BA (Hons) Graphic Design and Photography - Full-time

Bachelor's degree

In Bolton

£ 9,250 VAT inc.

Description

  • Type

    Bachelor's degree

  • Location

    Bolton

  • Duration

    3 Years

Graphic design and photography are two of the most influential and powerful forms of visual communication. We constantly read adverts, engage with websites and spend money based on choices influenced by messages delivered through graphic design and photography. Graphic designers produce content for digital and traditional media, creatively combining photography, illustration and typography to communicate messages for clients from big brands to small businesses.

On this course, we’ll guide as you develop applied skills in a broad range of graphic design media across digital, screen, multimedia and print-based graphics and gain an understanding of graphic design software. You’ll explore design theories and principles and have the opportunity to learn about the historical and critical elements of design. Alongside all of this, we’ll support you to gain photography theory and practical skills.

Your wider study of visual arts theory will help develop your visual language and understanding. We’ll also focus on helping you to develop career-relevant skills. Creativity, technical knowledge, problem solving, time management, sales, marketing and customer care skills are all essential for success as a professional graphic designer and photographer.

Facilities

Location

Start date

Bolton (Greater Manchester)
See map
Deane Road, BL3 5AB

Start date

On request

About this course

This degree programme aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of contemporary graphics and photographic practice. As a graduate, you should know how to successfully synthesise research, develop ideas and produce innovative work for a range of research-led and industry-ready outputs. Much of the programme involves the creative use of graphics and photography software, but we’re also strongly committed to ideas generation and problem-solving using traditional media and techniques.

As a graduate of this course, some of the key transferable skills you’ll possess include a high lovel of creativity, the ability to work independently and to brief, and the ability to present new ideas as well as determine the scope of a project.

Graduates can go on to work in areas such as editorial, packaging, moving image, marketing and advertising design as well as commercial, documentary and social photography. Graduating students may also wish to consider a freelance career in print or web design. Some graduates choose to work within the private sector, such as design consultancies, advertising and PR agencies and brand specialists. Others work for the public sector which can include employers such as museums, local authorities, the police, schools, colleges and hospitals.

There are a wide range of options for postgraduate study either within photography or graphic design. Short, further education courses to learn or hone skills in different computer packages are also an option. Other areas of postgraduate research, study and training commonly taken include teaching, advertising, design, film, editing, journalism and creative enterprise.

Alternative Career Options
Teaching and education
Film, video and picture editing
Visual merchandising
Museum curation
Art gallery management
Graphic design
Web design
Art direction
Fashion
Photographic laboratories
Conservation
Forensics
Research
Exhibition design
Interior and spatial design
Marketing

You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent) including English Language.

You’ll be required to attend for interview and provide a portfolio of recent graphic/photographic or image-related (or time-based) work. A basic working knowledge of photography through either creative application, digital or traditional process (or combinations of the three) is expected and assessed at interview.

Key Features:
Our custom-designed photography department offers outstanding facilities including darkrooms, a dedicated computer suite with a high output printing facility and four studios with specialist lighting.
You can learn to use the latest design software, while being encouraged to generate ideas and problem solve by using traditional media and techniques including wood block printing, screen printing and lino cutting.
You’ll have access to a rich visiting speaker programme, providing insight into industry experts’ professional practice and up-to-the-minute developments in the sector. Our specialist tutors and technical support staff have professional experience and industry connections.
Practical knowledge, such as studio lighting and location techniques, combined with research and critique helps you learn to develop ideas and produce innovative research-led work.
We offer a supportive, market-aware environment in which you can explore different genres such as documentary, editorial, advertising, portraiture, architectural, landscape and fine art photography.
You’ll have opportunities to participate in foreign study trips, as well as visit current exhibitions and events at galleries and arts centres around the UK. We also encourage you to attend design-related professional development lectures and conferences.

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Subjects

  • IT
  • Skills and Training
  • Credit
  • Project
  • Full Time
  • Design
  • Media
  • Digital Imaging
  • Silver Darkroom
  • Discovering
  • Silver

Course programme

Modules

Modules listed below are a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules as part of the course.

  • Digital Imaging
  • Discovering Silver Darkroom
  • Reading Through The Lens
  • Design Principles
  • Visual Thinking
  • Contextual Studies in Graphic Design
  • The Creative Studio
  • The Professional Studio
  • Location, Light, Camera, Context
  • Employability and Enterprise
  • Craft and Digital Production
  • Design for Emerging Technologies
  • Professional Practice
  • Applied Critical Thinking in Photography
  • Major Project
  • Advanced Visualisation for Graphic Design
  • Advanced Design Practice
Teaching, Learning And Assessment

We use a blended approach to teaching and learning – we offer a combination of face-to-face sessions and online learning. You can expect a mix of seminars, lectures and tutorials, practical workshop demonstrations, our visiting speaker programme, critiques, study visits, self-directed study, IT sessions, library and guided study. The University’s e-learning portal Moodle will support your online learning. We’ll also encourage you to use the internet for research and to set up digital portfolios.

Module-based design briefs help to give you an insight into the professional environment. These involve simulated design briefs, client-led live briefs and competition briefs. Group tutorials and critiques, one-to-one tutor feedback, and regular feedback from clients and collaborators combine to support your learning. You’ll also be able to seek further advice and feedback at the published drop-in sessions, via email and online discussions, and at scheduled tutorials.

Formal assessment is by coursework. This may involve you presenting your portfolio of artwork along with a supporting sketchbook of developmental ideas and a written research journal. It can also take the form of assignments, projects and written work.

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up to date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.

Additional information

International Fees - £12,450

BA (Hons) Graphic Design and Photography - Full-time

£ 9,250 VAT inc.