Graphic Design
Graphic Design
4 years (with placement year and/or overseas study)
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.
After developing your creative visual language in Year 1, you will be able to apply your skills to a range of personal and industry-related projects in Year 2. Your final year will see you develop a professional portfolio that reflects your personal interests and individual career aspirations.
At all stages of the course we focus on contemporary and relevant design that embraces intellectual curiosity and design as an experience. You have the opportunity to connect with industry, either through visiting speakers, live briefs or work experience.
Special Features
- Opportunities for work placements throughout the UK.
- Benefit from a range of industry-standard equipment alongside tools for traditional craft techniques.
- Collaborative, interdisciplinary opportunities to work with students and staff from across the School of Art.
- Students' successes include awards in regional, national and international arenas including D&AD Global Student Awards, ISTD, Young Creative Network, Openad Talent and the Global Spin Awards.
- * Scholarships: This course has a scholarship available for 2024 entry. The PlayStation Career Pathways Scholarship offers a £15,000 cash bursary, to support students who: are from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background or have a household income of £25,000 or less. To find out more click here.
Course Content
At all stages of the course we focus on contemporary and relevant design that embraces imaginative thinking. You have the opportunity to connect with industry, either through visiting speakers, 'live' briefs or work experience.
Recent destinations for work experience have included The Designers Republic, Love Creative, The Chase, True North, Bert Agency, Dinosaur, Wired magazine, Penguin Books, Truth, Code Computer Love, Modern Designers, Hope for Justice, Creative Concern, Topman, Liberty, Havas Lynx, Men's Health magazine, Design By Day, The Mill, Gyro, Elle magazine, Condé Nast, BBC, ITV, Hinterland (NY), Mike Perry (NY), Eskimo Creative, Instruct Graphics, Saatchi & Saatchi, TBWA and Vogue magazine.
Year 1
In Year 1 you will be introduced to the studio-based culture of the course through a series of design projects encouraging the development of ideas, experimentation with visual language and acquisition of technical skills. This is supported by a contextual programme that places practical elements into a wider cultural, critical and social context.
Visual Thinking 2 : Persuasion
An introduction to visual communication that establishes the importance of a defined audience in the creative design process.
Students are asked to engage with the tools and basic techniques used in the origination of graphic design. Relevant digital skills are taught alongside lateral thinking and basic semiotic theory. Teaching is based around a series of creative opportunities that will require students to undertake research, develop ideas, present final outcomes and reflect upon their activities.
Tutor group seminars and on-going open-studio sessions are supported by induction activities, workshops and a series of lectures. The module is primarily based in a studio situation with laptop trolleys as the primary means to deliver IT-based workshops.
Unit X
At Level 4, this module encourages some collaborative, interdisciplinary practice and shared experience. There are lectures and talks from key research staff, students and external experts. Teaching will be in the form of tutorial groups, weekly meetings and presentations. The set projects will vary from year to year and are designed to be responsive to current creative opportunities.
Design Contexts 1
The module introduces a range of broad over-arching themes and concepts – historical, cultural, social, political, environmental and economic – to inform your knowledge and understanding of Design as integral to positive or negative change.
Year 2
In Year 2 you will study more specific areas of graphic design practice. A programme of workshop projects develops both technical and conceptual skills. Studio content is developed in liaison with industry and offers opportunities for work experience.
Design Contexts 2
The module enables you to further develop the research themes and skills gained in year 1, to identify and investigate specific concepts and challenges that directly inform your evolving area of design research and practice.
Visual Communication 2 Part 1 : Specification
This module introduces the professional environment of the graphic designer and explores the impact of external factors on graphic design.
Practical studio projects analyse the influence that external considerations have on the development of graphic design ideas and introduce a vocabulary of professional specification. Coursework is based around applying a range of creative print and digital solutions within a variety of technical, professional, social & ethical constraints and specified audiences. The main projects are supported by a range of seminar and workshop activities that include opportunities for developing technical skills, engaging in research, typography, making verbal presentations, visual proposals, preparing work for portfolio presentation and working in small groups.
Tutor seminar groups and on-going open-studio sessions are supported by workshops and a series of lectures. The module is primarily based in a studio situation using projectors and laptop trolleys as the primary means to deliver IT-based workshops.
Visual Communication 1 : Disruption
This module develops creative visual thinking by exploring notions of the unconventional.
Practical projects analyse the importance of developing a questioning approach to graphic design work and introduce a graphic vocabulary to challenge conventions. Coursework is based around exploiting the creative potential and the impact of technology on the development of design work; exploring how lateral thinking, risk taking, experimentation and other processes might usefully disrupt expected channels of print and digital communication. The main projects are supported by a range of seminar and workshop activities that include opportunities for developing technical skills, engaging in research, typography, making verbal presentations, preparing work for portfolio presentation and working in small groups.
Tutor seminar groups and on-going open-studio sessions are supported by workshops and a series of lectures.
The module is primarily based in a studio situation using projectors and laptop trolleys as the primary means to deliver IT-based workshops.
Unit X
This module explores collaborative and interdisciplinary art and design practice. You will have the opportunity to engage in a range of external-facing learning opportunities which will encourage collaborative, interdisciplinary practice and shared experience; this may take the form of spending time outside of the University and working within the creative community and the public domain.
Year 3
In Year 3 you will study a series of self-directed options designed to develop a professional portfolio that reflects your individual careers aspirations. Your work is supported by a visiting lecture programme that offers a diverse range of perspectives across the whole platform of graphic design practice.
Unit X
On the third year Unit X, there is a student authored final project leading to a showcase of finished work. The module includes a brief generated by the student, which leads to the presentation of a significant body of final work. Collaborative and interdisciplinary work can be incorporated into the project in relation to the professional context and ambition of the student.
