#2015_04_27 Graphic Design FdA

GRAPHIC DESIGN FOUNDATIONDEGREE AT UNIVERSITY CAMPUSOLDHAM

Erik Spiekermann: designer and typographer

What is Graphic Design?http://vimeo.com/14251169

Graphic Design• has undergone a digital revolution• graphic communication works across a broad range of media• design for print• web• motion graphics.graphic designers must communicate online and offline, throughhand-held devices and personal computers, urban screens andprint media.

Graphic Design at UCO• We support students to develop idea led solutions, embracing the digital and at the same time preserving traditional processes such as bookbinding and printmaking.• Teaching is informed by research and academic staff contribute to international conferences, exhibitions, books and papers.• Student learning is facilitated through a range of workshops, seminars and lectures with additional support from a team of demonstrators.

be inspired• think creatively• respond to change• be innovative• develop solutions• captivate• articulate• entertain and inspire!

The Course• The curriculum covers a broad range of specialist skills in areas such as• creative thinking• Typography• Branding• Copywriting• art direction• print-making• image making• Bookbinding• Photography• motion design• design for multiple platforms• ambient media• Interactive• multimedia design• editing, compositing• 3-D digital• app design• ezine and e-book design• online marketing• guerrilla marketing• viral Marketing• social media.

Year One• In Year 1 we aim to broaden your experience of graphic design, explore new possibilities and test your creative boundaries.• Students are supported to develop fundamental skills in research and creative thinking through briefs, which introduce a range of skills and processes within graphic design• You will be asked to keep a blog throughout the programme and this facilitates the development of communication skills and the ability to articulate ideas, reflect on practice and make decisions on progression to the next level

Year 1• Students will have the opportunity to be inspired, think creatively, respond to change, be innovative, develop solutions, captivate, articulate, entertain and inspire.• University Campus Oldham offers you access to the latest hardware and software for the creation of digital and traditional graphic outcomes on powerful PCs equipped with a range of industry standard software, located in a modern creative environment.• Through exciting briefs, networking events, exhibitions and competitions there are many opportunities to engage both with the local creative community and on a national and global scale

Year One• UCO will provide excellent teaching and academic skills support in the first year of these programmes,

Teaching • We employ a range of teaching methods including lectures, tutorials, seminars, self- directed study and practical workshops for skill development. • Design projects provide the main method of learning and students receive regular feedback on their work through seminars and group tutorials. • The programme has large studio spaces and this means that students benefit from a studio culture, facilitating further support from peers, tutors and demonstrators. • Project delivery ranges from one-day briefs to longer projects lasting weeks. • Students are given opportunities to develop transferable skills through enhancement opportunities including team working, presentation skills, communication and organisational skills.

Live Briefs• Live briefs are integrated into modules and there are many opportunities to engage with industry through networking events and exhibitions.• Students are all required to keep a blog and this is supported through tutorials, so that students articulate their creative route through the programme, setting targets and reflecting on progress.• In this way students contextualise their practice but also develop skills that facilitate an ability to work in an independent way, encouraging collaborative practice and engagement with the creative community.•

Tutorials• There are weekly group tutorials to feedback on progress and lectures to disseminate ideas and concepts as well as seminars to develop discussion around key themes and workshops to develop specialist skills.• A wide variety of assessment methods are used and studio-based design modules may require the assessment of visual, verbal and written work, including sketchbook and design process whereas theoretical modules will require a written submission.

About University Campus Oldham• Facilities• Our modern campus, just a short walk from the Oldham town centre and Oldham Central tram stop, has everything you need to support your studies, including an onsite café and student lounge.• Over £5.5 million has been invested in recent years, with the help of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, to ensure that our facilities are the best available.• http://www.uco.oldham.ac.uk/

Digital and Creative Studios• Graphic Design students can take full advantage of UCO’s Digital and Creative Studios. There you will have access to well equipped computer suites, drawing rooms, drawing tablets, Adobe CS6 Premium Suite, Autodesk Production Suite, video and photography equipment This area is shared by students studying Games Art and Creative Media Production, and is a lively hub for digital and creative students

Library and Computing Centre• The Library and Computing Centre takes up the whole of UCO's Level 2 – meaning there is plenty of space for everyone. Silent study and group study rooms mean you can work in an environment that's right for the job.

Graduate Progression• Our graduate employment profile is excellent and through enhancements offered such aslive briefsnetworking eventsexhibitionscompetitions• there are many opportunities to engage both with the local vibrant creative community and on a national and global scale

Career Opportunities• Graduates work in many areas of graphic design, including• design for print• corporate identity• editorial design• Illustration• interactive design• app design• ezine and e-book design• online marketing• web design• motion graphics.

Links• University Campus Oldham• http://www.uco.oldham.ac.uk/