BA(Hons) Graphic Design

Graphic Design is an exciting and expanding subject area. This course aims to provide a balance between newer digital methods of production and traditional and craft based approaches through a range of different personal and group projects.
During the first two years you will engage with various aspects of graphic design practice in three distinct but overlapping areas: Social Design, Typography and Editorial Design, and Branding and Identity Design. The course asks students to question the changing significance of design and the designer in society, placing emphasis on the social, cultural and environmental aspects of design and the designer as a maker of meaning in visual form.

In the third year this range of conceptual and practical skills are then made manifest in a range of industry led projects and briefs and a major project of your own choosing.

The course lecturing team are practicising Artists and Designers who as well as working for clients and on their own projects have written books about Website Graphics for Thames and Hudson, won D&AD yellow pencils, featured in magazines such as Time Out, Eye, Adbusters, Blueprint, The Economist, Art Monthly, NME and The Guardian, we exhibit regularly in galleries across the UK and abroad, in both International Art Biennials and in self-curated shows. We have worked for and with people like Ars Electronica (Austria), Greater London Authority and Mayor’s Office (London), Love Music Hate Racism, Mediamatic (Netherlands), Philips Research, Royal College of Art Research, Sky TV, Stop the War Coalition and the V&A. The course leaders work is part of the archives of the V&A, British Museum and the Museum of London.

We get on the train and visit London all the time (it’s only 30 mins away) to see exhibitions and visit artist and designers’ studios.

We have had these nice people come and talk and work with us recently: Jonathan Barnbrook, John Henry Barac, Art Director from The Guardian, Daniel Eatock, Chrissie Abbott, Sam Winston and Graphic Design and Illustration studios: Airside, Kapitza, Thomas Matthews and Tim Sanders.

We like Macs, and we use all this software: Illustrator for drawing things, Photoshop for playing around with imagery, Fontlab to make fonts, Motion and After Effects to do motion graphics, Final Cut Pro to make videos, InDesign to make magazine and books, Dreamweaver and Prototyper to do web, app and interactive stuff and lots more, like learning how to scan and print professionally.

We participate in a number of national competitions that allow you to connect with industry professionals through live briefs, talks and workshops and that lead to paid internships and prizes. Recently we have won or been shortlisted for the Penguin Student Awards (3 times), D&AD in student book, and international design awards for work from our international students.

Contact:
Course leader:
Noel Douglas
noel.douglas@beds.ac.uk
http://www.noeldouglas.net