BA in Visual Communication - Graphic Communication - China Delivery Birmingham City University

Develop your creative and academic skills with our exciting, innovative course in Graphic Communication. You’ll get to experience the constantly evolving world of graphic design, advertising and motion graphics, as well as our invaluable industry links.

You’ll be tasked with using your imagination and experimentation, tackling the contemporary issues, ideas and ethics the graphic design industry faces.

Birmingham Institute of Fashion and Creative Art

You can now gain a prestigious British degree while completing your studies in China, thanks to a new collaboration with a leading Chinese university. The Birmingham Institute of Fashion and Creative Art (BIFCA) is a partnership between Birmingham City University and Wuhan Textile University (WTU) based in Wuhan, China.

What's covered in this course?

Our Visual Communication (Graphic Communication) undergraduate degree works in partnership with other key subjects within the School of Visual Communication, providing you with interdisciplinary practice across all areas of the School.

You will receive an introduction to all four Visual Communication routes – graphic communication, illustration, film and animation and photography – before studying your chosen pathway in more detail.

This course is designed to keep up with the rapid pace of the creative sector, developing not only your skills and knowledge but giving you room to specialise in what interests you. With a mixture of creative collaboration, external projects and live briefs, the course will push you to go beyond the world of photographic practice, and into the associated areas of employment.

You will learn through collaborative study, portfolio production and project work, and will undertake live projects to ensure you regularly engage with the industry.

Throughout the course, you will have the chance to submit work to photographic competitions and will have the opportunity to join professional bodies such as D&AD.

Your modules are designed to make you think, respond and produce dynamic creative work. You will develop an in-depth conceptual and technical knowledge of graphics and advertising, looking at art history, projects and portfolio production.

Practitioner staff encourage your creative development and originality, helping you develop your own direction and understanding of graphics and visual communication.

Why choose us?

1. Our students are proactive, accepting opportunities with local companies and forming strong industry relationships.
2. This course is designed to motivate the establishment of your professional self, focusing on what works for you as a creative individual. Through industry engagement and the guidance of staff, you will be able to identify your specialisms and hone your practical skills.
3. Your portfolio will be showcased to a number of potential employers through our home-grown and independent talent pool, ‘We Grow Cherries’ as well as during your graduate show.
4. Research underpins our practice. It challenges students to engage on a world stage by responding to contemporary social issues and ethics, through imagination and experimentation, within a twenty-first-century commercial context of design-led practice.

Year One

• Introduction to Visual Communication
• Academic Language Skills for Art, Design and Digital Media
• Communication and Study Skills for Art, Design and Digital Media
• Key Concepts and Reflective Practice for Art, Design and Digital Media

Year Two

• Defining Practice
• Practice in Action
• Exploring Meaning Through Narrative
• Integrated Research Skills in Art, Design and Digital Media

Year Three

• Collaborative Practice
• Subject in Context
• Investigating Contemporary Practice
• Identifying Personal Direction

Year Four

• Negotiated study
• Defining individual practice
• Major study

Enhancing employability skills

Throughout the course, you will discover and refine a portfolio of practice which best suits your motivations and aspirations. Through this, you will develop as a creative individual, equipped not only for a career within the illustration spectrum but with the transferable skills to benefit a whole range of professional contexts.

This degree is designed to enhance your skills and aptitude, preparing you for a career within a landscape that is continuously changing. You’ll develop specialist knowledge and understanding within the field of illustration. As a creative practitioner and graduate of this course, you will be able to generate a range of potential ideas and visual solutions. You will have the ability to produce creative work that demonstrates sound judgements in accordance with the theories and concepts of illustration and visual communication subjects, responding to the demands of the industry.

You will develop an in-depth understanding of the relationship between theory and practice through research, allowing you to create meaningful, well-informed work and preparing you to take on further study. You will gain an understanding of the underlying concepts and established principles that govern creative practice.

Alongside this you will establish a range of working strategies, methods and materials, learning how to apply these to production. You will also discover, and respond to, the influence of audiences, clients, markets and other participants in relation to visual communication practice.

Placements

We strongly believe that creating relationships with the industry will enable you to develop your profile and enhance your professional networks. Networking is vital to furthering your opportunity to undertake work placements and paid jobs.

While placements are not a compulsory aspect of this degree, you will be encouraged to engage with industry, incorporating this throughout your work. Engagement with industry is a core focus throughout this programme.

You will also be presented with the chance to attend trips and visits which will widen your insight into the working practices of the industry. In addition to this, as a School we have multiple working relationships with organisations, allowing our students to take on professional roles and gain experience.