Art & Design

Graphic designers are visual communicators who bring ideas to life. Graphic design at Teesside is a well-established and highly successful area of study and offers you a broad and dynamic experience.

Our course structure is flexible and responsive, allowing you to become a multi-skilled graphic designer or to specialise in illustration, graphics for advertising or interaction design. You undertake a general first year and have the opportunity to specialise from Year 2, based on your developing interests and aptitudes.

You work in areas such as advertising, branding, illustration, typography, book arts, motion graphics, web design, interactive media, and editorial design for magazines and books. You develop your own distinctive portfolio of work, and the course emphasis is on creative ideas and adventurous solutions, combined with a high level of professional awareness and a dedicated work ethic.

What you study

In Year 1 you are able to experience the fundamental principles of graphic design. You are introduced to essential graphic languages and processes including drawing, image-making, typography, advertising, interaction, narrative and printmaking.

During Year 2 you develop a distinctive body of work through your selection of project briefs. Here you may begin to specialise if you wish. You further develop your knowledge, strengths, professional and management skills and apply your ideas and processes to more complex creative projects.

Graphic Design
The Graphic Design course offers you a broad range of learning experiences. You choose from a range of project opportunities to build an individual portfolio of work reflecting your developing career aspirations in areas such as advertising, branding, illustration, typography, book arts, motion graphics, web design, interactive media and editorial design for magazines and books.

Advertising
Digital media, mobile communications and the internet are all evolving as new technologies which redefine how we communicate with the consumer. This route through the Graphic Design course will appeal if you are interested in applying your ideas and practical skills to marketing, branding and promotional campaigns.

lllustration
This route through the Graphic Design course will appeal if you want to develop specialist skills as an illustrator who can work flexibly across different media. Illustrators use their creative skills in both traditional and digital media to produce commissioned work for a variety of contexts, including children’s books, advertising, book arts and editorial illustration.

Interaction
Designers who specialise in motion graphics and screen-based communication for web and mobile devices are in growing demand. This route through the Graphic Design course helps you to build the skills to produce solutions which integrate image, text and sound. Your projects enable you to explore narrative, navigation, interactivity and user-centred design.

In Year 3 the emphasis is placed firmly on development of your professional portfolio and future career aspirations. You are able to negotiate your own project themes and there is the opportunity to work on live projects and competition briefs.

How you learn

A full range of digital resources and workshop facilities, utilising up-to-date equipment and processes, supports the studio environment. Independent and student-centred learning are encouraged in addition to taught sessions with staff. Theoretical work is delivered through illustrated lectures and seminars where there is opportunity for collective discussion.

How you are assessed

The work produced is the work assessed; there are no examinations and the production of design projects is a key feature. Assessment is undertaken against carefully defined criteria and project-based assignments involve a critique. The critique is a reflective process allowing for both staff and peer group appraisal.

Professional development

A specifically designed programme runs in each of the three years to encourage the development of professional links and contacts. Study trips are also on offer and include conferences and visits to professional studios.

Career opportunities

Our graduates have excellent and varied career opportunities and go on to work in design consultancies, publishing houses, advertising and new media studios along with freelance opportunities and commissioned arts projects. There is also the opportunity for postgraduate study.

Entry requirements

A typical offer is 240-280 tariff points (2011) or 300 tariff points (2012) from at least three A levels (or equivalent) – one must be in an appropriate discipline. And we attach considerable importance to your portfolio of work.

More information

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