Graphic Design

BA (Hons)

Intermediate award(s): CertHE, DipHE
Full-Time

This course is available in Clearing, call us on 0845 271 3333 for more information

In the most recent National Student Survey (2012), our BA (Hons) Graphic Design course achieved a score of 92% for 'organisation and management'.
Our facilities feature both state-of-the-art Mac suites and unique, 19th century letter presses and printmaking equipment.
Our Graphic Design Students at work.

Course overview

The focus of the course is towards producing informed designers and technically skilled graduates who are well placed to pursue successful careers in graphic design. Cambridge School of Art develops designers, capable of creative and independent thought, with the confidence and ability to deliver significant input within a professional environment.

Cambridge School of Art offers an academically rich and visually diverse environment for you to enhance your understanding of graphic communication and to develop your ability as an innovative designer. As an undergraduate you will explore a wide range of graphic disciplines - and their professional contexts.

Course content is based upon graphic, typographic, text-image relationships and the visual communication of information and ideas. The main focus is on the development of both intellectual and practical skills, to the levels required in industrial practice. Access to our excellent on-campus digital facilities and design studios, will provide you with real understanding of contemporary design processes using industry-standard Adobe CS design software on Macintosh technology.

The course embraces new areas of practice, including site specific, conceptual, interactive, hypertextual and multimedia work, and does so in a way that values informed visual literacy, cultural awareness and the imaginative exploration of new ideas. Principal teaching methods focus on practice via design briefs and are principally studio or workshop based. Core modules are supported by theoretical and contextual modules of lectures and seminars. The course optional modules allow you to explore areas of particular interest, and to prepare for your future career.

Mark Barlow

BA (Hons) Graphic Design (Graduated 2012)

“I came to Cambridge School of Art straight from 6th form College to pursue a career in design, and haven't looked back since. From the beginning I found the course stimulating and it has provided me with a solid foundation of design theory and practice in the field of graphic design.

The Degree Show had an important role in helping me to find a job. It allowed me to present my skill-set to potential employees and ultimately led me into my Junior Designer role here in Cambridge. Being involved in the creation of the 2011 Degree Show materials sharpened my knowledge of print processes and improved my attention to detail. This experience has eased the transition between studying graphic design to working as a young professional.

I'd say my only regret is not making the most of all the equipment available. The printmaking and letterpress workshops are a fantastic, unique resource which should not be missed!

”

Module guide

Year one core modules
  • Contextual Studies

    Text and image relationships form the basis of the language of graphic design. The main aim of this module is to develop an understanding of this specialist language in a range of contexts. The module will use both contemporary and historical examples to introduce key aspects of this language. These works will be examined using both formalist and theoretical approaches to give an overview of the relationship between image and text. This draws attention to the distinct ways in which text and image transmit their messages and how the combination is a potent means of communication and persuasion. It is important to consider that insights into the different relationships between image and text can be explored by comparing and contrasting examples from different genres and media such as: advertising, propaganda, signage, packaging, display, film and television.

  • Design Process

    This module develops a basic level ability in the use of digital practice media and applies this to simple design problems and tasks. The module examines the creative, analytical, aesthetic and interpretative decisions which determine the appearance of graphic outcomes through a series of short projects that involve primary visual research and secondary information gathering. The module is intended to generate a practical awareness of the design process necessary for the implementation of successful design solutions. Studio-based projects and exercises will explore legibility, scale, continuity and visual dynamics. Student-managed coursework will involve research into historical, retrogressive and contemporary contexts of graphic and typographic communication. Practical and inclusive lecture and critique sessions, present, examine and address the fundamental issues of design.

  • Graphic Design of the 20th Century

    The module examines important shifts in the theory and practice of graphic design throughout the 20th century. This provides a historical and cultural framework for graphic design you enabling them to place their studio work in a broader context. In addition to providing a chronological overview this module introduces a range of theoretical debates surrounding the practice of graphic design. This will enable you to examine graphic languages employed by designers and design movements using key theoretical concepts from the analysis of visual culture. The module examines graphic design from its emergence in the early 20th century until its fracturing as a discipline at the end of the century. In covering this period it is important to acknowledge graphic design's international character and use range of examples from many different countries and cultures. Similarly the discipline of graphic design itself must be contextualised and considered in relation to other media practices.

