Course summary

From the logo on a packet of chewing gum to the branding on a jumbo jet, our world is dominated by graphic design. This course will give you a grounding in the significance of design on our globalised world, with a particular focus on its social, cultural and environmental impact. You’ll study the designer as a creator of meaning in visual form, and through a range of different personal and group-led projects, you’ll engage with aspects of graphic design practice. Combining practical design skills with creative problem-solving and reflective insight, this course offers a thorough examination of contemporary and evolving forms of visual communication across a wide range of platforms, from digital to print, moving image to illustration. Our degree course explores all contexts where graphic design is found such as digital content; interface design; web and social media; editorial design; print and publishing; moving image; visual identity; typography; and graphic illustration. Working in creative teams, you learn about materials and methods in a cluster which includes Illustration, Animation, and Advertising and Branding Design. You also study studio practice; collaborative enterprise; context and meaning; and professional practice. This winning combination allows you to develop practical design skills as well as the ability to work collaboratively and show entrepreneurship. We foster a reflective, outward-looking approach to design challenges; for example, by exploring the ways digital media has created new possibilities for producing, distributing and publishing graphic design work. We also believe a sense of responsibility is essential for a contemporary designer so ethics, sustainability and inclusion are fundamental themes running through the course’s context and debate. Why choose this course?

• Study in small, lively and committed groups, in spacious, well-equipped studios

• Gain a solid knowledge of the cultural, critical and creative contexts of contemporary practice including how social media has transformed the role of the graphic designer

• Work on live briefs, submit for national competitions and participate in collaborative projects with leading design practitioners

• Learn the team skills required for exhibition curation and group collaborations

• Understand the standards you’ll need to reach to enter the world of professional employment