Advertising and Brand Design / Illustration / Graphic Design

Advertising and Brand Design, Illustration & Graphic Design

www.uwtsd.ac.uk

Swansea College of Art UWTSD Fine Art / Photography Photojournalism / Digital Film & Television Production Computer Animation / Digital Arts Computer Games Design / Sonic Art Music Technology / Film and Visual Culture / New Media Production Product Design / Automotive Design Transport Design / Glass Surface Pattern Design Textiles Advertising and Brand Design Illustration / Graphic Design Certificate of Higher Education Art & Design Foundation

For information on other courses we run please see the back page or email us on artanddesign@uwtsd.ac.uk

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Contents Why choose Swansea College of Art UWTSD

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52 2 Graphic Design 4 5 BA / MDes 52 6 Graphic Design 8 Postgraduate 76 Advertising and Brand Design 12 MA Visual Communication 76 BA / MDes Advertising 80 and Brand Design 12 Student Support Accommodation 80 82 Illustration 32 How to apply Contact Details 84 86 BA / MDes Illustration 32 Other courses

Jordan Budd

Location and Facilities Our Students Our Teaching Our Research Things to do in Swansea

The information contained in this booklet is correct at the time of publication, but is subject to change as part of the University’s policy of continuous improvement and development.

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It’s an art school Experience in a Contemporary University...

Our location You will find bays and beaches, surfing and sailing, climbing and canoeing, swimming and cycling – it’s all here. With soaring limestone cliffs, small “smugglers’ coves”, castles and historic buildings and breathtaking stretches of long There are all the amenities and sandy beaches, the scenery is both cultural activities that you would expect to find in a modern, vibrant, spectacular and inspiring, and all university city – theatres, cinemas, on your doorstep. excellent galleries, museums, restaurants, bars and great Our Facilities student nightlife.

Swansea is a seaside city, a great place to live and study: big enough to offer you the space you need; small enough to make you feel that you belong.

We also have an award-winning maritime quarter, a multi-million pound Waterfront Museum and the Wales National Swimming Pool. And what’s more, the cost of living here is very reasonable compared with most other university towns and cities.

We respect and celebrate our traditions. This is why we have retained traditional equipment and processes in the areas of ceramics, glass, printmaking and photography. But we are also forward-looking, and the Faculty is bristling with new technology.

Just on our doorstep, beyond the Mumbles, lies the Gower Peninsula, the UK’s first officially designated “Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty” and also great for surfing.

We are proud to have the latest Apple Mac digital equipment for all our programmes, and we also have specialist state-of-the-art equipment to meet the needs of individual programmes, from a water jet cutter, digital photographic and textile printers, laser cutters and digital ceramic print facilities to editing suites and video resources, including access to the latest Ultra HD RED camera.

Swansea has real people, real personality and is probably one of the most exciting cities in the UK to be in right now. We are just three hours from London and 2.5 hours from Birmingham.

We have excellent motorway (M4) and mainline railway links.

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“I owe my entire career to Swansea College of Art UWTSD, they offer the ideal creative environment to thrive in.

Support and guidance from my tutors was bespoke to my needs, they treat each person as an individual.”

Gareth Winter British Sky Broadcasting & Sky News

So, whether you choose to work with traditional processes or new technologies, or across both, we have it here for you. The creative possibilities are as exciting as they are enormous.

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Our students It is due largely to our students and our graduates over 160 years that we have built the reputation that we have. Many have gone on to distinguished careers in the arts, some have established multimillion pound design companies, or are working as freelance artists and advertising agencies. Others are working for Lego, MacLaren, Jimmy Choo or well-known filmmakers and media producers, including the BBC and ITV. Our students are continually winning awards and are given the opportunity to exhibit throughout their courses. Graduate shows take place in Swansea and London with students showcasing their work at prestigious exhibitions including New Designers, Free Range and D&AD New Blood.

Our teaching All our programmes benefit from a team of highly qualified staff who are research active, are exhibiting both nationally and abroad and are often involved in projects with Industry.

The amount of contact time students get with our staff is among the highest in the country.

Our links / employability We have designed modules that will help you gain employment skills and have excellent links with the creative industries and major manufacturing companies so that when you graduate you already have a ‘foot in the door’.

Other students protect their ideas at this stage with design registrations or patent applications with the support of the University.

We have an excellent range of visiting lecturers and the Faculty regularly holds conferences and symposia that give you a much broader understanding of art and design. Most recent were two exhibitions and symposia in Illustration and Fine Art/Drawing that attracted international artists and speakers.

In the third year you are encouraged to enter national and international art and design competitions and undertake external projects that apply your individual creativity, extend your portfolio and your professional profile.

Live projects with external clients are also an important part of each course and every student will leave with experience of projects that demonstrate their ability to do it ‘for real’ (see programme details for examples).

In the Professional Promotion, Marketing and Exhibition modules students develop their own ‘brand identity’ to promote themselves and prepare for professional employment. Some arrange interviews with high-level professionals from organisations such as The Photographers’ Gallery and Saatchi & Saatchi, often resulting in employment and placements.

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More Opportunities During your time with us you will have the opportunity to study abroad with the Erasmus exchange programme - currently running with universities in Norway, Barcelona and Finland.

Students can also take up the opportunity to study a semester in the USA. Our research Swansea College of Art has a long and established record of excellence in research in Art, Design and Media. Each of our Schools has an established and vibrant postgraduate culture that embraces a dynamic MA/ MSc taught master’s portfolio, MPhil/PhD research programmes and post-doctoral research of the highest standard. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF) categorised 95.8% of our research as being of world renown or internationally excellent.

The Creative Industries Research and Innovation Centre (CIRIC) acts as a catalyst for developing and maintaining our strong international partnerships and industry links. CIRIC is an innovative, entrepreneurial and commercial centre that fosters knowledge transfer between the University and the private sector.

The College of Art has four integrated research hubs covering Contemporary Fine Arts, Contemporary Crafts, Life-Science & Health and the Digital Creative Industries. These hubs cover a wide and growing number of specific research centres such as CLASI (The Centre for Lens Arts and Science Interaction), ISD (Institute for Sustainable Design), IPCRES (The International Project Centre for Research into Events and Situations) and ATIC (Assistive Technologies Innovation Centre).

We hold regular public symposia and research forums with speakers of international renown.

“My 3 years at Swansea College of Art was truly great. The course provided invaluable facilities and a great team of lecturers who really do know their stuff, which really helped me transition into industry as smoothly as possible.

Always encouraging the students to creatively go above and beyond on each brief is something that has stuck with me throughout my career and continues to influence my design work.”

Phil Rees Senior Designer at Stag Hare, New York

The research and practice of all staff in the College enriches our postgraduate programmes and ensures their currency.

Staff are invited to exhibit at prestigious international events and venues such as the Venice Biennale and the Three Gorges Museum in China.

The combination of location, cutting-edge facilities and internationally recognised research profile makes Swansea College of Art at UWTSD a leading centre for research and postgraduate studies.

Image: Michael Sheen in the Port Talbot Passion filmed by students on work experience with Moving Image Wales

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Things to do in Swansea In town

Gower

Visit the many art galleries and museums, including the Mission, Elysium and Glynn Vivian, the National Waterfront Museum and Swansea Museum. Try the slides at the LC, Wales’ biggest indoor waterpark. Have a go at kite surfing, volley ball or paddle boarding at the beach. Enjoy a big night out in Wind Street. Buy a warm Welsh cake in the largest covered market in Wales. Go to the top of Wales’ tallest building There are also plans for a £1bn transformation of the city centre and a tidal lagoon.

