Bachelor Of Design Computing

The Bachelor of Design Computing is a unique degree that combines the creativity of design with the practical skills and technical knowledge of computing.

The Bachelor of Design Computing program focuses on the creative, technical and aesthetic possibilities of computer-based design. The degree program prepares graduates for careers in which creativity and computational skill are integral.

Recent Happenings

One of our Honours students, Mitch Page and his TeamAwear project has made headlines with his innovative wearable display for team sports.

What is Design Computing?

Design Computing was once regarded as being only about website design, special effects, computer games and animation. Now, it has expanded, infused with industrial design, product design, fashion, new media and the arts. More than simply learning software tools, the degree establishes new ways of designing by integrating technology and creativity into the design process. You will master applications, learn programming languages, work with hardware and develop new ways of thinking, imagining, and innovating.

Design Computing provides both new concepts and technology that drive and facilitate these changes, bridging the gap between the physical and virtual.

As a Design Computing student you will be equipped with theoretical and practical knowledge, learning in a studio environment where projects inspire and develop your skills and knowledge.

Bachelor of Design Computing
UAI 2008: 87.25
Duration (full time): 3 years or 4 years with Honours
Assumed knowledge: Mathematics
Main areas of study: Design, Programming, Interaction and Modelling.

Careers in Design Computing

When graduating with a Bachelor of Design Computing you can join a design firm, act independently as a consultant to other designers, or take on a design computing role in a large company. Working in design computing involves creativity and a good understanding of how digital information and multimedia is used, stored and manipulated.

Some of the design fields you may work in include: web site design and development, design applications programming and extension, interactive multimedia design, information visualisation and design, entertainment computing, designer of virtual environments, film and special effects and 3D modelling and animation.

You may choose to follow your degree with further coursework or research.

The Faculty offers a Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma and Masters in Design Science (Design Computing and Digital Media) as well as research Masters and PhDs.

Have a look at the Key Centre of Design Computing & Cognition website for postgraduate information.

How we compare to other degrees
Compared to Design Computing, I.T. & Computer Science are more programming-based & mathematical, while Design in Architecture is for those who aspire to practice as an architect. Visual Arts is more practical, & places emphasis on fine arts, while Software Engineering is the application of technology & information technology.

Our Academics

The academics supporting the Bachelor of Design Computing degree are internationally recognised researchers and teachers, having obtained their PhDs from all over the world and held teaching and research positions in Australia, Austria, France, Switzerland, UK, USA, Germany and Hong Kong. As leading researchers they are able to bring the most recently developed ideas into their teaching. Read more about the Design Computing Academics.

Professor Mary Lou Maher Co-Director, Key Centre of Design Computing & Cognition
Dr Kirsty Beilharz Senior Lecturer
Dr Andy Dong Senior Lecturer, Coordinator, Bachelor of Design Computing
Dr Michael Rosenman Senior Lecturer
Dr Petra Gemeinboeck Lecturer
Paul Murty Associate Lecturer
Dr Rob Saunders Lecturer
Dr Marc Aurel Schnabel Lecturer
Dr Andrew Vande Moere Lecturer
Dr Xiangyu Wang Lecturer
Dr onacloV Lecturer

What Will I Study?

Design
The design studios and lecture-based units of study serve as the principal forums for turning your ideas into digital design works. Here's the design studio you'll take in the first year.

Digital Design Studio
You will learn about how to conceptualise and communicate design concepts through image, composition, layout and text.
Classes: 12 hours/week, lectures, tutorials and studio
Assessment: Tutorials, reports, major project
How do we use image, shape, lines, colour, composition, morphing, layout, and text to communicate? In this subject, a design project will guide you through digital image representation and technology.
You will learn about the elements of digital design technology, including digital images, vector graphics, font, montage, and photography. Learning to develop skills in digital imaging software such as Photoshop and graphical layout software such as Illustrator assists you in realising your final design project.

