DESIGN

Continue your media education
with a design-related degree.

OVERVIEW

This is not a complete listing - please use UCAS to search more fully and in other areas.This section features introductory videos on selected degree courses across England organised by region. Courses have been chosen according to relevance and those selected as first choice options by ACC students.

Make a note of your top courses and institutions and use these, where appropriate, in your Career Action Plan. Next step will be finding out more about them.

A BA (Hons) means a 3-year undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree, while a BSc (Hons) means a 3-year undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree. Science degrees may require science subjects/experience for entry.


SOUTH EAST

Courses in the London region

London South Bank University (LSBU)

BA (Hons) Media Production

Media Production is a hands-on, practical course which will give you the skills and experience to work in any medium and on any platform. We cover working with graphics, 2D animations, video, audio, web and live streaming. We look at distribution platforms such as Youtube, Twitch, Soundcloud and you get the opportunity to pitch story ideas, create animations, shoot and edit video, create podcasts and design graphics. You also learn how to produce a live broadcast from the newsroom – including operating the Tricaster, the cameras, the lights and designing virtual sets.

University of Westminster

BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design
BA (Hons) Digital Media
BA (Hons) Illustration & Visual Communication

On the Graphics course you'll be encouraged to develop your awareness and understanding of the social contexts and environmental responsibilities of design, so that you can identify communication strategies that will enrich people's lives by enabling them to be better informed about the world in which they live.

The Digital Media course will show you how to create and share your message professionally across any digital platform so you can truly connect with your audience. The course is flexible, giving you the time and space to explore different aspects of digital media.

The Illustration course combines illustration and visual communication allowing you to build a range of visual and professional skills. This breadth of approach is designed to support creative agility, enable you to be flexible and resilient, and ready to adapt your practice to rapidly and ever evolving career opportunities.

London College of Communication (UAL)

BA (Hons) Graphic & Media Design

The Graphics course starts with core graphic and visual design skills, the course expands to cover a huge range of experimental processes, platforms and technologies meaning that graduates build a strong portfolio demonstrating rigorous design skills and innovative practice.

The Branding course is one of the only undergraduate courses in the country to deliver branding in the context of graphic design studio practice, focusing on brand strategy and narrative as well as design and implementation. Explore branding across a wide range of 2D, 3D or 4D graphic design contexts such as print, packaging, motion, interaction and experience design.

Brunel University London

BSc (Hons) Digital Media

The Digital Design BSc degree is a modern, hands-on course that combines digital technology and creative design. It has been developed to equip you with the knowledge and practical skills to create, design and develop interactive and engaging digital products, services and experiences, and 2D/3D graphical content.

London Metropolitan University

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Digital Media

The Graphic Design course is about giving visual and experiential form to conceptual thinking, it's about creating structure and surprise through innovation, it's about communication. You will be encouraged not only to find solutions, but also to seek out problems. It enables you to investigate, question and challenge the role of graphic design, connecting with wide ranging social issues and new ideas, to develop your voice as a graphic designer and enter a successful career in design.

On the Digital Media course you will critically engage with current trends in digital media design and production, develop practical, industry-valued skills on professional-standard equipment and expand your capacity for creativity and innovation. We provide the latest versions of industry standard digital imaging, web, mobile and web design, video post-production, scripting and 3D animation software.

University of East London (UEL)

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Graphic Design & Illustration

BA Graphic Design at UEL combines the study of traditional visual communication with the possibilities of emerging technologies. We provide the forum and facilities (link) in which staff and industry expertise fuse with students’ own knowledge, experience and ambition. We explore both practical and theoretical understanding and, from the outset, we encourage students to think experimentally and evolve our field.

Studying on BA (Hons) Graphic Design and Illustration you will have freedom to explore both graphic design and illustration without the stigma of working between or within subjects.

Ravensbourne University London

BA (Hons) Graphic Design

Sharpen your creative skills and reimagine methods of communication through numerous visual platforms and environments. With access to cutting-edge facilities, you’ll work with industry practitioners to explore creative design thinking across a range of briefs. Armed with the best design insight out there, you’ll be ready to pursue a career in graphic design.

