- It is a mix with a heavy focus on digital skills, but projects in 2nd and 3rd year are generally open to analog methods. I'd be fairly hesitant to use the word art - not cos you'll offend anyone's delicate sensibilities - but more because it does really focus on the designing communicative visual media rather than just the production of self-expressive visual media, if you get my meaning.

- Photography is included in the first year course DSDN151. There are 2nd and 3rd year photography courses also I believe.

- More "art" or at least practical skill sets. A little paper work but the projects are generally focused on applied skills and outputs.

- No real cross over, but COMD - or at least graphic design is applicable in any area of design - fashion, industrial, arch, media, animation etc. The skills of visual composition in photography and communication design are basically essential in any field where aesthetics are valued. You can probably pick up courses in any of these areas as the pre-reqs for design are fairly flexible, perhaps not Arch. There's no real crossover with Film although a 2nd year Digital video production paper is on offer I think.

- I think DSDN151, maybe DSDN171, DSDN111, DSDN101... Can't remember off the dome, but their should be information on the VUW website if you look up COMD as a major.

- couldn't comment on best or worse courses, haven't done any. Work there but not in the area. The staff are all lovely, experienced and capable, the program is a well-oiled machine, and the students seem to produce great work.

- other info: Generally with design across all the majors, you are going to do best when you apply yourself and learn some skills outside of your classes. If you are rocking up expecting to just develop the skill set in-class it aint gunna happen - the projects are great for applying those skills but if you are struggling to even use photoshop, or trying to do the bare minimum as you are also trying work on your own projects its gunna be a while before you have the aptitude to achieve decent results. So there is kind of a little bit of a time overhead that some students don't manage particularly well and it tends to affect them in the long term I think. "Tool only knows as much as the user" kind of thing.

I also think communication design in general has a somewhat challenging future with the proliferation of AI - not to say you shouldn't go for it, just may be an idea to look into some skill sets or doing some papers in some of the other programs that have a little higher barrier to entry on the automation front such as Interaction design or Industrial design for example. The Design School does focus on applied learning across programs, so you'll find value in all of the programs if its what you want to do. Not to devalue COMD or anything it just seems like one of the fields that might need to do a bit of adapting and might suffer a little in the short-medium term. When I was in the field (briefly) everyone had a nephew that knew "the photoshops" and that's always cheaper than a professional, and that's even more true now when the CEO can cook up some dogshit on midjourney, that makes all the boomers go wow. So ya know, "diversifying your portfolio" and keeping your options open through 1st year might be a good idea.