(*M.A.D Formula =Marketing + Advertising + Design Courses)
Chatsworth Medi@rt Academy (CMA)’s Professional Diploma adopts our very own MAD formula which is specially designed for keen learners who are serious on their creative careers, we are fully aware that knowing how to design is no longer the issue of creative graduates but knowing how to sell your ideas and your design to clients as well as to your immediate bosses are the issues. Our flagship program - Professional Diploma in Advertising & Design prepares all CMAians to be ready to get into design business, understand the market, craft out the strategy then design the visuals that communicate and sell your product, service or brand.
Course Synopsis
Written by professionals for professionals, Chatsworth Media Art Academy’s Professional Diploma in Advertising and Design combines both pragmatic and strategic studies in a unique and never before three-in-one diploma, students can now learn from professional practitioners and spearhead their career in the creative industry.
Students will benefit through site visits, case studies, hands-on assignments and exploration into contemporary design by creating their very own portfolio through solid industry-like training.
THE PRAGMATIC ASPECT
THE STRATEGIC ASPECT
Visual Communication
Creative Thinking
The visual communication module acts as an orientation programme for students to embark on their discovery journey of what it takes to become a successful designer, that is relevant to the industry.
Students will be exposed to the various forms of design, as well as understanding fundamentals such as design principles, symbols, colours etc. This module will focus mainly on the following areas:
- Design appreciation and communication
- Fundamentals and Principles of design
- Colour fundamentals and theories
- Idea development
- Research development
- Protocols and processes
The creative thinking module focuses on how the human mind think, and how can we think creatively through a series of lecture that investigates different methods of getting a big idea through exciting assignments.
It discusses development of creative concepts that are designed to meet advertising and promotional objectives. Ways of generating the big idea across the media (below-the-line, above-the-line and new media) and how to evaluate those ideas strategically will be emphasized. Students will learn to understand the difference between effectiveness and creativity.
It discusses development of creative concepts that are designed to meet advertising and promotional objectives. Ways of generating the big idea across the media (below-the-line, above-the-line and new media) and how to evaluate those ideas strategically will be emphasized. Students will learn to understand the difference between effectiveness and creativity.
Digital Studio I 
Advertising Overview
(Photoshop® & Illustrator®)
In this module, students will be introduced to the fundamentals of computer-aided-design with industry standard applications - Adobe® Photoshop® and Adobe® Illustrator®. The objective of this module is to equip students with the skills necessary to stay relevant in the digital age. This module is divided into two equal parts, 6 sessions for each application.
ADOBE® PHOTOSHOP®
ADOBE® ILLUSTRATOR®
In this module, students will be introduced to the fundamentals of computer-aided-design with industry standard applications - Adobe® Photoshop® and Adobe® Illustrator®. The objective of this module is to equip students with the skills necessary to stay relevant in the digital age. This module is divided into two equal parts, 6 sessions for each application.
ADOBE® PHOTOSHOP®
- Understanding Adobe® Photoshop® tools and work area
- Working with Adobe® Photoshop® layers and masking features
- Understanding colour modes, color correction
- Working with transparencies, blending mode, paths and clipping paths
- Filters and plug ins
- File formats, smart objects, etc
ADOBE® ILLUSTRATOR®
- Understanding the workspace of a
vector-based environment - Basic layout techniques
- Drawing with Adobe® Illustrator®
- Working with layers, transparencies,
graphic styles - Precision drawing with Adobe® Illustrator®
- Path operations, masking and filters
- Creating proofs (draft, print, press)
The advertising overview module introduces the big picture of advertising to students. with topics such as key players, advertising categories, strategy and planning will be addressed in a series of lectures.
Students will also benefit from forum-styled discussions on effectiveness of advertising and explore various methods in both visual and message strategy with pragmatic and strategic assignments. This module also provides an in-depth coverage on advertising through traditional and new/alternate media of the industry today.
Students will also benefit from forum-styled discussions on effectiveness of advertising and explore various methods in both visual and message strategy with pragmatic and strategic assignments. This module also provides an in-depth coverage on advertising through traditional and new/alternate media of the industry today.
