Course summary

The term creative director originated in advertising agencies, but in the last few years has also become prevalent in the fashion and beauty industries. The role of creative director within fashion and beauty is multi-faceted and varied. Generally speaking, creative directors find themselves responsible for the creative direction and visual identity of a brand, publication, website or event. Solent’s fashion and beauty programmes have strong links with industry, giving students the chance to work with experienced academics and industry professionals. Students can leverage these industry links when they are looking for internships, as part of the essential work-based learning module. On the MA Creative Direction course, students benefit from a programme of guest lectures throughout the course, with representatives from fashion, beauty, media, creative industries, and researchers coming to campus and sharing their experiences. The course includes also two live briefs involving, as industry partners, IBM and a reputable fashion/culture magazine (eg, Beauty Papers, or The Protagonist). The course culminates in a final master's submission, where students can either write a thesis or produce an original creative outcome. Students will have access to a wide range of industry-standard facilities in support of this project. Available facilities include photography studios, film studios, make-up studios, cameras, location lighting kits, ‘infinity cove’ studios, and Mac suites with the latest industry software.