Programming
Programming, still the most sought after skill in industry, is the glue between your ideas and the production of your creative projects. Programming is situated within most units of study. Programming languages you'll learn include PHP, Java, JavaScript and Processing. Here's the description of your core programming subject.

Design Programming
You will learn about software development and engineering - all within a visual, information design context.
Classes: 3hours/week, lectures and tutorials
Assessment: Projects
You will develop programming skills using software tools to build interactive, visual design applications. You will learn about software development - to write, edit, compile and debug software - as well as the software engineering process - to analyse requirements, design classes, and manage software projects. Upon completion, you'll be ready to take more advanced programming subjects as electives in the School of IT.

Interaction
Interaction deals with designing the contact surface between humans and computers. The Interaction Design Studio is the fundamental unit of study in this area. Software used in units of study in Interaction include Director and Max/MSP+Jitter. Here's one example subject.

Interaction Design Studio
Here you learn about applying your design knowledge to interactive multimedia.
Classes: 12 hours/week, lectures, tutorials and studio
Assessment: Tutorials, reports, major project
You will be introduced to interactivity and multimedia through a major design project. Here, you will be developing narratives and exploring storytelling through non-linear interactive multimedia.
You will be taught about managing and organising a design project. You will use methods such as storyboarding and prototyping to cultivate methodologies for developing your project. Software may include Director, Flash and Dreamweaver. You will also learn about scripting and markup languages for enabling dynamic content and interactive designs, e.g. Lingo and JavaScript.

Modelling
Modelling takes on two key directions: modelling for the representation of form and simulation such as for computer-aided design and animation, and modelling the design process to enable computer-automated design. Software may include Maya and Virtools. Here's one example subject.

3D Modelling
You will learn about the concepts behind modelling, creating photorealistic images and animations.
Classes: 3 hours/week, lectures and tutorials
Assessment: Portfolio, tutorials
How do we represent objects in the virtual world? You will be taught 2D and 3D modelling techniques used to create photorealistic images, moviews, virtual reality scenes and simple animations from 3D models. You'll learn how to represent and render physical objects in 3D digital models.

Units of Study
List of core units of study, and electives

computer labs+software

Timetables

Fees

What does university study cost for students?
Most of the students who study at the University of Sydney are Commonwealth supported. These students have most of the cost of their education paid by the government but must also contribute towards this cost themselves.

Undergraduate Indicative Student Contribution Amount for a Commonwealth Supported Place:
$7,260 per 1 EFTSL (nominal full time year)

Undergraduate Indicative Tuition Fee for a Domestic Fee Paying Place:
$20,160 per 1 EFTSL (nominal full time year)

Undergraduate Indicative Tuition Fee for an International Fee Paying Place:
$23,280 per 1 EFTSL (nominal full time year)

The above indicative costs are for a nominal full-time year of 1 EFTSL (48 credit points) and reflect the typical pattern of enrolment for this course. The exact student contribution/tuition fee for your course may depend on the specific units of study in which you enrol. If you are a domestic student who has been enrolled in a University course before 1 January 2008, your fees may differ. The University's tuition fees are reviewed annually and may be varied during the period of study.

Permanent residents and New Zealand citizens must pay their contribution up front and do not receive a discount. For more info see the Commonwealth Supported Places website.

What Facilities Are There?

There are many facilities including:

Design Computing Labs
The computing labs, Sentient interactive lab and Design Computing equipment offer students a diverse, privileged set of resources, unique in Australia. These range from digital photographic equipment, 3-chip digital video cameras, lighting, a green wall for digital video compositing, grid computing video conferencing, sensors and a dedicated sensate, sentient, tactile-interface lab for developing real time interaction with large projection, plasma and touch-screen displays. Our servers include web servers, database servers, a virtual campus and various virtual worlds. The labs contain networked multimedia computers and workstations with high-end professional software, rendering and 24-hour access to both Mac and PC labs equipped with drawing tablets, flat screens, ergonomic seating and audio interfaces. Other facilities include access to the Faculty of Architecture’s library, unlimited internet access, disk space and a dedicated student community intranet.