Typography & Communication Design
Copywriting
The Communication Design and Typography module will gear students to the next level of design driven skills with a greater emphasis in graphic Design and Typography. Students will learn how typography forms a visual unit, and utilising graphic design to create an outstanding piece of work - delivering accurate information with communication design. This module will focus mainly on the following areas:
- Type evolution and history
- The graphic designers’ layout grid
- Typography as a visual language
- Working within a given space and a body
of information - How typography affects graphic design
- Type anatomy, measurements, classifications, styles, weights
- Type spaces (kerning, tracking, leading, etc)
- Applying variations in layouts and identifying common mistakes
- Creative research, how to get inspiring ideas and applying through Art Direction
- Choosing the right photo or cropping the
wrong photo - File Formats
This copywriting & art direction module covers the two pillars of creative advertising – crafting and writing a good ad. Students will learn the techniques, concepts and purposes of copywriting and art direction. The module will focus mainly on The Copywriter; Grammar and Usage; Styles and Target Audience; What to say (meeting creative brief); Techniques; Writing for different media.
Complemented by Typography and Communication Design module, students will be able to apply both copywriting and art direction into their very own advertising master piece.
Complemented by Typography and Communication Design module, students will be able to apply both copywriting and art direction into their very own advertising master piece.
Corporate Identity and Design
Branding
This module will provide students the science behind every
corporation’s ‘persona’. Besides creating the corporate personality, the
module also explores the components of a corporate identity
programme that will promote consistency in both discipline and
application. This module will focus MAINLY on the following areas:
This module is further complemented by the Branding module, allowing students to fully comprehend the science and visual behind brands and identity.
- The coming of corporate communications
- The story, the visual, the package
- The science of symbols and colors
- The logotype and the semiotics
- Supporting devices/ applications
- The corporate design mandatories
- The corporate identity system, why is it
so important?
This module is further complemented by the Branding module, allowing students to fully comprehend the science and visual behind brands and identity.
This branding module covers the important aspects of branding.
Students will learn through a series of visual-based lecture on how
brand experts build branding campaign by understanding the
fundamental concepts of branding and how it works.
Students can expect to learn from brand experts on topics such as Brand Foundation Values; Brand Personality; Brand Names; Brand Space, Brand Recognition, Public Relations; Brand Crisis Management and many more.
This module is complemented by the Corporate Identity and Design module, allowing students to finally understand how values are package in visual identity systems.
Students can expect to learn from brand experts on topics such as Brand Foundation Values; Brand Personality; Brand Names; Brand Space, Brand Recognition, Public Relations; Brand Crisis Management and many more.
This module is complemented by the Corporate Identity and Design module, allowing students to finally understand how values are package in visual identity systems.
Packaging and Print Technology
Marketing Overview
This module introduces the technologies and procedures of modern
lithography and packaging studies to students, equipping them with real
industrial knowledge of managing the studio workflow through a visit to
a printing plant. This module will focus mainly on the following areas:
The research development aspect of this module’s project will be complemented through the Marketing Overview module.
- Understanding colors and inks for press
- Understanding dpi, ppi and lpi.
- The different forms of lithography with emphasis on offset lithography
- Pre and post press. Managing the workflow
- Color separation
- Understanding packaging as an extension
of a brand - The corporate identity system, why is it
so important? - Choosing the right stock
- Creating prototypes for packaging
- Techniques in performing really nice mockups
The research development aspect of this module’s project will be complemented through the Marketing Overview module.
The marketing overview module introduces fundamental marketing
concepts. Students will understand how advertising fits into the
marketing process and the strategic relationship between the two
concepts. The importance of market segmentation and how market
segmentation influences message development will be emphasized.
Students will learn to appreciate the importance of research and learn to carry out research and formulate findings particularly in consumer behaviour.
This module is complemented with the pragmatic module Packaging and Print Technology encompassing projects within the retail environment.
Students will learn to appreciate the importance of research and learn to carry out research and formulate findings particularly in consumer behaviour.
This module is complemented with the pragmatic module Packaging and Print Technology encompassing projects within the retail environment.
