Reflecting the other; communication design students engaging with complex practice

Communication design students apply themselves to a range of different design briefs and exercises during their study. This paper looks at a design brief with a slightly different approach programmed into the Masters coursework degree at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. The brief focused on reflective practice, with foundational readings from Schön (1983) and Dilnot (1993). Over twelve weeks the students reflected upon their own practice; keeping weekly journals for later synthesis and refinement. Students took double roles; as both designer and client. Each student was required to be designer to a fellow student's client. Each student was also required to be client to another student's designer. A circle of reflectivity was engaged, provoking students to reflect on their own designerly actions while the experience of being 'designed for' provided a parallel reflection. The activity proved challenging for the students. A range of material was produced, amongst which the most interesting were students reflective journals. This reflection upon studio-based design education contributes towards the author's doctoral research project: 'Communication Design and the other; towards a socially-situated practice'. Themes will be drawn out of the experience of both the students and the author that inform communication design pedagogy and practic