Norwich University of the Arts
BA (Hons) Graphic Design
Norwich, United Kingdom
BA
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* we recommend that applicants apply by April of the year they are applying, but we will accept applications up until the end of August in exceptional circumstances
Key Summary
About: You’ll study NUA’s BA (Hons) Graphic Design, a degree with an international reputation for creative thinkers. The course covers branding and packaging design with a commercial focus. You’ll develop visual identities, packaging, web and cross-platform advertising through industry-linked briefs and research techniques to question briefs and understand clients.
Career Outcomes: Graduates are recruited by studios such as Carter Wong, Turner Duckworth and Pearlfisher. Career opportunities include Graphic Designer, Packaging Designer, Creative Director, Branding Designer, Brand Strategist, Copywriter, Marketing Creative, Website/App Designer and Printmaker. Careers advice from NUA’s Careers Team helps you plan roles including freelance designer or art director.
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.
Our BA (Hons) course has a global reputation for producing graduates who are creative thinkers with accomplished technical skills and a strong grasp of the latest technology.
The course benefits from close links to some of the leading names in the design industry.
You’ll follow a proven path that has led to NUA graduates securing roles at some of the UK’s leading design studios, branding and advertising agencies.
Design ideas that work
Our course has a strong emphasis on commercial work and you’ll be challenged to generate high-quality creative solutions, including:
- Visual identities
- Packaging
- Websites
- Cross-platform advertising campaigns.
Briefs are designed to inspire you to generate original, innovative and – crucially – effective design solutions.
You’ll learn how to question a brief using research techniques that will help you develop a thorough understanding of each client, their challenges and their target market.
Year 1
- Develop skills in typography, printing, layout, photography, design research, idea generation, visual narrative and storytelling
- Learn technical skills in various design-related digital media such as InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator
- Explore print, paper, material, format and hand-craft/making skills
- Develop your ability to design solutions for presenting complex data and information through editorial design and infographics.
Year 2
- Work on visual identity, packaging design, advertising and promotion, design for digital platforms and editorial design
- Work on projects set by external bodies such as industry employers, live clients and competition briefs
- Pitch your work to leading industry professionals
- Collaborate with second-year students from another course at NUA on interdisciplinary projects.
Year 3
- Construct a professional portfolio of work
- Undertake projects including competition briefs and other professionally-focused projects
- Enhance creative thinking, idea generation and problem-solving; alongside core skills in typography, image use and production
- Complete a Research Report that provides broad contextualisation to your practice.
Your graphic design skills
A strong emphasis on commerciality throughout the degree will see you generating ideas and high-quality products for visual identity packages such as product packaging, websites and cross-platform advertising campaigns.
Briefs are designed to inspire you to generate original, innovative and – crucially – effective design solutions. You’ll learn how to question a brief using research techniques that will help you understand the client, their target market and the influences affecting both.
Future-thinking about Graphic Design
You’ll be taught by passionate and experienced tutors who have worked in some of the best design agencies in the UK.
And their reputation for nurturing talent, coupled with our strong reputation in the industry, means that leading design groups and agencies seek actively to recruit graduates from the course, including:
- Carter Wong
- Turner Duckworth
- Brandhouse
- Design Bridge
- Pearlfisher
- Lewis Moberly
- BrandOpus
- JKR
- Ziggurat
- Bloom
Graduates work in a broad range of careers including
- Graphic Designer
- Packaging Designer
- Creative Director
- Branding Designer
- Editorial Designer Brand Strategist
- Copywriter
- Marketing Creative
- Photographer
- Website/App Designer
- Printmaker/Printer
You’ll also get specialist creative careers advice from our Careers Team in the Ideas FactoryNUA to help support you as you plan your career.