London College of Creative Arts (LCCA)

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

Study a BA (Hons) Graphic Design degree awarded by TEF Gold institute the University for the Creative Arts, where you will learn how to transform your ideas into visual creations. Taught at our Cental London campus (and online), you’ll consider typography, colour, shapes and shading and how combining these elements in a striking way can convey a strong message.

On the Illustration programme, you’ll refine your craft. Not only will you harness and develop new skills, you’ll learn how to articulate your ideas in your work, in a collaborative setting and to prospective employers. With a strong focus on visual narrative and documentary, you’ll learn through studio-based projects, workshops, regular tutorials as well as group reviews.

Middlesex University London

BA (Hons) Graphic Design

The Graphics course embraces the recent advancements, developments, and changes undergone by the creative industries. You’ll be challenged to develop your own creative voice with guidance from our staff and support from state-of the-art facilities. You’ll have access to photographic studios, an extensive art and design library, dark rooms, workshops with technical support, and much more.

The Illustration course is specifically focused on developing your skills as a professional illustrator and finding your personal visual language. The course has a strong focus on drawing and you'll be able to continue developing your drawing skills in life and observational drawing classes each work throughout the three-year degree.

University of Brighton

BA (Hons) Design for Digital Media

If you have ever dreamt of a job in design, producing exciting ideas for screen-based media, then this is the course for you.

You’ll explore an imaginative mix of physical, on-screen and interactive multi-media based outcomes including interactive design campaigns, title sequences, animations, music videos and TV idents.

University of Hertfordshire

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

The Graphics course is your chance to dive into a world of contemporary design, try incredible techniques and make lifelong friendships with like-minded creatives. It’s a career launchpad like no other – and it’s taken our graduates to some pretty impressive places. If you love expressing yourself visually, testing out new processes, making work that makes people go ‘wow’ and learning from the best – this course could be right up your street.

Clever, original ideas and excellent craftsmanship are vital for a successful career working at the top end of the profession and The Illustration course is committed to teaching students how to achieve these skills. We foster a fun yet demanding atmosphere that encourages our students to think independently, question the world around them and be opinionated.

University of West London (UWL)

BA (Hons) Graphic Design (Visual Communication & Illustration)

On your graphic design degree you will find and develop your own visual voice, and receive tutoring on a one-to-one basis and in a small group. You will have access to a range of professional facilities so that you can become competent in both traditional and contemporary design-related areas.

Farnborough College / University of Surrey

BA (Hons) Graphic Design

This programme is perfect for those with a creative flair for designing, drawing, web design or photography. We encounter the work of graphic designers every day – on packaging, magazines, books, advertising and online. The ability to explore the different techniques and skills for each of these mediums could lead to a range of interesting careers.

At Farnborough, you will be involved with live industry briefs, design work placements and international design competitions. You will also be taught the latest Adobe Creative Suite software in modern Apple Mac studios. The design studio is fitted out with large format printers, a 3D printing facility and computerised cutting facility.


SOUTH WEST

Courses in the Bristol region

University of West England Bristol (UWE)

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

BA(Hons) Graphic Design is based at the Arnolfini, at the heart of Bristol's creative and cultural community. You'll learn from practising graphic designers in a professional studio environment.

Past students have won awards in prestigious national competitions such as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) Student Design Awards and the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD).

BA(Hons) Illustration encourages you to create and develop your own personal visual language. Problem-solving through drawing and making is core.

You'll be based at Bower Ashton Studios, part of the City Campus. Exceptional facilities and resources include industry-standard digital media studios and production and fabrication workshops.

Bath Spa University

BA (Hons) Graphic Communication
BA (Hons) Film & Screen Studies

On the Graphics course you’ll develop works across print, screen and interactive media, and be taught by a team of full-time and visiting tutors, who are design specialists, illustrators or graphic communication practitioners.

You’ll be supported through excellent workshop facilities in specialist areas such as letterpress, photography, screen printing, etching, lithography and digital design, and through a course-specific lecture series.

In Creative Media you'll focus on both the business and the art of multiplatform creative media production. Develop your content creation skills and prepare for success in the fast-growing content production sector. You’ll gain experience in project management, directing, cinematography, sound design, editing, user experience, app development, web design, animation, graphic design, marketing and photography.

