Graphic Communication BA (Hons)
Length:
3 or 4 year options
UCAS Code:
W213 (3 Year)
W214 (4 Year)
Institution Code:
N39
Optional Diploma Years:
Creative Professional Development (1 year, Level 5 diploma), or Creative Computing (1 year, Level 5 diploma), available between years 2 & 3
Ignite your passion for exploring visual ideas and brand communication from real-world problems to commercial briefs, across print and digital.
Our BA (Hons) Graphic Communication is a cutting-edge brand communications degree that will equip you with the skills to design everything from visual identities and advertising campaigns to websites, apps, motion, film and animation. Typography, copywriting, imagery, motion, digital and print applications are all integral components of the programme.
Ignite your passion for exploring visual identities, brand communications and advertising, working across across digital, motion and print. The course is closely aligned to the industry, and you will work on a wide variety of briefs set by staff, professional design agencies and external competitions.
Thanks to our strong links to industry, recent graduates are highly employable and have found full-time employment in leading design studios, working in areas such as branding and digital, motion and cross-platform advertising.
Your original ideas are as likely to play out through an app, website or augmented reality experience as a printed poster, pamphlet or journal. Your knowledge and skills will grow in branding, identity, advertising, motion graphics, and interaction/UX design whilst developing strong skills in creative thinking and ideas-led communication solutions. You’ll be challenged to engage with real-world problems, controversies and commercial briefs through research, design and technology.
Graphics at Norwich
Why study with us
- Share your first year with other graphics students, and continue to work alongside each other, allowing for a unique cross fertilisation of knowledge, skills and experience.
- Develop skills in typography, layout, photography, motion graphics, copywriting, screen design, design research and idea generation.
- Learn technical skills in various design-related digital software such as InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator, After Effects, and Figma.
- Become expert at understanding and deciphering a brief, researching, and generating ideas, problem-solving, developing the most successful concept and executing and presenting the final work.
- Create clever ideas-based solutions for organisations and brands, ‘design for good’ and advertising campaigns that aim to address global problems.
- Explore printed, digital and spatial formats, including books, posters, brochures and reports, websites, apps, user interfaces, user experience design and 3D/spatial super-graphics.
- Participate in workshops and classes run by external professionals, undertake project briefs initiated and taught by designers from industry, and enter national and international design competitions judged by the design industry.
Success in awards:
- 2024 two First Place D&AD New Blood Awards.
Students from Graphic Communication have received multiple awards from D&AD New Blood Awards, the YCN Awards, Creative Conscience Awards, and Dragon Rouge Firestarters.
Course Content
Integrated Foundation Year (optional)
Our Integrated Foundation Year is designed to equip students with the necessary skills, knowledge and confidence to thrive in their chosen degree subject. The course provides a comprehensive introduction to various disciplines, blending critical thinking and creative problem-solving with practical hands-on experience. This year serves as a bridge to undergraduate studies, allowing students to explore their interests within a supportive and inspiring environment, while familiarising themselves with the campus, workshops, and tutors.
Year 1
In the first year, the curriculum is shared across related graphics courses, enabling you to gain a broad grounding in the discipline before going on to specialist units in your chosen field in the second and third years. In your common first year, you will explore the fundamentals of design. With a focus on process, you will explore techniques, technologies, and research-inspired design as you work on individual and team projects. The course expands to cover a huge range of experimental processes, platforms, and technologies, meaning that you will build a strong portfolio demonstrating your design skills and innovative practice. This unit also introduces theories and ideas of design and visual culture and teaches you how to use them in your practical work.
40 credits
In this unit, you will explore and experiment with techniques, materials, and media. You explore the fundamental principles of visual communication and develop skills in typography, printing, layout, photography, design research, idea generation, and storytelling. You’ll learn technical skills in various design-related software such as InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma, and After Effects. You’ll be introduced to essential skills in organising and presenting complex data and information using typography, illustration, infographics, and wider graphic language, as well as how people view, process, and act on the wealth of visual information they receive every day.
80 credits
The first week of each academic year is called Wayfinding week. It’s an opportunity get your bearings, establish new connections and, after your first year at Norwich, re-establish old ones. Your course team will talk you through the year ahead and explain the expectations for the year. We’ll help you navigate new encounters and identify areas to focus on as you progress through your course.
