99584 - Communication in the Media T (A-K)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students will be able to understand the key themes of project communication, understood as a complex product-system in its material and immaterial dimensions, and its dissemination through the media. Students will be able to place themselves within a professional, economic, cultural, and social system; they will be able to develop artifacts that communicate their skills; and they will be able to express their position regarding contemporary and future challenges.

Course contents

The Lab. includes a first part (5 weeks) in which students attend a workshop dedicated to service design.
In the second part of the Lab., students engage with designers, experiences, and case histories from cultural and creative disciplines (audiovisual, game design, graphics and publishing, visual and UX design), with the aim of developing a personal portfolio.
PART I — DESIGN THINKING AND SERVICE DESIGN
This intensive design workshop focuses on transferring the principles, methods, and tools of Design Thinking and Service Design, with the aim of activating critical thinking related to social challenges in urban settings. Participating students will be immersed in group project work to prototype/develop a product-service system. Activities include the acquisition of desk research skills through the collection of case studies, the analysis of reference documentation, and fieldwork for direct data acquisition.
PART II — COMMUNICATING THE SELF AS A PRODUCT
The course aims to provide context, process, and methodological tools that will enable students to acquire the skills necessary to represent and communicate the self as a product.
For designers today, understanding and communicating the self preludes the development of a design consciousness and the ability to navigate productive, cultural, and economic contexts to design reality, products, and services.
The designer's responsibility to refine their ability to interpret their design self underpins the expression of their personal design approach, their identity, and their creative and professional skills.
Communicating the self as a product means creating identities, representing the spatialized self, designing relationships, and outlining one's profile as a designer through narrative, multichannel, and multimedia languages.
To develop effective communication, students must acquire knowledge and skills ranging from the interpretation and evaluation of their work to its translation into digital form.
The aim of the module is therefore to equip students with the theoretical and technical tools necessary for planning self-communication.

Readings/Bibliography

Formia, E., Gianfrate, V., & Vai, E. (2021). Design e mutazioni. Processi per la trasformazione continua della città Bologna.
Bologna University Press.

Gianfrate, V. (2024). Innovare la città dei Servizi = Innovating the city of services. Co-design responsabile, inclusivo, sostenibile. Umberto Allemandi.

Gianfrate, V., Longo, D. (2017). Urban micro-design. Tecnologie integrate, adattabilità e qualità degli spazi pubblici.
Collana Ricerche di tecnologia dell’Architettura, Franco Angeli.

Gaspari, J., Gianfrate, V., Ginocchini, G., Bigi, M. (2020). Accessibility as design tool: a comfortable environment through the public space / L'accessibilità come strumento di progetto: il benessere ambientale attraverso lo spazio pubblico, TECHNE, 19, pp. 223-231.

Carrillo, F.J. (2005). Knowledge Cities.
Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann

Teaching methods

The course will adopt an interactive and research-based approach. Lectures and design talks by professionals from the cultural and creative sectors will alternate with workshops and assessments. The instructor will guide and coordinate the activities, which focus on the problematic nature of the content.

Service Design Workshop
Desk research and data research with specific insights related to the right to repair. Development of surveys and fieldwork (observations, direct interviews, needs assessments, etc.). Rapid prototyping. Creation of summary reports.

Given the type of activity and teaching methods adopted, attendance at this training activity requires all students to have previously participated in Modules 1 and 2 of the e-learning training on workplace safety.
https://elearning-sicurezza.unibo.it/

Assessment methods

The evaluations of the individual Modules will contribute to generating a single final grade for the entire integrated Laboratory.

Teaching tools

Slides, selected articles and texts, journals, catalogs, references, and case studies.

Office hours

See the website of Elena Vai

See the website of Valentina Gianfrate