University of Gloucestershire

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

From branding, print and packaging to moving image, photography and typography, the Graphics degree covers a diverse range of design areas. You’ll be able to complete a Creative Awards module where you could follow in the footsteps of students who have won YCN Commendations, Yellow Pencils at the D&AD New Blood Student Awards and the Starpack Student Packaging Awards.

The Illustration course is all about drawing stories. Learn how to use visual narrative to communicate. Refine your creative and professional skills with support from our award-winning illustrators. Gain experience through events such as East London Comic & Arts Festival (ELCAF), BD Angouleme (France) and Cheltenham Illustration Awards.

University of Plymouth

BA (Hons) Graphic Design & Typography

Creatively solve design problems as you learn to harness the power of typography within graphic design. Collaborate with students from other disciplines and world-leading researchers to discover how graphic design makes a positive impact in the world. Work hands-on in an inspiring and dedicated studio environment with 360-degree views of the cityscape and ocean.

Plymouth College of Art

BA (Hons) Graphic Communication
BA (Hons)
Illustration

From the labelling in your clothes to the apps on your phone – Graphic Communication impacts every aspect of modern life.

On this ambitious course you’ll become part of a new breed of professional designers empowering brands and inspiring community action on a global scale, through both traditional and hybrid design approaches.



WEST MIDLANDS

Courses in the Birmingham region

Birmingham City University (BCU)

BA (Hons) Graphic Communication
BA (Hons) Film & Screenwriting
BSc (Hons) Digital Film Production

The diverse and exciting BA Graphic Communication degree course is a must for anyone passionate about graphic design and looking to pursue a career in the creative industries.

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.

The BA (Hons) Illustration degree course aims to give those with a passion for image making and illustration the skills they need to capture and communicate ideas through pictures. We celebrate the challenge of finding your individual visual voice through experimenting, risk taking and critical reflection. You will also explore how your work can be applied across a wide range of contexts, from commercial work to personally-driven projects.

University of Wolverhampton

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

Graphic Design is a dynamic subject that enriches and influences all aspects of our visual environment. The studio-focused course at Wolverhampton is designed to be responsive to this and is continually reflective in order to positively contribute to your student experience. Perfect for intellectually curious individuals with creative ambition.

The illustration course will develop your potential and enhance your creative responses through a broad range of communication skills and innovative challenges – a place for practitioners wanting to make positive change.

Coventry University

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

The Graphics course pushes you to become an independent designer with a conscience and boundless imagination. In doing so, you will be guided to explore your own passions, as well as adapt to changing briefs and diverse audiences. This is aligned with four key pillars that define the course’s ethos: experimentation, critical thinking, community and vocation.

The Illustration course is designed and run by successful practicing illustrators, artists and designers who all share a common desire to push the boundaries of illustration and encourage experimentation and play in developing a unique portfolio that aligns with your ideal career in the arts. Our course focuses on 4 key areas of your growth; research, development, portfolio and professional practice.

University of Warwick

BA (Hons) Media & Creative Industries

The media and creative industries need multi-disciplinary skills, such as the ability to tell a story and use technology as a tool to take fresh ideas forward.

If you want to determine your own path and collaborate with world-class media and creativity researchers alongside industry leaders then this course is designed to give you the knowledge, skills and aptitude for these diverse and exciting industries that are growing all over the world.

Staffordshire University

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

For Graphics you will explore both the traditional core disciplines of graphic design and the possibilities of new technology. Areas covered include typography, image making, information design, photography and art direction; experimental formats, branding and packaging; 3D crafts, web design and moving image.

Experimentation is key to developing your practice on the Illustration course. You’ll do this alongside creative thinking to form meaning and content. Working alongside Graphic Design students, you’ll absorb a broad knowledge of the design and image-making process, problem solving and visual language via a programme of set projects, lectures, seminars, workshops, critiques and studio practice.


EAST ENGLAND

Courses in the Norwich region

Norwich University of Arts (NUA)

BA (Hons) Film & Moving Image Production

You will be inspired to create innovative answers to branding, packaging and promotional design questions facing businesses on NUA’s internationally-renowned Graphic Design degree.

The BA (Hons) Design for Publishing degree covers creating effective design for printed books, newspapers and magazines as well as digital apps and online publications.


