Guides
Teaching Precedent As a Tool for Beginning DesignersFor a beginner, a precedent is often mistaken for a building to admire or an image to imitate. In design education, it is more useful as evidence: a record of…
Making with intent in technology-rich foundation studiosThe impact of technology on hand skills in foundation courses is becoming a significant question for design educators. Digital drawing, image generation, laser…
From First Principles To Advanced Design StudyBeginning design education gives students the habits, language and confidence needed for more demanding study. It introduces ways to investigate a problem,…
Designing for community engagement in introductory studiosDesigning for community engagement in introductory studios asks students to see design as a relationship rather than a finished object. A first-year project…
The Role Of Self-Assessment In Novice Design LearningBeginning design students are often asked to make decisions before they have a reliable vocabulary for explaining them. A sketch may feel “right”, yet the…
Developing Visual Communication Skills in First-Year DesignVisual communication is the foundation of design practice. Before students can produce polished outcomes, they need to observe carefully, organise information,…
Cognitive Science And The Foundations Of Beginning Design EducationBeginning design education asks students to learn several things at once: how to observe, generate ideas, use visual language, discuss decisions and work…
Revisiting Classic Exercises for Teaching Form and SpaceFor over a century, foundational design studios have used a shared set of exercises to introduce students to spatial thinking. Mass and void studies,…
Tracing User-Centered Design Through a Quarter Century of Conference PapersFor educators across Australia's design schools, the question of who the designer is designing for has shifted from a peripheral nicety to a foundational…
The Legacy of the NCBDS in Design Educator Professional DevelopmentThe National Conference on the Beginning Design Student has shaped how educators approach the earliest stages of design learning for a quarter of a century.…