An important element of Wayfinding Week is taking part in our annual ‘Make it Manifest(o)’ project. Your course team will introduce the project in which we’ll ask you to consider your hopes and vision of the year ahead at Norwich and work with students in other year groups to bring your ideas to life. The project culminates in a celebratory display of work across the campus. The project will help you to develop your critical creativity through different approaches, concepts, and mediums. You’ll encounter diverse perspectives and build friendships and networks within our university community.
Interchange weeks are opportunities to step away from your disciplinary studies and engage in projects, workshops, visits and talks that extend your knowledge and understanding of the world. Whether you learn a new skill or take part in a global challenge project with students from other courses, you will come away with new insights to take back to your course. Interchange is part of the schedule for all Norwich students with sessions held across and beyond the campus led by university staff, visiting lecturers and students.
Year 2
This unit will develop your ability to creatively respond to graphic communication design challenges through real-world problem-solving exercises. You’ll apply professional practice skills to live projects and competition briefs, navigating the needs of different audiences and the complex demands of commercial design practice. Typography, copywriting, imagery, motion, and print applications lie at the heart of all your work, exploring printed and digital formats, including books, journals, magazines, motion graphics, social media campaigns, websites and apps. You will examine cultural, social and theoretical contexts underpinning contemporary graphic communication design and discover emerging themes that will begin to inform your creative practice.
80 credits
This unit will introduce how collaborative work can help you focus and enhance your creative thinking, exposing you to new processes and approaches. You’ll have the chance to work with fellow students and external agencies to generate solutions for a range of project briefs. You’ll increase your focus on understanding varied themes and the role of audiences and other stakeholders in creating targeted and clever ideas-based solutions for organisations and brands, charities and social causes, design for good/change and campaigns. Students will evaluate their outputs by adopting various roles and exploring alternative perspectives, recognising their value in enhancing their work. Projects are supported by a range of sessions and workshop activities, including opportunities for developing technical skills, engaging in research, typography, motion/screen design software, branding, and copywriting.
40 credits
The first week of each academic year is called Wayfinding week. It’s an opportunity get your bearings, establish new connections and, after your first year at Norwich, re-establish old ones. Your course team will talk you through the year ahead and explain the expectations for the year. We’ll help you navigate new encounters and identify areas to focus on as you progress through your course.
An important element of Wayfinding Week is taking part in our annual ‘Make it Manifest(o)’ project. Your course team will introduce the project in which we’ll ask you to consider your hopes and vision of the year ahead at Norwich and work with students in other year groups to bring your ideas to life. The project culminates in a celebratory display of work across the campus. The project will help you to develop your critical creativity through different approaches, concepts, and mediums. You’ll encounter diverse perspectives and build friendships and networks within our university community.
Interchange weeks are opportunities to step away from your disciplinary studies and engage in projects, workshops, visits and talks that extend your knowledge and understanding of the world. Whether you learn a new skill or take part in a global challenge project with students from other courses, you will come away with new insights to take back to your course. Interchange is part of the schedule for all Norwich students with sessions held across and beyond the campus led by university staff, visiting lecturers and students.
Diploma Year (optional)
Students have the opportunity to spend a year after the second of their degree (or the third year if studying for a degree with an Integrated Foundation Year) enhancing their employability options through a Level 5 Diploma. They can choose from courses designed to provide:
- opportunities to gain industry insight, developing employability skills through a series of supported experiences, expanding professional networks and building confidence in the workplace, or
- an introduction to creative computing, building an understanding of how coding skills can be used to advance and complement creative practice.
Final year
This is the first, and shorter, of the two units that make up your final year of undergraduate study. You will work on several set and self-initiated projects, including competition briefs and client briefs set by designers in the industry. You will continue to advance your core skills in 2D and 3D design, specifically in typography, layout, image usage and editing, print/physical, and screen based digital technologies. You will deliver a research report related to your studio practice, exploring the dialogue between contextual issues, cultural theories, and debates within the discipline. Group and individual tutorials will provide stimulating and supportive sessions to help you develop your research ideas and those of others.
40 credits
This unit will allow you to deliver final major design projects, embracing the entire design process and demonstrating your approach to, and engagement with, graphic communication. This will form a significant part of your portfolio, showcasing your exploration of new and traditional media within contemporary graphic communication design. Throughout your course, you will have access to regular industry talks from some of the highest-profile designers, studios, and agencies anywhere in the world. At the end of the year, you’ll have the opportunity to display your final year project as part of our degree show, Grad Fest, which allows you to showcase your work to our network of industry professionals and prospective employers.
