Graphic Design BA (Hons)

In the first year, you’ll focus on the investigation, testing and application of the guiding principles and processes associated with graphic design, learning the fundamentals of design and associated Adobe programmes. 

You'll learn the technical and conceptual skills that will give you a solid foundation from which to explore the areas of specialist activity that exist under the broad definition of 'graphics'.

With tutor guidance and tuition, you'll also investigate the design process itself, ensuring that creative outcomes are reached through a combination of experimentation and formula.

The aim is to produce outcomes that have real purpose and that clearly communicate messages and meaning. 

Principles in Practice 01
This unit encourages exploration and graphical experimentation with emphasis firmly placed upon communication. It focuses upon the practical use of graphic principles as a means of conveying information across a variety of outcomes and media types and formats i.e. digital and print, mainstream publishing and independent press.

Typographic Studies
This unit focuses on the investigation, testing and application of the guiding principles and processes associated with Graphic Design. It has three main focal points – typography, creative methodology (the craft of graphic image construction) and the overarching principles of visual communication.

Principles in Practice 02
You'll have the opportunity to further develop the application of principles within a broad range of graphic communication outcomes with increasing depth of enquiry and knowledge of contemporary visual communication methods and processes.

Visual Communications: Context and Theory
This unit is presented through a series of illustrated lectures that introduce a number of key historical and contemporary contextual frameworks for visual culture and communication practices You'll be encouraged to begin to identify changing relationships between visual culture, communication and wider social and cultural concerns.

Units in the second year will give you the vital background knowledge and critical thinking skills to apply what you learn to the real world and the opportunity for work experience over the summer break.

The second year focus is on finding your own specialist way of working.

This will include (but won't be limited to) information design, publishing and narrative, branding, typography and print media, and digital technologies.

We will encourage you to research the overlap and relationships between these specialist areas, to seek out ways of working that reflect the needs of industry whilst simultaneously exploring the outer reaches of graphic communication.

Specialist Ways of Working
We'll encourage you to reflect on your achievements so far whilst looking forwards into the second half of the course and beyond, taking control of your design direction and giving your work a real purpose and focus.

Contextual and Theoretical Perspectives
We'll help you to position your own practice by recourse to a range of theories, contextual frameworks and critical evaluations, introducing you to a variety of research methods to facilitate independent study towards coherent, self-reflective argument in written form.

External Context
The design industry has a number of national and international awards created specifically for students including D&AD, the International Society of Typographic Designers and YCN. This unit offers you the opportunity to work on one of these industry led student competitions. The briefs offered by these institutions represent a broad range of industry-focused outcomes that provide a considerable creative challenge. Through this unit you will be expected to draw together processes, approaches and techniques learnt during the course and demonstrate a high level of applied design processes and methods. Selected work will be entered for competitions. Entries will be judged on the strength of their creative problem solving, innovation, clarity of message, professional level of technical execution and presentation.

Study Abroad (optional)
This optional unit is designed to broaden your educational experience and deepen your understanding of cultural diversity, enabling you to study within a different cultural context and gain fresh perspectives.

In your final year, you’ll begin to develop your practice and you’ll produce your final major project, bringing together your career aspirations and practical work.

Professional Practice
You'll explore in greater depth the working world of the professional designer and creative practitioner; its primary aim is to help you prepare for graduation and to give you the opportunity to research the world of current graphic design practice in a range of related industries and areas and its associated career paths.

Final Major Project
This will give you the opportunity to demonstrate the fluency of your design and communication skills, and to examine a subject or theme in depth through a self-determined and challenging assignment. Your final major project will benefit from your increased understanding of theoretical issues – how these inform and contextualise your practical work, your research skills and your creative/strategic design abilities.

Dissertation
You'll undertake a substantial period of sustained, individually negotiated research on a subject related to the contextual and/or theoretical concerns of your discipline or chosen area of practice towards the provision of structured written argument.

This course offers the opportunity to study abroad for part of your second year. To find out more about studying abroad as part of your course please see the Study Abroad section:

• Study abroad information

Interaction with the industry is fundamental to our degree. We engage with industry through studio visits, work placements, 'live' projects and tasks either set by or co-authored by industry practitioners, as well as international competitions and collaborations. Students regularly win D&AD student awards, such as the Yellow Pencil for Best Packaging Design in 2011.

Our connections include: 

• Barnbrook
• Boeing
• Channel 4
• Dalton Maag
• Design Bridge
• Design Museum
• The Designers Republic
• Fabrica
• Fitch
• FutureBrand
• Holmes & Marchant
• Landor Associates
• Naked
• MetaDesign
• Mother
• Preloaded
• SEA
• Sky (television)
• The Stool Pigeon
• VCCP.

Graduates from the course have achieved high-profile roles with many leading companies, including:

• Apple
• Bloom
• Bulletproof
• Cartlidge Levene
• Curious
• Cyprus University of Technology
• Design Studio
• Elmwood Singapore
• ForPeople
• GIRRBACH Sü.warendekor GmbH / Germany
• Harrods
• Hasbro
• Lego
• LessRain
• Lidl Stiftung
• Navy Blue
• Pearlfisher
• Pentagram
• Pocket App
• Preloaded
• Something Big
• Springetts
• Waitrose
• Yahoo! Hong Kong
• Zak Agency.

Our recent graduates have been appointed in areas such as branding, typography, editorial design, graphic design, freelance design, consultancy and brand strategy.