This text is part of the special Higher Education notebook
With a new name and revised courses, the Bachelor of Graphic Design program of UQAM is undergoing an overhaul for the start of the 2024 school year in order to better adapt to changes in the professional environment. In 50 years of existence, the university’s School of Design has seen several digital revolutions to which she was able to adapt.
Now called a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and visual experiences, the new program opened this fall at the School of Design at the University of Quebec in Montreal (UQAM). Above all, it was a question of better aligning with the realities of the profession in 2024, points out the director of the program, Sylvain Allard. Since he began his career, this professor has seen many changes in the constantly evolving graphic design world. “The digital revolution of the 1980s completely changed the tools and greatly expanded our work. The 1990s brought the Web, which also had a significant impact on the creation and way of thinking about images. The 2000s then brought social networks, which revolutionized the way we communicate with images,” he explains. Today, it is artificial intelligence which, for several years now, has been generating its share of new and unknown things. “Graphic design is therefore a discipline that must demonstrate resilience in the face of constant technological modifications and changes,” emphasizes Mr. Allard.
Throughout these developments, the UQAM graphic design program has adapted, preserving its reputation and its influence, both locally and internationally. However, a real overhaul was necessary. “The program was written in the 1970s and aimed to cover broad visual communication objectives, but the discipline has changed so much in recent years that on paper, the program seemed a little outdated,” concedes Sylvain Allard. Reflections therefore began in 2020 and continued through surveys carried out among students and graduates in particular, until the current overhaul. These changes were born from an observation: the job of graphic designer is no longer limited to creating an image; it also consists of providing an experience. “We wanted to highlight the notion of interaction, and we were looking for a common denominator for all of our disciplinary fields, whether printed, digital, exhibition design, signage or books,” says the professor.
Four multidisciplinary axes
The program has 30 courses, of which 18 are compulsory and 14 are practice-oriented, in the form of workshops. These courses are grouped into four main areas. The first concerns critical culture, linked to history, methodology, interdisciplinarity and writing. “There was an interest in adding a theoretical axis to our program, which is very professional,” explains Mr. Allard, who emphasizes that the master’s offers in graphic design have expanded in recent years.
The second axis addresses visual communication, which affects graphic design, brand communication and media image. The third axis, interaction and mediation, concerns interaction design, typography and exhibition design, responding in particular to the need to choose the right medium to create an interaction with the user. The last axis, which is that of illustration and moving image, focuses on drawing, graphic animation (motion design) and animation.
The choice of optional courses offered has also been refined, according to the idea of training “citizen designers” close to contemporary concerns, explains the program director. Students can choose courses on climate and the environment, gender, humans and society or even images and signs.
Integrate artificial intelligence
As artificial intelligence (AI) has become essential, it must be taken into consideration in the development of courses. “We must embrace change, but while maintaining a critical eye, and placing all of this in our work context,” believes Sylvain Allard. For him, AI is interesting as a source of exploration, educational tool or ideation. “I teach packaging design and we do a lot of ideation with artificial intelligence. I find that with [cet outil]we have never seen results”, even if its use requires reflection in the exploration of innovation, he explains.
Although he hopes that guidelines will soon be put in place to take AI out of the digital “Wild West” in which it finds itself, the professor sees the possibilities that this technology brings to his profession. “We have never gone back on technological development in the history of humanity,” he recalls. Especially since the job market remains favorable to graduates. Some then work in advertising agencies or design studios, while others start their own business, join government institutions or start illustrating children’s books. “We started accepting more students since last year, there is a lot of work in the visual field and more and more platforms,” concludes Mr. Allard.
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