The Art Workshops/Tin Sheds Gallery
In the Art Workshops/Tin Sheds Gallery you get the opportunity to work in various allied arts media under the direction of professional artists. If you would like to continue your studies in painting, drawing, ceramics, photography, video, screen printing, sculpture, etching, web/graphic design etc, come and do an art workshop!

Audio-Visual Centre
The Audio-Visual Centre has an extensive video, audio, thesis and slide collection and a wide range of equipment including digital cameras to borrow.

Key Centre of Design Computing & Cognition
The Key Centre of Design Computing and Cognition is a collection of people within the Faculty whose main interests lie in design computing, virtual architecture and design cognition. The vision of the Key Centre is to improve the quality of design through the application of the latest developments in computing.

FAQs

Where is the Faculty of Architecture located?
We are in the Wilkinson Building at 148 City Road, Darlington.

What does University study cost for local students?
In 2006 the full year contributions for Commonweatlh supported place was $6979.

Do we use textbooks? What are exams and assessments like?
Yes, some subjects require a textbook, while others require course material to be purchased. The assessments are usually spread out and build up to a final major project or an exam.

What equipment do I need, what software, what peripherals?
The Faculty provides you with all the facilities you need. Software, printers & scanners are available in the labs, though you may choose to purchase software as needed.

How many hours will I be at uni a week?
What is the workload like? In first year, you’ll be spending up to 20 hours per week attending classes. The workload is spread across the semester, so it’s quite easy to keep on track.

Do I have to be good at maths?
Mathematics is assumed knowledge, but it is not a prerequisite. This means you can get into our program without studying maths but should make up the knowledge before you start. Bridging courses are run between enrolment and semester commencement. You’ll receive more information on bridging courses during enrolment.

Where can I park?
Most students come by bus or train. Many senior students and most international students live in the area. City Road has on-street parking which is subject to clearway zones at peak hour and is heavily monitored. The Seymour Centre carpark on Shepherd Street offers parking for a reasonable daily rate and is only a few minutes walk from the Faculty.

What other student facilities are nearby?
The new Sports Centre is very close to the faculty and includes an Olympic size swimming pool, tennis and squash courts and gymnasium, as well as the Co-op Bookshop, cafe and a sporting goods store.

More information on costs for international students.

Are there opportunities for STUDENT EXCHANGE while studying?
Absolutely! Go to the student exchange program website for more information.

Are there any scholarships in the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning?
Yes, the Faculty offers scholarships to entering students.

"What sort of student services does the University of Sydney offer?"
Students Services has a comprehensive website about services such as libraries, organisations, and health and welfare.

How do I get in?

The UAI for 2008 was 87.25. There are several ways to apply for Design Computing, please read the UAC Guide carefully:

Year 12 applicants: Apply through UAC and you will be considered for a place based on your UAI score. Year 12 applicants within 5 points of the UAI are eligible to apply for the Flexible Entry Scheme, which includes a portfolio plus other criteria. For more information and an application form visit the admissions application webpage.

Non-year 12 applicants: If you have completed an HSC or equivalent, as well as tertiary study, apply through UAC and you will be considered for a place based on a combination of UAI and your tertiary grades. Please ring Admissions (9351 4118) for information on your ranking. You can improve your chances of admission by making an additional submission of a portfolio plus other criteria. For more informaiton and an application form visit the admissions application website.

Mature-age applicants:
If you are over 21 and have not completed the HSC or equivalent or more than one year of tertiary study, you can complete an approved preparation course and then apply through UAC. Contact the University Centre for Continuing Education for more information call: 9351 2907 or view the courses on their website.

