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Presentation
Presentation
This course unit proposes a contemporary approach to illustration as a critical, experimental, and interdisciplinary practice, viewing it as a vehicle for inquiry, visual thinking, and communication. It explores the relationships between illustration, drawing, design, narrative, cartography, visual culture, digital media, archives, artificial intelligence, and contemporary artistic practices. Through methodologies such as Research through Design, artistic inquiry, and project-based learning, the unit fosters processes of observation, experimentation, prototyping, and critical reflection, framing image-making as a process of knowledge construction. Conducted in a laboratory setting, it encourages the exploration of diverse media, languages, and technologies, preparing students to devise innovative visual solutions, operate in interdisciplinary contexts, and respond critically to the challenges of contemporary visual and communication ecologies.
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Class from course
Class from course
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Degree | Semesters | ECTS
Degree | Semesters | ECTS
Bachelor | Semestral | 4
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Year | Nature | Language
Year | Nature | Language
2 | Mandatory | Português
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Code
Code
ULHT93-27148
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Prerequisites and corequisites
Prerequisites and corequisites
Not applicable
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Professional Internship
Professional Internship
Não
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Syllabus
Syllabus
Illustration as an expanded practice in Communication Design. Drawing as a form of thinking, inquiry, observation, and ideation. Introduction to sketchbooks and visual inquiry; Observing and Mapping: Observational drawing, documentary narrative, visual cartography, archiving, memory, and territory; Visual Narratives: Storytelling, sequentiality, infographics, diagrams, information visualization, and illustrative languages; Hybrid Drawing Practices: Experimentation with analog and digital processes, photography, collage, printmaking, video, artificial intelligence, and expanded illustration; Communication, editing, portfolio, public presentation, collective critique, and final reflection.
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Objectives
Objectives
Develop competencies to understand and apply illustration as an expanded practice of inquiry, visual thinking, communication, and experimentation within the context of Communication Design. Foster the ability to observe, analyze, and critically interpret visual, cultural, social, and territorial phenomena, translating them into well-grounded visual proposals. Encourage drawing and illustration methodologies as processes of research, ideation, prototyping, and knowledge production, integrating analog, digital, and hybrid approaches. Develop autonomy in the conception, experimentation, and implementation of illustration projects, balancing creativity, critical thinking, and methodological rigor. Promote ethical reflection regarding authorship, image circulation, and the use of emerging technologies-including artificial intelligence-as well as the ability to visually communicate and argue for innovative solutions in interdisciplinary and collaborative contexts.
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Teaching methodologies
Teaching methodologies
The course unit adopts student-centered teaching methodologies, integrating Studio-Based Learning, Project-Based Learning, and Research through Design to foster learning through experimentation, inquiry, and project development. The proposed challenges follow Challenge-Based Learning principles, encouraging creative solutions to real-world problems. The process is complemented by in-context observation methodologies (Field Research and Walking Methodologies), promoting the collection, documentation, and critical analysis of the territory and visual culture. Learning is reinforced through critique sessions, peer reviews, and learning communities, fostering critical reflection, collaboration, autonomy, and continuous improvement. This approach integrates analog, digital, and hybrid processes, bridging the academic context with contemporary Communication Design practices and artistic research.
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References
References
Rodgers, P. A., & Yee, J. (Eds.). (2024). The Routledge Companion to Design Research (2nd ed.). Routledge. - Obra de referência sobre metodologias de investigação em Design, incluindo Design de Comunicação, Research through Design e práticas projetuais contemporâneas. Wilkinson, C., & Weitkamp, E. (2026). Creative Research Communication: Theory and Practice (2nd ed.). Manchester University Press. - Excelente para enquadrar a comunicação visual como produção e disseminação de conhecimento. Kahn, P. (2026). Mapping Knowledge Across Time: Seven Books that Visualized the World. CRC Press. - Muito relevante para cartografia visual, visualização da informação, atlas, diagramas e desenho como sistema de conhecimento. Fauchon, M. (2021). Illustration Research Methods. Bloomsbury Visual Arts. (Embora anterior a 2022, continua a ser provavelmente o livro mais importante sobre metodologias de investigação em Ilustração.
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Assessment
Assessment
A avaliação final da UC tem um carácter contínuo que incide na assiduidade, participação, cumprimento de prazos e empenho. O desenvolvimento do(s) projeto(s) proposto(s) para o semestre pode(m) ser individual(ais) e/ou coletivo(s). Realizar-se-ão, também, diferentes exercícios exploratórios que visam estimular a investigação, a criatividade e a inovação. Os momentos de avaliação são definidos pelo docente e têm carácter obrigatório. A avaliação final global resulta das ponderações dos diferentes exercícios, onde se inclui 90% dos trabalhos propostos (numa percentagem equitativa) e 10% da participação e presenças. O exame de recurso será constituído pela realização da totalidade dos projetos exigidos durante o semestre e por uma adaptação a um novo tema, e ainda um possível exercício extra desenvolvido no dia do próprio exame.
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Mobility
Mobility
No
