Principles of Typography and Layout (11063.1)

Please note these are the 2025 details for this unit
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Principles of Typography and Layout
Available teaching periods Delivery mode Location
View teaching periods On-campus
 South Bank, QLD
Bruce, Canberra
EFTSL Credit points Faculty
0.125 3 Faculty Of Arts And Design
Discipline Study level HECS Bands
School Of Design And The Built Environment Level 1 - Undergraduate Introductory Unit Band 2 2021 (Commenced After 1 Jan 2021)
Band 2 2021 (Commenced Before 1 Jan 2021)
This unit aims to acquaint students with the significance of typography within the discipline of visual communication design, its history and as a continuing practice. The unit examines the 20th century art and design movements which have defined the field of typography. Through a mix of research and practical exploration, students connect historical typographic foundations with contemporary practices and technologies. Students examine a diversity of typographic applications from the pragmatics of long-form document design to the expressive capabilities of display faces and custom type forms.

Learning outcomes

After successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1. Identify the impact of typographic history and its relation to contemporary practice;

2. Analyse and apply skills in letterpress and screen printing techniques; and
3. Develop innovative applications of typography as a creative communication form.


Graduate attributes

1. UC graduates are professional - employ up-to-date and relevant knowledge and skills
1. UC graduates are professional - use creativity, critical thinking, analysis and research skills to solve theoretical and real-world problems
1. UC graduates are professional - work collaboratively as part of a team, negotiate, and resolve conflict
2. UC graduates are global citizens - make creative use of technology in their learning and professional lives
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - adapt to complexity, ambiguity and change by being flexible and keen to engage with new ideas
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - evaluate and adopt new technology
1. UC graduates are professional - communicate effectively
2. UC graduates are global citizens - think globally about issues in their profession
2. UC graduates are global citizens - adopt an informed and balanced approach across professional and international boundaries
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - be self-aware
3. UC graduates are lifelong learners - reflect on their own practice, updating and adapting their knowledge and skills for continual professional and academic development
1. UC graduates are professional - display initiative and drive, and use their organisation skills to plan and manage their workload
2. UC graduates are global citizens - behave ethically and sustainably in their professional and personal lives


Prerequisites

None.

Corequisites

None.

Incompatible units

None.

Equivalent units

None.

Assumed knowledge

None.
Availability for enrolment in 2026 is subject to change and may not be confirmed until closer to the teaching start date.
Year Location Teaching period Teaching start date Delivery mode Unit convener
2025 South Bank, QLD Semester 1 03 February 2025 On-campus Mrs Ola Pak
2025 South Bank, QLD Semester 2 28 July 2025 On-campus Mrs Ola Pak
2025 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 28 July 2025 On-campus Dr Mehves Cetinkaya Sendas
2026 South Bank, QLD Semester 1 16 February 2026 On-campus Mrs Ola Pak
2026 Bruce, Canberra Semester 2 10 August 2026 On-campus Dr Mehves Cetinkaya Sendas
2026 South Bank, QLD Semester 2 10 August 2026 On-campus Mrs Ola Pak
The information provided should be used as a guide only. Timetables may not be finalised until week 2 of the teaching period and are subject to change. Search for the unit timetable.

Required texts

Books:

Ambrose, G., & Harris, P. (2006). The fundamentals of typography. Ava Publishing.

Rafaeli, Ari (2005) Book Typography

Bantjes, Marian (2010) I Wonder

Bartram, Alan (2005) Futurist Typography and the Liberated Text.

Bringhurst, Robert (1992) The Elements of Typographic Style

Burke, Clifford (1981) Printing It: A Guide to Graphic Techniques for the Impecunious Garfield, Simon (2010) Just My Type: A Book About Fonts

Gill, Eric (1931) An Essay on Typography

Heller, Stephen (2011) Scripts

Jury, David (2012) Graphic Design Before Graphic Designers

Lupton, Ellen (2007) Thinking with Type

Hollis, Richard (2006) Swiss Graphic Design

Ruder, Emil (1967) Typography

Rjeily, Rana Abou (2011) Cultural Connectives

Spiekermann, Erik (1993) Stop Stealing Sheep and Find Out How Type Works

Tashen (2009) Type

Tschichold, Jan (1991) The Form of the Book: Essays on the Morality of Good Design Whitbread, David (2002) The Design Manual

  

Web resources:

www.ilovetypography.com

http://welovetypography.com/

http://incredibletypes.com/

http://typeverything.com/

http://typedia.com/

https://playtype.com/

http://commercialtype.com/

http://friendsoftype.com/

http://www.fonts.com/

http://goodtypography.tumblr.com/

http://typostrate.com/

http://nyctype.co/

http://blog.8faces.com/

Submission of assessment items

Extensions & Late submissions

Late Policy for this unit

Resubmission

This unit has substantial opportunities for feedback and self-assessment, and so students who have fully participated in the unit activities are unlikely to fail. In some cases, resubmission of a failed assignment will be possible if the assessment item can feasibly be brought up to a pass level. A typical example might be an assignment that fails due to a missing component that can readily be supplied in a resubmission. The maximum grade for a resubmitted assessment item is 50%. Resubmissions are given at the discretion of the unit convenor, and must be applied for in writing (via email) within one week of the assessment grade being released.

Extensions

All extensions must be applied for in writing to the unit convenor before the due date of the assignment, and preferably well before this. Extension requests should state the reason the extension is being requested and include a medical certificate (unless the basis for extension is part of adjustment advice from inclusion and welfare), and provide a proposed submission date. Students should not assume an extension will be automatically granted.

Late Penalties

In this unit, we encourage you to be proactive about your work, to recognise early if you are not going to be able to meet a deadline, and to negotiate an extension if necessary. This is a more authentic, industry standard, approach to dealing with deadlines.

Your mark will be reduced by 10%  per day up to and including three calendar days following the due date/approved extension/ reasonable adjustment.

Late submissions will result in reduced feedback being provided.

Students will be allocated a mark of zero if submitting more than three calendar days late (without approved extension or reasonable adjustment), with no feedback provided.

A student who does not undertake, submit or participate in a summative assessment, or who does not attend a timetabled exam without an approved deferral, will be allocated a mark of zero.

 

Special assessment requirements

Artificial intelligence.

Students are not permitted to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in assessments for this unit.

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

The expected workload for this unit is around 10 hours per week on average, in accordance with the assumtion that for a 3 credit point unit the total notional workload over the semester or term is 150 hours.

Please note that extension requests due to workload or employent commitments will not be approved except in extenuating circumstances, and should be submitted with references from a doctor or counselling service. 

Inclusion and engagement

Students are advised that any adjustments to the assessment need to be applied for in advance of the due date via email, in line with the late submission & extension policy for this unit. This includes any students with a RAP.

Participation requirements

Regular tutorial participation is extremely important to do well in this unit. It is possible many crucial elements of large assessments are completed in class and not participating in them might result in unnecessary hardship. In short, all assessments are intrinsically connected with tutorial activities. If a student is unable to make it to a class they should organise with a classmate to catch up on the content missed. The students are also expected to check their UC student email and Canvas site for the unit daily for any updates or announcements.

Required IT skills

Knowledge of the Adobe Creative suite (which will be developed over the unit).

In-unit costs

Printing for the final assignment. It will be 5 copies of an A4 or A3 double-sided coloured design.

Work placement, internships or practicums

None

Next step

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