Visual design for English

Digital technologies have democratised the production of texts. Tools once solely available to graphic designers and publishing houses are now readily accessible for schools and students (with the necessary resources) to purchase and use. Image manipulation and management software has proliferated, mobile phone and tablet cameras are constantly improving and a vast array of software is available online for the creation, collection, curation, manipulation and display of images, as individual and social practices. Communication via these means has become everyday, whether or not teachers subscribe to the notion that culture is more image-saturated than ever. Becoming literate now means being able to communicate effectively in multimodal ways, and to be adept in multiple languages, including the visual. “Multimodal” here refers to concurrently using the semiotic resources of multiple modes, such as image, sound and print. Terry Locke (2015), in thinking about the preparation of future teachers, believes writing should be re-named composing or designing to acknowledge the wide range of skills now required in acts of digital communication. This recognises the diversification of everyday creative practices and languages requiring proficiency and invites us to change how we conceptualise productive classroom activities. This chapter draws on the literature of graphic design and education to develop an approach to communication that enacts Reid's (1984)workshop approach.