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Course outline

Falmouth University’s flexible online MA in Graphic Design will help you establish your own graphic design practice against the backdrop of today’s creative industries and contemporary visual culture.

Developed by award-winning graphic design practitioners with a wealth of experience in various theoretical and teaching approaches to graphic design, the course encourages peer discussion and learning so that you can continually improve your work and explore new creative processes to deliver your graphic design projects to their full creative potential.

This course is concerned with the advanced exploration and application of principles of graphic design within the contexts of research and professional development. Engagement with digital and making technologies is central to discovering and harnessing new thinking in design.

This course is of particular relevance to those interested in effective visual communication and developing innovative concepts and approaches in publication design, illustration, motion graphics, corporate identity, photography, design for digital media and graphic design for advertising.

Design NetworkBased in the heart of the School of Art, MA/MFA Design: Graphic Design and Art Direction is part of an innovative design network — a community of staff and students exploring design ideas in a discursive, cross-disciplinary studio environment. Critically informed practical designers, the group works experimentally, inspired by new insights and possibilities. While studying towards a particular qualification at MA/MFA level, students experience their subject in the broader context of contemporary design practice.... [-]

MFA in Graphic Design

Graphic design is a professional major that addresses a range of advanced visual communication problems, with an emphasis on meaning, form, and function. In a professional studio setting, students work with faculty on the understanding and implementation of theories, principles, and methods related to concept development, design process, context, history and criticism, research, evaluation, visual aesthetics, typography, systems thinking, information design, inter - and cross-disciplinary collaboration, as well as social and ethical responsibility. Course assignments and thesis projects incorporate both theory and application in the solution of hypothetical and actual graphic design problems. Courses within this major evidence a balanced approach toward the integration of digital media and traditional processes. Final design outcomes focus on small- and large-scale, two- dimensional or three-dimensional printed artifacts and environmental graphic design solutions, with opportunities to develop relevant for time-based and/or interactive digital applications as well. Special lectures, guest speakers, exhibitions, and workshops complement studio and seminar goals. Students have ongoing access to RIT resources such as the Graphic Design Archive and the Cary Graphic Arts Collection, the Artists’ Books Collection, and the collections of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies.... [-]

The Suffolk Master of Arts in Graphic Design is a practice-oriented program that is customizable so you graduate with real-world studio work in your portfolio. As the field of design expands, Suffolk is focused on exposing students to sophisticated design, communication skills, and new technologies.

Our MA Graphic Design course has been structured to promote the role of designers as skilled professional communicators, and firmly embed a culture of research and problem solving into creative practice.

Our course aims to promote specialism and mastery in your own unique area of graphic design - which you'll identify and develop with us on this MA. Enabling you to produce meaningful outcomes from informed research is a top priority.

Length of study: One year full-time

Starts: September 2017

Campus: UCA Epsom

Using the extensive industry links brought by our course staff, you'll be encouraged to foster connections with industry partners within your area of specialism. With the help of visiting lecturers, industry experts and live briefs, you'll gain real-life experience in the design industry. An emphasis will be placed on how to present both yourself and your design work in a professional arena.... [-]

This course is all about the research, development and production of creative, original and effective graphic design solutions that function across a range of print and digital media. At the start of the course, you’ll work on short projects which are aimed at challenging conventions. You’ll then focus on a subject of your choice through the research, development and production of a single, in-depth project. You will also develop a professional Journal which explores current thought and practice.

With us, you can become the type of graphic designer who can react to real situations with creative and artistic insight, who within their field can imagine and create high-standard work.

We are a flexible program with a fresh perspective; our strength is in our open-mindedness. With the help of our acknowledged, professional academic teachers we can provide you with the opportunity to find your own individual style. In this course we will develop your practical, functional problem-solving skills focused on design, and we strive to help you unfold your innovative solutions individually as well as in a team. We await you in a great atmosphere where your creative work can unravel through integrated courses teaching modern design thinking in a team environment.... [-]

MA Graphic Design

The MA course in Graphic Design encourages the diversity of design study opportunities possible within the wide field of Graphic Design. The focus of the course is rooted in visual communication research underpinned by theory, with an emphasis on the development of a very personal body of practical work. Students may choose to work within any area of contemporary graphic design practice or explore the potential for design diversity.Throughout the course, students are encouraged to pursue a unique personal line of inquiry within the broad subject area of Graphic Design. By the end of the programme, all students should have completed a cohesive body of work to a professional standard and be able to clearly articulate a sound intellectual rationale and a broad critical viewpoint.Entry requirementsEntry requirements for postgraduate courses vary and you are advised to check below for any specific requirements or with Enquiry Management. Normally the following general entry requirements apply:Postgraduate Diplomas, Certificates and Conversion Courses:A recognised British first degree or its equivalent, or a BTEC Higher Diploma/Certificate.Taught Masters Courses:A recognised British honours degree with a good standard, or its equivalent. Applications from all candidates will be considered on their merits and in the light of the nature and scope of the programme or work proposed. Informal enquiries are welcomed and will normally be followed by an initial advisory interview.Applicants must demonstrate achievement of any one of the following:... [-]

MA Design Specialising in Digital Graphic

Digital Graphics is concerned with virtual spaces and interactive environments. These are understood as the spaces of experience and may include combinations of the real and virtual, the spaces of publication, time-based media and the internet. Interaction within spaces can operate at differing scales and levels of material intervention.