University of Suffolk (UOS)

BA (Hons) Graphic Design (Graphic Illustration)

Our Graphic Illustration and Graphic Design courses offer you control over your creative direction and career ambitions. Because we teach both degrees together, you are not tied to one study route; for instance, if you develop a passion for Graphic Design you can transfer to the graphics pathway to study that area in much more depth.

Within both courses, project briefs help you develop the creative and technical skills you need for industry, while also being open enough to allow you the freedom to steer your work to suit your interests. This way, you get the most out of your time with us – tailoring your degree, exploring your career options and developing a personal approach to your creative process.

Anglia Ruskin University (ARU)

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

With its vibrant studio culture, our Graphic Design degree will encourage you to push boundaries and challenge existing thinking by developing innovative design solutions as well as a keen understanding of professional practice. You’ll experiment with print-based design as well as digital commercial practices including site-specific, interactive, motion graphics, mobile media, app design (UX/UI), web and multimedia work.

With its vibrant studio culture and small class sizes, combined with excellent printmaking, 3D, photography and life-drawing facilities, the Illustration course has consistently high student satisfaction ratings.


EAST MIDLANDS

Courses in the Lincoln region

University of Lincoln
BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

Graphic Design at Lincoln encourages students to become skilled visual communicators, providing the opportunity to work on projects that require practical skills and creative insight to find innovative solutions. The degree introduces students to the social relevance of graphic design. It covers a wide range of topics such as typography, advertising, branding, editorial design, artists’ books, packaging, interactive design, animation, film, and installation.

Illustration continues to evolve, led by practitioners who aren't afraid to take creative risks. As such, students will be encouraged to be inquisitive, embrace mistakes, and challenge what Illustration can be. Students are expected to develop visual problem-solving skills, ideation, and critical thinking to help develop their own unique creative voice. The course will encourage them to prepare for the competitive world of professional illustration, which continues to grow broader in its context through emerging media and technology.


Nottingham Trent University (NTU)

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

On Graphics Design learn and develop as an ambitious graphic designer on this studio-based degree. You'll work alongside like-minded creatives, exploring all aspects of visual communication in a vibrant studio environment.

The Illustration course takes you on a journey into the exhilarating world of illustrative practice. Our aim is to help you locate your unique personal direction as an illustrator and prepare you for industry. You will graduate as a highly sophisticated visual communicator, whose work demonstrates a high level of craft and aesthetic flare across different digital and analogue media, platforms and projects.

Sheffield Hallam University (SHU)

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

On Graphics develop your own creative and innovative approach to graphic design by challenging and exploring contemporary practices through a series of exciting and diverse projects.

On Illustration develop your own creative approach to illustration, challenging yourself and exploring contemporary practices through diverse and exciting projects.

You’ll experiment, engage, contextualise and apply your skills to a number of professional contexts. You’ll work with external industry partners and have the opportunity to apply for placements. The distinctive portfolio of work you create will demonstrate your unique strengths and prepare you for a successful career after graduation.

University of Hull
BA (Hons) Graphic Design

You'll learn about visual design, creative thinking, typography, the use of colour and composition and design history – and how to apply this knowledge through 2D and 3D design, web applications, animation and other evolving media. As well as a focus on your technical skills, you will also develop vital knowledge in leadership and professional practice – working as professionals do in a studio environment, while continually refining your own individual portfolio of work.

University of Derby

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

The Graphics course is studio based, practical, hands-on and creative. It offers you many different ways to make graphic design work as you explore the different contexts and formats in which graphic design is experienced. It allows you to decide what kind of designer you want to be. It will test and challenge you to expand your understanding and knowledge of what graphic design is, what it can do and what it is for.

On Illustration you will be encouraged to experiment and challenge what illustration is, with the opportunity to take part in live projects and high-profile competitions that will challenge you to explore problem solving, sequential image-making, characterisation, reportage and editorial illustration.

De Montford University (DMU) - Leicester

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Graphic Design (Illustration)

Gain the essential experience required to become a successful graphic designer and graduate with an impressive portfolio that demonstrates your skills and talents, showcasing your capabilities to prospective employers.

On the Graphic Design (Illustration) course you will have the opportunity to explore and experiment with an extensive range of media and craft skills, taught by expert practitioners. Working on projects that will allow your creativity and talent to thrive over all print, digital and analogue media, platforms.


