ODYSSEY — 2021 Graphic Design Advanced Diploma Catalogue

Assessment scheme
The ISTD student assessment scheme,
started in 1975, is cited as a model of
academic thoroughness and professionalism.
Unlike many others, the scheme is
not a competition as it considers the holistic
achievement – not just the final outcome.
The overall design process of research,
reflection, strategy, design development,
technical and production specification is
assessed by teams of practicing designers
and educators. We demand this rigorous
approach to ensure standards are met and
that the award maintains its significance.
Students who are successful in the scheme
are offered membership of the Society.
Without doubt all students who undertake
and submit work for our assessments
learn an enormous amount. All students who
submit receive a personal report and even
those who are not successful often tell us
how much they feel they have benefited from
doing the project.
We review our methods and standards
annually. Incorporating reflection from
members, assessors, tutors and students
from around the world ensures best practice
is maintained and that each successful
student’s award reflects a considerable and
pertinent achievement.
The briefs
Our practice is based upon the printed word
but now embraces the gamut of media and
technologies that we use to communicate.
Accordingly, we have progressively written
our student project briefs for interpretation
through a range of media. How and where
we use the written word has brought new
challenges and more importantly new
opportunities.
By not defining specific media and
outcomes for our projects, we offer holistic
communication challenges – deliberately
breaking the perceived tradition of the typo/
graphic designer just providing essentially
visual skills. First and foremost we are
communicators using design skills to inform,
persuade and delight. This makes each
project a more demanding but stimulating
challenge that we can individually resolve.
With that in mind we point out what
should seem obvious – that ISTD is a society
addressing the typographic aspects of
graphic design. We mention this because
each year we receive submissions from
students who show well-developed general
graphic design skills, but have missed the
point that we are assessing each student’s
particular typographic skills. That is not to
suggest that typography is a discrete area
– but is fundamental in addressing visual
communication through the word. Put
bluntly, it is graphic design but it needs to
use typography as the essential vehicle
to communicate.
Assessment process
Assessments are held annually, and parity is
maintained across all areas through central
supervision and moderation, with the process
following the same procedure as that for the
main assessment. The number of assessors
involved in each area scheme is determined
by the number of projects submitted.
The main assessment requires around
forty members and tutors who spend two
intense days assessing several hundred
project submissions. Teams of two take on
average about half an hour on each project
including writing the personal report. These
teams are moderated by experienced
assessors who ensure parity of marking and
continuity of the levels of award. This latter
point is critical as our standards for award of
Pass, Merit or Commendation are not equivalent
to any national or institutional standards,
but are maintained through continuity within
the Society and its ongoing professional and
educational activities.
Our commitment to education through the
Assessment is further expressed by providing
opportunities for a number of tutors to be
mentored as assessors each year. A valuable
experience of the content and standards
required, that is often reflected in the quality
of the projects subsequently submitted by
their students. This is one of the several
benefits of Institutional Membership.