Exemplar for internal assessment resource Visual Arts Design 2.1 for Achievement Standard 91305

© Crown 2010

Exemplar for Internal Assessment Resource

Visual Arts Level 2

Resource title: Type based double-page spreads

This exemplar supports assessment against:

Achievement Standard 91305

Demonstrate an understanding of methods and ideas from established practice appropriate to design

Student and grade boundary specific exemplar

The material has been gathered from student material specific to an A or B assessment resource.

Date version published by Ministry of Education

December 2011 To support internal assessment from 2012

Exemplar for internal assessment resource Visual Arts Design 2.1 for Achievement Standard 91305

© Crown 2010

This resource begins with the investigation of the particular approaches of Neville Brody and David Carson. These artists are supported by a wealth of resources although teachers are reminded that they do not in themselves provide the breadth of scope needed to support student investigations throughout an entire year of study. Task three requires students to locate a new design outcome and identify how the methods and ideas of Carson and Brody have influenced this designer. The students in the trial found it difficult to complete the final task. The resource contains a number of useful templates to help students gather and processes information about design methods and ideas. Teachers should be aware that it is considered best practice to use these templates as research tools rather than presentation format as the limited box sizes can prevent students from presenting the sustained discussions needed to demonstrate an informed or in-depth understanding. Established practice refers to works by artists that are recognised as belonging to a particular genre, style, convention, or way of working. Established practice involves the investigation of solutions found in past and contemporary artworks. Appropriate to design refers to the characteristics and constraints applicable, relevant and fitting to the conventions of the field. Contexts may include gallery or museum; marae; public or private collections; urban and/or natural environment; studio or workshop situations; relevant publications (e.g. books, journals, magazines, catalogues); internet; video; films; slide library; the artists’ works studied; interviews; discussions.

Exemplar for internal assessment resource Visual Arts Design 2.1 for Achievement Standard 91305

© Crown 2010

Grade Boundary: Low Excellence

1. The same sample has been used to exemplify Low Excellence and High Merit with the difference being in the depth of the understanding demonstrated. The student responses in black are sufficient in themselves for Merit. The additional red responses present the depth needed to fulfil the requirements of the standard for Excellence.

For Excellence samples need to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of methods and ideas from established practice appropriate to design.

Demonstrate an in-depth understanding refers to identifying and documenting particular information through the analysis of methods and ideas from established practice, in order to explain how and why art works are related to the context in which they are made, viewed and valued.

Strengths:

The sample consistently supports the identification of design features with statements about how these features are used to create specific effects or communicate meaning. For example on page two the student states ‘Carson usually uses very muted colours – often a limited colour range to create unity of the design – he often uses blues or yellows like the ocean sand and sky because he is a surfer and loves the beach culture’.

More significantly the student makes regular references to influences and movements that cannot be surmised simply by looking at the art works and unpacking the stylistic features with an informed understanding. An in-depth understanding can only be gained by research into appropriate sources to find contextual information such as the student’s references to Swiss Typography, Bauhaus, and Wabi Sabi. (See comments made in red)

The in-depth understanding is also demonstrated in the Eduardo Recife response where connections are drawn between the typographic and visual strategies of Carson/Brody and Recife. For example, on page 5 ‘…where Carson wants to create an anti-establishment – beach culture 1970s cool style- Recife is going for a retro – low tech old fashioned 1940s circus carnival effect’ although these tend towards simple similarities and differences without explaining how and/or what this relationship is.

The sample is Low Excellence because while influences are identified, they are not explained in sustained or significant ways, while the student makes wild sweeping statements such as ‘He wanted to start a revolution against the fake design that had no soul’ (page four).

For a more secure Excellence the sample would need to support and then contextualise these statements about methods and ideas with specific examples in the work, quotes from the designers themselves, relationship with other artists work, or extracts from relevant research sources.

Exemplar for internal assessment resource Visual Arts Design 2.1 for Achievement Standard 91305

© Crown 2010

Grade Boundary: High Merit

2. For Merit samples need to demonstrate an informed understanding of methods and ideas from established practice appropriate to design.

Demonstrate an informed understanding refers to identifying and documenting particular information about how methods and ideas from established practice are used with reference to the context in which artworks are made, viewed and valued.

Most statements made in this sample demonstrate an informed understanding by explaining how particular features used relate to specific effects or communicative meaning. For example on the techniques section of page one the student states ‘He often uses just black and white with small amounts of intense RED that draws the viewer’s attention and places emphasis on particular words. In the Nike add the tiny bits of red in the ZAP and NIKE logo move the eye around the page’.

The student moves beyond the narrow scope of Carson/Brody to explore the work of Eduardo Recife although this response does not transfer many of the insights made in the first two designers into the discussion of the third designer.

The sample is not yet Excellence because the student makes some, but very few references to appropriate research sources. They cite ‘misprintedtype’ as a useful website (on page 5) but do not quote or embed significant knowledge grained from this source other than the fact that Recife is Brazilian.

For Excellence the sample may chose to relate works more closely to each other in terms of how and why they are similar/different or place the works within a wider socio-historical context.