If you missed out:
If your marks were not high enough to get into Design Computing, you may consider enrolling in another degree. After one full year of study, you are eligible to apply through UAC for a place as a non-year 12 applicant. You will need to perform very well to give yourself a chance. It is best to select a degree in which you think you will do well and perhaps to take subjects that might help prepare you for Design Computing.

On-shore international applicants:
If you are an international student, completing your HSC in Australia or New Zealand, apply through UAC and you will be considered for a place based on your UAI score.

Off-shore international applicants :
If you are an international student studying overseas (excepting HSC equivalent in New Zealand), apply through the University of Sydney's International Office:
Tel: +61 2 9351 4079/4161
Fax: +61 2 9351 4013
Or, .

If your high school qualification is not recognised, you can enrol in a foundation course.

[[b||Don't forget we are here to help, so come and talk to us about studying architecture, how to apply, or if you need things explained in more detail. Our contact details are below:

Phone: +61 2 9351 2686

Undergraduate Scholarships

For more information on our faculty’s scholarships.

Our Current Students

Andrea Lau, BDesComp (Honours Graduate) 2007

Andrea is working with Junk Theory, a multimedia project involving images, film, and sound, projected onto a Chinese Junk. She was featured in the Daily Telegraph careers section as a Visual Information Designer.

Along with one of our Design Computing PhD students, Joanne Jakovich, the two were finalists in the first Google Australia Anita Borg Scholarship, out of just 16 awarded places.

Age: 22
Work: SeeMyVoice - Social Information/Data Visualisation (or infovis). SeeMyVoice visualises chat transcripts stored by MSN Messenger. It aims to highlight people's style of chatting and increase understanding of our online social interaction. Each person is represented by a coloured wave which ebbs and fluctuates according to message length and the time taken between messages.
Toolkit: (What software/hardware did you use to create the work), Java 2 SDK
Inspirations: Computer-generated art (John Maeda), op-art (Bridget Riley), the infovis research community, nature, and all the crazy people who spend too much time in front of the computer and create amazing stuff!
Ambitions: To have it all: a balance between PhD and research, plus freelance or studio-based web/graphic design. I also hope to reduce the gap (just a little) between research in infovis and its application in society.
Contact: Portfolio
alau9578@mail.usyd.edu.au

Graduates

John Lee, BDesComp 2004 is currently working as a developer for web development company, Fatpublisher).
Mitch Page, BDesComp (Hons) 2006 is currently pursuing a PhD, while working for his own web design company.
Jason Green, BDesComp 2004 is currently a Digital Creative at MC Saatchi
William Hwang, Josh Lobo & Andrew Wong. BDesComp 2004 started their own design company, RandomBlowup
Andrew Wallace, BDesComp 2005 is currently working as a media production artist at MTV Australia, as well as his own web and media design company.

Mitchell Page, BDesComp (Hons) 2006
Age: 21

Mitch's honours project, TeamAwear, a wearable display for team sports was featured in the Sydney Morning Herald's Tech section in the article Technology gets a guernsey (November 21), at ABC as Sports shirt lights up in a flash, at New Scientist as Basketball stats shown live on players' shirts and various other news websites and blogs

To read more about this fantastic project, visit the TeamAwear research blog.

