CATC DESIGN SCHOOL
COURSE GUIDE 2014-15
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COURSE GUIDE 2014-15
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CATC DESIGN SCHOOL
Hello...
…and welcome to CATC Design School. We are really looking forward to
being able to showcase what we do and why we are doing it. But first of
all, we should probably begin with a brief introduction of who we are.
We began teaching design 30 years ago
and we love what we are doing now just
as much as we did when we started. We
have four campuses1 – one in Brisbane,
one on the Gold Coast, one in Melbourne
and one in Sydney. This adds up to a crazy
number of graduates enjoying a wide range
of successful careers. It also makes us one
of Australia’s leading education providers
in graphic design, interior design and
photography. But all this is not what really
excites us the most. What really excites us
is what we do and why we are doing it.
HELLO
1
Actually it’s five campuses with our ‘virtual
campus’ for our online students.
What we do
What we do is provide an environment where
you can learn to become the best designer
or photographer you can be. We’ll give
you the stepping stones to get you there.
We believe studying to be a designer or a
photographer is all about developing your
own unique set of skills. Our job is to help
you do this. It’s all about you, not us.
What we also do is vocational education
and training (VET). This is really important
to us. Vocational education and training is
skills-based and industry focussed. It’s very
hands on. In some ways it’s similar to the
days of masters and apprentices where you’d
learn a trade and develop your skills under
the watchful eye of a master craftsman.
It provides an environment which encourages
deliberate practice and experimentation.
It’s a place where if you put the work in you
can’t technically fail. It’s an environment where
the worst that can happen is it might take
more work to get the result you’re after2. It’s a
place where it’s OK to make mistakes. In fact,
we celebrate mistakes because it’s through
trial and error that you’ll usually learn the
most. Our students are encouraged to jump
right in and actively look for ways to improve
their knowledge and skills.
We understand that being creative is all about
original thinking and coming up with ideas.
Because of this, we will teach you how to
think creatively and practice constructively.
2
Vocational training doesn’t have grades. When it comes to
assessments you’re either ‘competent’ or ‘not yet competent’.
It’s just like the real world. When you present your ideas
to your clients they won’t give you a grade. They’ll give you
feedback which is something you’ll always learn from.
Why we’re doing it
It’s a job.
Only kidding. We’re doing it because we love
what we do. We all come from industry and
we enjoy helping others who want to join us.
We love seeing the progress our students
make and we really love it when they graduate
and start turning their ideas into reality.
We do it because we believe in the
hands-on nature of vocational education.
Designers and photographers get out
of bed each day because they want to
create things. You probably enjoyed art
and design at school – well, think of your
time with us as one non-stop art class.
It’s like most things in life: when you love
what you do, chances are you’re going to
become good at it, which in turn reaps its
own rewards. Our graduates are both highly
regarded and sought after. They regularly
win prizes in the most prestigious design
competitions, from the Design Institute of
Australia (DIA), Australasian Student Design
Competition and the Graduate of the Year
Awards (GOTYA) to the Dulux Colour Awards
and Desktop magazine’s Create Awards.