In this first unit, you will undertake a diagnostic investigation into visual language and creative practices. This exploratory investigation allows you to become familiar with and experiment within a range of creative disciplines related to Graphic Design & Illustration. 

Projects* 

Project 1: Illustration & Printing Experiments – ‘Hello There!’ 

This opening project is your chance to explore, experiment and push your creativity in new directions. Working across a range of hands-on processes, including printmaking, collage, painting, photography and illustration, you’ll discover how different materials and techniques can shape powerful visual outcomes.

You will be introduced to lino printing, where you’ll take part in specialist workshops to develop both your technical skill and creative confidence.

Responding to a single word –“language”– you’ll develop a creative outcome based on your personal interpretation, transforming your ideas into visually striking and conceptually rich work. This is about more than making images, it’s about communicating ideas, developing your own visual voice and producing outcomes that are both thoughtful and original.

Project 2: Experimental Typography – ‘Word Up!’ 

This project challenges you to think and work like a designer, using research as a powerful creative tool to shape original, high-quality outcomes. You’ll be introduced to the influence of established artists and designers, alongside the expressive potential of experimental typography.

Working from a randomly assigned artist and word, you’ll analyse their visual language and reinterpret it through your own ideas, processes and creative decisions. This is your opportunity to explore how style, technique and concept can be transformed into something personal and distinctive.

Through a series of practical workshops, including collage and technical sessions, you’ll experiment with materials, composition and typographic form. Your work will be assessed on the strength of your interpretation, the depth of your research and your ability to generate innovative, well-developed ideas.

Project 3: Scale in Design – ‘1st Class’

This project is all about exploring identity in a bold, creative way through designing your own set of stamps. You’ll dive into research, develop your ideas and build a visually striking collection that reflects your chosen theme. Starting big and thinking freely, you’ll refine and sharpen your concepts as you scale them down, learning how to make every detail count.

Along the way, you’ll experiment with powerful imagery and typography, discovering how design choices can completely transform meaning and impact, and develop a style that feels uniquely yours.

The project finishes with a large group critique, where you’ll present your work, share your thinking and engage with feedback from others. It’s a chance to see how your ideas land, strengthen your confidence, and learn how to both give and receive thoughtful, constructive criticism – just like in the real creative world.

 *Projects are examples and may change from year to year depending on the nature of live projects working with external partners, current exhibitions and visits planned and emerging new trends 

Skills Developed In Unit 1

Page/Layout Design, Photography & Image Manipulation, Scaling & Reduction, Typography, Colour Theory, Drawing & Mark Making

Students will develop confidence in using various Adobe Creative Suite projects, including:

• Photoshop: masks, layers, clone tools, cutting and selecting images, file size reduction and saving methods.
• InDesign: page setups, grids, columns, margins, text and image manipulations/placements, spread design, PDF saving/exporting methods.

Illustrator: vector work, anchor manipulation, typographic styling and manipulation.

This unit will provide you with the opportunity to reflect on the knowledge, skills and practices you have developed in Unit 1 and to define your creative ambitions by encouraging a holistic approach to a range of activities, which will support, contextualise and position your creative endeavours within Graphic Design & Illustration.

Projects* 

Project 1: Advertising Campaign – ‘It’s a Sell Out!’ 

Through this project you will take a completely ordinary object and turn it into the next must-have product. In this project, you’ll be challenged to reimagine everyday items and “sell” them based on their unique qualities. What makes them amazing? How could they become essential, iconic, or even viral?

You’ll build a full advertising campaign from the ground up. That means designing a bold logo, experimenting with typography and creating high-impact visuals across posters and magazine spreads. Then you’ll expand your concept further by producing additional promotional piece, anything from billboards and social media GIFs to vehicle graphics, packaging, or even a storyboard for a 20-second TV advert.

Along the way, you’ll take part in technical workshops to help you refine both your creative and digital skills. Crucially, you’ll learn how advertising really works and understanding the ethical boundaries of the industry, including an introduction to advertising standards. It’s a project that blends creativity with strategy, giving you the tools to think like a designer and a creative director.

Project 2: Film Poster Redesign – ‘Roll Cameras!’ 

Step into the world of iconic 1980s cinema by selecting one standout film from a curated list and reimagining its visual identity for a modern audience. This project challenges you to dive deep into the culture, style and influences of the era, using research as the foundation for bold, original ideas.

You’ll experiment with expressive typography and striking imagery to design both a teaser poster and a main theatrical release poster, capturing the essence of the film while giving it a fresh, contemporary edge. Along the way, you’ll explore advanced design principles including layout, visual hierarchy, focal points and colour theory, while refining your digital techniques through hands-on workshops. This is your chance to blend nostalgia with innovation and create work that feels both timeless and cutting-edge.

Project 3: Book Cover Reinterpretation – ‘Read Me…’ 

Reimagine the look and feel of classic literature by redesigning the cover of an iconic book. This project invites you to explore a wide range of creative approaches, from illustration and photography to collage, material experimentation and digital image manipulation, pushing you to craft a visually compelling narrative that reflects the essence of the text.