The contemporary cultural context of globalisation and dematerialisation leads to all spaces becoming less physically site-specific and arising from this an imperative to redefine and rediscover the real meaning of place. Representation becomes central to this as both the site of design production and increases the site of its dissemination and discussion. In this way, the design of digital environments can be both the means to understanding our real experience of space or a means to explore other mixed or hybrid realities.... [-]

Master of Arts (MA) in Graphic Arts

The traditional studios of typography, lithography, intaglio, serigraphy, offset and digital graphics teach the skills which, when mastered, enables free experimentation and mature artistic expression. The students are familiarised with various graphical techniques so as to be able to select the ones they find the most appropriate for their own artistic work.

Letterpress Printing

Head: professor Andrzej BobrowskiAssistant: Agnieszka Cholewińska

Students will learn about traditional pressing techniques, including wood engraving, linoleum printing, plaster relief printing and tailored printing methods. The aim of the courses it will be to train the students to create their own pieces rather than copying previous concepts. Training will be provided to help the students to aptly consider the two phases of print creation: the matrix and the print itself. The students will be encouraged to synthesize and to simplify their work. Another aim of the course will be to educate the students to use their knowledge to efficiently resolve the creative challenges they face and to make them fully aware of the creative process as a quest as they strive to overcome their limitations. A broad study of artistic graphics will be provided, covering its historical background and contemporary trends, with a particular emphasis laid on letterpress printing.... [-]

The MA and MDes courses offer a stimulating and creative environment in which students are encouraged to explore conceptual and theoretical issues. For the MA this is through research-based enquiries, while the MDes has a professional emphasis. Students initially join as an MA student but have the option to register as an MDes candidate as the course progresses.

We see design thinking and research as being at the heart of design innovation. As a designer, learning to manage complex ideas can be the key to finding solutions and developing strategies that can be applied across a range of disciplines.

Building upon your communication and research skills, the course will help you to apply them to successful problem-solving. You will explore contemporary issues such as global trends, ethics, gender and sustainability by crossing genres, and exploring new and emerging technologies for creation and communication. The UK produces world-class designers who are sought after internationally- our MA and MDes courses set out to help you realise your ambitions in a global context.... [-]

Why you should study MA Graphic Design at Middlesex

Submerge yourself in the discipline of graphic design and be part of our well-established, award-winning graphic design department. We take a problem-solving approach to graphic design to explore contemporary practice through design thinking, insight and co-design processes, prototyping ideas, methods of design analysis and through building expert collaborative networks with external partners.

Our students come from a wide range of design and creative backgrounds, each with their own individual skill set, experience and cultural background. We are a diverse collective, working across project areas of typography & information, brand identity & campaigns, new technology & digital experiences, design writing & insight analysis, sustainability & environmental issues, structural packaging and book design.... [-]

Master in Design Cultures

The MA program Design Cultures is all about the study of product design, graphic design and fashion in a broad diverse cultural context. The focus is on both the designer as ‘author’ and the complex chain of production, sale, consumption, and criticism in which design operates and derives its many different meanings. Design Cultures restores design as the core object of academic interest without detracting from the cultural and material context in which it operates. The program combines a generalist, comparative approach to design with a clear focus on history and theory.

Career Prospects

The Design Cultures course is taught in English. It is an internationally oriented course which has close ties with real-life practice. Besides studying the theoretical and historical background of design, students get a chance to do their graduation project in association with key players in the design world. Students of Design Cultures can look forward to careers in cultural institutions (editor, project manager), museums (researcher, curator), media, (author, critic, producer), government (administrator, advisor), design agencies (researcher, consultant) and educational and research institutes (teacher, researcher).... [-]

MA in Graphic Design

This programme in Graphic Design is designed for those students who have a background in Graphic Design, Industrial Design, or Visual Communication Design. Lectures are grouped as being elective or compulsory, depending on the student’s prior undergraduate education. With both conceptual and practical courses, students are guided towards specialisation in a range of various areas. The programme incorporates in-depth research and its applications, as well the solving of modern and creative/experimental design problems. The interdisciplinary approach between graphic design and communication includes theoretical and applied studies Fields of specialisation include graphic arts, illustration, typography, corporate identity and branding, packing design, interactive design, as well as the history of design and critique writing. Programmes of contemporary Graphic Design have an important responsibility in this rapidly advancing sector, to equip students with the skills for a professional life, as well as for those who wish to pursue a university career in academia.... [-]

The Master of Graphic Design is a two-year, full-time program. It offers ambitious designers the opportunity to deepen their practice and lay the foundation for a long-term, sustainable career in the field of design.

The program centers upon a thorough understanding of the process of design and is research-oriented. You will be trained in media and graphic design theory, as well as the communicative and ethical skills essential to the visual interpretation of information in today’s technology-based society. Tutors and guest lecturers are professionals with rich and active practices, allowing us to keep our finger on the pulse of the ever-shifting design world.... [-]