Graphic Design Practice
This module will develop your independent, self-directed study based around graphic design projects that have real-world parallels with the professional designer and/or creative industries. Studio based projects will extend your professional understanding and will develop your capability for self-directed learning. Three projects look at ideas of authorship based around a given theme, responding to a live brief and initiating personal work. A negotiated option within each project will build on your existing skill set and are described using a series of student authored learning agreements.
Design Contexts 3
This module draws upon key ideas and research methods developed in years 1 and 2 to research and establish a substantive individual position for a personal and or professional design practice. This will establish the theoretical framework to inform and underpin the development of your studio practice and support your future graduate ambitions.
Assessment Methods
Unit end assessment and coursework.
Assessment Weightings & Contact Hours
10 credits equates to 100 hours of study, which is a combination of lectures, seminars and practical sessions, and independent study. A three year degree qualification typically comprises 360 credits (120 credits per year). The exact composition of your study time and assessments for the course will vary according to your option choices and style of learning, but it could be—
Study
- Year 1 25% lectures, seminars or similar; 75% independent study
- Year 2 25% lectures, seminars or similar; 75% independent study
- Year 3 25% lectures, seminars or similar; 75% independent study
Assessment
- Year 1 100% coursework
- Year 2 100% coursework
- Year 3 90% coursework; 10% practical
Student Work
Visit our online Degree Show galleries to see examples of student work.
Staff
- Andy Ellison
Programme Leader
— - Lucy Biggs
Senior Lecturer
— - Adam Griffiths
Lecturer
— - Jonathan Hitchen
Senior Lecturer
— - Graham Jones
Senior Lecturer
— - Sue Platt
Senior Lecturer
— - John Rooney
Senior Lecturer
— - Joanna Roy
Lecturer
— - Lucy Vann
Lecturer
— - Liz Wheeldon-Wyatt
Senior Lecturer
—
Set in Motion was a 9 day project involving 90 3rd year students on the BA Graphic Design course.
Winners of student awards announced
Graduates
Graduates have gone on to be designers in design consultancies and in-house teams for industry and public authorities; magazine and publication designers; art directors and creative teams in advertising agencies; digital media designers and filmmakers for creative online content.
Making an Application
How to Apply
Apply through UCAS.
We will ask you to provide a Digital Portfolio to support your application.
You will be notified of our decision through UCAS.
Entry Requirements
| UCAS Tariff Points/Grades Required | 104-112. GCE A levels - grades BCC or equivalent Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma - grade DMM Access to HE Diploma - Pass overall with a minimum 106 UCAS Tariff points UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma - grade of Merit overall OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - grade DMM T level - We welcome applications from students undertaking T level qualifications. Eligible applicants will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of Merit as a condition of offer IB Diploma - Pass overall with a minimum overall score of 26 or minimum 104 UCAS Tariff points from three Higher Level subjects Other Level 3 qualifications equivalent to GCE A level are also considered. A maximum of three A level-equivalent qualifications will be accepted towards meeting the UCAS tariff requirement. AS levels, or qualifications equivalent to AS level, are not accepted. The Extended Project qualification (EPQ) may be accepted towards entry, in conjunction with two A-level equivalent qualifications. Please contact the University directly if you are unsure whether you meet the minimum entry requirements for the course. Learn more about MMU's Foundation Diploma in Art and Design. |
|---|---|
| Specific GCSE Requirements | GCSE grade C/4 in English Language or equivalent, e.g. Pass in Level 2 Functional Skills English |
| International Baccalaureate | IB Diploma with minimum 26 points overall or 104 UCAS Tariff points from three Higher Level subjects. If you plan to meet the Level 2 course requirements through your IB Diploma you will need to achieve Higher Level 4 or Standard Level 5 in English Points |
International Students
A minimum IELTS score of 6.0 overall with no individual element below 5.5 is required.
There’s further information for international students on our international website if you’re applying with non-UK qualifications.
Tuition Fees 2025 Entry
UK and Channel Island students
Full-time fee: £9,535 for the 2025/26 academic year (subject to Parliamentary approval). Fees for subsequent academic years may increase for inflation to reflect increased costs of course delivery (up to a maximum of 10% per academic year) and/or changes in UK government regulation. Inflationary increases will be calculated by reference to RPIx (RPIx is a measure of inflation in the UK). Fee increases are subject to limits imposed by UK government regulation.
EU and non-EU international students
Full-time fee: £21,500 per year. Tuition fees will remain the same for each year of your course providing you complete it in the normal timeframe (no repeat years or breaks in study).
Additional information
A degree typically comprises 360 credits, a DipHE 240 credits, a CertHE 120 credits, and an integrated masters 480 credits. For courses that offer a placement year option that starts in September 2025, the tuition fee is £1,907 (subject to Parliamentary approval). For courses that offer a study year abroad option that starts in September 2025, the tuition fee is £1,430 (subject to Parliamentary approval). Placement Year fees and study abroad fees for subsequent academic years may increase for inflation to reflect increased costs of course delivery (up to a maximum of 10% each academic year) and/or changes in UK government regulation. Inflationary increases will be calculated by reference to RPIx (RPIx is a measure of inflation in the UK). Fee increases are subject to limits imposed by UK government regulation.
See Funding your studies for further information and advice.
Additional Costs
Specialist Costs
£900* plus optional £100* — Average printing costs per year. In 3rd year there could be an additional amount of £100, approximately, towards printing for the Degree Show. Core materials include an A3 portfolio the contents of a pencil case, scalpel ruler. £200 to £400 per year.
Trips and Placement Costs
Optional £1,000* — Students can choose in second or third year to go on a study trip. These are optional and usually taken during self to directed time so no studio sessions are missed. £300 to £700 in both second and third year.
* All amounts shown are estimates.