Leeds University

Graphic Communication Design

Why Leeds?

The University of Leeds is a top civic university in the heart of one of the UK’s most fashionable and student friendly cities.  Graphic design is well established at Leeds and many of our graduates are successful designers and business leaders in the UK and overseas.

This challenging course develops your creativity in graphic and communication design within an intellectually stimulating learning and research environment.  A framework of academic studies, delivered by experts from a range of design disciplines, gives a dynamic context to your specialist graphic and communication design studies.  You may also develop complementary skills and knowledge through a choice of optional subjects and/or elective subjects offered by the School or other university departments.  A wide range of ‘electives’ are available, in many different subjects, from across the University.

What are the entry requirements?

The course requires three ‘A’ levels to grades ABB or above (or the equivalent qualifications) for entry, including an art or design subject.

For a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma student like myself I would need to attain a minimum of DDM. The course also requires me to have outstanding GCSE's (several A's).

Course Structure

In Year 1, you will undertake core studies in the historic, cultural and technological aspects of art and design. Alongside your academic work, you will develop a strategic approach to communications problem-solving, with a strong emphasis on visual research.

In Year 2, you will develop your academic understanding of the core subjects and an awareness of professional standards. You will focus your studio practice and specialise in either: graphic design, branding and advertising or animation/interactive media.

In Year 3, you will work towards a final exhibition of design work and produce a written investigation into a graphic and communication design subject of your choice.

Student Achievement

G&CD student are currently working on a number of live project set by design agencies across the globe. The first, set by M&S has resulted in 4 students being short listed for a one week work placement in London which will eventually lead to a full 12 month paid placement for one lucky student. Another lucky student who is currently working on a brief set by Exposure has secured a 12 month placement at their New York office. The great news continues with three final year student being offered placements at Elmwood after completing their live brief. Hopefully the good news will continue as we move into the months when D&AD winners are announced.

This is what some of our students have won:

• D&AD
• RSA
• Futurebrand
• Elmwood
• Prego
• YCN
• Consort Royal

This is where some of our graduates are:

• Saatchi + Saatchi | London
• FutureBrand | London
• Smoke & Mirrors | London
• Show Media | London
• Elle Magazine | London
• McCann – Erikson | London
• BBYO | London
• SSY | London
• Allgood | London
• Golden | Leeds
• Prego | Leeds
• Elmwood | Leeds
• An Agency Called England agency | Leeds
• Exposure | New York
• Spiekermann Partners | Germany
• Zitromat | Germany

Leeds University Open Day

On October the 11th 2014 I attended the Leeds university open day. The day started off with me registering myself, here I was given a guide telling me about the schedule of the day.

My first talk was the introduction which was hosted by the Students. They talked about the courses they are currently enrolled in and their lives as a student at Leeds. I really enjoyed listening to this as it was from a personal point of view and the students themselves. It also showed me that being at Leeds may possibly help an individual build their confidence to speak out in public. I learnt that the city of Leeds itself has a high concentration of students making up more than half of the population of Leeds. This is due to the number of universities and colleges that are actually in Leeds alone such as Leeds University, Leeds Beckett, Leeds college of Art etc. This has made room for a highly vibrant social scene within the city of Leeds, allowing individuals to have an amazing student life.

The Great Hall
This was where the introduction presentation was held

The introduction was then followed by a second talk which was about Student Accomodation. We were given information on the accomodation options we could choose from. At Leeds the students are given the option between living in either catered or self-catered dorms. There was also a key showing certain amenities which may or may not be available in each house. This included WiFi, gym, bike shed, bar, music room, common room, parking, en suite and so much more. They also gave us the price ranges of the accommodation ranging from £80-£200 per week.

The residential options were:

Catered

- Charles Morris Hall

- Devonshire Hall

- Ellerslie Global Residence

- Lyddon Hall

Self Catered

- Broadcasting Tower

- clv Leeds

- Devonshire Hall

- Henry Price Residences

- Leodis Residences

- Lupton Residences

- Montague Burton Residences

- Oxley Residences

- The Tannery

- Central Village

- Concept Place

- Grayson Heights

- James Baillie Park

- Liberty Dock

- Mary Morris House

- North Hill Court

- Sentinel Towers

- St Mark's Residences

- Smaller Residences

Next, I went to go and see the school of design which was were the Graphic Communication and Design course is held. I started off with a tour of the department and was able to see the facilities they own. For me despite the beautiful architecture of the building I felt the graphic communication and design department lacked a rich amount of facilities. I was also unimpressed by the set up and overall look of the rooms as they were quite old and in need of an update. 

