L2 Design

NCEA Level 2 Design (2DES) 

Design for Sustainability - learning about contemporary Design practice

Level 2 Design is a mix of hand and digital based Visual Arts Design. It is a course for students who have achieved Level 1 Visual Arts and want to expand their skills into a course with an emphasis on innovative visual thinking skills based on the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. 

The course involves learning about contemporary Design and Designers and their ways of working, with an emphasis on understanding and using Typography for effective communication.  In Design students combine their hand drawing skills with high level digital skills using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign. 

Visual Arts Design develops visual thinking, idea development and compositional skills. It leads to Level 3 Visual Arts Design and other Design pathways within the Creative and Visual Arts. Further study in Fine Arts or Design will lead to rewarding career outcomes.

Through a pedagogy of Guidance + Action + Experimentation, students who learn in the Arts Faculty will:

• Have opportunities to engage and experiment with a wide range of artistic expressions and genres in a safe supportive environment.  
• Develop a love of the arts as a form of self expression and a leisure activity that supports wellbeing.  
• Develop the skills and attitudes needed to gain access to further education and/or employment in the creative industries.
• Understand the role of the arts in the world as a tool for making diverse people/cultures visible and as a tool for social justice.