Communication Design and Strategy Welcome Guide

Preparing for your course

We're delighted to have you join us at Arts University Bournemouth, and hope that your time here will be rewarding, challenging, creative and enjoyable.

Welcome to BA (Hons) Communication Design and Strategy

This welcome pack is designed to give you an idea of what to expect during the first weeks of your course. Please take the time to read it carefully and take particular note of the pre-course preparation. We hope that you'll enjoy a happy and productive time with us, and we look forward to meeting you in October.

A message from your Course Leader

I hope that you're having an enjoyable and relaxing summer. The course team are very much looking forward to welcoming you onto the course. The course will commence with a Welcome Week, and during this time you'll meet your fellow students and staff and be shown around the University’s facilities. The Welcome Week will also introduce you to the aims and objectives of the course and the concepts of Communication Design and Strategy.

We look forward to meeting you all!

– Rich Hurst, Course Developer

Before you join us

If you're joining us in the first year, you'll be required to complete a summer project before the course begins. The aim of this project is to explore the creative potential of Communication Design and Strategy. It'll provide you with the opportunity to talk about yourself to others.

It'll also allow you to explore the meanings, messages and information that are communicated using either type or image, or both.

Home (summer project):

We'd like you to capture your place of home in a single image through photography, typography, collage, drawing, digital sketch or any other medium that you enjoy using. This could be a representation of a building, a product from the area, a person but whatever you do, you should be able to explain why it represents that place.

We'd like you to bring this with you, preferably in a digital format but if that's not possible, we'll be able to take a photo or scan it for you.

The Library here at AUB is extremely well resourced and includes all key texts that you'll need. The list below indicates the key texts that will be useful throughout your studies. All of these are available from the Library at AUB. You might want to borrow a copy from your local library to look at before you arrive. You'll receive a comprehensive reading list in your Course Handbook and at the start of each unit.

Crow, D. (2003). Visible Signs: An Introduction to Semiotics. AVA Publishing.
Fletcher, A. (2001). The Art of Looking Sideways. London: Phaidon.
Noble, I., and Bestley, R. (2005). Visual Research: An Introduction to Research Methodologies in Graphic Design. AVA Publishing.

Creative Review
Eye
Baseline
Vroom
Design Week
Wallpaper

Blogs

It's Nice That
Creative Review
Design Taxi
People of Print
Creative Boom
Dezeen

Current student work

Have a look through some of the work our students have produced, to get an idea of the type of work you may be doing on our course.

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Font examples and development that look like household furniture, like chairs

Mock up of app for OCD fighting, featuring the OCD Fighting Sheep companion

Excerpt from a physical magazine, the headline reads 'United we stand' the photo overleaf depicts two people of colour surrounded by smoke and holding their hands in their air, one person has a white piece of textiles in their hand

Open book with words that read: it cracked

Book open to a double page spread showing a black and white photograph of armed soldiers marching down a street. Bold headline text appears underneath, reading "When we politically blind can't see the signs of endangered times".

open page from a book by student Charlotte Boland, the page features images of a building set in a stylised layout with words like 'Bizarre', 'elaborate', 'strange' and 'crazy' written around it

Mock-ups of ad placements for OCD sleep app. One ad is on a bus shelter, the other is an instagram ad shown in situ on a phone.

What to bring on your first day

All you'll need on your first day is

A notepad
A mug
Pens or pencils
Your ID and documents for face-to-face registration (see the "Next Steps" tab for more details)
Your Temporary ID card from your Welcome notebook inside cover if you have one

Throughout the course you may also need the following listed below:

Course equipment

Essential course materials:

Notepad and pens
Memory stick (for backing up your digital work)
Sketchbook
Drawing equipment

Useful materials

Double-sided tape
Masking tape
Layout pad (A3)
A3 folder for carrying work
Digital camera (if you're keen on photography)
A4 folders to keep course handouts and various other documents

If you're to buy a computer, we recommend a laptop suitable to run design programmes. However, as BA (Hons) Communication Design and Strategy students, you'll have access to a range of iMac computers in our studio, and in our Mac Suite. You're also able to hire iPads, laptops and cameras from our Central Media Store on campus when required.