The School of Communication Design

Graphic Design BA (Hons)

UCAS Code - W214
Location - Falmouth Campus
Length - 3 years Full-time

They have 100% student satisfaction rate in the 2013 National Student Survey and their award-winning graduates and staff prove they deliver a learning experience that's one of the most respected springboards to graduate and career success in the country.

Graphic Design at Falmouth is about great ideas and building the skills to make and deliver them. We help you develop as an individual so you can see the world with fresh eyes and have the confidence to realise your aspirations. You'll leave Falmouth equipped to inspire change, ready for a global industry with ever-evolving boundaries and with a passion for design rooted in innovation.

How is the course taught

Weekly group tutorials, seminars and regular individual tutorials will provide the platform for feedback; presenting work in progress, developing your confidence in discussing your work and contextualising the role of design within society.

Year 1

In the first year you are supported by our course team to establish the core building blocks and skills of your practice as a graphic designer. You'll learn how to go about designing and how to tell a story visually, with workshops, assignments, peer critiques and work-in-progress reviews to build your confidence and capabilities. Alongside this, lectures and seminars from our own staff and expert visiting speakers boost your understanding of graphic language and communication.

Importantly you'll begin not only to understand the subject in more depth, but also gain ability in individual and collaborative working practice. This supports your development as a designer and also gives you the study skills you need to take full advantage of your learning experience with us.

Year 2

The central part of our course introduces you to the professional world in greater depth through skills and project-orientated tasks, to help prepare you for your final year before graduation. You'll begin to grow more deeply as a designer, building individual reflection on professional ambitions.

You'll visit studios in London or Amsterdam, attend designer-led workshops and visit agencies such as Pentagram, GBH, Fitch, Mother and Trapped in Suburbia, and have the chance to gain direct industry experience with placements in leading design organisations.

Year 3

By the end of your course you'll have explored the many opportunities for subject study, developed independence in terms of character and portfolio, and be ready to launch your career.

This is facilitated through intense project work, directed by tutor support and key industry-facing events. These provide you with an important platform to showcase your work and include exhibiting at the D&AD New Blood exhibition and our own exclusive event at the Royal Society of Arts. These events and our extensive networks of leading design professionals also help you to target studios or postgraduate study to support future ambition.

Finally, you'll complete your dissertation and work with course staff to ready yourself for employment, with professional practice workshops, CV development and interview techniques.

Facilities

The design studios and workshops include:

• Large, open-plan, dedicated design studios
• Woodblock type and basic printmaking facilities
• Central IT facility providing both Mac and PC platforms, industry-standard software and printing facilities
• Extensive library facilities including thousands of books, DVDs and periodicals

Staff

The staff have worked at many of the UK’s leading design practices and for clients, type foundries and companies all over the world, with awards and professional recognition to their names. This is seen as an important component of the course, so students learn from highly engaged staff who are passionate about graphic design and the future of the industry and their subject.

Whilst they all continue their professional practice, they are also engaged with research and outreach projects that help feed knowledge that can be shared in the studio. Some of these include regional community projects with organisations like the Design Council, European Erasmus exchange projects in Germany and international teaching exchanges in Sri Lanka.

Experience you'll get

• Work placement opportunities and top industry guest speakers
• Live project opportunities and external briefs set by designers
• Professional practice workshops
• Industry visits and showcase student events

Study trips

Each year Falmout offer study trips to design agencies for our second year students. Students choose from London or Amsterdam. Some of the regular hosts include:

• The Brand Union, London
• BBH Advertising, London
• Saatchi X, London
• Fitch, London
• NB Studio, London
• The Chase, London
• NBC Universal, London
• Coley Porter Bell, London
• Lewis Moberly, London
• AKQA, London
• Hat-trick Design, London
• 300 Million, London
• The Partners, London
• Design Bridge, London
• Thomas Matthews, London
• Unreal, London
• Purpose, London
• Form, London
• Airside, London
• Pearl Fisher, London
• Brandopus, London
• Pentagram, London
• Lava, Amsterdam
• Trapped in Suburbia, Amsterdam
• Underware, Amsterdam
• Lust, Amsterdam
• Dolly Rogers, Amsterdam
• Silo, Amsterdam
• Sid Lee, Amsterdam
• De Designpolitie, Amsterdam
• FOAM, Amsterdam
• Design Bridge, Amsterdam
• KesselsKrammer, Amsterdam

