CUA30720

Certificate III in Design Fundamentals

Learn about colour theory, drawing, design, typography, and collaboration and start your career in the creative industries with this foundational, entry-level course.

Delivered by

Experience a variety of projects to begin shaping your design style and inform your progression to an area of specialisation. Building from a base of history and theory you will follow the design process and collaborate with your peers to explore colour, drawing, 2D & 3D, typography, page layout and industry software.

This course is relevant for these job roles: 

  • Graphic Operator
  • Digital Artist
  • Junior Design Assistant

This course is available for Domestic Students under the Smart and Skilled Program in NSW. Under the Smart and Skilled program, the NSW Government subsidises training for students residing in specific regions of NSW. Click here to find out more about the Smart & Skilled Program NSW and apply now!

Are you a domestic or international student?

Course Structure

Subjects covered by this course include:

  • The Design Process
  • Design Periods
  • Exploring 3D through Objects and Space
  • The Design Workplace

Equipment:

  • Broadband internet access 
  • A video capable device and/or a digital camera
  • Access to a scanner/printer (minimum 1000+ DPI, A4 size)
  • Sketchbook, drawing and model making materials
  • Laptop (100% Online students may use Desktop computer)
    – Apple/ MAC: 
       macOC 10.13 or newer, 16GB, 2.7 GHz quad-core Intel® Core i7™ or newer, 8 GB RAM, Minimum 40 GB free disk space; recommend 100 GB free disk space available. 
    – PC:
       64-bit Microsoft® Windows® 10 or Windows 11, 6 GB RAM, 30 GB free disk space.

Software:

  • Adobe Creative Cloud subscription for Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and XD ($21.99/mth first year, $43.99/mth after that)
  • Google Suite (Google Docs, Slides and Sheets included as part of your Student Email Account)
  • Relevant software to upload and download video files

Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) is available for all courses, subjects and units of learning and competency being offered by APC and APC Design School.

If you have experience, skills and knowledge in your field of work – you may be eligible or even close to attaining a related qualification.

Read more

All APC vocational courses are assessed through a combination of assessment types that may include short answer questions, studio projects, essays, reports, group tasks, portfolios and/or presentations.

Entry Requirements

Academic:

Successful completion of Australian Year 9 or equivalent.

English language proficiency requirements:

This Course requires you to be at an Intermediate English Level or have completed the English Proficiency Skills test with an Overall Minimum Pass Rate.

See below requirements to meet an Intermediate English Proficiency level:

ELICOS ProviderNumber of Weeks
in this English Level
Minimum
Attendance
Entry Level
Test Required
English Unlimited8 weeks minimum80%Minimum Attendance achieved
Other approved ELICOS colleges10 weeks minimum80%Minimum Attendance achieved
Absence of ELICOS school proof  YES

For detailed information please review the documents Minimum Entry Requirements for APC Courses and English Proficiency Tests Comparison chart.

To participate in APC courses students need to have certain technical equipment, software and design equipment. Please check this Technology and Equipment Standard for Students.

Sample Timetable

DAY TIMETABLE
DAY 109:00 - 12:00Subject 1: Livestream Lecture13:00 - 16:00Subject 2: Livestream Lecture
DAY 209:00 - 12:00Subject 1: Studio (on-campus)12:30 - 15:30Subject 2: Studio (on-campus)
DAY 309:00 - 13:00Subject 1: Interactive Livestream Studio with on-campus support13:30 - 15:30Subject 2: Interactive Livestream Studio with on-campus support15:30 - 17:30Enhance Your Employability Skills (EYES) tutorial
  • The above is a sample timetable. Actual timetables may vary between campuses. Please contact APC to find out more information on the specific timetable for this course at the campus of your choice. Student timetables are available in MyAPC.hub. Click here to access the Tutorial Topic Calendar FAQ .
  • International students are expected to attend and study 20 timetabled hours per week.

Trainers & Assessors

Apply in 3 easy steps

1

Prepare

Read through the admissions criteria and ensure you meet the entry requirements.

2

Apply

Apply online or contact us to assist with your application

3

Offer

We’ll contact you to confirm the details and help you through the rest of the process.

Bundle and Save on Visa Costs

Course bundling is when you apply for a series of related courses, instead of just one course, saving you money on your visa costs. 

For example, if you are interested in a Certificate II or Certificate III course, you can combine it into a bundle with a related Certificate IV course. Or combine a Certificate IV course with a related Diploma and Advanced Diploma.