Course summary

Arts University Plymouth is an arts university for the 21st century, preparing students who are uniquely placed to provide creative solutions to the complex global challenges of a changing world. Formerly known as Plymouth College of Art, we were granted full university title in Spring 2022. We are now the city of Plymouth’s first and only specialist arts university, allowing us to offer our students a dynamic and unique learning experience. In May 2022 we were awarded the Best Small or Specialist University at the 2022 WhatUni Student Choice Awards, coming top in a list of well-respected specialist UK universities, based on unbiased and honest reviews from students across the UK, in a category that highlights the quality of our provision as a specialist creative university. Through this industry-informed degree, you will explore and define what it means to be an illustrator today. You will learn how to apply your understanding to commercial briefs just as much as to personal self-expression, and build a sustainable and fulfilling lifelong practice. Through both creative self-expression and challenging ideas, illustrators have the ability to present powerful propositions, develop alternate realities and evoke emotions in audiences and individuals. Taught by a dedicated illustration teaching team, you’ll develop and build on a variety of conceptual and image-making methods, breaking down and tackling the ‘ingredients’ of illustration and how you might apply them to your own creative practice. Using these you’ll become an effective practitioner in the areas that you feel most connected to – from editorial and advertising to narrative books and research – all informed by the expert experience of your tutors who work in those fields. We’ll challenge you to develop a culturally curious attitude and be sensitive to the ethical responsibilities that illustration comes with. Throughout this degree you will develop an authentic selection of skills and attributes, placing high value on curiosity and perseverance. You will be challenged to develop authentic ways of working, assuming agency and autonomy as an image-maker and learning what this means to you as a practitioner. Our industry- informed curriculum will present projects aimed at developing an understanding not only of the creative industries, but also of how your work has the potential to function within them, as well as change them. You will work within a supportive studio environment, exploring your subject both as an individual and as part of collaborative, interdisciplinary teams. You’ll approach independent work with a critical mindset, considering the purpose, rationale, production and application of your own original work, whilst seeking opportunities to collaborate with the creative community of artists and designers around you. We will encourage you to foster and engage with our many nurturing and student-led communities across the university, showcasing your final outputs as part of enterprising collectives, pop-up shops and curated exhibitions. We place equal emphasis on the specifics of commercial practice (including the in-depth business tools you need to operate as a freelancer) and on providing encouragement to explore and follow the value of your own ideas and passions. As you develop and extend the boundaries of your visual language and critical thinking, we’ll support you to build a truly fulfilling creative practice – sustainable far beyond your time with us. Our graduates are enjoying brilliantly colourful and diverse creative careers, illustrating toys for LEGO, articles for The New York Times, packaging for Marks & Spencer and greetings cards for Hallmark. Graduating from BA (Hons) Illustration at Arts University Plymouth will leave you empowered, capable and excited for a thriving creative future.