Work: This still is taken from a short 3D animated film titled 'Out With the Old'. The character is named 'Rufus'. This work is one of my favourites primarily because it it wasn't just about designing a 3D model. It was about creating a character and bringing him to life. Rufus is a teddy bear who wakes to find himself in a box full of rubbish on the side of the road. Rufus breaks out of the box and looks for a DIY solution to repair his tattered features. He comes across a lone bottle cap and uses this to replace his missing eye. Rufus then spots another box, this one with the words "For Sale" scrawled across the front. Rufus seazes his opportunity to be sold rather than thrown out, and dives into the new box. Upon jumping in it becomes evident this box was not all Rufus had intended it to be. As he jumps in, the box flaps close behind him to reveal the box actually says "Puppies For Sale". Pieces of Rufus then proceed to fly out of the box as it is tossed around. Finally the animation ends with Rufus' recently acquired eye flying out of the box and landing in front. If you wish to view a low-res version of this movie, please follow the appropriate link at mitchellpage.com.au.
Toolkit: The 3D animation was generated and rendered using 'Maya 6.0' by the software company Alias. 'Adobe Photoshop' was also used to generate image maps and textures. Finally 'Adobe Premiere Pro' was used to compile the individual animation frames into a playable animation.
Inspirations: Working in digital design, or any design for that matter, opens your eyes to your surroundings and you begin to appreciate every little thing. The inspiration for all of my work comes from everything I see in daily life. Advertisments, flyers, posters, magazines, product labels, architecture, film, music and ofcourse the web. If i see something I like I take a photo. My phone is filled them.
Ambitions: My dream has always been to work in an industry in which I can express myself creatively, while also having a bit of fun along the way. Undertaking the Design Computing degree was an excellent journey. The course work was both interesting and enjoyable, allowing each student to style their work based on their inidivdual creative tastes. The digital media industry is where I would ultimatley like to end up, because there is nothing more satisfying than getting paid to do something you love. Having an interest in computer graphics and animation in high school, BDesComp was the perfect course for me. Each course subject allowed me to strengthen my current understanding of digital graphics and animation, while also building up skills in the latest design applications which I had had no previous experience with. With the aid of friendly and knowledgeable staff, no question was left unanswered.
Contact: mitchellpage.com.au
mitchellpage@optusnet.com.au or mpag5967@mail.usyd.edu.au

Jason Green, BDesComp 2004 Jason is a Digital Creative at MC Saatchi

What do you do in your job? My Job is Digital Creative, and I work consistently in all 3 areas of creative web advertising, concept, design and build. My aim is to head more towards purely 'concepting', as there are very few people who can concept great campaigns for digital who also have the technical knowledge of what can be accomplished and how.

What brought you to design computing in the first place?Basically I wanted to be an animator, and this course looked perfect. After discovering how hard animators work and how long they have to be in the business before they get any real creative input, I veered towards advertising. DesComp definitely offers you that versatility.

What skills have you taken from the degree to help in your job?Apart from the obvious softwares that I learnt, I got a good grounding in the solid foundations of design theory. That, and it helps to know what it is like to work to strict deadlines before you get out into the industry.

Working in a company like MC & Saatchi means that Jason can work with well-known clients, such as Optus. For Optus, Jason works on the ZooBUZZ newsletter, which he designs, builds, and manages. His great work on this project allowed him to also move into an e-magazine, concepting and building animations on a periodic basis.

In the following series of animated Christmas cards for Tourism Australia, Jason came up with the creative and design concept. Rather than creating the card itself, Jason was able to sketch up his ideas and present it to others to have his creativity realised by someone specialised in 3D modelling.

RandomBlowup Pty Ltd officially came to this world in the early months of the year 2005 under the watchful eyes of William Hwang, Josh Lobo and Andrew Wong. All three are recent top graduates of The University of Sydney's Bachelor of Design Computing. At RandomBlowup, we provide industry leading solutions to all forms of client needs. Whether it be a state-of-the-art, highly complicated 3D animation or a simple design for a business card, the RandomBlowup team is up to the challenge. To find out more about RandomBlowup, visit their website.