Visit this spectacular peninsula, the first designated area of outstanding natural beauty in the UK, home to around 50 unspoiled beaches, coves and bays Feast your eyes on Three Cliffs Bay, voted one of the top four views in Britain (Britain’s Favourite Views, ITV). Picnic at Rhossili, voted one of the top 25 beaches in the world (The Sunday Times) and 3rd in the UK (2015 Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice Awards). Ride the waves at Llangennith, a top 10 UK surf spot. There’s also an airport for parachuting and paragliding.

Mumbles Take a trip to the beach - Langland or Caswell - for a sandwich and a surf. Get an ice cream from Joes.

Browse the shops in Newton Road Explore Oystermouth Castle.

Uplands Relax in the bars/restaurants Visit Dylan Thomas’ childhood park, Cwmdonkin, for a cup of tea Stroll around the monthly street market.

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Ross Weaver

The world of advertising communication is constantly changing. Brands communicate via social networking sites as well as by using the traditional routes, such as TV, billboard or press advertising. The skills that graduates need to create inspirational and effective communication need to be ground breaking and sustainable.

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We are looking for students who can demonstrate excellent communication skills, as well as being passionate about creativity and all social media.

If you think you have the skills and attitude for a career in advertising and brand design we’d like to hear from you!

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Advertising and Brand Designers are likely to employ the skills of other creatives, namely photographers, graphic designers, copywriters, illustrators, filmmakers or textile designers, to realise their conceptual ideas and strategies. Inevitably, therefore, there is a need to understand these processes and to develop practical skills and understand the theories of advertising and brand design within practical outcomes to projects as part of the creative process. This then underpins their design abilities and promotes efficient communication.

Students are not expected to become experts in the various media discussed, but will be aware of their potential within an advertising context (this does not, however, exclude the possibility of gaining additional expertise in one or more of these specialisms).

Ashley Anderson, Lucy Johns and Tenny Gonarashe D&AD student awards VICE entry

What makes the Advertising and Brand Design course special? to attract attention and persuade, both visually and verbally.

They need to have an understanding of the theories of visual persuasion and learn how to apply them on a practical level. They need to be aware of the role of advertising and brand design in digital media as well as traditional and non-traditional communication techniques in creating persuasive messages.

Problem-solving, experiential approaches are embedded in the proposal and are intended to promote such characteristics, so as to develop the student’s abilities to respond to the fastmoving competitive market place and to enable them to become an effective team member. They have to ‘think and deliver differently to meet exciting and future challenges’.

(Source: INSPIRE 2014)

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Exhibition fundraising

On location Tonto Studio

Liam Thomas winner D&AD ‘in Book’ 2014

The Lab Exhibition 2013

Tapped Exhibition 2015

Above all, an Advertising and Brand Designer needs to be innovative and reflexive, seeking out opportunities and the means

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Sustainability is embedded into every aspect of the course.

This is achieved within the modules through innovative and sustainable briefs that reflect the needs of social and environmental issues. Students develop sustainable skills so that they are equipped to work in industry now, and into the future. They learn how to: investigate, research and analyse, problem solve, reflect and rationalise. Students are encouraged to enter dialogue with different disciplines, make connections and share knowledge through their project work Over the past ten years we have built on and developed the curriculum to reflect industry trends and reflected on alumni experience.

It has been noted that National competitions such as ‘D&AD’ have been placing significant emphasis on the cognitive aspects of design, with an increasing number of categories and briefs that extend design into the advertising environment.

Due to shifts in the economic environment issues of employability and enterprise have changed considerably. The course team, in response, are constantly

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adapting to meet the needs of graduates who intend to pursue a career in the advertising and brand design industry. Students are encouraged from year one, to work with external clients in the local community. This is reinforced in year two, with a group project for an external client. In year three, all students ‘self direct’ projects and write their own briefs while working with external clients and developing a personal brief.

They are encouraged to take part in D&AD and other international competition briefs and work towards a final exhibition of their work in a local venue, in London and online. Vertical learning is embedded in the course with cross-year projects which develop student mentoring and reflection skills. Teaching is studio based and delivered by workshops, tutorials and lectures.

Students are encouraged to work in teams and individually throughout the course.

BA UCAS Code: W221 MDes UCAS Code: S2J5 Location: Swansea

Benjamin Dazeley

BA (Hons) / MDes (Hons) Advertising and Brand Design Year 1/Level 4 Incorporates the modules: Ways of Thinking Ways of Perceiving Typography Graphic Communication Copywriting Advertising Environment Visual Studies 1 Visual Studies 2 These introduce basic design principles that convey meaning through both the image and typographical manipulation.

Semester two focuses on developing skills in advertising strategies and persuasive verbal messages within the latter part of these modules. Ethical issues are also considered in this module and how advertising sits within the Marketing Mix. Visual Studies run in both semesters, incorporating workshop activities that provide opportunities to develop practical skills as well as appropriate software programmes and drawing systems, with an overall intention to develop the student’s visual and verbal vocabulary.

Contextual Studies run in both semesters. These are broad-based and support the generic art and design portfolio while developing the student’s cultural awareness.

Contact: Martin Bush martin.bush@uwtsd.ac.uk

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Year 3/Level 6

Incorporates the modules: Creative Research Research Practices Brand Experience Digital Advertising Sustainability, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Integrated Advertising Visual Enquiry 1 Visual Enquiry 2

Incorporates the modules: Dissertation, Marketing, Promotion and Exhibition with Advanced Creative Enquiry.

The generic Level 6 Modules mark the fuller transition to studentled strategies. The students devise and prepare projects in negotiation with members of the Advertising and Brand Design programme staff. Work experience opportunities and ‘live projects’ will be undertaken within the Graduate Portfolio (Personal and External Liaison) module.

Teamwork and projects that engage with students from other disciplines will be encouraged.

This interdisciplinary approach is intended to both reinforce the art direction nature of the subject and to enable working partnerships to evolve, thus benefiting both the individual and the Faculty as a whole. The dissertation topic is negotiated with a personal tutor and the Marketing, Promotion and Exhibition module will include an exhibition.

In Semester 1, the Brand Experience module is designed to develop the student’s understanding of visual identity and its use in the environment as part of a brand’s communication. Sustainability, Enterprise and Entrepreneurship is interdisciplinary ‘designbased’. Visual Enquiry continues throughout the year and offers the student opportunities for personal creative development while linking with other creative disciplines. Semester 2 focuses on Digital Advertising, in particular the area of muti-media and digital solutions. Students work alongside an external client to bring ‘realworld’ experience to the project brief. The Integrated Advertising module is an opportunity for the students to take a greater responsibility for their studies and to focus on the production of a negotiated assignment.

Tom Pinfield and Ross Weaver VICE Ident, D&AD pencil winner 2015

Year 2/Level 5

Kye Pearson - Props - Bay Studios

Hannah Davies - Fashion Branding Exhibition

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Jordan Tench - Anti-littering campaign

Contextual Studies has a more focused curriculum and helps to prepare the student for the final year’s dissertation.

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Year 4/level 7 (MDes only) Level 7 aims to nurture enterprising and sustainable practice in order for students to be at the forefront of the contemporary and future creative arts industry. The modules are designed to encourage advanced understanding of theoretical knowledge in research methods, entrepreneurial thinking and art and design practice.

In particular, students studying at this level are encouraged to display resourcefulness, entrepreneurial skills, and the capacity to establish new and innovative ways of working.