Exemplar for internal assessment resource Visual Arts Design 2.1 for Achievement Standard 91305

© Crown 2010

Grade Boundary: Low Merit

3. Strengths:

The student begins to consider the approaches to design in a wider historic context. References to the ideas of Wabi Sabi (page 1) demonstrate the student has undertaken the personal research (from books, magazine and internet) needed to generate the informed understanding required of the criterion for Merit.

The student begins to unpack terms and concepts in relation to particular design works which demonstrates the beginning of an informed understanding. For example in the composition section on page 3 the student states ‘…contrast between (limited) detail and lots of detail …negative/breathing space creates balance within the design’.

The sample is Low Merit because while the sample presents some explanations of how the technical features (imagery, colour, composition, text) are used to create particular effects, the discussion of the communicative ideas that underpin the work (message, meaning) is large absent.

To securely meet the informed understanding requirements for Merit the student would need to make stronger connections between the technical features and communicative intention of particular design approaches.

It may also be useful to explore one or more additional approaches to design (that may include New Zealand artists) and support the analysis of work with more thorough research from appropriate resources.

Exemplar for internal assessment resource Visual Arts Design 2.1 for Achievement Standard 91305

© Crown 2010

Grade Boundary: High Achieved

4. For Achieved samples need to:

demonstrate an understanding of methods and ideas from established practice appropriate to design.

Demonstrate an understanding refers to identifying and documenting information about methods and ideas from established practice, with reference to the context in which artworks are made, viewed and valued.

Strengths:

The sample presents five pages of analysis with the template ensuring that both the methods (colour, composition, imagery, text) and ideas (message, client, target market) are discussed. Teachers should note that while the headings ensure all areas are covered, the box sizes may constrain the depth of responses for particular categories. The discussion of multiple works by both Carson and Brody, and the systematic unpacking of visual and technical features, means that the sample approaches the level of informed understanding needed for Merit.

Some responses begin to present more insightful discussion of particular ideas and meaning. For example on the first page while the ‘red text on black and white background is eye catching for words of importance’ is an Achieved level response, the addition of the students’ reference to ‘Blood spent on freedom’ begins to show the informed understanding needed for Merit.

This sample is not yet Merit because the responses still include a number of descriptions of features that are not supported with explanations of how and why they are used to communicate ideas. For example, on page 3, the student states that the Brody design ‘would not need colour’ without explaining the reasons for, or effects of, the decision to make the design black and white.

The responses tend to rely on intelligent suppositions rather than information from research sources (books, magazines, and internet). Merit samples will demonstrate a level of informed understanding by including background information not apparent by simply viewing the images and/or using appropriate quotes to support their arguments.

Exemplar for internal assessment resource Visual Arts Design 2.1 for Achievement Standard 91305

© Crown 2010

Grade Boundary: Low Achieved

5. Strengths:

This sample supports the identification of design features without some explanations of how and/or why the designer has used particular devices. For example in the imagery section of the second page the student states that ‘Images use negative spaces around them to gain attention.’ Teachers should note that a more secure and sustained understanding would then go on to explain design principles of balancing intense action with quiet areas and may use specific terms like ‘breathing space.”

On occasion the student makes comments that show a more clear understanding about the relationship between stylistic features and communicative intentions. For example the statement on the bottom left of the first page ‘Closely cropped intensifies the emotion and simplifies the entire image making it have less to focus on and therefore becoming more effective’.

The sample is Low Achieved because the sample is limited in depth and the more insightful comments would need to be more sustained and frequent. There is no real evidence that the student has researched beyond looking at the pictures and applying the Brody/Carson features list of the assessment resource.

For a more secure Achieved the sample would need to present more supported explanations of design methods and ideas and may usefully explore one or more additional contemporary approaches to design.

Exemplar for internal assessment resource Visual Arts Design 2.1 for Achievement Standard 91305

© Crown 2010

Grade Boundary: High Not Achieved

6. Strengths:

The sample begins to make some connections between the stylistic devices used and the communicative intention of selected designs. For example on page 1 the student states that ‘photographs are out of focus that look like ‘amateur’ photography which also appeals to the youth culture as this is the kind youth culture is capable of’.

The omission of ideas around rejected established production values prevents the sample from meeting the requirements of the standard for Achieved.

The student correctly identifies that the use of negative space and monochrome values are important in designs by Neville Brody on page 3 although they do not explain how these features affect the reading of the work.

The template ensures the sample makes reference to design features (colour, text, layout, etc) and intentions (message, client, target market).

The sample is not yet Achieved because:

The depth and duration of response is extremely limited.

The narrow scope of the investigation with only three works being discussed (by two designers) means the sample has limited opportunity to demonstrate understanding of design methods and ideas. The discussions on the last two pages are repetitive with the same information being used for both design examples. A significant proportion of statements are simply the identification of design features without providing any context or purpose, for example ‘repetition of shapes’ in the imagery section on the Brody page (page 3). The majority of responses appear to describe or guess at the content without demonstrating that any formal research has been undertaken. For Achieved at level two it is expected that students will undertake some personal research from books, magazines, or the internet.

To meet the standard for Achieved the student would need to present a more sustained investigation of the second designer (Carson) and increase the proportion of statements supported by explanatory evidence (how and why the features have been used to create specific effects).