William Hwang, BDesComp 2004
What does your current position involve?
As Direcotor of RandomBlowup, I’m involved in all key decisions that are made by the directors of the company, anything from approving future financial investment choices to simple decisions such as the design of our website. As director, I also have responsibilities for the company’s public relation, human resource and usually fill in the role as project manager for any projects that involve 3D modelling and animation.
How have you used the skills and/or knowledge gained from your degree in your current position?
Most certainly; the beauty with the course was that it gave me knowledge in a vast area of design and not just limited to one area. The key difference between university education and TAFE/other institution is the fact that university education makes us think beyond what we are taught; it allow us to explore and develop more efficient and effective manner of utilising our skills. In saying this, that’s why RandomBlowup is always aiming to be one step ahead of everyone due to our desire to keep improving and lead in innovation in the design industry.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The challenge that comes with the job; this is not just another 9-to-5 office job with the same old routine. Every job, every project that we work on is different in terms of deadline, style, budget, creativity etc, and with each job, I’m personally challenged to meet not only demands by our clients, but creating something that is innovating and beneficial to RandomBlowup’s future. I’m also very lucky and honoured to work with two individuals, Josh Lobo and Andrew Wong, who are both great mates and exemplary colleagues.
Josh Lobo, BDesComp 2004
What does your current position involve?
Being the director of Flash and Multimedia Design, my role is to participate in the development of Flash based media. These include mainly website development, but extends to corporate presentations, and multimedia packages. My role as the company director allows me to participate in financial and business decisions.
How have you used the skills and/or knowledge gained from your degree in your current position?
The technical skills like using Photoshop, Flash and Maya have all been essential in the work that we do. I also believe that some of the theory subjects have helped us to establish a greater understanding of the design problem, and appropriate ways to deal with it.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The flexibility of hours is great. One day I might work 15 hours, but then the next I can take a break and only work 5 hours.
Did you experience any difficulty in adjusting to working life from uni life?
Going from uni life to the real world was fairly full on. Since we have chosen to start our own business, we have to attend to the creative and the business sides of things at the same time. Uni doesn’t really prepare you for that.
Andrew Wong, BDesComp 2004
What does your current position involve?
As a joint director of RandomBlowup, I share the job of overseeing the running of the company (Formulating and maintaining business financial and marketing structure), as well as liaising with potential and current clients to seek out their unique design requirements.
As a designer, I work on our design projects, whether it be 3D animation & modeling, web, graphic or multimedia design. Depending on the scope of a project, this would involve either working individually or collaborating with the other two.
It also involves fun.
How have you used the skills and/or knowledge gained from your degree in your current position?
All the skills and knowledge learnt from my degree have been used as a foundation for the real-world application. From this foundation, it’s a matter of figuring out how to apply these skills (whether it be design related or how to approach a project or client) to the real world scenario.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The fact that we get to design, play and create – it’s not really a job!
Did you experience any difficulty in adjusting to working life from uni life?
Not really – I’m lucky to be associated with Josh and Will – we basically help each other out.

Andrew Wallace, BDesComp 2005

Age: 27
Work: Image from ‘see what I feel’ which was created as a major submission for Virtual Architecture in semester 2, 2005 under the guidance of Dr. Petra Gemeinboeck lecturer in digital media. ‘see what i feel’ took the human experience of anxiety and created a virtual, spatial representation.
Toolkit: Challenging common notions of both designing and inhabiting such a virtual environment, the project was created with the Unreal Game Engine (Unreal Engine2 Runtime) to create virtual environments to produce 3 videos showing the translation process from the real to unreal. The first video created was an interpretation of anxiety as in the real world. This became the footprint for the physical to virtual translation. The next video, using Unreal, was purely a virtual interpretation of the physical footprint. The final video combined these two to create an uncertain (surprising) boundary in-between, moving back and forth between these two realities. Adobe Premiere and Adobe Audition were both used for video and sound editing.
Inspirations: Swedish superstar designer Jens Karlsson, singer Bjork, Architect Neil Denari, digital media Lecturers Dr Petra Gemeinboeck and Dr Andrew Vande Moere.
Ambitions: To work in television graphics and video producing. Oh and also to be a pop star, but that’s a secret.
2006 Occupation: job hunting! But currently working for Sydney Theatre Company and also designing e-flyers and promotional material for a friends’ theatre company ‘square the circle’.
Web/Email Contact Details: andywallace.com.au blue_cello@hotmail.com