Editorial Design 
Digital Studio II
This editorial design module covers important aspects on how to
structure a set of cohesive editorial content, grids and components
through the use of Adobe InDesign as the technical aspects. Students
not only will learn content gathering, they will also understand how to
create personalities and tone for publication. This module is divided into
6 sessions for Editorial Design and 6 sessions on Adobe InDesign. This
module will focus mainly on the following areas :
EDITORIAL DESIGN
ADOBE® INDESIGN®
EDITORIAL DESIGN
- Editorial design and its objectives
- Anatomy of a publication
- Creating layouts
- Essential layout skills
ADOBE® INDESIGN®
- Working with Adobe InDesign’s® features such as master pages and section markers
- Creating paragraphs and character styles
- Working with Adobe InDesign’s table feature
(Advanced Photoshop® & Illustrator®)
In this prequel of Digital Studio I module, students will be introduced to the next level of computer-aided-design with industry standard applications - Adobe® Photoshop® and Adobe® Illustrator®. This module is divided into two equal parts, 6 sessions for each application.
ADOBE® PHOTOSHOP®
ADOBE® ILLUSTRATOR®
Students will also be exposed to advanced techniques of how to integrate vector and rastor graphics into applications such as Dreamweaver®, Flash® and InDesign®.
In this prequel of Digital Studio I module, students will be introduced to the next level of computer-aided-design with industry standard applications - Adobe® Photoshop® and Adobe® Illustrator®. This module is divided into two equal parts, 6 sessions for each application.
ADOBE® PHOTOSHOP®
- Advance layers and masking features
- Layer adjustments techniques
- Advance color mode such as working
with Channels - Working with Photoshop®
3-dimensional features
ADOBE® ILLUSTRATOR®
- Gradient Mesh
- Advanced symbol techniques
- Creating 3-dimensional graphics
Students will also be exposed to advanced techniques of how to integrate vector and rastor graphics into applications such as Dreamweaver®, Flash® and InDesign®.
Online Media DesignTelevision Commercial 
This online media design module allow students to integrate
communication design with realism through rich media, with studies
focusing on web criteria, restrictions and how to use Adobe®
Dreamweaver® for dynamic web presentations. This module will focus
MAINLY on the following areas:
- Understanding what is the internet, worldwide web and the progress
- The internet and communication design
- Fundamentals of Dreamweaver
- Flowchart
- Understanding tables in Dreamweaver
- Navigating the site with buttons
- Consistency with CSS styles
- Technical skills such as image quality, file format, color space, etc
(Concept & Development) Introduction to TV advertising medium. Understanding what it’s best for,
how has it developed, how has it evolved. Students will be taught on
how to write a television commercial script; the importance of brief;
understanding AIDA and how to apply AIDA; as well as how to get it
right and use it to decide on a film approach.
Additional studies such as the Ten commonly used approaches, their merits and pitfalls will be taught. Students will benefit from pracitical assignments such as making a storyboard and presenting it effectively; developing a shooting board; and finally making a great Television Commercial with great ideas.
Additional technical studies will be complemented by Apple’s iMovie and the Online Media Design module.
Additional studies such as the Ten commonly used approaches, their merits and pitfalls will be taught. Students will benefit from pracitical assignments such as making a storyboard and presenting it effectively; developing a shooting board; and finally making a great Television Commercial with great ideas.
Additional technical studies will be complemented by Apple’s iMovie and the Online Media Design module.
MAD INTEGRATED PROJECT (MAJOR PROJECT)
Students embark on their final journey for advertising & design through integrating the modules learnt through a real-world inspired MAD integrated campaign project. This major project will allow students to CREATE A NEW IDEA, apply Marketing strategies, Media planning, Advertising Strategy and translate them into a final visual assembly through graphic and visual communication.
In this final lap, students’ final work will gain further value through expert critics from our highly esteemed External Panel Assessors (EPA) from the industry in a pitch-inspired presentation.
In this final lap, students’ final work will gain further value through expert critics from our highly esteemed External Panel Assessors (EPA) from the industry in a pitch-inspired presentation.
Upcoming Intakes
Part-time:
15th Feb 2012 Full
21st May 2012
Full-time:
06th Mar 2012
04th Jun 2012