Manchester Metropolitan University
Graphic Design is an ideas-driven studio and
project-based course where you will learn approaches to visual communication.
After developing your visual language in Year 1, you will be able to utilise
these skills through a range of projects in Year 2. We focus on contemporary
and relevant design which embraces imaginative solutions. Distinctive creative
personalities are nurtured, the unconventional is encouraged. Your final year
will see you develop a professional portfolio that reflects your career aspirations.
Throughout the course you will have the opportunity to connect with industry,
either through ‘live’ briefs, visiting speakers or work experience.
Fees UK and EU full-time students: £9,000 · Non-EU
full-time international students: £11,000
Department Manchester School of Art
Units you will study
In Year 1 you will be introduced to the
studio-based culture of the course through a series of design projects
encouraging the development of ideas, experimentation with visual language and
acquisition of technical skills. This is supported by a contextual programme
that places practical elements into a wider cultural, critical and social
context.
In Year 2 you will study more specific areas of
graphic design practice through pathway options in print-based or digital
media. A programme of workshop projects develops both technical and conceptual
skills. Studio content is developed in liaison with industry and offers
opportunities
for work experience.
In Year 3 you will study a series of self-directed
options designed to develop a professional portfolio that reflects your
individual careers aspirations. Your work is supported by a visiting lecture
programme that offers a diverse range of perspectives across the whole platform
of graphic design practice.Core
Units
As part of our drive to deliver the very highest
quality programmes we are reviewing our undergraduate courses to ensure an
up-to-date curriculum supported by the latest online learning technology. Some
of the details given here may not yet reflect these improvements and
information will be updated as it becomes available.
Leeds
Overview
UCAS code: W290
Qualification: BA
Our unique BA (Hons) degree
will enable you to study graphic and communication design in a stimulating and
internationally renowned academic environment. You will study creative,
theoretical and technical aspects of graphic and communication design, to
reflect the needs of industry and commerce. Through your studies, you
will develop your ability to think creatively and to devise innovative,
imaginative design proposals. You will learn how to implement design
solutions and advertising campaigns for a wide range of purposes and how to
communicate with a broad range of clients and their audiences. You will acquire
professional skills through your academic studies and practice and be well
prepared for your future career.
In the School, teaching takes
a variety of forms dependent upon your programme and study focus. It ranges
from large lectures to smaller, focused seminars and tutorials, including group
critiques involving peer discussion and feedback. Independent study underpins
learning across all modules within the School and is fundamental in supporting
your knowledge and understanding of the subject. Practical tutorials,
demonstrations and workshops aim to develop subject-specific skills and are
integral to the production and presentation of your studio practice.
Assessment methods range from
written exams and essays, individual and group presentations, to a range of
coursework activities (including project briefs, dissertation and portfolio
preparation) and the formal submission of studio practice. Projects look to
test your critical and creative capabilities, together with the technical
skills necessary to effectively implement your ideas.
In Year 1, you will undertake
core studies in the historic, cultural and technological aspects of art and
design. Alongside your academic work, you will develop a strategic approach to
communications problem-solving, with a strong emphasis on visual research.
In Year 2, you will develop your
academic understanding of the core subjects and an awareness of professional
standards. You will focus your studio practice and specialise in either:
graphic design, branding and advertising or animation/interactive media.
In Year 3, you will work towards
a final exhibition of design work and produce a written investigation into a
graphic and communication design subject of your choice.
Hertfordshire
This multi-award
winning Graphic Design and Illustration degree provides a strong work-related
experience aligned to graphic design and illustration, with students
specialising in one of these two over the three years of study.
The first year is
idea focused, emphasising design thinking, generation of ideas and problem
solving with workshops providing hands-on media and software experiences. The
second year focuses on projects related to the creative and cultural
industries, emphasising professional constraints and expectations. It includes
live projects, pitching and work-related experiences and you will develop
design production knowledge. You will benefit from our collaboration with
external partners including a design school in Moscow.
