3ARTD

NCEA Level 3 Art Design

Course Selection for 2025 is now closed.

Course Description

Teacher in Charge: Mrs C. Frost.

Visual Arts Design is a course for students who wish to work on an individually chosen proposal.

This course prepares students for a career in Visual Art Design or tertiary study. There are many related digital design careers and emerging Creative Industries linked to this area of study. This creative course consists of drawing digitally in a free and personal way, whilst understanding the principles of design and the ways that designers work. In particular, they will work through the design process and communicate visually about their area of interest. 



Digital drawing plays a major part in this course as the central means of generating ideas and work.

Potential areas of student-led study in this course:

  • Character design and animation.
  • Infographics, book illustration, comic graphics, typography.
  • Creating a business concept and developing promotional material including logos, posters, web pages etc.
  • Game design illustration, world building (design the way the game looks and the characters within it).

Note: Students may take up to two of the NCEA Level 3 Visual Art courses offered: Design, Painting, Photography, Printmaking and Sculpture.


Below you can see examples from Level 3 Art Design portfolios that were graded Excellence. Click the images to enlarge:

Contributions and Equipment/Stationery

Access to a computer and digital camera outside of school would be an advantage for all Visual Arts students but not essential. You will need to keep a visual diary or equivalent for your initial ideas and plans and be prepared to research, visit and explore areas of interest to focus your artwork on.

You will need an A3 Art Visual Diary or equivalent and presentation clear files to present your internal paperwork for assessment.