BA (Hons) Graphic Design with Sandwich Placement

Module: 4VC019

Credits: 60

Period: 1

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

This module introduces you to a range of topics and processes pertinent to the broad practice of graphic design, as well as resources and staff within the University and the School of Art. It is an intensive practical module extending throughout the year and you will undertake a range of studio projects as a foundation to your professional practice as a graphic designer. Centred on design processes, including development of specialist skills, this module aims to maximise your graphic design potential. You will be supported throughout this module in making the transition between your prior educational experiences and full time graphic design study and practice. Developing time management skills through structured tasks, you will be expected to make use of independent study hours to further progress your graphic design skills and practice, subject studios, art school workshops and the Harrison Learning Centre. In Graphic Design: Preparation you will also learn to develop, and record your design ideas, taking inspiration from a range of contextual sources including artists and designers, gaining confidence to express and communicate design solutions with visuals, sketchbooks and journals within tutorials.

Module: 4VC020

Credits: 60

Period: 1

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

This module helps you to build an understanding of graphic design principles through investigation, and application to projects. You will have the time and space to practice and develop professional graphic design skills in response to project briefs and lectures. The emphasis of this module is on practice, guided by tutorials, feedback and experience, challenging and encouraging you to expand your subject knowledge, skills and confidence. This module provides the opportunity for you to identify and reflect on your strengths and weaknesses at every stage of design exploration, helping you to learn from feedback and experience, in order to appeal to potential audiences and specific situations. Introducing you to a range of contextual knowledge from both contemporary and historical graphic design practice and visual culture, Graphic Design: Principles will help you to understand professional practice and its place in society, cultural significance, impact and connection with audiences. You will engage in subject specialist lectures and seminars and produce a range of creative, academic and contextual assignments in response to project briefs. This module will encourage you to organise your time effectively, increase your ability to analyse your designs and the designs of others and to demonstrate intellectual and professional curiosity, stimulating your professional design skills and contextual knowledge while enhancing your ability to make professional judgements in response to briefs.

Module: 5VC022

Credits: 60

Period: 2

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

With emphasis on critical and experimental practice, this module aims to develop your understanding of graphic design through investigation of, and engagement with design projects. You will continue to develop professional graphic design skills in response to project briefs and lectures, and you will have opportunities to explore the creative and practical tools required to meet the needs of client-led briefs. As the module progresses, you will negotiate and manage design projects with increasing independence, and develop your individual approach to problem-solving and realisation of final design work through critical analysis and professional judgement. Your theoretical knowledge and understanding will be further developed, encouraging you to consider your relationship to, and place in graphic design, the creative industries and society. You will use visual and contextual research to inform your decision-making, and be encouraged to develop risk-taking strategies through experimentation in order to create new and surprising solutions appropriate to a range of outputs discussed in Graphic Design: Projects. As your confidence grows, you will also consider and establish effective methodologies to communicate and evaluate your creative work.

Module: 5VC021

Credits: 60

Period: 2

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

Developing your understanding of communication through graphic design, this module encourages you to engage with practical projects, introducing you to specialist disciplines in print and screen media creating work for a range of clients and outputs. The initial focus of the module will be on the acquisition and application of higher-level design skills, techniques and processes aligned to specialist practice, and you will engage with lectures, workshops and seminars to support your learning. Broad principles introduced at the start of the module will provide the foundation for detailed investigation of graphic design projects, and you will be encouraged to consider your individual approach to creative problem solving and developing visual language. Through engagement with projects on this intensive studio-based practical module, you will increase your knowledge of the graphic design industry, and reflect on your professional practice as a graphic designer in relation to potential future employment. You will continue to develop and record your design ideas, taking inspiration from contextual sources discussed in Graphic Design: Practice. Opportunities to engage with live and competition briefs alongside tutor-led assignments on this module will enable you to gain experience in understanding and responding to design specifications, and provide a platform for reflection across a range of professional and academic situations.

Module: 5AD011

Credits: 40

Period: 3

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

The professional placement provides an opportunity for professional development in the work place and as such, greatly enhances the prospects for you to find bespoke or relevant employment at the end of your studies. Help and support is provided to assist you in finding a suitable placement by the School, but greater emphasis is placed on your awareness and self-motivation in finding a good quality placement. Normally, staff may visit you once during the 48-week period, but contact will be continual throughout the year. The placement provider will be asked to comment on the your progress during the placement. These comments will help in providing you with formative feedback.

Module: 6VC022

Credits: 60

Period: 4

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

Graphic Design: Portfolio enables you to negotiate and produce a final body of creative work based upon your professional ambition and emerging specialisms. You will undertake a series of intensive practical studio projects, including live briefs, national and international competitions, and thematic group projects. There will be opportunities to further develop specialist knowledge, skills and understanding to support your increasingly personal visual language, to help demonstrate your ability to generate ideas and to create considered and targeted solutions as a practicing designer. Graphic Design: Portfolio is a student-led module, supported by the academic and technical team in group and individual tutorials, encouraging you to test your project management skills and increasing autonomy. You will be required to manage your time and workload effectively, synthesising prior learning experiences, and utilising design strategies and methodologies developed at levels 4 and 5.

Module: 6VC023

Credits: 60

Period: 4

Type: Core

Locations: Wolverhampton City Campus

This module enables you to consolidate your learning and practice in a professional context, where you will demonstrate increasing independence in preparing for a career in the creative industries. You will engage with a range of assignments that will be both self-authored and developed from increased input from guest lecturers discussing career paths, providing meaningful insight and helping to enhance your understanding of the broad area of visual communication in the context of employability. Engagement with lectures, workshops and seminars will support this increasing independence as you learn to build an effective portfolio, engage with commissions, group exhibitions and develop strategies for presenting yourself and your work to the global creative community. You will undertake written and visual research to produce a visual thesis, generating an extended written assignment alongside supporting, experimental practical work. Using critical and reflective skills, this body of work should complement your practice-led portfolio, as well as contributing to your contextual understanding of your discipline. This module offers an opportunity to refine your personal visual language and approach to your chosen specialism within the market.

Teaching takes place in our studio environments where tutor-student engagement and peer-to-peer learning promotes a professional and independent approach to your development. Teaching, supervised practice and independent exploration also takes place in well-equipped material workshops and computer labs. Throughout the course you will be encouraged to explore and build material and technical competencies towards developing your own rich, challenging and distinct visual language as designers and artists.

BA (Hons) Graphic Design is distinctive in its approach because:

• Students are assessed on 100% coursework
• The course structure reflects the breadth and flexibility of industry practice
• Our focus is on employability and student support
• We have a great success rate in national and international design competitions
• We integrate theory and practice to encourage deep learning and quality coursework
• Our dynamic environments enable creative practice and discourse
• Award-winning lecturing and support staff
• Access to world-class facilities
• Studio culture enables discussion, advice and support outside of teaching sessions
• We have an excellent network of contacts offering live projects, placements and opportunities

Our course has received excellent results and feedback from the National Student Survey, particularly concerning our award-winning teaching, student support and overall student satisfaction. External examiners have consistently commended our approaches and commitment to learning, teaching and student support. We are also members of creative professional organisations such as D&AD and the AOI.

Additional Information BA (Hons) Graphic Design

• The member of academic staff who leads this course is Marc Austin
• For more information about our facilities click here.
• For more information about Graphic Design at Wolverhampton, please visit our website: wlvgraphics.co.uk.

Wolverhampton School of Art