Working within professional design frameworks you’ll develop a refined, high-level outcome that balances creativity with precision. With guidance from technical workshops and lectures, you’ll sharpen both your practical and conceptual skills, creating work that feels thoughtful, original, and industry-ready.

Project 4: University Research & Application 

This unit is designed to support you at every stage of researching, shortlisting and applying to university. You’ll receive regular guidance through weekly personal tutor sessions and one-to-one tutorials during the Autumn term. In September, a dedicated UCAS week includes a visit to the London UCAS Fair, where you can explore courses, meet university representatives and ask questions directly.

Students are expected to gather a body of research evidence, develop a personal statement and submit a portfolio of work from across the course, applying the skills learned in your Portfolio Skills classes. 

*Projects are examples and may change from year to year depending on the nature of live projects working with external partners, current exhibitions and visits planned and emerging new trends.

Skills Developed In Unit 2 

Page/Layout Design, Photography & Image Manipulation, Scaling & Reduction, Typography, Colour Theory, Drawing & Mark Making, Template Management, Practical & Digital Cross-Over Manipulations.

Adobe Creative Suite: 

Photoshop: masks, layers, clone tools, cutting and selecting images, file size reduction and saving methods.

InDesign: page setups, grids, columns, margins, text and image manipulations/placements, spread design and PDF saving/ exporting methods. 

This unit will provide you with the opportunity to reflect on the knowledge, skills and practices you have developed in Unit 1 and to define your creative ambitions by encouraging a holistic approach to a range of activities, which will support, contextualise and position your creative endeavours within Graphic Design & Illustration.

Projects* 

Project 1: Advertising Campaign – ‘It’s a Sell Out!’ 

Through this project you will take a completely ordinary object and turn it into the next must-have product. In this project, you’ll be challenged to reimagine everyday items and “sell” them based on their unique qualities. What makes them amazing? How could they become essential, iconic, or even viral?

You’ll build a full advertising campaign from the ground up. That means designing a bold logo, experimenting with typography and creating high-impact visuals across posters and magazine spreads. Then you’ll expand your concept further by producing additional promotional piece, anything from billboards and social media GIFs to vehicle graphics, packaging, or even a storyboard for a 20-second TV advert.

Along the way, you’ll take part in technical workshops to help you refine both your creative and digital skills. Crucially, you’ll learn how advertising really works and understanding the ethical boundaries of the industry, including an introduction to advertising standards. It’s a project that blends creativity with strategy, giving you the tools to think like a designer and a creative director.

Project 2: Film Poster Redesign – ‘Roll Cameras!’ 

Step into the world of iconic 1980s cinema by selecting one standout film from a curated list and reimagining its visual identity for a modern audience. This project challenges you to dive deep into the culture, style and influences of the era, using research as the foundation for bold, original ideas.

You’ll experiment with expressive typography and striking imagery to design both a teaser poster and a main theatrical release poster, capturing the essence of the film while giving it a fresh, contemporary edge. Along the way, you’ll explore advanced design principles including layout, visual hierarchy, focal points and colour theory, while refining your digital techniques through hands-on workshops. This is your chance to blend nostalgia with innovation and create work that feels both timeless and cutting-edge.

Project 3: Book Cover Reinterpretation – ‘Read Me…’ 

Reimagine the look and feel of classic literature by redesigning the cover of an iconic book. This project invites you to explore a wide range of creative approaches, from illustration and photography to collage, material experimentation and digital image manipulation, pushing you to craft a visually compelling narrative that reflects the essence of the text.

Working within professional design frameworks you’ll develop a refined, high-level outcome that balances creativity with precision. With guidance from technical workshops and lectures, you’ll sharpen both your practical and conceptual skills, creating work that feels thoughtful, original, and industry-ready.

Project 4: University Research & Application 

This unit is designed to support you at every stage of researching, shortlisting and applying to university. You’ll receive regular guidance through weekly personal tutor sessions and one-to-one tutorials during the Autumn term. In September, a dedicated UCAS week includes a visit to the London UCAS Fair, where you can explore courses, meet university representatives and ask questions directly.

Students are expected to gather a body of research evidence, develop a personal statement and submit a portfolio of work from across the course, applying the skills learned in your Portfolio Skills classes. 

*Projects are examples and may change from year to year depending on the nature of live projects working with external partners, current exhibitions and visits planned and emerging new trends.

Skills Developed In Unit 3

Page/Layout Design, Photography & Image Manipulation, Scaling & Reduction, Typography, Colour Theory, Drawing & Mark Making, Template Management, Practical & Digital Cross-Over Manipulations.

Adobe Creative Suite: 

Photoshop: masks, layers, clone tools, cutting and selecting images, file size reduction and saving methods.

InDesign: page setups, grids, columns, margins, text and image manipulations/placements, spread design and PDF saving/ exporting methods.

This unit aims to provide you with an opportunity to take control of your own learning and demonstrate your creative talent by independently initiating, researching, completing and evaluating a project proposal and its final outcome.

Skills Developed In Unit 4 

By this stage in the course, it is expected that you will have acquired the necessary skills knowledge and understanding to undertake your devised project with confidence, however investigation into new skills is encouraged and supported where possible. You may take advantage of the 3D workshop or join one of the varied specialist workshops offered across the department.