Catalonia PAU Design II (Disseny II) study guide
Catalonia PAU Design II (Disseny II) · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
Disseny II is the design-specific subject in Catalonia's university entrance exams (PAU), taken by students who want their access score to reflect visual and project-based ability rather than only general subjects. It matters most for candidates aiming at design, fine arts, architecture-adjacent or communication degrees, where the weighted subject score can lift a competitive grade. The Catalonia PAU Design II (Disseny II) study guide has 7 sections and about 3,018 words.
01Design Fundamentals: Elements, Principles, and Visual Language
This domain tests whether you can name, apply, and justify the basic elements of visual language (point, line, plane, form, colour, texture, space) and the principles that organise them (balance, rhythm, proportion, contrast, hierarchy, unity). In the PAU Design II exam, definitions alone are not enough: you must show how a composition works and why a decision serves the brief.
479 words, about 2 min02Graphic Design and Visual Communication: Typography, Layout, and Identity
This domain examines typography, layout and grid systems, signage, posters, editorial design, and the basics of corporate identity. The exam expects you to choose and combine typefaces, construct a readable hierarchy, use a grid consistently, and explain how a visual system works across formats.
455 words, about 2 min03Product and Object Design: Form, Function, Ergonomics, and Sustainability
This domain tests the relationship between form and function, ergonomics and anthropometrics, materials and production processes, sustainability, and user-centred design. You should be able to analyse an object, propose improvements, and justify them with functional and manufacturing evidence.
433 words, about 2 min04Design History: Industrialisation, Modern Movements, and Catalan/Spanish Context
This domain tests your ability to place objects, designers, and ideas in historical context: from industrialisation and the Arts and Crafts reaction, through the Bauhaus and the modern movement, to contemporary practice, including Catalan and Spanish design. Expect comparison questions, not just dates.
420 words, about 2 min05Design Methodology and Project Process: Brief, Research, Ideation, Prototyping
This domain tests the project process: interpreting a brief, researching, generating and selecting ideas, sketching, prototyping, evaluating, and communicating a solution. The exam rewards evidence of a reasoned process, not a single beautiful final drawing.
386 words, about 2 min06Graphic Representation and Technical Drawing for Design
This domain assesses sketching, projection systems, scale, dimensioning, and the visual presentation of a design proposal. You must communicate a three-dimensional object clearly and correctly, using conventions that another person can read and build from.
436 words, about 2 min07Design, Technology, and Society: Digital Tools, Accessibility, Ethics, and Impact
This domain tests how design interacts with technology, accessibility, ethics, environmental impact, and contemporary culture. You should be able to discuss digital tools critically, apply accessibility criteria, and evaluate social and environmental consequences rather than treating technology as automatically progressive.
409 words, about 2 min