Design for Communication MA

The content of the course is industry focused, and encompasses issues central to contemporary design practice through a process of analysis, experimentation and the practical testing and implementation of creative ideas.
Modules
The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course. For more details on course structure and modules, and how you will be taught and assessed, see the full course document.
Core modules
BUSINESS FOR DESIGN
In this module you will examine the professional context for design business, management and enterprise. Through a series of lectures and seminars the module will focus on practices appropriate to freelance and small businesses. You will examine key elements of professional practice, and gain insights into the design business through site visits and guest lectures from industry professionals. The module will give practical advice for starting up in business, covering topics including forming and naming your business, choosing and setting up premises, creative thinking and project management, copyright and intellectual property rights, and marketing and managing your business.
CRITICAL DEBATES IN DESIGN
You will address and review current visual, social and technological debates in design, and develop informed views on contemporary topics in design. The module will explore the role of the designer’s responsibilities in a social, cultural and economic sense, the role of the designer in communicating to audiences, and the construction of meaning in verbal and visual language. You will increase your awareness of debates and issues in the design field and hone your incisive thinking skills alongside technical abilities. You will develop an engaged reflective practice to make more effective use of your perceptions and discoveries, and work practically and creatively with reference to a wider cultural context.
DESIGN PROJECT A: VISUAL IDENTITY
During this module you will focus on visual identity and how an entity declares itself within an environment. Visual identity is one of the central tasks of design. Organisations previously described their identities as their ‘house style’, then their ‘corporate identity’; more recently the term ‘branding’ has been preferred. The module encourages the development of distinctive graphic and typographic visual language through visual identity for specific target audiences. You will develop a range of graphic and image-based solutions, through collaboration, group working and presentations of case studies, while building contacts with industry.
DESIGN PROJECT B: DESIGN AUTHORSHIP
Building on the experience you gain in Project A, in this module you will focus on publishing and design authorship, acquiring skills in areas such as editorial, magazine, book design, e-book, interactive and website design. You will examine the traditional role of the designer as facilitator, the use of design to communicate other peoples’ messages, and the notion of ‘designer as author’. You can work on competitions, external projects, collaborative cross-course projects, and self-defined projects, as appropriate, and wherever possible we will run training sessions and workshops, to give you the chance to improve your existing visual communication skills and develop new ones.
DESIGN RESEARCH METHODS
This module enables you to develop your research skills and methods at a deeper level, in preparation for further study at doctorate level and for professional practice. It introduces the field of design research as an analytical and practical tool for designers, and establishes the role of critical thinking as a support to the development of an engaged design practice. Theoretical models of design analysis covered include semiotics, communication theory, systematic approaches, semantics and discourse theory. The emphasis will be on why we do what we do and how we can ensure it is effective, through research testing, feedback and a rigorous approach to design.
MAJOR PROJECT/EXHIBITION
This module enables individual students and student teams to initiate, produce, manage and present a comprehensive design project. The major project is a summation of experience in which you focus your interests, skills and aspirations as designers, and express them in a substantial project. The intended target audience, design strategy, design exploration, research testing, concept development and the chosen mode of presentation of the finished concepts, are among the key issues you will cover and implement. This project will showcase your potential as a visual communication designer and demonstrate your ability to work at a high level of professional practice.
Associated careers
As a graduate from this course you will be well placed to work across all sectors of the design and visual communications industries. You will have the knowledge and background to consider setting up your own design company, or to work on a freelance basis within this lively and expanding sector, building on your expertise and potential to be influential within the visual communication industry.
Key staff
Peter Smith, Course Leader
Peter is a branding and communications design consultant at Openmind Design Consultancy. His strengths are brand strategy development, communications audits, brand and visual identity design, internal and external communications design.
His experience covers working as a creative director on major international and European brand identity programmes for Accenture, Aer Lingus, BAA, Barclays, Courtaulds, ECA, Heritage Lottery Fund, Hogg Robinson, KONE, National Museum Wales, Odeon Cinemas, Sasol Chevron, Toyota, and VisitBritain.
His previous experience with Luxon Carra, Dialog and Lloyd Northover was as a director in creative and project management roles. He has been responsible for naming, brand design, literature design, conventional and online design guidelines, online communications, corporate advertising and interior design projects for a wide range of clients in a variety of business sectors.
Peter qualified as a fellow and membership assessor for the Chartered Society of Designers and gained an MA from the Royal College of Art. He has won awards from the New York Art Directors Club and the New York Type Directors Club. He is a recipient of the Minerva Award for corporate identity design.
He has lectured in graphic design at De Montfort University, Central Saint Martins, University of Plymouth, Ravensbourne, Middlesex University, and the University of Westminster.
Visit Peter Smith's profile page.
Andy Vella, Senior Lecturer
Graphic designer and photographer andy vella was still at art school when he encountered the cure guitarist porl thompson on a train. This chance meeting led to a 30 year career documenting the cult heroes at their peak, photographing them on tour and designing some of their most iconic record covers. He has since worked on album art for many bands including mogwai, pavement and silver pools, and designed striking book covers for stieg larsson and margaret atwood, he also branded xfm radio and planet rock radio and has seen his profile grow as an influential figure in graphic design for music and publishing.
He recently authored a best-selling photographic book called Obscure which tells the story of The Cure from 1981 to the present day.
Visit Andy Vella's profile page.
Guest lecturers
Throughout the course you will attend additional lectures that will bring relevance and outside knowledge to all aspects of your study. Past guest lecturers have included:
Sean Perkins, North Design
Gordon Young
Victoria Talbot
Riccie Janus, Accenture
Tony Kaye
Yoko Akama, Akama Design
Bernie Bowers, Appleby Bowers Creative Associates
Neville Brody, Research Studios
Ivan Chermayeff, Chermayeff & Geismar
David Hillman, Pentagram
Harry Pearce, Pentagram
Paula Scher, Pentagram
Andy Vella, Vella Design
Length of course
One-year, full-time
Additional costs information
To check what your tuition fees cover and what you may need to pay for separately, see our What tuition fees cover page.
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