Year two core modules
  • Debates and Practices
  • Design Practice
Year three core modules
  • Graphic Futures
  • Major Project: Graphic Design
  • Research Project

Assessment

Informal assessment of your coursework is continuous throughout the running of project briefs. Formal graded assessment takes place at the end of each semester via the submission of design project outcomes in practice-based modules, and by written submissions within contextual and theoretical lecture/seminar modules.

The course also places a high emphasis upon continual feedback on design project concepts and development via one-to-one discourse, project reviews and more formal group critiques.

Facilities

Teaching takes place within a well resourced and dynamic learning environment in the Cambridge School of Art; comprising three formal digital Mac Suites surrounded by other resource rooms, providing further networked workstations and more informal seminar and critique areas, as well as access to the dedicated resource areas of letterpress and printmaking. All workstations are equipped with current industry standard software for the Apple Mac, which remains the chosen platform within the graphic design profession.

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.

Course Leader

Jon Melton

Matt Power

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
Matt Power, BA (Hons) Graphic Design

“My job is as a graphic designer with SCE Cambridge Studio (Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) I work on a varied amount of content and this is quite reflective of the course at Anglia Ruskin, with the opportunity to try out different areas of graphic design over the first two years through different modules and then working on specialities in the third year, whilst also preparing you for the professional start in the industry. It's always been known that the graphic design course at Anglia Ruskin is complemented by the lecturers' specialist knowledge of typography, which has always been a fantastic foundation in my job.

Working with layout is a typical day-to-day task, from designing menus and interfaces to laying out packaging or manuals, so having the knowledge of what looks right on the page and understanding what will be most legible for the end user is incredibly important. The same applies to having a contextual knowledge of what design and type styles are suitable for which target audience, and understanding why.

”



Links with industry and professional recognition

Alongside the core staff of permanent lecturers, Cambridge School of Art further consolidates its relationship with industry through the regular contribution of part-time lecturers with national reputations as practitioners. Students have had considerable recent success within national competition briefs and engage with industry graduate networks.

The course team is regularly contacted by businesses offering 'live' briefs or seeking to employ students reaching graduation. We are a member of the D&AD Global University Network.

Associated careers

This course is particularly invaluable to anyone wishing to pursue a career as a graphic designer. However, it also provides a good basis as a designer for entry into a wide range of related fields and industries, such as: digital graphics, media communications, publishing, advertising and marketing promotions, and of course teaching or further postgraduate study.

Our graduates embark upon careers in advertising and branding, as information designers, as editorial and book designers, as freelance designers, and also as designers within web and interactive media.

































UCAS Tariff points: 200 - 240
Additional Requirements: Required subject(s): Any Art, Design or Media A level grade C., OR ND in Art & Design. Preferred contrasting subject(s): BTEC Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (level 3) is an advantage. Non-Academic Conditions: Art Portfolio, Interviews GCSE(s) Required: English at grade C or above (or equivalent)
Entry requirements listed are for September 2013 entry. Entry requirements for other intakes may differ.

Please note AS levels are acceptable only when combined with other qualifications.

Portfolio Requirements

Your portfolio should display your creative ability - as an artist, graphic artist or designer. It should demonstrate an awareness of visual language or graphic communication, and include examples of the creative thought processes you employ via preliminary visuals and sketchbooks. The Graphic Design specialism at the Cambridge School of Art values excellence in graphic and typographic design but also innovative and articulate visual solutions.

If invited to interview you will receive a letter further detailing the requirements for submission of your portfolio

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.

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

We welcome applications from International and EU students. Please select one of the links below for English language and country-specific entry requirement information.

If we have confirmed you do not meet our entry requirements you might want to consider a preparatory course at Cambridge Ruskin International College (CRIC), our partner college, based on our Cambridge campus, before coming to study with us.

How to apply

UCAS code

W200

Location

Duration

3 Years

Available starts

September

Student finance

Open Day

Saturday 22 June
Undergraduate Open Day

Advice & support

Employability

Faculty

Arts, Law & Social Sciences

Department

Cambridge School of Art

Contact us

UK and EU applicants:International applicants:
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