Course summary
Discover yourself as a designer. Challenge your capabilities and hone your unique perspective. Join an exciting space for learning, networking and debating graphic design practices. Develop your design thinking and creative processes to an advanced level. Examine the building blocks of effective and award winning studio work and design culture; from design contexts to new and emerging models and insights that will support your personal development and creative ambition. Our reputation within graphic design sees our graduates working in some of the world’s leading, and award-winning studios and agencies. It's these professional organisations and award-winning practitioners who have helped inform the course, alongside many years of experience growing new thinking and teaching in the field. You will: Have the opportunity to access a huge breadth of cross cultural and international thinking and contribute to the future of graphic design practice around the world Examine your personal practice in relationship to the ever-evolving nature of the subject globally and culturally Acquire and develop the skills needed to develop your graphic design career or business venture.
Modules
You will need to complete four 30-credit modules and one 60-credit project (180 credits in total). All modules on the course are compulsory and must be passed in order to complete the award. Modules: Contemporary Practice (30 credits) In this module, you are introduced to the development of graphic design today and the variety of contexts in which it is made and understood. As with the central ethos of the course, you seek to examine local and global perspectives of the subject and the emergent skills required to address problems and deliver messages for both regional and global audiences. Fundamentally, it is concerned with design and designing and the academic and research skills to enable effective and fully engaged participation in the course. It seeks to establish the fundamental essence of being a graphic designer today and the ability to use curiosity, risk, play and care in the delivery of a message. History and Futures (30 credits) In this module, you’re introduced to how graphic design interprets narrative, to distil, reform or remodel stories for a new purpose. You will apply a more in-depth critical and contextual understanding to your practice. You will connect theory and practice (praxis), and examine key themes and issues facing the subject and those who collaborate within it today. This module also begins to question the role that design and the designer have to play in society and the creative community and networks it is part of. Studio and Entrepreneurship (30 credits) Having already studied emergent fields of practice within the first module, you now examine some of the building blocks of studio practice from a business perspective. You learn how to manage the day to day aspects of a studio’s life, but also reflect on innovative ways of working at distance and collaborating with other partners around the world. You reflect on the subject through specific design studio case studies, structure and strategies for project work and intellectual property guidance required to develop a creative service or product today. You will develop an actual artefact or entrepreneurial idea that will be personally or culturally inspired, but rooted firmly in a graphic design field. Application and Interactions (30 credits) In this module, you apply your own practice and knowledge to specific graphic design projects. The briefs allow a scoping of interests but also to question the role and ethics of working as a designer today; how ideas can be applied and how respective audiences can be understood and reached. Throughout this module, you will engage with skills development pertinent to your areas of interest. The module also examines the relationship between personal and highly strategic briefs. This is achieved by examining self-initiated projects, competitions and industry-set briefs; the latter being collated from annual opportunities from design studios or client set opportunities. These client set briefs (as with the design studio) will be drawn from global organisations that enable you to respond to challenges beyond your normal experience and share learning and differing international perspectives.
Assessment method
All assessments are taken and submitted online. Assessment methods for the masters degree in Graphic Design can typically include: Practical assignments, for example designing a digital tool or process to aid collaboration Written assignments, for example writing a business plan for your own business Work-based assignments that are grounded in your existing practice, where you apply tools such as storytelling or market research.
Entry requirements
An honours degree at 2:2 level or equivalent in areas such as Graphic Design, Visual Communication, Illustration, Photography, Fashion, Textiles, Animation, Film or Fine Art. We also accept applicants with no undergraduate degree but a clear demonstration of subject related skills and knowledge whether self-taught or gained through industry experience. Digital portfolio. Submit a digital portfolio of your graphic design practice. This may include previous project work and your current work-in-progress. It can take the form of a link to your blog or website and/or be presented as an interactive PDF. This will help the admissions team assess your suitability for MA study online
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Additional fee information
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Provider information
Falmouth University
Woodlane
Falmouth
TR11 4RH