At this level the project model is not fixed and students may explore a variety of ventures: they may wish to simply extend their professional standing in their chosen field through advanced practice; they may wish to develop existing IP assets generated at undergraduate

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Rebecca Rolph

Critically, it is recognised that creative mindsets are dependent on a strong theoretical knowledge framework. Therefore, the first two modules of the MDes are designed to provide this advanced framework, developing an in depth understanding of the relevant theoretical and methodological perspectives.

Students then develop a major synoptic body of practice and research, to advance their critical and creative thinking. Space is provided within this module for students to experiment with a range of research methods, media and forms of communication to extend their creative research and development expertise.

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Facilities The Advertising and Brand Design course sits within the School of Visual Communication. Its sister courses within the school are Illustration and Graphic Design.

The School of Visual Communication is part of the Faculty of Art and Design that is based in the purposebuilt Dynevor Centre for Art, Design and Media in Swansea.

The Faculty is geographically set up to allow cross-department projects and sharing of facilities appropriate to the creative learning environment.

The staff have a mixture of industrial and academic experience.

The programme itself enjoys a separate floor with three studios.

These accommodate space for lectures and workshops, a MAC computer suite and a ‘creative mix hub’ for Advertising and Brand Design students to hot desk, share ideas, participate in tutorials and hold peer and client meetings.

MAC suite

Working with external business

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Team project

Studio workshop

The Faculty of Art and Design enjoys: a main foyer exhibition space; two lecture theatres; a library; open access computer suites; a television studio; photography studio; and, cafeteria area.

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Graduate Employment Directions

Positions within six months of graduating: • Brand Consultant and Freelance Designer • Designer/Creative • Communications and Events Assistant at Aberystwyth University • Junior Account Manager at MRA Marketing • Graphic Designer at Sugar Creative • Junior Designer at Fuzmo.com and Next • Undertaking postgrad course in teaching • Project Coordinator and Designer at Think IPM • Creative Marketing Intern • Designer/Creative for the Financial Times • Designer at 360i London

Rachel Harvard

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Winning awards

“University has been an exciting, thrilling and challenging experience. Throughout my experience I’ve certainly grown as a person and creative, building confidence in myself. New Blood is an overwhelming yet creatively focused environment. Hard to focus on one thing but it gives you so much inspiration to achieve and network with other creatives.”

Student ‘Apprentice’

Graduate Exhibition

• Creative Team Internship at 180 Amsterdam

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Graduates develop the following skills: Advertising design; marketing; graphic design; copywriting; art direction; brand design; lens-based and interactive communication; presentation and event organisation; social media; self-learning; idea generation; problem-solving; entrepreneurial; self-promotion; sustainability; and, global citizenship.

Possible employment roles for graduates from the programme include: Advertising Art Director Brand Designer

Expected employability skills gained by graduates from the programme are:

Students liaise with external clients for the Year 3 Major Project. In the Advanced Creative Enquiry Module, which is based on a workshop format, students get the opportunity to engage with business and entrepreneurs. Year 3 graduates exhibit at the New Blood Exhibition in London each year. They also take part in the D&AD Student Awards.

Time management; team work; ability to research and analyse problems and devise workable solutions; project management; industrial awareness; analysis; critique; synthesis; evaluate; rationalise; responding to a task; working to deadlines; managing risk; knowledge sharing; and, being aware of sustainable issues and ethical considerations.

The course is externally focused, by being very aware of the latest industry requirements, connected to industry professionals and our links with D&AD through the Education Network. All students work with external clients. This is embedded in the course, via project briefs that are incorporated in the modules, in all three years of the course. Students are encouraged to find work placements in the summer breaks.

Being a member of the D&AD network gives the course access to the latest industry trends and skill sets. Attending the London New Blood exhibition allows students to attend portfolio surgeries and gives them a platform to show their portfolio to Creative Directors from Advertising Agencies and Brand Consultancies.

Technical skills include: current software used in the profession.

Graphic Designer Digital Creative Marketing PR and events Social media Education

Laura Marquiss

Year 2 students work on ‘live’ briefs eg the ‘Doing it for Dylan’ water safety campaign and the brand design of Canolfan S4C Yr Egin. Students won two national marketing competitions last year and this year three students picked up two prestigious D&AD New Blood Pencil Awards

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10 Fascinating Facts about Advertising and Brand Design at Swansea 01

The course received 100% student overall satisfaction in NSS survey 2016.

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One of our students won a CIM pitch for Mars dog food.

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One of our second year students designed the poster for a National water safety campaign.

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One of our students designed the new branding for Canolfan S4C Yr Egin.

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One of our students won an D&AD ‘in book’ award.

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Graduating students exhibit at D&AD New Blood in London.

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Three of our students won a D&AD Pencil in 2015.

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One of our students won the Big Idea Live.

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One of our students won a competition to design a Feel Good Drinks Company poster.

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Year 2 students designed set dressing for Punk Renaissance Market Place film set.

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Advertising and Brand Design Staff Martin Bush

Caroline Jones

Martin is Programme Director of the Advertising and Brand Design course. His area of teaching expertise centres around lens based studies, divergent thinking, copywriting and typography.

He has extensive experience of advertising and branding across all major media platforms including broadcast, digital, print and social. This has been gained through working in the advertising and design industries for the last 25 years, most recently as an advertising agency Creative Director. His industry experience has helped benefit the BA (Hons) and MDes Advertising and Brand Design course by helping students win three D&AD New Blood awards in the last two years.

Caroline is a Year 1 tutor and lecturer across 3 year groups and she brings over 20 years of design experience to the role. Caroline has worked freelance as well as within design and marketing agencies in the UK and abroad, with a client base as diverse as Royal Mail, Cable & Wireless, British Airways and Ernst & Young. Her interests are technical as well as creative, and she has a Master of Science degree in Multimedia.

Ian Simmons

The School of Visual Communication is supported by four members of technical demonstration staff. James Davies, Gwyn Jones, Glenn Sherwood and Steve Thomas are available to assist you with the technical output of your project work. Their skills range from computer and software skills to printmaking, letterpress and laser cutting, and they form an essential part of the Visual Communication team.

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Ian teaches entrepreneurship across the School of Visual Communication. Ian has been a freelance illustrator/designer for 30 years and has worked on briefs from a diverse range of clients worldwide.

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Ian has set up and run many businesses from quarterly magazines to music venues.

He is also a musician with many commercial releases and has published songs to EMI and Warner Chappell.

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Nathan Collins

Emily O’Grady

Whether through story-telling, advertising, editorial or exhibition, Illustration is all about the passion for image-making and communicating messages about the world around us.

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What makes the Illustration course special?

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Chris Harrendence

Rebecca Phippen

Within our department, we have an impressive range of digital equipment and facilities including a dedicated suite of iMacs, WaCom tablets and large cintiq drawing screens, as well as a laser cutter.

Our non-digital facilities are The Illustration programme here at equally exciting and include Swansea reflects and embraces the a printmaking studio for Lino, Screenprint, Etching & Collagraph, diverse nature of contemporary illustration and will encourage you and a letterpress studio with four Adana letterpress machines and to challenge the concept of what illustration can be, and to pursue a bookmaking equipment. All of this gives you a fantastic opportunity personal direction in your work. to experiment and explore the The lively and creative atmosphere creative potential of combining traditional techniques with statein our studios provides a of-the-art digital technology. comfortable, friendly and stimulating environment in It is an extremely exciting time which to thrive and develop to be an illustrator and this your skills and ideas. There is course will provide the platform space and opportunity to work for you to learn required skills large-scale, 3D, create installations and and make the studios your own. and techniques, develop your individual approach and unique visual signature, and understand The Illustration course offers a the needs of this rapidly evolving broad and dynamic programme, and vibrant industry. Hard work designed to encourage the and passion are key when it conceptualisation and realisation comes to flourishing at university of ideas and narrative. It will and prospering in the industry. allow you to explore a wide These traits cannot be taught, range of techniques, materials however this course is able to and styles in order to determine inspire and ignite a spark that will personal strengths. encourage you to exceed your own expectations.

