Graphic Communication (with Integrated Foundation Year)

OVERVIEW

Graphic Communication at Norwich University of the Arts is a forward-facing contemporary brand communications degree in which you will design brands and visual identities, advertising campaigns and digital communications including websites, apps, and motion, film and animation.

Typography, copywriting, imagery, motion and print applications lie at the heart of all your work. The course recognises that fact that we interact with brands and their products and services largely through digital interfaces, so the work you do will involve designing for screen as well as print environments. As such, this course is fundamentally at the centre of the wider graphic design industry.

INTEGRATED FOUNDATION (YEAR 0)

This course includes an integrated foundation year (Year 0), which promotes developing practical, technical and creative skills and confidence. Building on your prior experience, you will be introduced to some of our workshops to assist your skill development, with an increasing emphasis on professional standards and independent study. The course places emphasis on your personal commitment to study, while supporting you in your progression.

KEY FEATURES

- Share your first year with other graphics students, and continue to work alongside each other, allowing for a unique cross fertilisation of knowledge, skills and experience

- Develop skills in typography, layout, photography, motion graphics, copywriting, screen design, design research and idea generation

- Become adept at understanding and deciphering a brief, researching and generating ideas, problem-solving, developing the most successful concept, and executing and presenting the final work

- Create clever ideas-based solutions for organisations and brands, premium food and drink packaging, design for good/change and campaigns that aim to address the problems we face in the world

- Your timetable will be punctuated by regular industry talks from some of the highest profile designers, studios and agencies, anywhere in the world

- Participate in workshops and classes run by external professionals, undertake project briefs initiated and taught by designers from industry, and enter national and international design competitions judged by the design industry

- Engage with industry through portfolio reviews and surgeries, talks from practising alumni focused on portfolio development and employability, interview practice and graduate portfolio showcase events

- You will have the opportunity to create a range of employment focused tools. By the time you conclude the course you will have a professional portfolio and a strong sense of where you want to work within the industry.

YOUR FUTURE

Nearly all designers must collaborate with others; even sole traders need to work with clients and suppliers, and of course working within any sort of agency set-up requires that you can work alongside others. Therefore, we provide opportunities for you to develop a set of professional and transferable skills such as teamwork, time management and project planning.

Students from Graphic Communication have been incredibly successful, receiving multiple awards from D&AD New Blood Awards (arguably the most prestigious student design competition in the world), the YCN Awards, Creative Conscience Awards and Dragon Rouge Firestarters.

Students have found employment at some of the most prestigious design agencies including Superunion, Magpie, Weirdo, Tommy, Accept & Proceed, Pentagram, Sunday, Paul Belford and many, many more.

Graduates often start their careers as junior designers, but some have found other roles that they are equally equipped to work within including account/client management, design strategy and user experience design.

OUR STUDENTS’ WORK

Explore our online Graduate Showcase – celebrating the very best Norwich University of the Arts graduate work. Scroll each reel to explore at nuagradshowcase.com