You must study the WAEC Graphic Design syllabus in order to take the test. The purpose and goals, notes, and structure for the Graphic Design test are all included.
You must study the Graphic Design course material in order to be prepared for the exam. You can use it as a guide to help you decide which topics to read about. Additionally, there are notes on ideas that you ought to learn carefully.
Exam preparation without reference to the Graphic Design syllabus is equivalent to visiting a farm without your farm equipment. You won’t be effective in the end.
Make sure to use the syllabus when you start your exam preparations.
The West African Examination Council’s Graphic Design curriculum and suggested textbooks are included in this article (WAEC).
WAEC Graphic Design
The goal of this curriculum is to give students both academic and practical skills for a career in graphic design.
It is also intended to give students who plan to continue their studies in tertiary institutions a solid foundation and give them the opportunity to develop the skills necessary for self-employment.
Aims and Objectives
The goal of the exam is to gauge each candidate’s ability in graphic design manipulation, analysis, and perception.
Additionally, it aims to judge the candidates’ talents in the following areas:
- manipulation and maintenance of tools,
- uses of materials,
- planning and production processes.
Scheme of Examination
Papers 1, 2, and 3 are the three required papers, and they are all equally important. Papers 1 and 2 will be taken together as a composite paper in a single sitting.
Paper 1 will include forty multiple-choice objective questions that must all be answered in 50 minutes or less for a total of 40 marks.
The second paper will have six essay-style questions. Candidates must respond to four questions for 60 points in two hours.
Paper 3 consists of two practical projects that candidates must complete in five days while putting in six hours every day. There will be 80 marks on the test.
Two weeks prior to the execution period, the question paper will be supplied to the candidates so they can study.
The two weeks previous to the project’s execution should also be used to complete design sketches and planning notes. These are worth 20 points each. Therefore, the overall score for the essay is 100.
WAEC Graphic Design
The study of perceptual, analytical, material manipulation, and use is included in the graphic design course.
Candidates must have studied all elements of the teaching curriculum, both theoretically and practically, in order to pass the exam. This expectation is based on the following:
- Importance of Graphic Design
- The importancev of Graphic Design as a profession.
- The role of grahic design in the society.
- Graphic Design tools, materials and equipment
- Lettering
- The historical development of the alphabet, Basic forms: Block lettering, serif, calligraphy, freestyle lettering.
- Principles and practice of lettering.
- Drawing And Illustration
- Basic drawing: forms and shapes.
- Composition and proportion.
- Perspective drawing.
- Shading techniques: hatching and crosshatching, (smudging) blending, Stippling (pointillism)
- Illustration techniques: pen and ink, pen and wash, flat colour, realistic painting, silhouette, photography, abstract painting, engraving.
- Importance of illustration, cartooning; the types, importance and functions.
- Colour
- Colour relationships: i.e tints and shades, colour harmonies, analogous and complementary, cool and warm colours, primary and secondary colours, tertiary colour etc.
- Colour symbolism:
- Communication Design
- Visual communication.
- Meaning and Importance.
- Design process: stages and layout
- Types of communication design media: eg. poster, banner, package, label, signboard,signpost, bookcover,billboard, handbill
- Reproduction Processes In Graphic Design
- Historical development, tools, materials and equipment, processes.
- Processes ie relief printing, stencil printing.
- Other printing processes – lithography, gravure, photography.
- Electronic printing devices: Ink jet printing, laser, electrostatic printing.
- Book Design
- Book typography, type styles and their uses, type indication methods and Page layout.
- Paper Craft
- The development of paper, types of paper and their uses, paper sizes, method of making decorative paper: marbling, comb pattern, doodling, wax resist, roller and twine pattern.
- Book Binding
- Parts of a book, tools, materials, equipment and their uses.
- Binding methods and styles, book repair binding process, care and maintenance of books.
- Computer For Graphic Design
- Uses of appropriate computer software to design visual communication items.
- Enterpreneural  Skills In Graphic Design
- Graphic Design careers: Illustration, cartooning publishing.
- Graphic Design employment avenues: Advertising houses, Printing houses, Ministries, Self employment.
- Setting up graphic design enterprise, factors to consider: pricing, costing and marketing.
- Building a portfolio of works.
- Exhibition
- Importance of exhibition.
- Types of exhibition
- Factors to consider when exhibiting
- Organizing and Mounting exhibition.