Abbie Cameron

As you progress through the course we help you discover what kind of illustrator you want to be, the area of the industry that interests you and your eventual career direction, enabling you to realise your full potential as a visual communicator.

Conor Rawson

Illustration is one of the most direct forms of visual communication. Its presence can be found in the things of everyday life: in newspapers, magazines and books, video games and animation, on television, websites and on packaging. It crosses boundaries between disciplines and is constantly expanding as new platforms for illustration develop.

Illustrators create images for print, screen, galleries, architectural spaces and concept art.

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BA (Hons) / MDes (Hons) Illustration Practical work is informed by a lively programme of Visual Studies, which includes life drawing. Drawing underpins the programme, not only to strengthen technical ability but also to help students develop their own unique and meaningful visual language. Core modules, such as contextual studies and professional practice for Artists and Designers, further inform and support practice.

BA (Hons) Illustration at Swansea is a lively and creative programme that explores illustration in two ways. The first is as a commercial, skilled discipline that prepares students for the business of illustration, such as publishing and advertising. The second way is exploring illustration as a visual language across the creative arts, embracing ceramics, 3D and motion, alongside traditional and digital media, in order to broaden the potential of graduate employment to wider career destinations such as visual merchandising and the film industry.

BA UCAS Code: W220 MDes UCAS Code: H21Y Location: Swansea Contact: Delyth Lloyd-Evans delyth.lloydevans@uwtsd.ac.uk

Maria Winther

Rachel Goodwin

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Sian Jenkins

Taught through a structured series of workshops, lectures and seminars supported by regular tutorials and group critiques, the emphasis is on handson, studio-based work. This is complemented by a programme of prestigious visiting speakers from the industry: authors, publishers, practising illustrators and concept artists. Overseas study visits to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris and The Children’s Book Fair in Bologna provide inspiration and a wider understanding of illustration in a global context. There is also the exciting opportunity in the second year for an Erasmus Exchange to the University in Barcelona where Picasso studied. External briefs, national and international competitions also form an integral part of the curriculum, with ongoing award-winning successes.

Year 1/Level 4 The first year offers a very lively and experimental start, exploring a range of traditional, digital and printmaking techniques through a structured programme of workshops, together with challenging, creative briefs.

In the second semester students begin working on real-world commercial projects starting with Illustration for Magazines & Newspapers. Students explore a range of approaches from conceptual imagery inspired by topical news to decorative feature illustration.

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The second year continues to build upon the foundation of commercial illustration by opening up two expansive areas of illustration – book publishing and advertising. Students get to explore a range of formats, from picture books and graphic novels to awareness campaigns and guerrilla advertising.

Tom Saffill

Mike Redman

Year 2/Level 5

During the second year, students are also encouraged to map the practice of entrepreneurship and enterprise alongside their studies, pursuing both national and international competitions, live briefs and meeting clients, as well as pushing personal directions in their work.

Year 3/Level 6 Having opened up the possibilities of what illustration can be over the previous two years, the third year provides students with both the structure and the creative freedom to pursue own goals and specialist directions in illustration. A major project module is developed alongside an external project, where students work alongside a professional organisation or individual.

During the final year, students also write a dissertation on a subject connected to their study, and undertake a Marketing and Self Promotion module.

This is complemented with the opportunity of portfolio surgeries provided by the Association of Illustrators. All this is in readiness for two final exhibitions: the first is a graduate exhibition in Swansea, and the second is a larger graduate showcase, New Designers, at the Business Design Centre in London, where the creative industries are on the look out for emerging talent.

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Year 4/Level 7- MDes only: MDes Illustration offers an option for undergraduate students to continue working in Illustration and Visual Communication to an integrated Master’s level (MDes). This Level 7 year is student-led, focusing on enhancing the creative identity of the individual through academic research and innovation or an employment/ enterprise strategy for their future. www.uwtsd.ac.uk | 39

Facilities The department is fully equipped to explore a broad range of materials and processes for both traditional and digital works, and includes: • Three lively Illustration Studios.

• A dedicated digital illustration suite with iMacs, Wacom tablets and Cintiq screens.

• Printmaking studio for Lino, Screenprint, Etching & Collagraph.

• Letterpress studio with four Adana letterpress machines and bookmaking equipment.

• Risograph Printing • Laser cutter.

• Key software packages such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and After Effects.

• An extensive collection of printed resources, books and journals.

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A comprehensive electronic resource-base providing thousands of online e-journals and e-books.

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Graduate Employment Directions

Adam Corbally “Since graduating, I have been working as a Graphic Artist at LEGO in Denmark. I have worked on a range of products that have been based on reference from comic books, films and television shows, such as The Lone Ranger, Back to the Future, Avengers Assemble Television series, and Ghostbusters. As well as this, I have also worked on original characters for The LEGO Movie and its related LEGO products.”

Recent Graduates are working with the following:

In mind of real-world skills, the illustration programme integrates both national and international competitions such as the Penguin Design Awards and the Bologna Illustrators Exhibition into its modular structure. Additionally, ongoing live brief opportunities such as working on commercial books by award-winning authors and commissions for the NHS trust, Arriva Trains Wales, and NGOs are offered. Students are also encouraged to establish external industry links while on the course.

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There are exciting placement opportunities such as graphic/ concept artist experience at Da Vinci’s Demons film studios and Erasmus exchange opportunities in Barcelona.

The illustration programme is a member of the national professional body, The Association of Illustrators (AOI), which provides students with external opportunities, and comprehensive client directories annually, essential for establishing a client

base and working as a freelance illustrator. As founding members of the international illustration research group, Varoomlab, Swansea College of Art contributes to driving academic research within the field of illustration.

Usborne Childrens Books Moonpig Lego NHS Trust Allihoper Greeting Cards Marks & Spencer The Great British Card Company Tigerprint Bright Agency Graffeg Publishers Welsh Country Magazine Bay Studios British Museum Magic Leap Inc Visible Art Lush The Print Haus Astra Games

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Graduate Case Studies Lee Court “I now have my dream job at a games studio. My role in the studio is a Game Artist. I create the artwork for the various mobile games produced by the studio.

I work with the design team in the early stages of concept and development, right the way through to creating the final art assets used in the games.“ Claire Thomas “After graduating I worked as a freelance illustrator with several clients including Moonpig.com, The Great British Card Co. and the NHS. The majority of these contacts came through attending London's New Designers fair.

The opportunity to exhibit at New Designers prepared me for the transition from student to professional illustrator. I continued as a freelancer for nine months before joining Usborne Publishing as a Children's Book Designer.“

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Anna Jones “My time studying Illustration at Swansea College of Art has provided me with invaluable experience leading to career opportunities I was not even aware of prior to the course.