NORTH WEST

Courses in the Manchester region

Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)

BA (Hons) Graphic Design

Graphic Design is a hands-on, ideas-driven studio-based course where you will learn a variety of approaches to visual communication. Distinctive creative personalities are nurtured and the unconventional is actively encouraged.

University of Salford

BA (Hons) Graphic Design

Salford is only university to have a campus at MediaCityUK, one of the country’s leading digital and creative hubs. That means when you study with us, you’ll be surrounded by the BBC, ITV and over a hundred media companies.

On the Graphic Design degree, they offer the exciting opportunity to learn about and engage with the professional world of design, apply your imagination and creativity to solve complex communication challenges and to develop an individual, highly skilled practice that matches your ambitions for life after graduation.

University of Bolton

BA (Hons) Graphic Design

Ever judged a book by its cover? Then you've been influenced by graphic design. This ever-changing field of visual communication requires problem-solving, creative professionals able to use typography, photography and illustration to grab attention and communicate ideas, values and emotions in a matter of seconds. Interested? Then explore our Graphic Design degree.

Liverpool John Moores University

BA (Hons) Graphic Design & Illustration

The BA (Hons) Graphic Design at Liverpool John Moores University has a well established reputation for developing innovative designers and illustrators, highly sought after by employers in this exciting but competitive sector.

Diverse range of graphic arts covered including graphic design, illustration, printmaking, photography, animation, motion graphics and interactive design.

Liverpool Hope University

BA (Hons) Graphic Design

The Graphic Design degree aims to equip you with the skills and theoretical knowledge to work and innovate in the Graphic Design sector and the wider creative industries. By drawing on techniques and expertise from the fields of Design, Fine Art and Art and Design History, the degree is both practically focused and theoretically informed.

University of Huddersfield

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

Graphic Design BA (Hons) focuses on the needs of the creative industries to help you build the skills to become a professional graphic designer in an evolving, global industry. Graphic Design can exist across many different media channels including digital, print and moving image. You will explore a range of processes including: Digital design, Physical print making, Creative coding, Typography, Wayfinding signage, Branding and user-experience design.

Perhaps you already have your own style of illustration and want to explore it further. Or you’re looking to get a good grounding in the possibilities available. You’ll have the chance to develop your unique style across a wide range of media, and get to know more about the current trends and practices in illustration.

Leeds Beckett University (LBA)

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

Study graphic design and visual communication with the opportunity to showcase your work to the public and industry.

On Illustration explore traditional, hybrid and experimental forms of visual communication to develop your own creative illustration practice.

Leeds Arts University (LBA)

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

The Graphics course will encourage you to develop your own voice, opinions and individual understanding of graphic design. You will build the discipline and skills you need to succeed in a professional environment, such as peer presentations, group feedback sessions and collaborative projects.

Central to the Illustration course will be your development and understanding of new skills and processes using traditional and new media, theory and production methods. It offers fantastic opportunities for you to become an innovative illustrator and creative practitioner, learning to build and manage your own professional practice.

University of Central Lancashire - Preston (UCLan)

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

The BA (Hons) Graphic Design course has been running for nearly 50 years and is now one of the most established and successful courses of its kind in the country.

The Illustration degree can open doors to a wide variety of careers from freelance illustration and design, to work in media and advertising, publishing and much more.


NORTH EAST

Courses in the York region

York St John University

BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration

On Graphics learn the principles of visual language and the impact of graphic design. You will take the knowledge and techniques you learn and apply them to different practical projects. They encourage creativity, so you will be able to use different mediums and platforms to develop creative design solutions that are uniquely yours. It's time to find your specialism.

For Illustration you will explore the transformative power of storytelling and visual narratives. On this course you will explore illustration through a focus on drawing, image making and narrative construction. Your study of theory will also inform your illustration practice and help you understand the wider contexts of illustration.

Teesside University

BA (Hons) Graphic Design & Illustration

The course is a combination of graphic design and illustration, offering you a broad and dynamic experience. Build a professional and innovative portfolio as a graphic designer and illustrator with skills across advertising, branding, typography, editorial and book design, interactive media, motion graphics and digital content. Learn to develop your design research skills and ideas-led solutions, working with the foremost analogue and digital industry facilities while being taught by award-winning and research-active practising artists and designers.