Course summary

This course develops professional skills within the creative field of illustration, including graphic design and communications. The structure and teaching on the course builds confidence and challenges thinking to enable you to respond, create, invent, explore, and resolve ideas. In our busy studios you will work on individual and collaborative projects and live client briefs. You will begin with an exploration of the illustrative genres, figure and character work, books, book binding, layout, typography, and digital photography. You will work in Adobe Creative Suite as well as discovering new technical processes and build your experience through work-based learning. In the second year you will focus on your strengths, skills, and personal passions to produce work with personality, and start to explore specific markets and genres. At this point you might also determine what areas you want to improve or areas you wish to research, bringing professional and entrepreneurial skills to your illustration. There are critical, contextual, and professional practice modules running alongside the practical work that increase your understanding of theoretical and contemporary design and illustrative contexts; these are designed to help you see yourself as a practising designer/illustrator and to prepare you for possible further study.