I became the sole retail merchandiser at a flagship fashion store a year after graduation, as my employers were impressed with the organisational, commercial and visual skills that I had developed. Four years later, I am a Visual Stylist at M&S, I help to Having always wanted to pursue merchandise shop floors, dress a creative career, but unsure of windows and mannequins, the specific avenue I should take, create displays and generally my decision to apply for General spend my days considering ways Illustration was influenced by the flexibility of the course and variety to make a customer’s experience of projects available for study, such more visual. This course did not simply equip me to become an as book illustration, advertising illustrator; it encouraged me to and packaging, meaning I would work with my strengths and gave have a wider choice of career me the skills and confidence to opportunities after graduating. ensure I could explore a variety The first two years were a learning of creative career paths.“ curve of different techniques and approaches, finding my niche in fashion illustration at the beginning of the third year.

When temporarily returning to my part-time retail position after graduating it became apparent that I had qualities suited to becoming a Visual Merchandiser.

Exhibition setups, research into colour theories, my interest in fashion and general understanding of good visual presentation are skills few possess, and I gained these as a result of the course.

Chris Harrendence What I love about the career path I have chosen is the variety of work.

During my third year I illustrated a CD for the Australian band Buffalo Crows. Since graduating, this album has been released.

Recently I was busy working on an interactive book I illustrated all the elements, which were then used by programmers and animators. Its release date is looming. Currently I am working on a children's book.

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10 Fascinating Facts about Illustration at Swansea Informal, friendly and fun environment.

08

Graduate Exhibition at New Designers in London.

02

Skilled workshops in Traditional, Digital and Printmaking Techniques.

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Graduate employment includes Moonpig, Usborne Books, LEGO, Lush & M&S.

03

Excellent studio spaces.

10

We host the World Illustration Awards Exhibition annually.

04

National and international competitions within the curriculum.

05

Continued winning success in national and international competitions.

06

Founding Academic Research partners with The Association Of Illustrators.

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Overseas study visits to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris and Bologna. Erasmus Exchange Opportunities to study at the university in Barcelona where Picasso studied.

Dave Long

01

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Illustration Staff

Delyth Lloyd-Evans Delyth is Programme Director of the BA/MDES Illustration programme and lectures across levels 5,6 & 7. She has over 25 years’ experience in the industry; enjoying an established career as a freelance illustrator before running her own award-winning, design-led publishing company, producing die-cut and threedimensional paper products.

Current research interests are in authorial illustration.

Louise Burston Louise Burston lectures on the first year BA Contextual Studies programme. She has more than 30 years’ experience in the design and illustration industry and has set up her own publishing company, Zero Lubin. The company publishes and promotes short stories, colouring books, greetings cards and prints and collaborates with other artists and writers.

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Iwan Vaughan Iwan has been a freelancer in the animation industry for a number of years as a writer, designer and animator. He has worked at numerous studios across the UK including Aardman Animations.

He lectures across the Illustration programme, with a strong focus upon digital media. Whether it’s illustration or animation, Iwan’s work is narrative driven.

Derek Bainton Derek has worked freelance for more than 15 years in the Illustration and Design industry, as well as researching and writing for the Illustration, Society & Culture Journal, Varoom, published quarterly by the Association of Illustrators. He is Head of School of Visual Communication.

Katherine Clewett Katherine is a sculptor, designer and maker. This body of work forms part of an ongoing investigation into how space can be mapped by light and create an element of ‘occupation’. Light seems transient and also physical since it maps shapes across spaces. Through its direction and diffusion, it illuminates and yet also casts shadow. These shadows can seem mysterious, even menacing, when the object becomes distorted and magnified.

This might transcend us into the realm of the unfamiliar and unknown, which seems a precarious and conspicuous place to occupy.

Steve Thomas Steve is a Senior Lecturer and technician in Printmaking and teaches many forms of printmaking techniques, ranging from etching, photo-etch to linocut and silkscreen. Steve uses a combination of photography and print-related images to produce highly personal Collagraphs, Photopolymer, Silkscreen prints and Wood engravings which juxtapose his interests in Identity, Memory and Narrative.

Tracy Thompson Tracy works primarily with firstyear Illustration, embedding the philosophy of “know thyself” as an individual artist and communicator through personal experimentation that pushes the boundaries of individual visual exploration and expression.

Tracy also collaborates across the University as a Link member of INSPIRE - Institute of Sustainable Practice, Innovation and Resource Effectiveness.

Jonathan Williams Jonathan specialises in reportage illustration, has illustrated more than 30 books in the UK and Europe and worked in design studios in London and Barcelona. He has a Master’s Degree with distinction in Graphic Communication and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education.

He produced the Captain Scott memorial sculpture situated in Cardiff bay. His work has been exhibited in group and solo exhibitions internationally.

The School of Visual Communication is supported by four members of technical demonstration staff. James Davies, Gwyn Jones, Glenn Sherwood and Steve Thomas are available to assist you with the technical output of your project work. Their skills range from computer and software skills to printmaking, letterpress and laser cutting, and they form an essential part of the Visual Communication team.

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Emily Taylor

Ittihkorn Duangchat

Emily O’Grady

Design is not a thing you do. It’s a way of life.

Alan Fletcher

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What makes the Graphic Design course special?

We live in a world where our experiences are increasingly mediated by visual imagery, our urban environments are saturated with visual messages of all kinds.

Graphic Design is integral to our predominantly visual culture and professional graphic designers play a key role as prime cultural producers. The range of visual communications for which they are responsible is immense: books and magazines, exhibitions and displays, posters and packaging, signage and diagrams, branding and brochures, websites, multimedia, presentations, identities, signs, symbols, logos, labels, letterforms… the list is long and continuously expanding to meet the needs of our increasingly complex society.

Graphic Design is about designing effective visual communications. It is about the need to communicate something to individuals or to groups of people or organisations by graphic means. The graphic designer creates, manipulates and gives visual form to words and imagery in order to inform, persuade, delight - and occasionally disturb.

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The programme provides you with a broad education in graphic design and, with an inbuilt degree of flexibility, it enables you to pursue individual interests whether in the fields of corporate graphics and brand identity, publishing, general design for print, packaging or interactive screen-based design.

Driven by industry standards and supported by state-of–the-art technologies, we produce highly employable graduates. Links with business and industry are an essential ingredient of the programme and are maintained and developed through ‘live’ projects, work placements, visiting professionals and educational visits.

BA UCAS Code: W210 MDes UCAS Code: 52J6 Location: Swansea Contact: Donna Williams donna.williams@uwtsd.ac.uk

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BA (Hons) / MDes (Hons) Graphic Design What we want

Year 1 / Level 4

We are looking for applicants to the programme who are passionate about Graphic Design, who can talk enthusiastically about contemporary design issues. We are looking for applicants with an open mind and an insatiable curiosity about the world we live in.

Learning takes place through practical, studio-based projects.

We see typography as the cornerstone of graphic design practice; in the first year you are introduced to typography in its broadest sense, drawing and designing letterforms, learning how type functions and how text is manipulated as well as combining text and images.

At interview we want to see a portfolio of work, which demonstrates commitment, a willingness to explore and experiment with a broad range of work. We are interested in everything, not just Graphic Design.

We understand the importance of new technologies and the design training is backed up by intensive workshops on the computers, using industry-standard applications. We assume no prior knowledge of computers and you are eased into the technology through design assignments.

What you get

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Valuable as they are, you cannot allow computers to define you as a designer, so visual studies modules are there to promote visual awareness and creative thinking.

Morwenna Chapman

The staff are passionate about Graphic Design and committed to the course and to the students.

All of us are practising designers who have extensive and varied professional backgrounds. We are supported by part-time staff and visiting lecturers who add to the richness of the programme.

Student numbers are comparatively small – we aim to recruit 35-40 students per year, large enough groups to generate energy, but small enough not to preclude individual tuition and personal attention. The atmosphere is friendly and informal, and the students, through course meetings, have a large say in the direction of the programme.

