Graphic Design, BA (Hons)

This course is an award-winning degree combining creative flair with commercial versatility. It will give you a comprehensive understanding of a diverse range of traditional and contemporary communication media, with the specific aim of inspiring, informing and persuading your audience. Why choose this course?

The strength of this course is that it enables you to develop a sound base of conceptual and technical skills, along with a deep understanding of the real design process.

With an outstanding reputation in the UK for developing the innovative, commercially aware and adaptable multi-skilled designers demanded by today's creative industry professionals, our graduates are employed across a wide variety of industries.

All three years feature two core modules covering practical and theoretical work. We encourage you to develop your own interests and express your viewpoints, imagination and visual skills within specialist areas such as:

• print
• illustration
• advertising
• branding
• new media
• motion graphics.

Throughout the course you'll get regular feedback via group tutorials, individual portfolio reviews and personal development planning. Lectures in design theory are complemented by guest lectures from industry professionals. Team working in small groups is also an important feature, helping to develop your communication skills that are essential in many commercial graphic design practices.

Graphic Design student work gallery
Have a look at some of the work our students have created, in our Graphic Design gallery.

Take a look at our final year student website

Open days
To get a real taste of this course, why not visit us on one of our open days?

Can't visit us? Talk to us online...
We know it's not always possible to come along to one of our open events, particularly if you don't live in the UK. Throughout the year we will be running a series of live chat sessions, where you can log on and talk to us remotely.

Find out more about live chats for this course on our live chat webpage.

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Find out what's going on in the School of Art & Design on our news pages and the Facebook page.

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What will I study?

This course is taught by specialist staff including internationally recognised practitioners, researchers and educators who are actively involved in the contemporary graphic design arena.

Year One

• You will gain a comprehensive introduction to the basic principles and history of graphic design.
• You will also participate in a series of project briefs and a learn-by-doing approach combines creativity with technology and incorporates modern software and visualisation techniques.

Year Two

• You'll begin to expand on your creative development and work through the design process in a series of projects.
• These will include areas like brand identity, interactive design, advertising, illustration, typography, editorial design and digital techniques.
• You'll have the chance to take up a work placement for up to four weeks within a commercial design company.

Year Three

• You'll have the freedom and flexibility to specialise in areas of your choice by developing your own projects and design briefs.
• You'll get the chance to enter national competitions.
• You'll put together a portfolio of self-initiated degree show work and a fully research dissertation on a subject of your choice.

How will I be assessed?

Assessment is continuous throughout the course and based on coursework.

Student gallery

Have a look at some of the work created on this course in our student gallery.

Specialist equipment and facilities

Our facilities reflect what's used in industry. We have state-of-the-art multimedia and digital video editing facilities, photographic studios and darkrooms, and one of the largest suites of latest generation Apple Macs owned by any UK university. All hardware and software is upgraded on a regular basis so you're always using the very latest technology.

Take a look at our art and design facilities through 360 degree panoramas and images.

Course visits and trips

During your second year you'll have the exciting opportunity to study in New York (at the Fashion Institute of Technology), Barcelona, Milan, Prague, Rotterdam, Amsterdam or Gent.

You will also have the opportunity to spend part of your degree studying abroad through the University's SOCRATES/ERASMUS programme.

View the full course specification
Please note that course specifications may be subject to change