Graphic Design and Typography
MA
Intermediate award(s): PG DipCourse overview
This course is designed to explore and investigate issues and practices in graphic communication, as a means to enhancing professional understanding and academic scholarship in this subject.Based upon a combination of self-directed and industry-driven projects, this course builds upon the high standards of student achievement in our established BA (Hons) Graphic Design, which is characterised by an emphasis towards quality and innovation in typography as well as an inclusive, content-driven approach toward graphic communication in general. The course is designed to challenge preconceived thinking, and to develop innovative approaches to professional practice while enhancing practical expertise and theoretical understanding.
Additional course information
Throughout the course the dynamics of creative thinking are developed and considered in relation to the professional, business and social contexts of graphic communication. Your project work will be developed through collaboration and dialogue with staff, visiting professionals and fellow students.It is designed both for new graduates and established professionals looking to reposition their career portfolio and engage with professional practice at a more advanced strategic level. It also provides for those planning either full-time or complementary careers in design education at undergraduate level.
The course enjoys strong links with a range of industry professionals, including contacts with Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, ANT Interface design, Sony, and numerous independent design practices and consultants.
Module guide
Core modules
Interpretation and Origination: Modes of Graphic Authorship
This module explores the role of self-initiated work in the development and positioning of careers within the graphic design profession and the industries it serves. Seminars and workshops will consider the role of 'pro-bono' projects in the public and cultural sectors, and the creative use of designer-driven and self-published outputs in defining and building professional profile. Exploring the wide range of variation in current working relationships between designer and client, this module interrogates the notion of graphic design as 'service industry' in relation to the concept of the designer as content provider and strategic consultant. You will undertake an independent socially pro-active graphic project as a means to exploring these issues in relation to your emerging practice as designers.
Process and Practice as Research
This studio-based module will ask you to consider practice as research and to propose and initiate projects where the output of research is expressed in visual forms. Lectures and seminars will look at relevant methodology, research methods and ethical issues. You will be expected to identify an area of theoretical or research-based speculation, propose and resolve a self-contained research project or projects.
Typographic Enquiry
This module addresses typography as a fundamental element of graphic design, and considers current developments in type use and typeface design in relation to a range of professional contexts. These are explored through detailed investigation of type on the page and the screen, and through the experimental design of custom typefaces. The module takes a content-driven approach which addresses the topic from a semantic viewpoint. Seminars and lectures consider the relationship between written content and its typographic expression from different perspectives across a range of contexts, from the established disciplines of information design to the interpretative use of typographic structure in managing issues of complexity and ambiguity.
Masters Dissertation: Graphic Arts
This module provides the opportunity for you to demonstrate academic and critical mastery in your subject through a written dissertation of 8,000 words. This would normally address a topic of specific relevance to your own work as graphic communicators, and thus provides scope for reflection upon personal practice in relation to wider critical and professional contexts. Lectures and seminars consider the role of critical writing and published commentary on design issues, within the practice of many leading designers and consultants.
Masters Project: Graphic Arts
Developed in collaboration with your supervising tutor and appropriate outside agencies, the Major Project is designed to test and develop your ability to negotiate, manage and co-ordinate your work to bring a complex sequence of design tasks to a successful conclusion. This project may involve 'live' consultancy dialogues alongside the personal exploration of themes and concepts in graphic communication. You will demonstrate the ability to innovate, think strategically and be sensitive to changing cultural and social climates. The module will conclude with an exhibition and online publication of project work.
Assessment
Assessment in practice-based modules is based upon the coursework submitted at the end of each module, comprising completed project work, developmental visual and contextual research, and various kinds of reflective documentation. The dissertation module is assessed in the form of an 8,000 word research essayFormative assessment occurs at a number of points throughout the semester and provides both staff and students with a clear sense of their progress in the achievement of key skills and learning outcomes. Formative evaluation is carried out through one-to-one tutorials and group critiques, and student presentations in design outcomes are reviewed in relation to the project proposal.
Assessment methods include: portfolio, evaluative commentary, blog participation, log books and analytical reports, and a written research essay.
Facilities
In addition to excellent industry-standard digital media facilities, Cambridge School of Art offers exceptional resources for letterpress printing from wood and metal type, screenprinting and offset litho, three-dimensional fabrication and moving image production.Libraries
Our campus libraries offer a wide range of publications and a variety of study facilities, including open-access computers, areas for quiet or group study and bookable rooms. We also have an extensive Digital Library providing on and off-site access to e-books, e-journals and databases.
We endeavour to make our libraries as accessible as possible for all our students. During Semester time, they open 24 hours a day from Monday to Thursday, until midnight on Friday and Saturday and for 12 hours on Sunday.
IT resources
Our open access computer facilities provide free access to the internet, email, messaging services and the full Microsoft Office suite. A high speed wireless service is also available in all key areas on campus. If you are away from campus or a distant learner, our student desktop and its many applications can be accessed remotely using the internet. Your personal student email account provides free document storage, calendar facilities and social networking opportunities.
Throughout your studies you will have access to our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), providing course notes, reading materials and multi-media content to support your learning, while our e-vision system gives you instant access to your academic record and your timetable.
Links with industry and professional recognition
This course is profession-based and makes use of material from the Design Council, the Chartered Society of Designers, the Bureau of European Design Associations and the Royal Society for the Arts.Relevant specialist bodies include the International Society of Typographic Designers, the Designers and Art Directors Association (D&AD) ATypi and SOTA.
The delivery of the course draws upon these bodies for codes of practice and other professional guidelines, case studies, ongoing dialogue on issues of interest and concern within the profession, and direct input to assignments and module content. The philosophy of the course is informed by the perspective of both the employer/client and the profession. Cambridge School of Art has initiated an Employers Consultative Group, comprising practitioners and employers, to ensure an appropriate alignment between student capability and employer need.
Work placements
You may opt to undertake a work placement in fulfilment of the Self-initiated Project module on this course.Associated careers
This course will equip you for professional employment or self-employment in graphic design, design consultancy and related fields including brand development, art-editorial design, publishing, typography/typesetting, advertising, and new media design.It also provides a basis for developing a teaching career in higher education, or progression to further study and research at doctoral level.
| Entry Requirements: | A good honours degree, (or equivalent) normally in a related subject. Applicants with professional experience are also encouraged to apply. Entry will normally be subject to submission of a portfolio, and an interview Candidates for whom English is not a first language will be expected to demonstrate IELTS at level 6.5, or equivalent. Non-Academic Conditions: Art Portfolio, Interviews |
Portfolio requirements
While it is difficult to itemise the specific content we would expect of a portfolio, the work contained in it should indicate both a graduate-level competence in graphic design or a cognate subject, and appropriate evidence of enquiry and experimentation to indicate potential development through postgraduate study.International applicants
International applicants are encouraged to host their portfolios online and provide us with the URL or submit in pdf format by email attached. CD or hardcopy formats submitted by post to our International Admissions Office are also acceptable but please note that these will not be returned to applicants.
We welcome applications from International and EU students. Please select one of the links below for English language and country-specific entry requirement information.
How to apply
Location
Duration
1 yearTeaching times*
10.00am-5.00pmover 2 days a week
Available starts
SeptemberFirst intake September 2013
Student finance
Advice & support
EmployabilityFaculty
Arts, Law & Social SciencesDepartment
Cambridge School of ArtContact us
UK and EU applicants:- Call 01245 686868
- Complete enquiry form
- Call +44 (0)1245 493131 ext 2609
- Complete enquiry form
*Teaching days and times are for guidance only and are subject to change each academic year. We advise all applicants to wait until they are in receipt of their timetable before making arrangements around their course times.
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