Professional Diploma in Advertising & Design Modules Synopsis

PROFESSIONAL
DIPLOMA IN ADVERTISING AND DESIGN

Modules Synopsis

MODULES

ADVANCED TYPOGRAPHY

Choosing the right typeface for a particular project may be a daunting task for students and even graphic design practitioners. The advanced typography workshop will equip learners with the professional skills to create clarity and expression to the message, while showcasing how a carefully crafted typography heightens emotional impact. Learners will learn how a carefully crafted and well-conceived typographic composition allows the designer to connect and effectively engage the reader with visual impact on both print and digital media.

CORPORATE IDENTITY AND DESIGN

This module will provide students the science behind every corporation’s ‘persona’. Besides creating the corporate personality, the module also explores the components of a corporate identity programme that will promote consistency in both discipline and application. Students will learn about the coming of corporate communications, the story, visual and package, science of symbols, logos and colours, logotype and semiotics, supporting devices and applications, corporate design mandatories and the corporate identity system and why is it so important.

DESIGN PORTFOLIO

This module equips students with the essential skills to develop a professional design portfolio that showcases their creative strengths, design thinking, and personal identity. The first two sessions focus on portfolio structure, case study writing, and layout strategy. The remaining lessons are dedicated to guided critique and one-on-one coaching to refine and strengthen each student’s work.
By the end of the module, students will complete a polished portfolio—ready for job applications, freelance opportunities, or academic advancement—supported by a clear design narrative and consistent visual presentation.

DIGITAL STUDIOS II: ADOBE PHOTOSHOP

This module introduces students to professional digital image editing, manipulation, and photo retouching using Adobe Photoshop. Covering fundamentals to advanced techniques, students will learn to create visual effects, enhance photography, and integrate raster and vector graphics with Illustrator.

It equips designers, photographers, and multimedia artists with the skills to edit, retouch, and process digital images confidently and professionally.

EDITORIAL DESIGN

Adobe After Effects is the industry-standard software in the motion graphics and animation sectors. It's used by most VFX, 3D and motion graphics artists, as well as animators.

In this module, you will learn how to incorporate text, graphics, and visual effects to your video and motion graphics. Extend your creativity with built-in text and shape extrusion, new mask feathering options. Get into motion graphics - come learn what After Effects CC can do! Upon completion of this course, you will have an excellent understanding of the menu and tools in After Effects and be able to perform work in motion graphics, visual effects and compositing with a high level of efficiency.

PACKAGING AND PRINT TECHNOLOGY

This module offers students an in-depth study of the principles of packaging design and the design process from concepts to three-dimensional forms. Not only will students explore key concepts of the packaging design development process, aesthetics and visual composition organisation, they will also learn about structural construction, technicalities, print production, packaging material and its properties, mechanisms and the overall presentation of the packaging design. The emphasis includes the sustainability and environmental issues associated with packaging design.

TYPOGRAPHY AND COMMUNICATION DESIGN

This module provides students with both theoretical and practical experiences in typography as a visual language for communication design. Students will explore the history, anatomy, terminology, classifications, principles, layout, and aesthetics of type.

The course emphasizes how typographic elements—letter structure, legibility, tone, personality, and integration with other design elements—create visual impact in modern visual communication.

VIDEO EDITING ESSENTIALS

This is a hands-on module that takes students from a blank timeline to a finished 15–30s product commercial. We’ll keep it practical: a bit of scripting and storyboarding, a small in-class shoot for tabletop product shots, and lots of editing reps in Adobe Premiere Pro using provided assets. By the end of the module, students will be able to understand the basics of video editing through premier pro and deliver a tight spot (plus a shorter cut), with sound, colour, graphics, captions, and correct exports for social.

ADVANCED COMMUNICATION DESIGN PROJECT

The Advanced Communication Design Project is the final major project for all Professional Diploma in Communication Design students. Students will have to integrate everything they have learnt from the past modules with a self-initiated project. It will allow students to implement their design methods, communication design strategy and design and art direction their campaign using print designs, web layouts, static displays and motion graphics into a remarkable piece of creative campaign project.

ART DIRECTION

The art director position and role is one that many creative designers aspire to. An art director is responsible for the overall vision and objectives of a design project: the creative concept, look and feel, visual imagery, clarity of the message and aesthetics. Find out how it differs from being a graphic designer and the skills needed to be a good art director. Learn how exactly an art director can contributes to a project’s success. Learn how to diagnose a problem and narrow down the creative parameter of the design or advertising project.

In this module, you will learn the strategy, conceptualisation, execution and presentation to effectively communicate your ideas to the intended target audiences.

CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING

A practical blend of critical and creative thinking that helps learners frame problems clearly, question assumptions, generate original ideas, and refine them into workable solutions. Through structured frameworks and hands-on techniques, students learn to switch between analysis and ideation to tackle real-world briefs with clarity and originality.

DIGITAL STUDIOS I: ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR

This module dives into the world of Adobe Illustrator, a leading vector design software. Whether you're an aspiring graphic designer or curious about digital art, this course is for you. Over ten interactive sessions, you'll explore Illustrator's tools and features—from drawing basic shapes to crafting intricate designs. You'll experiment with colours, typography, and even transform 2D sketches into 3D visuals. By the end, you'll have a solid grasp of Illustrator and a collection of showcase-ready designs.

DIGITAL STUDIOS III: AFTER EFFECTS

This module introduces students to the professional practice and experts’ choice of digital image editing, manipulation and photo retouching tools for graphic design and multimedia with Adobe Photoshop. Students will learn from fundamental to the advanced skills and techniques of Adobe Photoshop to create special visual effects, artistic interpretation of images and enhance digital photography. The emphasis includes design process, exploration of advanced Photoshop techniques by integrating raster and vector graphics with Adobe Illustrator to maximizing the creative potential of the tools to create appealing visuals to effectively engage the audiences.

The aim of this module is to provide students, graphic designer, web designer, multimedia designer, photographer as well as special effects artist with the professional skills to digital image edit, retouch, process digital image confidently and professionally in your respective profession.

GENERATIVE AI CONTENT CREATION

This module trains students to master leading generative-AI tools—from ChatGPT and Claude to Midjourney, DALL·E, Runway and Canva integrations—and to weave the outputs into cohesive, platform-ready content. Through rapid prompt-engineering drills, multi-modal asset generation, batch versioning and brand-guardrail techniques, learners build the technical fluency and creative judgement expected in modern agencies. The capstone of the course is a mini AI social-media campaign: a packaged set of text, image, video and audio assets presented in Session 10, demonstrating each student’s end-to-end AI workflow, stylistic consistency and export readiness.

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN THINKING

This module immerses students in a human-centered design-thinking process with sustainability at its core.

Over five 3-hour sessions, learners will explore environmental, social, and economic dimensions of eco-innovation, move through empathy and problem-framing stages, ideate and prototype low-impact solutions, and validate their designs through user testing. By the end, each student team will present a refined sustainable concept backed by real-world insights and basic sustainability metrics.