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Year 2 / Level 5

In the third year you will spend the greater part of your time on practical work, building a strong and diverse portfolio. The projects are a combination of personal self generated challenges and external commissioned ‘live’ briefs.

We also encourage participation in international and national design competitions. Your development is supported by regular scheduled tutorials both one-to-one and in groups.

The written dissertation further supports your practice and the year culminates in a group exhibition, which is your platform to introduce yourself to the wider world. There are also opportunities to show your work at one of the major student graduate shows in London, from which our students consistently find employment opportunities.

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Jordan Budd

Year 3 / Level 6

Ellie Ewart

Year two is about becoming a professional designer. We pride ourselves that students leave the programme ‘job ready’. The diverse practical modules are driven by industry standards and students learn about producing design to professional standards in both print and digital media.

We make no secret that year two is a step up both creatively and intellectually. The briefs are longer and more challenging. You are also expected to participate far more in the learning process, using your own investigations and interests to push the programme in the direction you want to take.

Year 4 / Level 7 – MDes Only Students progressing onto the Integrated Master’s will be encouraged to expand upon their creative thinking. As with the MA Contemporary Dialogues – Visual Communication pathway, you will get the opportunity to blend your area of study with influences and experiences from other creative disciplines. This interaction between dialogues will help to expand your knowledge and

broaden your creative practice that will in turn, be reflected in your major project work.

You will also build upon your personal design style that you will have nurtured in the first three years of the programme.

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Facilities The technologies that Graphic Design has adopted over the past 20 years or so has changed the industry out of all recognition and has opened up new horizons for design practitioners in fields as diverse as 3D design, film, music, animation, and so on, as well as completely changing the face of traditional print media.

The Graphic Design programme is well supplied with the latest Apple computers and professional software, which are regularly renewed and updated. The main teaching suite has 25 computers and there is an open access suite of 14 machines. These are all networked to a range of printers from double sided A3+ to large format banner printers.

Andrew Jones

Digital cameras and video cameras, as well as a portable lighting setups are available for students to use to produce their own video and photography. There is a lasercutter dedicated to Visual Communication students, as well as traditional Letterpress. Access to other areas of the Faculty is arranged through workshops.

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Graduate Employment Directions In our increasingly visual world, graphic design is an expanding industry offering a broad spectrum of new and exciting opportunities - particularly in relation to new digital media.

Our graduates find employment with design consultancies, publishing houses, advertising agencies, local government, film and television, new media industries and in-house design studios of companies, or they may wish to choose to work as self-employed designers. Our employment record is outstanding, with most of our graduates in employment in the industry within six months of graduating.

Recent graduates are working with the following...

Sky Creative SapientNitro Nike LEGO Apple Stag & Hare Waters Creative Icon Blue Stag Studio Tigerprint Oxford University Press Enigma Creative Solutions Aston Villa Manchester United Dirty Little Serifs W12 Studios Dr Organic Barclays Bank

All third year students have the opportunity to participate in an internship at Waters Creative, a creative agency based in Swansea with a wide range of local, national and international clients.

Fundamentally, the week is designed to give commercial exposure to the students in a fast-paced agency setting.

During the internship, students will work on live and pre-set projects alongside members of the design and digital marketing team within the organisation. Projects are specifically selected to

further develop creative skills in areas that have been taught within the course curriculum.

Students can sit in on creative briefs, participate in team production meetings and learn new personable skills invaluable to a creative setting.

Having access to multiple industry designers students may also use the time to complete gaps in their portfolio and gain invaluable feedback in preparation for their end of year show.

Rachael Wheatley, Waters Creative.

The team at Swansea have established a course that finely balances pure design fundamentals and the potential to bring that design talent to life in the commercial world. At Sky, we regularly see graduates from the Graphic Design course who demonstrate design of a high calibre, along with a diverse skill set. We’ve had great success in recruiting graduates into roles across brand campaigns, broadcast graphics and digital design.

Roland West | Sky Creative News Design

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Graduate Case Studies

Gabriel Asante-Boadu - GSANTé Designer at AV Group, Bolton

MONO FEST 2014

Jazz Swing Blues &more

July 20th-24th 8:00PM

The Strand Theatre 619 Louisiana Avenue

M

U

S

I

C

F

O

N

E

W

O

R

L

E

A

N

S

Scott Joplin

Art Tatum

Louis Armstrong

Don Burrows

Bill McBirnie

Charles “Buddy” Bolden

Sun Ra

Billie Holiday

Joe Farrell

James Moody

Duke Ellington

Ward Kimball

Ella Fitzgerald

Peter Guidi

Sam Most

Herbie Hancock

Thelonious Monk

Dinah Washington

Paul Horn

James Newton

Joe Venuti

Dizzy Gillespie

Sarah Vaughan

Bobbi Humphrey

Sam Rivers

Earl Hines

Clark Terry

June Christy

Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Bud Shank

Fats Waller

Charlie Parker

Nina Simone

Moe Koffman

Les Spann

Count Basie

Dave Brubeck

Count Basie

Hubert Laws

Jeremy Steig

Stéphane Grappelli

Charles Mingus

Cab Calloway

Yusef Lateef

Dave Valentin

Benny Goodman

Oscar Peterson

Benny Carter

Herbie Mann

Frank Wess

Gabriel was a determined student who embraced all the teachings.

His origins are in the beautiful country of Ghana and Gabriel brought a new and original approach to his work. It was always a pleasure to work with him and he graduated with a First Class Honours degree. His family and friends were extremely proud of, and grateful for, what he achieved at Swansea.

of fresh air, like a second chance to redo the first year but with enough knowledge to make fewer mistakes.

Even then we were still given mandatory classes to better educate us about design in general.

I enjoyed the theory lessons; it was a chance to get some historical context to design. Form follows Function - something that will govern your design choices when in the creative instance.

“Studying at the Swansea College of Art UWTSD is exceptionally educative. In my three years of studies I eventually became the creative individual I wanted to be. Of course, like any novice, you are quite uncertain about a lot of aspects to do with design and most importantly how to successfully render your ideas in the real world. After three years of trial and error you eventually get it. In fact in my first year I recollect tutors/teachers saying, ‘In your first year you want to make all the mistakes there are’. Another fact, I did make lots of those mistakes, but it was quite all right. First year was very introductory, to the software and hardware. As much as most of us were close to our sketchbooks and pencils we had to add to it… the MAC, being another tool we had to learn to render our ideas quite fluidly.

In my third year I was confident enough to call myself, modestly speaking… a bona fide creative individual. After all those years you are expected to think in that way and even with such self-claimed status, I was eager to learn more.

We were given the chance to intern for Waters Creative; this gave me and my colleagues a vivid insight into what the creative industry is like.

After graduation nothing was left but to get myself out there, ready to be out there with the skills that I was taught. I am currently an in-house designer at AV Group, Bolton. I handle anything graphic design related, from website design to branding, editorial designs etc. Frankly, I hadn’t a feeling of doubt when I began working; I felt like I knew quite a lot although I have still always shown the initiative to add to what I know. I am really enjoying Swansea provided my colleagues and me with the necessary classes my role and every challenge needed. As a novice I was obsessed presented I seem to have the tools to deal with it. My experience strictly with aesthetics, working at Swansea took me through methodically wasn’t my strong suit but became vital as time went a lot of changes creatively and personally. The teachers/tutors are on. To add to that I was oblivious to the technical aspects of design, all unprecedented in their specific roles, roles that inevitably help for example what font sizes, font craft creative individuals, ready to types works with a certain theme render their ideas in the real world.” etc. The second year was a breath

w w w . m o n o f e s t . c o m

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Amy Garrett-Williams Blue Stag Studio, Cardiff Amy was a pleasure to have on our course and engaged in everything that the University had to offer.