Careers

• Work as part of a design consultancy
• Set up your own consultancy or work freelance
• Careers in multidisciplinary design consultancies or as specialists within the areas of packaging design, branding, advertising, television graphics, interactivity, exhibition design, magazine and book design, and animation

Graduate destinations

• Graphic designer: Pentagram, The Chase
• Brand designer: Lewis Moberly, Someone
• Packaging designer: Turner Duckworth, Design Bridge, B&B
• Digital designer: the Sunday Times
• Art director: Arnold KLP, Bartle Bogle Hegarty

Work placements

The course works hard to provide work placement opportunities for our students. Here is a selection of  typical work placement design contacts:

• Mytton Williams
• Biles Inc
• Nixon Design
• ASHA
• Smith & Milton
• B&B
• The Partners
• Springetts
• Open Agency
• Bisqit
• Lush Design
• Thomas Matthews
• Brand Union
• Oakwood
• Unreal
• Fitch
• Music
• The Chase
• Lewis Moberly
• Turner Duckworth
• Design Bridge
• Bow & Arrow
• Sparks

Entry Requirements

A typical offer is between 260 and 300 UCAS points, mainly from the A2 level or equivalent Level 3 qualifications or relevant experience.

Due to the creative nature of the University’s courses, applicants will be considered on individual merit and you should contact the admissions team if you are predicted UCAS points outside of this range.

If English is not your first language, you will also be required to have an IELTS score of 6.0 points, or an equivalent English language test, completed within the last two years.

All applicants will be invited to an interview and to present a portfolio of creative work at interview.

The School of Communication Design

Creative Design BA (Hons)

UCAS Code - N561

Location - Falmouth Campus

Length - 3 years full-time

This is one of the first complete Creative Advertising undergraduate degrees in Europe. The syllabus is best suited to individuals driven by ideas, who relish the challenge of embracing new media. Creative Advertising at Falmouth is designed for aspiring creative directors, art directors, copywriters and brand strategists.

This is a full-time practice-based course. It's focused on creative and strategic communication skills, and underpinned with a theoretical understanding of the industry and its contexts. You'll work on live projects (in groups and individually) and participate in study visits.

Year 1

Divided into six modules with an early site visit to select London agencies, the first year introduces you to key concepts and practices in advertising. Apart from creating ads you'll be analysing the way advertising works, learning how to come up with ideas and the craft of copywriting, considering consumer behaviours including relationships with brands, and becoming confident in explaining your ideas. The syllabus is delivered via lectures, seminars, workshops and smaller tutorials.

Year 2

This is the time when you begin to build your all-important final portfolio, showcasing fully integrated campaigns. Over six modules you'll work on real agency briefs, invent new product and brand concepts, and look at the strategy behind advertising campaigns and the use of Google and social media in the context of advertising.

The second term is your chance to gain valuable work experience through an internship during the April holiday. Supported by your tutors and the University's work placement team, you can apply the skills you've acquired in the workplace. It's an opportunity that has been pivotal in differentiating our graduates when they enter the world of work.

Year 3                                                                                                                                                                    The final year is the culmination of all your work. It's your opportunity to combine all the skills you've acquired and present them to industry. Divided into four modules, you'll produce a dissertation project and create a final advertising portfolio to professional standards. There's even a special Advertising Management module to help equip you for when you work in an advertising agency.

All third years have the chance to show their work at the D&AD New Blood exhibition in London, the gold-standard venue which provides the platform to showcase your material, network with creative directors and cement the industry links established throughout your time at Falmouth.

