BA/BSc (Hons) Graphic Design
Graphic design is communication. Designers communicate, through ads and brochures and logos, book covers and magazines, posters and websites, presentations and eBooks, apps for your phone or your tablet and more. Pretty much everything you see every day gets designed. The BA/BSc (Hons) in Graphic Design is intended for students who wish to pursue a professional career in the creative discipline of digital and print Graphic Design. The course has been developed to embrace recent changes in the creative industries including technological advancements.
Graphic designers develop skills that are in demand in today’s economy and that can be applied to nearly any career, including creative problem solving and design thinking. They provide clients with the following: research, costing, planning, coordination, project management, quality control, design and aesthetic judgment, advertising and art direction.
Throughout the course we focus on communicating ideas and information through exciting problem solving projects in branding, magasine design, typography, information design, advertising and publicity, editorial design, packaging, exhibition design, editorial photography and art direction, moving image and digital media.
You will explore computer design programmes, materials, print processes, conceptual thinking and the use of design to inform, present an argument or persuade, solve visual communication problems to a professional standard, and work on briefs that closely mirror the professional world.
The BA/BSc (Hons) in Graphic Design degree program is hands-on and rich in applied elements and experiential learning to prepare students for the evolving requirements of the graphic design and visual communication industry in today’s knowledge and information-based culture. Students will develop awareness of social responsibility, ethics, cultural contexts and global communications considerations.
Graphic designers dwell at the intersection of art and business. They translate abstract concepts into tangible visuals, and are often lauded for their ability to elevate the status of a company or organisation. Graphic Design is an interdisciplinary problem-solving activity that combines visual sensitivity with skill and knowledge in areas of communication, technology and business. You’ll experiment with traditional print-based solutions as well as modern commercial practices like site specific, ambient, conceptual, interactive, mobile media, app generation, graphical interface and multimedia work, and be encouraged to come up with ideas that challenge traditional notions of design or visual communication.
Course Length: 3 years / 4 years including Foundation year;
Start dates: January / May / September;
Career Opportunities
This course will prepare you for a career as a graphic designer, and also for design-related roles in digital graphics, online media, communications and marketing, publishing, and advertising. Graphic designers work in new media and web design, packaging, illustration, animation, production and prepress, advertising, marketing communications design, art and creative direction, corporate identity, broadcast design, corporate communications, information design, editorial design, education, environmental and exhibit design, signage, and related occupations.
You can further your career in professions such as:
- Designer
- Junior Designer
- Art Worker
- Junior Sales Designer
- Graphic Design Assistant
- Computer Artist
- Publications Designer
- Art Director
- Graphic Designer
- Web Designer
- Multimedia Designer
- Information Design
- Advertising Account Executive
- Commercial Artist
- Corporate Identity Manage
- Design Intern
- Advertising art director
- Animator
- Graphic designer
- Illustrator
- Printmaker
- Production designer, theatre/television/film
- Exhibition designer
- Fine artist
- Interior and spatial designer
- Landscape architect
- Medical illustrator
- Multimedia specialist
- Photographer
- UX designer
Entry Requirements
- Minimum Age: 18 years old;
- Applicants are required to submit proof of prior certificated learning (e.g. Secondary School Diploma/Baccalaureate/Level 3 qualification) and/or relevant work experience;
- Applications from mature candidates without formal qualifications are welcomed provided they could demonstrate appropriate levels of relevant ability and experience.
- If you are unable to meet the entry requirements for this course you may still be eligible for our Foundation year course. This is an extra year of study to prepare you for the full degree.
- Applicants who do not have English as their first language will be required to demonstrate an approved level of proficiency in the use of the English language.
- Applicants must bring their original certificates when coming for registration;