BA in Graphic Design
Birmingham City University
Key Information
Campus location
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
3 - 4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 9,250 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Sep 2024
* UK students: £9,250 per year | international students: £13,980 per year
Scholarships
Explore scholarship opportunities to help fund your studies
Introduction
Our diverse and exciting BA Graphic Design degree course is a must for anyone passionate about graphic design and looking to pursue a career in the creative industry.
Thanks to established links with major advertising agencies, publishing houses and interactive design groups, the course is structured to provide you with industry-relevant skills in the fields of communication, branding, strategy, creative advertising and design, in still and moving images, both in print and online.
Lecturers are well placed to give commercially relevant guidance based on current trends and historical contexts, we offer live industry-facing projects in order to prepare you for entering the world of design, your work experience will come from placements, studio visits and real live briefs.
Collaboration with other disciplines is encouraged, developing new ideas and connections with subjects such as illustration, photography and film and animation.
What's covered in this course?
The Graphic Design course expects you to stand out through your imaginative thinking, passion and commitment to new ideas and international perspectives. You will study a course that will enhance your design skills and challenge your creative thinking, helping you identify the latest directions in design and advertising communication on a world stage.
We attract independent learners who are creative, imaginative, playful, full of passion and totally aware of the power they possess to facilitate change, inform opinion and make their mark in the industry.
In three years you will be engaged in all the practical and intellectual skills as practitioners in an ever-changing commercial environment. Many graduates have gone on to become leaders in their field of specialism and they often return to the University to share this knowledge.
You will immerse yourself in our vibrant creative community, based at our City Centre Campus, where you will find screen-printing, letterpress facilities, software training rooms and studio facilities to enhance your design work. You will also have the opportunity to study abroad for part of the course or to go on trips to destinations such as New York, Berlin or Paris.
You will engage with live project briefs with companies and industry partners. These range from local to international and include such companies as the following - Moonpig, NHS, Studio Bonito, McCann Erickson, The Times, Chapter, One Black Bear, Cogent Elliott, Leo Burnett London, Beattie McGuinness Bungay, Fluid, Z3, Boxer, Momentum, CBSO, Ikon, Birmingham Hippodrome, John Taylor Hospice, Hello Creatives, DMA, and Saatchi & Saatchi.
Your tutors are enthusiastic about their specialisms, which fosters an invaluable knowledge transfer within the course. We have exceptional levels of external engagement, with visiting lectures given by nationally and internationally-recognised practitioners, as well as having numerous links with industry, workshops, seminars, masterclasses, careers advice, portfolio reviews, mentorships and placements.
Professional placement year
This course offers a professional placement year. This allows you to spend a whole year with an employer, between the second and third years of your degree and is a great way to find out more about your chosen career. Some students even return to the same employers after completing their studies.
The University will draw on its extensive network of local, regional and national employers to support you in finding a suitable placement to complement your chosen area of study. If you do not find a suitable placement, you will be automatically transferred back to the standard, non-placement version of the course.
Please note that fees are payable during your placement year, equivalent to 20% of the total full-time course fee for that year (£1,850 for UK students).
Why choose us?
- Our focus on employability means that our graduates have excellent prospects after their time with us. All students receive targeted support with professional skills and will leave with an industry-ready portfolio. Our alumni also receive three years of ongoing career support after graduating.
- Live project partnerships include Turner Duckworth, Superunion, Conran Design, Design Bridge, Man Vs Machine, Studio BLUP, Bulletproof, The Times, and The Pratt Institute, with many award winners offered placements which have led to permanent employment. Competitions help inform the curriculum; we take part in D&AD’s global student awards scheme, RSA, ISTD, Creative Conscience, and Starpack Awards.
- This course has arranged design agency tours in Birmingham, London, and New York to support your creative output and to provide valuable industry insight, including visits to world-renowned Pentagram and Design Bridge.