80 credits
The first week of each academic year is called Wayfinding week. It’s an opportunity get your bearings, establish new connections and, after your first year at Norwich, re-establish old ones. Your course team will talk you through the year ahead and explain the expectations for the year. We’ll help you navigate new encounters and identify areas to focus on as you progress through your course.
An important element of Wayfinding Week is taking part in our annual ‘Make it Manifest(o)’ project. Your course team will introduce the project in which we’ll ask you to consider your hopes and vision of the year ahead at Norwich and work with students in other year groups to bring your ideas to life. The project culminates in a celebratory display of work across the campus. The project will help you to develop your critical creativity through different approaches, concepts, and mediums. You’ll encounter diverse perspectives and build friendships and networks within our university community.
Interchange weeks are opportunities to step away from your disciplinary studies and engage in projects, workshops, visits and talks that extend your knowledge and understanding of the world. Whether you learn a new skill or take part in a global challenge project with students from other courses, you will come away with new insights to take back to your course. Interchange is part of the schedule for all Norwich students with sessions held across and beyond the campus led by university staff, visiting lecturers and students.
Careers Information
Our course provides a range of employment-focused tools, allowing you to develop a professional portfolio and gain a strong sense of your career aspirations. Graduates have achieved great success, receiving multiple awards from prestigious competitions such as D&AD New Blood Awards, YCN Awards, and Creative Conscience Awards, leading to direct access to the design industry.
Many students have secured placements and full-time employment at renowned agencies such as Superunion, Magpie, and Pentagram. Other have found employment at some of the most prestigious design agencies including Weirdo, Tommy, North, Accept & Proceed, Sunday, Paul Belford and many, many more.
Typical career paths include
- Graphic designer
- Digital designer
- Website designer
- App designer
- Branding designer
- Advertising creative
- Promotions designer
- Brand strategist
- Copywriter
- Printmaker/printer
- Filmmaker/animator
You’ll also get specialist creative careers advice from our Business and Employability Team to help support you as you plan your career.
Emma Watts
Tabbed Section
Typical UK offers
A / AS Levels – GCE
GCE A/AS Levels 3 A-level qualifications at grades BCC (104 UCAS Tariff points) or above. Where candidates are not taking 3 A-levels, Norwich University of the Arts will consider combinations of A-level/AS-level and other Level 3 qualifications.
BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Distinction, Merit, Merit in an art, design or media related subject
BTEC Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Distinction*, Distinction* in an art, design or media related subject
T Levels
A T Level in any subject with overall grade Merit or above
UAL Extended Diploma
Merit
UAL Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Pass
UAL Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Pass
Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Pass
Access to Higher Education Diploma (Art and Design)
Pass
International Baccalaureate Diploma
A minimum of 26 points
Norwich University of the Arts welcomes applicants of all ages from all backgrounds. Your application will be primarily assessed through your portfolio (if required), responses to questions asked and personal statement, so even if you have no formal qualifications or do not meet our typical offers it can still be worth applying.
If you are studying at the time of your application and your application is successful it is likely that you will receive a conditional offer.
If the qualification that you are studying is not shown, do not worry as we are able to accept other pre-entry qualifications as well as combinations of different qualifications. Please do contact our Student Recruitment Team if you have any queries.
International applications
We accept qualifications from all over the world. To find our entry requirements from a specific country, please check our dedicated international pages.
Most international students are required to hold an English language qualification. Applicants are required to have a minimum UKVI approved IELTS exam score of 6.0 overall, with a minimum of 5.5 in each section. Equivalent English language qualifications are acceptable such as, IB English language syllabus A or B/English Literature (Grade 4).
We also accept some alternative English qualifications. Learn more about our English entry requirements.
You can email us on international@norwichuni.ac.uk if you’d like to discuss your application individually.
BA (Hons) Graphic Communication degree portfolio guidance
Portfolios should show examples of your work — both finished and work in progress — that demonstrate your interests and skills. Your portfolio should be made up of work that reflects your creativity, personal interests and influences, as well as demonstrating your technical skills and ability. It doesn’t have to be perfect as we can assess your potential from your work in progress.
Your portfolio should be relevant to this course, but you can include a wide range of work that shows your creativity, technical competence and understanding of innovative communication.
You may wish to include some of the following:
- Visual identity, logos and branding
- Digital, motion design and interactive design
- Advertising projects/ campaigns
- Work created using Adobe Creative Suite or other appropriate design software
- Web design
- Typography
- Photography
- Editorial work and poster designs
- Drawing Skills
- Suggestions for context: branding, corporate communications, advertising, digital/interactive design
Further portfolio advice and tips
Get more advice on presentation formats, layouts, and when to submit your portfolio in the application process.