Facilities

• Digital labs, lecture theatres and seminar rooms

• Libraries housing a collection of 140,000 books, 17,000 DVD and video titles, exhaustive electronic and journal resources, and an extensive slide collection

Experience you'll get

• Live projects with local and national organisations

• London study visits to spend time in leading London agencies

• Input from key industry figures

• Member of the D&AD

• Member of YCN

• Opportunity to show your work at the D&AD New Blood exhibition upon graduation

• Work placement module in year two

The Media Centre and Library are at your disposal. Specific facilities include:

Staff

All staff on Creative Advertising at Falmouth are either former creative directors or current practitioners. They bring with them industry partnerships with, amongst others: Droga 5, Ogilvy, M&C Saatchi, Poke, VCCP, AMV BBDO and JWT.

Careers

• Work in an advertising agency as a creative, account executive or strategic planner

• Career as a marketing professional

• Work as a freelance consultant

Portfolio career including teaching and postgraduate 

Graduate Destinations

• Art director and copywriter: Table 19
• Copywriter: AMV BBDO
• Art director: Ogilvy & Mather
• Art director: Arcade Advertising, Singapore

Entry Requirements

A typical offer is between 260 and 300 UCAS points, mainly from the A2 level or equivalent Level 3 qualifications or relevant experience.

Due to the creative nature of the University’s courses, applicants will be considered on individual merit and you should contact the admissions team if you are predicted UCAS points outside of this range.

If English is not your first language, you will also be required to have an IELTS score of 6.0 points, or an equivalent English language test, completed within the last two years.

All applicants will be invited to an interview. Applicants will be asked to bring an example of an advertising campaign of their choice and to participate in a creative group brainstorming session at interview.

Falmouth University

Falmouth University is a performance and creative arts establishment based in Cornwall, England. Originally founded as Falmouth School of Art in 1902, today the University is one of the world’s leading international specialist arts institutions. It has campuses running through Falmouth and Penryn offering creative courses in specialisms such as arts, journalism, music, theatre, fashion, textiles, photography and gaming. 

The Falmouth Campus

Falmouth's Penryn Campus

Departments
The Falmouth School of Art
The School of Communication and Design
The Fashion and Textiles Institute
The Institute of Photography
The Academy for Innovation and Research
The Academy for Music and Theatre Arts
The School of Film and Television
The School of Writing and Journalism


Falmouth Town
Falmouth is a town, civil parish and port on the River Fal on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It has a total resident population of 26,767.

Falmouth Harbour

Falmouth is famous for its harbour. Together with Carrick Roads, it forms the third deepest natural harbour in the world, and the deepest in Western Europe. It is also famous for being the start or finish point of various round-the-world record-breaking voyages, such as those of Sir Francis Chichester and Dame Ellen MacArthur. Falmouth Docks Police enforce the law in the docks.

Falmouth Art Gallery

The Falmouth Art Gallery is a public gallery with a diverse 19th century and 20th century art collection including many notable modern Cornish artists exhibited in four to five seasonal exhibitions a year, as well as a "family friendly and free" community and schools education programme.

Accommodation

As a new full-time foundation student, first year UK, EU or international undergraduate or international postgraduate student, you will be guaranteed a space in university owned, managed or approved accommodation if you apply through by the deadlines (confirmed in Spring 2015).
We offer a variety of room types, at varying costs, allowing you to choose an option that suits your budget.

Approximately 20% of our rooms are shared occupancy and single rooms are therefore offered on a first come first served basis. Unsurprisingly, we find that many students welcome the opportunity to share in order to make lasting friendships and save money. Our accommodation brochure details your options and is available online from Spring 2015. During periods of high demand, we enter into agreements with approved accommodation providers in Falmouth and Penryn in order to increase the availability of university owned, managed or approved accommodation. In the past, these residences have included The View (New Street Apartments), Montezuma House and Maritime Studios, all located in Falmouth. A small number of rooms are available on campus for second and third year students with exceptional circumstances. Private housing is also available for rent in Falmouth and Penryn, with rents typically in the region of £70-90 per week excluding bills. Our Accommodation Office runs accommodation fairs and other services to help you find private sector accommodation.

Outside the Falmouth Accomodation

Inside the Falmouth Accomodation