COMMUNICATION DESIGN, 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20557132.2015.1057376 The graphic design project: employing structured and critical relection to guide student learning Grant Ellmers Faculty of Law, Humanities, and the Arts, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia 1. Introduction The application of project-based learning in graphic design education is widespread. 1 In this learning environment students are typically introduced to the principles of graphic design through a series of projects, with the aim that their level of expertise increases as they progress through a programme of study. This approach has similarities with other design ABSTRACT This study investigated a structured and critical approach to relective practice, and how this can support graphic design students in a project-based learning environment to learn from their projects. Graphic design education has traditionally adopted a project-based learning approach where students are introduced to the principles of design through a series of projects. While there are many advantages to project-based learning, research suggests that in this environment, learning can become overly bound to the project with the risk that students have diiculty identifying and articulating what they have learned. Relection ofers a means to support students to connect their learning through a more deliberate engagement with the design process and the learning opportunities this presents. A learning intervention in the form of a structured and critical approach to relective practice was designed, framed by theories of relective practice and cognitive psychology. The aim was to prompt students to relect on their project in ways that supported them to identify their learning and challenge their approach(es) to the project. A case study strategy of inquiry was employed, drawing on a mixed-method research approach. The indings from this study demonstrate that when supported by a structured and critical approach to relective practice, students relected in a critical manner and consistent with the principles of relection-on-action. Whilst in this study not all students critically relected, nor did students critically relect all the time, it is concluded that relective practice applied in a structured and critical manner can play an efective role to guide graphic design students to learn from their project. This article presents a detailed description of the research method and the structured critical relective practice (SCRP) developed for the study. A summary of the overall indings are presented. © 2015 Taylor & Francis KEYWORDS Structured relection; critical relection; project-based learning; graphic design education ARTICLE HISTORY Received 20 February 2015 Accepted 29 May 2015 CONTACT Grant Ellmers grante@uow.edu.au