BA in Graphic Design
Kingston upon Thames, United Kingdom
DURATION
3 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline *
EARLIEST START DATE
Request earliest startdate
TUITION FEES
GBP 9,250 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* only for home students. We will continue to accept applications from international students after the 25th of January
** UK students: ยฃ9,250 per year | international: ยฃ16,500 for the first year
Introduction
Why choose this course?
Kingston University was ranked No. 1 in London for graphic design* in the Guardian University League Tables 2023 (*covers graphic design and illustration animation).
Our Graphic Design students have won more than 50 international competitions in the last four years including RSA, Creative Conscience Awards, ISTD and D&AD. This reflects the quality of work from this practice-based course.
In this course you'll be encouraged to be innovative, invent and inspire change. In addition to learning core design and research skills, you'll work on live projects throughout the course: recent collaborations have included RSA, D&AD, Creative Review, The Science Museum, Amnesty International, Croydon Council, The British Film Institute and Save the Children.
You'll be encouraged to be innovative, invent and inspire change. In addition to learning core design and research skills, you'll work on live projects throughout the course: recent collaborations have included RSA, D&AD, Creative Review, The Science Museum, Amnesty International, Croydon Council, The British Film Institute and Save the Children.
You'll develop a personal practice through rigorous investigation of a range of focused projects. Design fields include photography, film and animation, typography, interaction, service design, user experience, social design, digital, book and editorial design.
At the end of the course, you'll be equipped with a combination of creative skills, cognitive processes and methodologies that will help you to shape the future of business, culture and communities.
Reasons to choose Kingston
- We're ranked No.1 in London (Guardian University League tables 2023).
- Students at Kingston School of Art have access to all of our world-class workshops and making spaces, including digital media labs, 3D workshops, printmaking, and film and photography facilities.
- Our Graphic Design students have won 52 international competitions in the last five years including RSA, Creative Conscience Awards, ISTD and D&AD.
Gallery
Admissions
Curriculum
What you will study
The Graphic Design course has an applied approach to the expanding field of graphic design: you'll use our studios and facilities to experiment, exploring new ways to push the boundaries of visual communication.
You'll have plenty of opportunities to participate in live projects and work with the broader design industry: collaboration, teamwork and cross-disciplinary projects are strongly encouraged to reflect professional practice.
The course hosts regular visits to studios, events and conferences both within the UK and further afield.
Modules
Year 1
Year 1 encourages an open-minded and exploratory approach to understanding design. You'll work on individual and team projects, to develop your knowledge of the design process, visual language, typographic principles and core skills.
Core modules
- Concept and Challenge
- Visual Vocabularies
- Communication and Context
- Image & Text - Communication Design History for Graphic Design
Year 2
Year 2 helps you develop creative and interpersonal skills, used to explore imaginative ways to communicate. You'll develop a particular area of graphic design through self-initiated projects, complementing your studio work. You'll learn about the wide social and cultural context in which graphic designers work, and will collaborate with students from other courses on projects. You'll also gain useful career management skills and will have the opportunity to study abroad or undertake a work placement.
Core modules
- Process and Purpose
- Design Interactions and Innovations
- Design Directions
- Critical Issues in Graphic Design: Research and Practice
Optional year
Many of our students take advantage of the ERASMUS scheme to spend a year studying or working in Europe. We have a network of links with prestigious design institutions.
Over 100 students from the course have made use of the ERASMUS Exchange over the last four years. Graphics students in the ERASMUS programme have studied in 17 different institutions.
Over 50 students have made use of ERASMUS funding to support industrial placements. The ERASMUS programme has supported over 40 students from all over Europe studying at Kingston. The study abroad programme with links in Japan, Korea, and the US supports students studying internationally.
Final year
In your final year, you'll work from a range of briefs, and develop your own, to reflect your personal interests and career aspirations. Some students work in a range of areas; others choose to specialise in one. This could be branding, social design, editorial design, film and moving images, photography, advertising and promotion, typography or interactive design. Your interests and self-directed work will inform the written element of the course.
Core modules
- Design Studies
- Positioning and Presenting Your Design Practice
- Dissertation: Research and Reflection
Please note
Optional modules only run if there is enough demand. If we have an insufficient number of students interested in an optional module, that module will not be offered for this course.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
After you graduate
Our graphic design graduates are renowned for being autonomous, versatile, entrepreneurial visual communicators. They are employed worldwide in the fields of branding, advertising, digital moving image, typography, interactive design, packaging and 3D design, photography, information design, and sustainable and experiential design.
Exceptional achievements in international competitions (including the D&AD Awards, Creative Conscience Awards and the RSA Student Design Awards) mean that our students hold a strong reputation for innovation, creativity and commercial understanding.
Many graduates develop their own design practices, while others choose to take postgraduate courses before embarking on their careers.