She took every opportunity and secured a job as soon as she left us.

Luckily I had a job offer before the New Designers show and before I graduated with a First Class Honours degree, which was a huge relief and I am still there now.

I think as well, the friends you make, with them being designers too, it’s a close bond and a great bunch of friends for life when you graduate. Get to know everyone.

“I loved the course, I did look at other uni's but in the end Swansea College of Art UWTSD was the one for me. I didn't realise until I started the course, how little I knew, I knew the basics of working and everyone gets onto an equal footing. The lecturers were amazing and it helped that they were a great laugh too. I never felt at any point like I couldn't ask for help or discuss ideas which was a huge bonus. I improved as a designer so much in the first year, it shocked me when I looked back at the portfolio I used to get into Uni. The course was hard work and stressful at times but it balances out beautifully with what you learn and the people you meet.

You are challenged and learn to challenge yourself which helps you to develop and grow.

One-to-one's was one thing that I remembered helping me the most.

Having that time with your lecturer really helped and you can talk through your thought process and steer yourself in the right direction for a successful project. It's a big support network with the lecturers so you know you're in good hands.

I loved the Typefaces project too!

That's something that has stuck in my mind and it's a nice little project to ease yourself into the second year and have some fun with type. I still have my book that my year did!

There's so much I could write about the course, putting it all into one sentence or paragraph just wouldn't do it justice.

The only thing I could do is to suggest that anyone who is thinking about joining the course, to do it. You'll only get out of the course as much as you put in, so give it your all and the rewards are fantastic!”

Mathew Boyle Graphic Designer, LEGO, Denmark.

“I have no doubt in my mind, that studying at Swansea helped me achieve my full potential as a Graphic Designer.

The theory taught broadened my understanding of design.

The work pushed my creativity in new, interesting ways, while the lecturers were both encouraging and insightful, going above and beyond to help when needed. If you’re considering a career in Graphic Design, I can recommend nowhere better.”

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Gareth Winter – British Sky Broadcasting & Sky News Gareth was a committed student and had clear ideas of where and how he wanted to work. It has been great to hear his news after graduation. He also keeps us updated about the famous people he is in a room with.

“I owe my entire career to Swansea College of Art UWTSD, they offer the ideal creative environment to thrive in. Support and guidance from my tutors was bespoke to my needs, they treat each person as an individual.

Through University, I had the opportunity to showcase all of my hard work at New Designers, this is where I was spotted and asked to interview for a job as a Junior Designer for Sky News.

Because we were taught that design is not just about aesthetics, it’s a functional business tool, this mindset has enabled me to progress my career onto a different path. I am now a Creative for Sky Cycling, I work on 360° campaigns, looking after TV, print and digital, from directing shoots, interviews, promos, through to editing, motion graphics, photography and, of course, design.

The thing that helped me most was discovering that I'm not always right, to work as a creative you have to be open-minded and not too precious about your ideas. It’s important to adapt and problem solve. This said… you can't be a pushover; if you believe in something, you have to sell it.”

“I owe my entire career to Swansea College of Art UWTSD, they offer the ideal creative environment to thrive in. “ Gareth Winter

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Josh Stevens “The skills and knowledge that I gained during that time have set me up for my chosen career path. I decided at an early stage in the course that I wanted to focus on print-based design and especially, typography.

My tutors and lecturers were epic and supported my path and the specific areas of design that I was interested in. The course covered pretty much everything you could need to enter the world of design and the third year really gives you a feel for working as a freelance designer. I also exhibited my work at the New Designers Exhibition with selected members of the course.

Towards the end of my course I spoke to my lecturers about fulfilling my dream and taking my career overseas to somewhere warm with surf. They were all super helpful and passionate for me to do what I wanted. Since then I have worked in Byron Bay, Australia, for a luxury real estate company and in Queenstown, New Zealand, for a successful print and design agency.

After graduating from Swansea I was able to set up my own freelance design business and continue to design while travelling the globe and surfing.

Not a bad life.”

We asked our current students and graduates for any bits of advice that they would like to pass on to prospective students. This is what we got back...

Tips to give new students to get through the Graphic Design degree:

Things you wish you had known before starting your degree:

“Ask for help when you need it”

"How important deadlines are!"

“Time management!

Don’t leave things to the last minute”

"How easily housemates get you to go out"

“Use the library” “Get to know your classmates and tutors”

"Three years go by really quick so make the most of every moment" "How to manage my time"

“Always look to learn”

"How to cook!"

“Have a clear idea of what job you want after graduation”

"How to wake myself up in the mornings"

“Always look for internships and work experience”

"Sketchbook work before computer design is important"

“Get as much advice from the tutors as possible”

"Influences can come from anywhere"

“Always back up your work”

"You are not limited to printbased media"

“Learn to print and mount your work properly”

"How much fun uni would be"

“Sort your attendance out and get in on time”

"How helpful lecturers actually are"

“Stand up for your work and design choices”

"That the three years would go so fast"

“Check your typography and spelling… then check it again” “Listen to the advice given and don’t take criticism personally” “Work hard but don’t forget to have fun“ “RTFB - Read The Flipping Brief” “Start to treat the third year as a 9 to 5 job” “Take a break! If you overwork your work will suffer” “Sketch book work and research will greatly improve results” “Never go with your first idea, develop others”

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10 Fascinating Facts about Graphic Design at Swansea 01

02

03

Our graduate students are employed all over the world creating all kinds of wonderful things. This ranges from starting a design company on the beach in Byron Bay, Australia, to Apple design in New York.

We like this.

Sky Creative, LEGO, Waters Creative think we are great and come back to us to find new graduates … because, in their words: “They are ready.”

We are very happy about this.

Gordon Young - Artist of the Comedy Carpet (and lots of other beautiful typographic installations) supports our work... He noticed that students are not a number, they are people whom we respect and flourish with.

We really like Gordon.

04

Our students enjoy Swansea... it is friendly city.

We think so too.

05

Design Week has proved to be a huge success with our students impressing industry.

We will be doing this again and again.

06

Every year our students produce a print-based book. Let us know if you want a copy. This year it is called ‘Swansea Loves Letters’.

It’s fun and very beautiful.

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07

For our surfers, Gower is the UK’s first designated area of outstanding natural beauty.

We prefer to keep this a bit of a secret.

08

Our course staff have won the Student-Led Teaching Awards for the past three years!

We are boasting a bit here.

09

One of our graduates (Mat) designs for LEGO and has a collectable character based on him.

We have it on our shelf.

10

We offer a work placement for every third year student. They benefit hugely from going out there in the world.

Our Students get nervous about this, but come back inspired.

11

Gav, two times winner of the teaching awards likes to eat Chinese food on a Friday lunchtime....it is called ‘Chinese Friday’ and is also becoming a bit of a thing with our students Phil is quietly thinking lots of the time and then comes out with some very helpful stuff.

Donna likes to find out who you are and what you can offer the world.

12

Everyone likes coming into Graphics Space …it’s a good place to visit.

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Graphic Design Staff Donna Williams

Harry Richmond

Graphic Design exists in the place where art meets communication.

This career has allowed me to work around the UK, USA and Australia and love what I do. Mostly though, this is ALL about people and how ideas can make things better.