Outside the Clothworkers building

Room to think room

After the department tour I attended the the Graphic Communication and Design Course talk. This was held by the two heads of department who started off by giving us a brief introduction to the school, the course and themselves. They explained the structure of the course and the topics we would be covering. The course covers a broad range of things such as typography, idea and concept generation, the history of design, advertising, illustration, animation and many more.
Although, the spokesperson mentioned that the course is also very theory based as well as practical. She also seemed to emphasise on the importance of academia within the course. I felt that she didn't equally express the importance of creativity. This was an issue for me as I feel creativity is equally as important, if not just as important as academia for a course such as graphic design. It is of understanding to me that the course requires problem solving skills, theory or even research, however imagination, innovation and creative output are also key factors a designer should attain.
In addition, I felt a sense of belittlement towards individuals who may not be as academically gifted and also students studying a BTEC. She mentioned that they value A level students more than BTEC students and that if a BTEC student was to apply to the course their GCSE grades would have to be outstanding. This seemed odd to me as most art and design courses value the BTEC or even a Foundation more than A levels.
On the other hand, something I really liked about the course was that students are given the opportunity to take a year out in industry in the UK or abroad. This seems wonderful as I believe that exposure to the industry opens doors to potential employment prospects, and gives the individual a taste of what working life is like.
The talk ended with a Q&A session. However, it was cut short and rushed as the teachers were in too much of a rush to answer all of them.

I left the talk feeling pretty disappointed as i had high expectations. This really gave me something to think about as to what I would and would not need from the course I apply to.
Since I was left feeling very unsure about Leeds I then decided to hear the students perspective on the course. I spoke to a girl who was in her 1st year and a 3rd year student. The feedback I got from the both of them was very positive as they mentioned their love for the course and the city itself. We had a long discussion about what the school offers and life as a Leeds student. Actually talking to the students who are experiencing the course first hand gave me a brighter outlook on the course and the school.

Overall, I would sum up my experience of attending the open day as eye opening as it made me realise what I do and don't want from my time at university. It also showed me that talking to the students is an essential part of attending an open day, as they are the ones experiencing the course first hand.

Finding the Top Universities for Art and Design course

I decided to browse the internet in hope of finding the top universities in the UK for Art and Design. Here is what I found:

I started off by searching top universities for Art and Design and found an array of links to website which would give me this information

I followed by clicking of the first link and come across this website called the complete university guide.

The site showed me a table ranking the universities. This was based on Entry standards, student satisfaction, research assessment, graduate prospects all adding up to a total score out of 100. What I like about the website is that you can click on each university and find out about it. 

Your are given information to do withe the history of the school, location, entry standards, reviews, student mix etc.

Which Universities caught my eye?

Lancaster - 3

Newcastle - 4

Reading - 6

Heriot-Watt - 9

Leeds - 10

Goldsmiths - 12

Oxford Brookes - 14

Falmouth - 16

These particular Universities caught my eye because I plan to go to university outside of London and live away from home. These were the top universities out of London. 

What Course Do I Need To Do At University In Order To Become A Creative In An Advertising Company?

As I was looking at University courses relevant to creative advertising and Graphic Design, Creative Advertising and Advertising and Marketing stood out to me. However, through a lot of research I found that Advertising and Marketing isn't the course I am looking for as it is more focused on the business and finance side of advertising rather than the creative side.
Consequently, I then started to research which courses would be relevant or helpful for someone who aspired to work as a creative within an Advertising or Branding firm. Here is what I found:

My research showed me that I don't necessarily need to do an advertising course to be an Art Director. The courses my research recommended were things like Graphic design, Fine Art, Visual communication etc. However, Graphic is said to be an essential for an aspiring Creative as you will learn about idea generation and problem-solving as well as the practical side of it.