BA (Hons) Graphic Design

What it's all about?

HE, full-time, day-time

This course explores the communication of ideas through type and image, and will equip you with the understanding and skills to operate effectively within the competitive, fast-moving and continually developing design sector. You will explore the designer/client relationship in response to the brief, and develop your creative understanding, individual drive and ability to communicate ideas, both visually and verbally. We believe you should develop an increasingly independent and individual approach to your own learning.

The course is designed to prepare you for life in the workplace: you will be encouraged to develop your own voice, opinions and individual understanding of your position within graphic design whilst developing the discipline and skills to apply that understanding in a professional environment. The course aims to accommodate and encourage the broader creative, social and professional needs and interests of today's designers. You'll benefit from a broadened understanding of the creative, social, cultural and ethical context of contemporary visual culture.

Is this the course for you?

If you have made the decision to study graphic design at degree level and are interested in communication through type and image, this could be the course for you.

Mature students (21+)

We welcome applications from students who are returning to education. We offer many opportunities for adults even if you don't have conventional entry qualifications. We're interested in your motivation, your potential, and your ability to follow the course successfully.

Course content
First year

You'll focus on the fundamentals of visual language, visual thinking and visual analysis within the context of graphic design. You'll explore practical and conceptual research methods and effective studio practice in relation to the areas of type, language, image, narrative, meaning and message. Your studies will focus on the use of typography, image, print, drawing, digital media, photography and moving image, and will include a module from the College's broad programme of electives. This fast-paced programme uses group dynamics and individual practice, but offers the time for reflection and evaluation of your progress.

Second year

Taking a more self-directed role, you will develop your ideas about communication through type and/or image, and will start to specialise, using specialist workshops, critical assessments and seminars. You will consider audience, distribution, professional/ethical practice and visual culture, and will focus on print (publishing, editorial, packaging, promotion, and design for advertising) as well as electronic media (web graphics, motion graphics, design for screen, and design for the moving image).

Third year

Your final year will continue to encourage team work whilst supporting individuality, with a view to working as a professional designer. It will involve negotiated briefs, competition briefs, professional practice, self-promotion and self-publication. In addition you will work towards the professional presentation of your portfolio and final exhibition of work.

Assessment

Assessment is coursework-based.

Live briefs

In the second year, you'll have the opportunity to get involved with collaborative practice, competition briefs and live projects. You'll also be introduced to professional practice, project management and business/marketing/innovation/enterprise studies.

Resources

You will be using industry-standard facilities, including a suite of Apple Macs with professional software and typographic resources, a dedicated multimedia centre with Apple Macs, a photographic studio and darkrooms, specialist print-making and bookbinding resource, high end audio visual suite and digital print finishing studio.

Progression & career opportunities

Graphic designers and illustrators find work across a broad range of disciplines including magazine design, book design/illustration, design for advertising, web design, motion graphics, packaging graphics, information graphics, character design and editorial illustration. The course will prepare you for employment in the continually changing graphic design and illustration sectors. This could be as part of an in-house commercial design team, in a studio, or as a freelance independent designer/illustrator. You might also choose to continue your studies at postgraduate level.