2024/25 University fees for new entrants
Norwich University of the Arts will assess students’ tuition fee status using the guidance provided by the UK Council for International Student Affairs
Students from the UK or Ireland and EU students with ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status will be charged ‘Home’ fees if they meet the relevant residency requirements. They will usually be eligible for a tuition fee loan from the UK government, meaning that they won’t have to pay Norwich University of the Arts’ tuition fees upfront.
Students who do not meet the necessary residency requirements will usually be charged ‘Overseas’ fees and will not be eligible for the UK government tuition fee loan. Since 2021/22, this includes new entrants from the EU, EEA, and Switzerland who do not have ‘Settled’ or ‘Pre-Settled’ status, because the UK has now formally left the EU.
| Fee status | Course | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Undergraduate degree (full-time three and four year degree) | £9,250 |
| Overseas | Undergraduate degree (full-time three and four year degree) | £18,000 |
Inflation in subsequent years
The rules for inflation on fees in subsequent years depend on the type of fee status and level.
- For Home undergraduate students starting in 2024, inflation may be applied to your fees in later years, if the UK government were to increase the fee cap beyond the current limit of £9,250 per year. If such an increase were to apply, we would confirm this in advance to you of each academic year, and we would limit the increase to the maximum allowed by the Office for Students.
- For Overseas undergraduate students starting in 2024, inflation will be applied to your fees in later years. We will confirm this in advance to you of each academic year, and we will limit the increase to no more than the Office for Students’ recommended inflationary measure, which is RPI-X. RPI-X is calculated by the Office for Budget Responsibility. In setting fees for the following year, we will use the Office for Budget Responsibility’s RPI-X forecast for quarter 3 of the relevant year.
For Home and overseas postgraduate degree students starting in 2024, fees will remain the same for each year of your course.
Financial support for UK students in 2024
Tuition fee loans and loans for living costs are usually available to UK and some EU students, as well as non-repayable Norwich University of the Arts bursaries based on family income. Find out more about applying for funding.
International students
We offer a range of scholarships for international students to support your studies with us.
- Group briefings
- Academic tutorials
- Group tutorials
- Lectures
- Workshops
- Critiques (crits)
- Seminars
- Finished pieces of work
- Presentations
- Written work
- Your research
- A reflective journal
Work-based Learning Opportunities
Between Years 2 and 3 of this course, you’ll have the opportunity to undertake one of the following additional qualifications:
Creative Professional Development (1 year, Level 5 Diploma)
Our Creative Professional Development Diploma gives you the chance to spend a year exploring your post-uni job options through a structured programme of input sessions and work-based learning. This year offers two much-sought-after industry placements – the first lasting six weeks, the second 12 weeks, and a group project or ‘hackathon’ exploring freelancing and business start-up.
Creative Computing (1 year, Level 5 Diploma)
Our Creative Computing Diploma introduces you to coding and computational skills that will advance and complement your creative practice. No prior experience of coding is needed, just a curiosity about creative computing and a desire to push your own practice into new realms. You’ll also develop a wider knowledge of the creative tech industries, available roles and opportunities.
Integrated Foundation Year – BA (Hons) Graphic Communication
An Integrated Foundation Year offers students a chance to build on their experience within their undergraduate course of choice.
An Integrated Foundation Year will help to build confidence and develop subject specific practical, creative and conceptual skills – making full use of University studios and workshops.
Typical UK offers and entry requirements for Integrated Foundation Year entry
GCE A/AS Levels
2 A-level qualifications at grades CC or higher.
BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Merit, Merit, Pass in an art, design or media related subject
BTEC Diploma (QCF or RQF)
Distinction, Merit in an art, design or media related subject
T Levels
Pass (D or E on the core)
UAL Extended Diploma
An overall Pass
UAL Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
An overall Pass
Foundation Diploma in Art and Design
Pass
Access to Higher Education Diploma (Art and Design)
Pass
International Baccalaureate Diploma
A minimum of 24 points
Norwich University of the Arts welcomes applicants of all ages from all backgrounds. Your application will be primarily assessed through your portfolio, responses to questions asked and personal statement, so even if you have no formal qualifications or do not meet our typical offers it can still be worth applying.
If you are studying at the time of your application and your application is successful it is likely that you will receive a conditional offer.
Find out more about four year degrees at Norwich
Teaching Staff
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In conversation with
Sam discusses what it’s like to study BA (Hons) Graphic Communication at Norwich.
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