My predominant interests lie in typography and layout design, but I’m also passionate about encouraging the use of other media outside the parameters of a computer to help enhance my practice. For me, experimentation is key, and a love of all things design. As well as a lecturer and graduate of the BA Graphic Design course, I’m also an active freelancer, enabling me to bring an up to date knowledge of the working world to the students.

Gavin Kirby My teaching focus is primarily on transferable skills. Design skills like typography, layout design, colour and use of space are all key considerations regardless of the media you are producing for.

Graphic Designers need to be flexible with their skill set and be able to adapt to an ever-changing creative landscape.

The School of Visual Communication is supported by four members of technical demonstration staff. James Davies, Gwyn Jones, Glenn Sherwood and Steve Thomas are available to assist you with the technical output of your project work. Their skills range from computer and software skills to printmaking, letterpress and laser cutting, and they form an essential part of the Visual Communication team.

Phil Thomas My teaching draws upon twenty years of ongoing professional Graphic Design experience, from working with individuals, through to major international brands like Penguin Books, Renault and Nescafé. My passion for visual communication is reflected in student projects that encourage exploration and experimentation in a wide range of media, but which also generate commercially viable, portfolio ready outcomes.

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MA Visual Communication: Contemporary Dialogues 76 | www.uwtsd.ac.uk

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MA Visual Communication: Contemporary Dialogues This Master’s programme is contained within the Contemporary Dialogues Pathways. It is aimed at Graduates who wish to develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of reflective thinking and Visual Communication practice.

The nature of the Contemporary Dialogues pathways (Fine Art, Textiles, Photography, and Visual Communication) allows for a blend of multidisciplinary learning. You are able to draw upon experiences and knowledge from across the pathways and reflect this in your personal core study. You will bring a broader level of visual understanding to your practice by using theory to underpin your practical work, which in turn will guide your theory-based research.

The MA in Visual Communication is a full-time course and runs over 18 months.

Contact:

Karl Jmaes Mountford

Gavin Kirby gavin.kirby@uwtsd.ac.uk

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Student Support Accommodation & Open days Study skills support is available to all students who need assistance with their studies, providing high quality information, advice, guidance, practical and emotional support to enable all students to reach their full potential. A drop-in Study skills service is available every day of the working week A Careers Service is available to assist students to identify their career objectives throughout university, whilst provide appropriate assistance and support to enable them to implement these objectives.

We offer a wide range financial support including bursaries and scholarships which provide extra financial support for students. These awards include departmental scholarships, support for students from lowincome backgrounds, residential bursaries, Welsh-medium / bilingual scholarships, support for care leavers, support with childcare costs, internships, educational bursaries and awards for part-time students, postgraduate students, disabled students and international students.

International Students Deciding where to study in another country is a huge decision, and is one that really will change your life! Not only is it an opportunity for you to get an international perspective on your studies, you'll also learn about a different culture, history and way of life.

Accommodation Accommodation in Swansea is amongst the cheapest in the country, UWTSD Swansea has five halls of residence based on two separate campuses. There is also a great range of private student accommodation in the city center, including residential blocks and houses.

Visit Us The Faculty holds official open days, details of which can be found on our website, but we welcome students at any time of the year.

To arrange a visit please contact the relevant course tutor.

For further information or to request a main university prospectus please contact us.

The University also manages the Money Doctors service which provides students with impartial advice on handling student debt, and offers all students money management guidance.

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How to apply

Interviews and Portfolios

University of Wales Trinity Saint David Faculty of Art & Design Dynevor Centre for Art, Design and Media De-La-Beche Street Swansea, SA1 3EU Wales, UK

University of Wales Trinity Saint David College Road Carmarthen SA31 3EP

Tel: +44 (0)1792 481285 Email: artanddesign@uwtsd.ac.uk www.uwtsd.ac.uk

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Tel: +44 (0)1267 676767 Email: artanddesign@uwtsd.ac.uk www.uwtsd.ac.uk

Glasgow

Edinburgh

M6

Our interviews are friendly and informal and you will also be offered a tour of the Faculty and facilities. For most course interviews, you will be required to submit a portfolio of work as part of your interview. As a general guide, portfolios should contain examples of work (both finished and work in progress) that showcase your particular skills and interests. The content of a portfolio should be presented in a logical, ordered and simple fashion.

We also love to see sketchbooks.

Leeds

2

M6

2

M4

M6

A5

Birmingham

M

50 M

Lampeter Carmarthen

Pembroke

M25

Swansea M4 Cardiff

M4

Cardiff

M1

Swansea

Fishguard

M5

Lampeter Carmarthen

Pembroke

Manchester

M1

Liverpool

Fishguard

82 | www.uwtsd.ac.uk

M90

A74

If you are selected for an interview it is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your commitment and self - motivation to your chosen area of study; to discuss aspects of the course and to ask any questions that you may have.

Carmarthen Campus

M9

For applications for Part-Time and Postgraduate courses please apply direct to the University.

Swansea Campus

50

Applying for art and design courses Full time undergraduate applications are made through UCAS Further details can be found at: www.ucas.ac.uk

London

M4 Bristol

A3

6

A3

M2 Dover

M5

Southampton

www.uwtsd.ac.uk | 83

How to find us Alex Campus Dynevor Campus

Map is for ‘artistic’ illustrative purposes only, please use the following postcodes for more accurate directions.

84 | www.uwtsd.ac.uk

ALEX Campus

Orchard Street NCP car park SA1 5AS Kingsway NCP Car park SA1 5JQ

Dynevor Campus (restricted parking) SA1 3ES Alex Road Campus (no parking available) SA1 5DU

www.uwtsd.ac.uk | 85

Other Books in this series This book is part of a series.

If you would like to receive another book please contact the faculty, artanddesign@uwtsd.ac.uk 01792 481285

Product, Automotive & Transport Design

Fine Art & Photography

Surface Pattern Design Glass

Film & Digital Media

PDF versions are also available on www.uwtsd.ac.uk/art-design www.uwtsd.ac.uk

www.uwtsd.ac.uk

BA/MDes Product Design BSc/MDes Product Design & Technology BA/MDes Automotive Design BA//MDes Transport Design MA Product Design MA Transportation Design MSc Industrial Design

BA/MArts BA/MArts BA/MArts MA MA Cert HE

Fine Art Photography in the Arts Photojournalism Fine Art Photography Art & Design Foundation

BA/MDes Surface Pattern Design (Maker) BA/MDes Surface Pattern Design

(Textiles for Interiors) BA/MDes Surface Pattern Design

(Textiles for Fashion) BA/MDes Surface Pattern Design

(Fashion Object) MA Surface Pattern MA Textiles BA/MDes Glass:

Contemporary Practice BA/MDes Glass:

Architectural Arts MA Glass

www.uwtsd.ac.uk

BA/MArts Digital Film & Television Production BA/MArts 3D Computer Animation BA/MArts Digital Arts BA/MArts Creative Computer Games Design BA/MArts Sonic Art MMus Tech Music Technology MA Creative Sound Production MA 3D Computer Animation BA Film & Visual Culture BA New Media Production

Certificate of Higher Education Art & Design Foundation

Celf a Dylunio

www.ydds.ac.uk

86 | www.uwtsd.ac.uk

www.uwtsd.ac.uk | 87

Further information www.uwtsd.ac.uk For further information, please contact: artanddesign@uwtsd.ac.uk / 01792 481285

@ArtSwansea

/swanseacollegeofart

/swanseacollegeofart

The information contained in this booklet is correct at the time of publication, but is subject to change as part of the University’s policy of continuous improvement and development.