The final year is
focused around the professional portfolio with national competitions, an
emphasis on professional standards of working and support from staff whose
experience best matches student interests. It is intended to provide an
experience from which you can emerge as a creative, able to work to
professional standards. The staff team is drawn from nationally and
internationally recognised designers and illustrators who bring their research
and professional interests directly into the student environment.
In recent years,
students on the graphic design and illustration course at the University of
Hertfordshire have won over 50 awards in all the leading national and
international design competitions. These include: the coveted D&AD Yellow
Pencil; two further Yellow Pencil nominations; numerous Best In Year awards
with D&AD; two Best In Show awards at D&AD New Blood; Student Designer
of the Year at New Designers; the Graphic Design award at New Designers for two
years running; numerous ISTD awards; countless YCN awards; and various
runners-up/finalists’ places in various illustration competitions such at the
Penguin Book Jacket awards, the London Transport Illustration awards and the
Lloyds TSB Illustration awards.
Careers Encouragement is given to the development of
versatility, leading to a wide range of career opportunities in design and illustration
in the fields of corporate identity, marketing and publicity, advertising and
publishing as well as freelance illustration. Recent graduates are working at
some of the most highly regarded design businesses in the UK, as well as some
high profile agencies abroad.
Lincoln
Introduction
Graphic
Design at the University of Lincoln equips you with the understanding and
skills you need to operate effectively within a competitive and continually
developing design industry. The course achieves this by keeping up-to-date with
current trends and developments within commercial design practice.
A range of aspects are explored throughout the course including
typography, layout, advertising, branding, design for print, packaging and
point of purchase and magazine design. The course has an enviable
track record of successes at the D & AD Student Awards, the annual MPA
Roses Student Creativity Awards, Clear Channel Student Design Awards, the
International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) and the Young Creatives
Network (YCN), amongst others.
How You Study A
wide range of design principles and processes are explored throughout the
duration of the course, including:
- Typography
- Editorial design
- Design for brands
- Professional practice
- Critical studies
- Photography
- 3D/Spatial design
- Image making
- Design for web
- Design for mobile devices
- Book design
- Information design.
Level One:
Level One introduces students to the creative
processes and methods that enable designers to express themselves, develop
their ‘visual voice’ and solve communication problems. At this level students
are thoroughly introduced to the various aspects of the discipline, working in
both traditional and digital media, along with the fundamentals principles of
graphic design.
Level Two:
At Level Two students are introduced to more
advanced concepts of graphic design and communication. The main objective of
this level is to help students produce varied and thoughtful design work to a
professional standard.
In both years two and three students participate in
international competitions and award schemes with considerable success and
their work is often featured in the national press. Award schemes include the
RSA (Royal Society of Arts), ISTD (International Society of Typographic Designers)
and the D & AD (British Design and Art Direction).
Guidance for seeking employment is part of the
curriculum in the second year.
Level Three:
Level Three is divided between projects negotiated
with tutors, competition work and a dissertation that can relate to students’
own studio practice. Students can use this level to develop their personal
interests in line with their career aspirations. The level will culminate in an
end-of-year show.
Entry Requirements
Applicants should have a minimum of 280 UCAS Tariff
points from a minimum of two A Levels (or the equivalent), including at least
80 points from an art/design/media related subject. In addition to the minimum
of two A Levels, other qualifications such as AS Levels, the Extended Project
and the ASDAN CoPE for example, will be counted towards the 280 point
requirement.
We also accept a wide range of other qualifications
including the BTEC Extended Diploma, Diploma and Subsidiary Diploma, the
European and International Baccalaureate Diplomas, and Advanced Diplomas.
Applicants will also be required to have at least
five GCSEs at grade C or above (or the equivalent), including English Language.
Applications are welcomed from mature students who
are studying towards an Access to Higher Education programme in an
art/design/media related subject. A minimum of 45 level 3 credits at merit or
above will be required. We will also consider those with extensive relevant
work experience and a portfolio of work.
Klaus Voormann