- Birmingham is a vibrant and diverse city with a thriving and supportive design scene. It’s also the youngest city in Europe, which means it’s a great place to be a student.
- The design sector is a major and fast-growing contributor to the UK economy. Digital design in particular is seeing significant growth, and our course is well-provisioned to meet the increased demand for these skills.
Curriculum
First Year
Your first year of study will introduce you to the basic skills and critical framework within Graphic Design. You will be taught through a series of modules, which provide you with the knowledge to further explore this ever-expanding discipline.
You will develop skills that encompass composition, line, form, narrative, type, imagery, colour, juxtaposition and ideation. From these fundamental principles, you can tailor the remainder of the course to areas of graphic design that are of particular interest to you and your future career aims. Through your modules, you will discover the application and use of colour, light, scale, composition, typographic hierarchy, motion design, UI and interactive design.
Fundamental visual communication issues will be addressed through a series of core lectures and theory seminars. You will also have the opportunity to work with other students from across the School by selecting one of five in-house options.
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 100 credits):
- Introduction to Visual Communication
- Principles and Practice of Graphic Communication
- Enterprise of Graphic Communication
- Discourse
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following indicative list of optional modules:
- Narrative (Space and Place)
- Narrative (Time and Sequence)
- Narrative (Sound and Movement)
- Narrative (Text and Image)
- Narrative (People and Identity)
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Second Year
Through a combination of theory and experiment, you will learn how to evaluate and apply principles to practice and will receive opportunities for placement, field study, and collaborative and interdisciplinary work. We shall help you to develop your own personal direction, focusing towards the establishment of a specialised and flexible area of practice.
You will learn how to effectively communicate information, arguments and analysis in a variety of forms to specialist and non-specialist audiences. You will enhance your ability to work collaboratively within a working environment, demonstrating knowledge of the main methods of enquiry within the field.
You will develop your critical awareness, individual style and perspective. You will formulate approaches to solving problems, helping you to further understand the creative role, opportunities and responsibility of the contemporary designer.
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 100 credits):
- Context of Graphic Communication
- Identifying Direction
- Live Project
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete at least 20 credits from the following indicative list of optional modules:
- Work Placement
- Collaborative Practice
Core modules are guaranteed to run. Optional modules will vary from year to year and the published list is indicative only.
Final Year
During your final year of study, you will be supported in establishing the confidence to acknowledge and assert your own distinctive work identity. You will be required to demonstrate within your work a particular view of what constitutes a design proposition.
You will enhance your communication skills, allowing you to develop confidence and understanding, allowing you to capably articulate your views and knowledge to others.
The final year of the programme is designed to help you demonstrate a systematic, extensive and advanced knowledge of contemporary Graphic Communication. You shall work autonomously or collaboratively to a professional standard on self-generated projects, with creativity and imagination.
In order to complete this course you must successfully complete all the following core modules (totalling 120 credits):
- Critical Practice
- Major Project
Career Opportunities
Enhancing employability skills
Our students are required to achieve all of the learning outcomes set by the Graphic Design course and pursue excellence by engaging with competition and live briefs.
Practice-led, knowledge-applied education is facilitated by your engaging and participating in workshops, lectures and seminars. The curriculum and live briefs will sharpen and improve your employability skills and prospects.
Internationalisation of the student cohort, student exchange opportunities and Birmingham City University’s strong links with China, Malaysia and Thailand offers you a varied global curriculum.
Placements
You are required to develop strong networks and identify opportunities and work placements appropriate to your practice. Visits to companies, interviews and live projects are excellent ways to introduce you and develop these links. More formal placements have included opportunities with Turner Duckworth, Studio Blup, Epoch, One Black Bear, Mother, McCann and Digital Glue, along with various graphic design opportunities including editorial design, branding and art direction.
Summer placements with high-profile companies Z3, TDL and most recently White October have been offered as rewards for live project initiatives. These prestigious opportunities allow students to gain real insight into the creative approaches used by these organisations.