BA (Hons) Graphic Design
THE COURSE
Graphic design is a vehicle for communication as well as
self-expression. It is about communicating to inform, educate,
entertain, persuade, or any combination of these. This course aims
to foster self-confidence and the ability to develop informed
design strategies; it will also encourage you to bring your own
experiences and interests to the course. You will develop your own
unique and individual approach to visual problem solving. Graphic
designers need to be able to make decisions in complex and
unpredictable contexts and react quickly to new information,
evolving briefs, changes in situations and advances in technology.
Innovation is therefore central to the course and will be critical
to your development. The course is academically rigorous whilst
remaining vocationally focused.
You will engage with a variety of contextual and design issues such as user-centred design, sustainability, emerging technology, service design, information design and interactive design. As a graduate you will leave with a range of abilities that include technical, critical, conceptual, interpersonal and learning skills, which will enable you to enter many varied areas of industry.
RESOURCES
The course is based in two main studios, one of which has an
integrated computer suite. We have a newly refurbished main studio
for use by Year 1 students that incorporates private spaces for
individual and small group discussions. You will learn through
technical workshops, software training, seminars, small and large
group tutorials, plus the use of online virtual learning
environments.
The course team has a full range of experience working in the design profession, running independent consultancies and working with major clients and design organisations. Staying abreast of current developments within the graphic design world is very important, so it is crucial that staff members are involved in contemporary design practice. Guest speakers and visiting lecturers (including successful course alumni) are invited from various areas of the industry to share their experiences and supplement students’ learning.
YEAR 1
In Year 1, you will be exposed to
the full breadth of graphic design skills and solutions. You will
be introduced to the range of differing techniques that you will go
on to explore through the course. It is essential that students are
flexible and diversely skilled so that they can communicate across
a broad range of media. The scope of topics you will explore
include: screen, print, interactive, web, typographic and
theoretically based issues. Practical work often combines writing
skills because graphic design usually involves, in one form or
another, image working in conjunction with text.
YEAR 2
Year 2 focuses on the application of knowledge in different
contexts. It is also about practicalities as it aims to provide you
with a solid grounding in the knowledge and skills needed to take
an increasing responsibility for the management of your own
learning.
YEAR 3
Year 3 is concerned with identifying and extending the limits of
your design knowledge. Final major projects are about your identity
as an individual designer and you will be encouraged to view your
project as a springboard into a career and to use it to open doors
into industry.
INTERVIEWS AND PORTFOLIOS
At interview we are looking for applicants with motivation and who
have shown commitment in their previous studies. Portfolios should
ideally contain drawing and photography plus evidence of an
understanding of the design process. Academic performance is also
very important. We have an interest in people from a variety of
different educational, social and cultural backgrounds.
A-level candidates are very often recommended to possess a Foundation Diploma in addition to their A-level grades. This is because this course requires a high degree of skill, technical knowledge and conceptual understanding that cannot always be demonstrated through A-level study.
WHAT WE LOOK FOR
First and foremost you should be passionate about using visual
imagery in a compelling and original way. You should demonstrate an
appreciation of visual and conceptual aspects of design and a
desire to communicate visually to your audience in a variety of
styles and with a range of objectives. You should have proven
skills in more than one design discipline, which may include
drawing, illustration, photography and typography. Your motivation
and thirst for learning must match up to the academic demands of
this course.
SKILLS AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Although work placements are not an assessed part of the course, we
encourage our students to undertake some form of work experience.
To launch a career in graphic design it is vital to be exposed to
real working environments. We help students to make industry
contacts and post work opportunities online for students to follow
up independently. Each year, we aim to offer a variety of travel
opportunities which may include visits to London and international
cities such as New York, Berlin and Barcelona to attend design
conferences. In addition, students are expected to arrange their
own independent visits and trips.
Students have excelled in national design competitions and awards such as Design & Art Direction (D&AD), Royal Society of Arts (RSA), International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) and Young Creatives Network (YCN). We have twice won D&AD Best in Show and one of our final year students recently won the RSA environmental design category and collected the Design Council Award for Innovation. Another course graduate recently published a book with Thames and Hudson on the subject of colour theory, stemming from his dissertation completed whilst on the course. We have an excellent track record of successful employment and a number of our graduates also go on to study at postgraduate level. Some have gone on to set up their own businesses, or work for major design consultancies (such as Roundel Design, Pentagram, Bubble, Frost Design, Browns, BBC Television, Archigram in San Francisco, and Studio Dunbar and Tel Design in Holland). One recent graduate now heads up the CGI team for The Mill in Los Angeles and another recently won Shell’s Entrepreneur of the Year award in London.
COURSE DETAILS
Mode of Study: Full-time
Course Duration: 3 years
Institution Code: A66
UCAS CODE
W210
COURSE LEADER
Roger Gould
CONTACT
Admissions
Tel: 01202 363228/363225
Email: admissions@aucb.ac.uk
