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. Foundation Year In the Foundation year you will study three days per week. The focus will be on academic writing skills and numeracy, plus subject-specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree. The course has been designed to develop your skills and to prepare you for entry onto the first year of your chosen course. It provides a balance between content related to your chosen subject and the range of wider skills required for undergraduate study. This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will be required to pass the foundation year in order to progress to the first year of your BA (Hons) degree. This course is ideal for those who do not meet our standard entry requirements or those with a non-standard educational background. It will allow you to graduate with a full undergraduate degree in your chosen subject in four years. 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