Advertising MA

This unit launches your master’s study experience at Norwich. You will explore innovative practices and cutting-edge research. You’ll enhance your skills and learn to communicate complex messages through visual media while examining contemporary advertising theories. Research-led projects will immerse you in contemporary advertising techniques, boosting your confidence in both conceptual and practical problem-solving. You’ll experiment with mixed media and materials to convey complex messages while exploring the boundaries of advertising alongside related fields. The unit covers a wide range of topics, including semiotics, professional communication, brand strategies, copywriting, storytelling, and emerging technologies such as AR/VR/AI. Iterative experimentation and critical reflection will refine your practice within broader conceptual and ethical frameworks.

This unit focuses on the advanced technical skills essential for idea generation, problem-solving, and practical development in advertising. It emphasises the importance of technical expertise in supporting theoretical and conceptual aspects of ideation and problem-solving. Regular presentations and discussions with peers and staff will foster critical reflection and analysis. The unit covers pitching, social media, marketing, copywriting, content creation, campaign management, visual communication, design strategies, data analytics, SEO & SEM, professional behaviours, semiotics, brand communications, Adobe Suite, and emerging technologies such as AR/VR/AI. Through continuous technical experimentation and practical application, you will enhance your knowledge and broaden your working methods in digital media, data analytics, and multimedia production, ensuring you are well-prepared to tackle real-world challenges and succeed in the dynamic field of advertising.

This unit encourages exploration of leading practices and emerging research within advertising. Reflective analysis and interaction will enhance your understanding of your discipline in socio-economic, political, ethical, and cultural contexts. Research themes include design history and theory, identity and representation, visual language, subjectivity, design psychology, Gestalt psychology, semiotics, aesthetics, globalisation, consumption, and media theory. You will develop a range of research approaches, using discursive interaction to inform your inquiry and push your creative boundaries to inspire new perspectives on advertising.

Building on the ‘advanced technical skills’ unit, you will refine your technical processes and explore innovative ways to expand your creative capabilities. Topics include pitching, social media, marketing, copywriting, content creation, campaign management, visual communication, design strategies, data analytics, SEO & SEM, professional behaviours, semiotics, brand communications, contemporary media platforms, Adobe Suite, and emerging technologies (AR/VR/AI). A research-led approach will help you utilise current and future-facing techniques within advertising. Individual and group projects will refine your technical skills and enhance your problem-solving abilities, allowing you to fully develop and apply advanced creative thinking in practical contexts.

This unit enhances your understanding of leading practices and emerging research in advertising. By developing effective research and reflective strategies, you will gain insights into creative communication within socio-economic, political, ethical, and cultural contexts. Building on the ‘dialogue, debate, and domain knowledge’ unit, you will explore themes such as design history, identity and representation, visual language, design psychology, semiotics, globalisation, and media theory. Research-led projects will help you formulate questions relevant to your practice, examining the boundaries between disciplines. Rigorous analysis will deepen your understanding of the critical frameworks underpinning advertising and communication design, positioning yourself as a critically engaged and reflective practitioner.

This unit forms the culmination of your master’s study, in which you will design, develop, and execute a major project. By consolidating your specialist knowledge and advanced practices, you will develop a research question, design a viable project to test your hypotheses, and work towards innovative outcomes. These outcomes may involve multiple outputs or a deep focus on a specific aspect of your practice. Throughout this unit, you will deepen your understanding of the historical, theoretical, cultural, technical, and economic contexts surrounding advertising. Indicative fields of study include advertising, PR, branding, marketing, and communications. You will explore challenges related to social and environmental sustainability, and identify relevant industries, audiences, and stakeholders your major project aims to impact. Research-led practice will enhance your ability to synthesise experiments into complex creative outcomes that reflect your chosen pathway and express an original, personal and professional identity.