering, where letters become artistic elements within a composition. This includes studying calligraphy and its principles.

Sample Question:

• Creatively write and colour the following quotes:
• You can totally do this."
• "Don't tell people your plans. Show them your results."
• "No pressure, no diamonds."
• "We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough."   
   
  This syllabus provides a comprehensive framework for students to develop their visual communication and design skills. Through a combination of theoretical knowledge, practical exercises, and project-based learning, students will gain the proficiency to create effective and engaging visuals across diverse media