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BA (Hons) Creative Direction

BA (Hons) Creative Direction spans the creative economy. You'll learn how to engage and develop ideas into full-scale projects that apply themselves to the entire industry – your role as the director oversees them.

Overview

On BA (Hons) Creative Direction, you'll develop the conceptual thinking, creative problem-solving skills, and strategic vision necessary to occupy a role that's the beating heart of the creative industries – the Creative Director.

BA (Hons) Creative Direction course information

Creative Directors are employed across all sectors of the creative economy, whether that's advertising, the arts, design, fashion, gaming, music, publishing or TV and film. They develop an intimate knowledge of their brand’s customers and direct all communication, controlling every point where their brand encounters their audiences, customers, and users. They do this by developing a team of creatives from a range of disciplines to assist in the design, development and delivery of their organisation’s products or services.

On BA (Hons) Creative Direction, you'll work with a team of designers and content creators of illustration, photography, video and many other mediums and environments to deliver creative solutions to defined problems.

This course aims to nurture innovative and forward-thinking individuals who can shape and influence the creative landscape. It provides a platform for you to explore your creativity, develop leadership qualities, and become industry-ready professionals capable of making a significant impact in the evolving creative industries.

On this course, you'll be introduced to design thinking, learn to encourage problem-solving by learning about the freedom of ideas. You'll learn innovative brainstorm techniques, capturing even the smallest of ideas that'll nurture and grow into solutions that have impact. You'll learn to listen, placing people at the very heart of design projects; being empathetic and responding to client needs and aspirations.

You'll discover industry and consumer insights that lead to the development of innovate solutions to problems. You'll also gain confidence in the idea generation process, learning to trust your own judgement, your design team and to know your customers and users; becoming adept at managing projects, people, and resources to deliver on time and on budget, surpassing expectations at every stage of the process.

There'll be opportunities to engage in a range of hands-on projects, collaborative exercises, and industry simulations, applying learning in real-world contexts. You'll also have the opportunity to work with industry professionals, agencies, and clients, gaining valuable insights and building a professional network.

It's the blend of real-world experience, project management and design skill that makes BA (Hons) Creative Direction unique. At AUB, we're a creative community that represents the industry as a university-wide team. This course places you at the very heart it as you learn to express yourself, design, develop and deliver as a Creative Director.

Course duration

3 or 4 years (full-time)

Placement year

Option of a 1-year placement

UCAS course code

W222

UCAS institution code

A66

Placement year

All undergraduate courses at AUB offer an optional placement year, to be taken between your second and third years of study.

If you’re unsure about this optional placement, you don’t need to decide now. Once you’re here and studying with us, the course team will discuss the placement options with you, so when the time comes, you can make a decision that’s right for you.

Pink image with cropped images of student work, copy reads: Join our creative community.

APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN

Now that you've found the perfect course, it's time to apply.

The early deadline may have passed, but applications are still open! Check out our handy 'how to apply' guide and our portfolio top tips.

Apply Now
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AUB SHOWCASE

We're proud of our alumni, and rightfully so.

Explore the incredible work of our freshly graduated 'Class of 2024' in our online AUB Showcase.

Browse work by course, student or theme.

Discover AUB Showcase

Meet the BA (Hons) Creative Direction course team

Jennifer Anyan Director (School of Arts, Media, and Creative Industries Management)

MA, PGCE, BA (Hons), FHEA

Email me janyan@aub.ac.uk
Headshot for K Chambers.
Kevin Chambers Course Leader, BA (Hons) Events Management

M.Sc., PGCLTHE, BA (Hons), FHEA

"We're all creatives at AUB, and the Creative Direction course is an opportunity to place yourself at the centre of a vibrant community that reflects the wider creative industries. The most creative act is to design projects that inspire those around you and stimulate the interests of your client’s, their customers, and their users. I look forward to being inspired by your creative ideas."

Kevin Chambers, Course Developer

Watch our videos

Jennifer Anyan (Director of School of Arts, Media and Creative Industries Management) sits down with Fiona Hayes, an international Art Director, Designer, Creative Director and Consultant to discuss her current project, a coffee table book, and the significance of communication and collaboration.

Fiona addresses the challenges of creative direction, emphasising team dynamics and project management. She encourages students to focus on skills and highlights the necessity of personal creativity in the age of AI. The evolving role of creative directors in brand identity is also explored.

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Application process

Headshot for F Hayes

Meet our Industry Patron – Fiona Hayes

Meet the Industry Patron for BA (Hons) Creative Direction, Fiona Hayes.

Fiona is a creative director, designer and educator with over 35 years of international experience in publishing, fashion and the art world.

Among other clients, Fiona has developed art direction for Condé Nast across a range of brands, including eight editions of Vogue, and remains Design Director-at-Large for Vogue Hong Kong.

Explore our Industry Patrons

Studios and resources

You'll learn in flexible spaces with the very latest in technology, with equipment sourced specifically for your projects, including audio visual, the latest digital technologies, and sector leading printing facilities.

We provide all the resources that you'd expect to find in a real creative business. Our exhibition spaces include TheGallery, a major resource for contemporary art and design in the South of England with exhibitions that've received both national and international recognition. It hosts several artist talks, panel discussions and other events to support the exhibition programme and is open to the public.

Students on BA (Hons) Creative Direction will also have access to AUB's specialist arts library, print workshop, dedicated Mac suites and a base room.

Students working at computers in a library. A set of stairs leads up to a second landing with a balcony running along.

The Library

The Library at AUB holds an excellent range of print and online collections

Open space at TheGallery at AUB during the Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize exhibition 2024.

TheGallery

Our in-house gallery, TheGallery, is a major resource for contemporary art and design in the South of England

Ten rows of empty seating viewed from the front of a large lecture theatre.

Lecture Theatres and Seminar Rooms

We have a number of lecture theatres and seminar rooms scattered around campus to assist students with their studies.

Student wearing safety goggles using a machine in a workshop.

3D Workshop

Our 3D workshops with manual and digital manufacturing equipment and computers

A model sits on a chair in the centre of a room while a group of artists draw them.

Drawing Studio

Our iconic blue Drawing Studio is used by student from all courses and was designed by alumnus Sir Peter Cook​...

Four banks of desks in a computer suite with monitors on them.

Digital Suites

Our Digital Suites offer a digital post-production facility and digital teaching space.

A member of AUB staff talking about a camera with a student at the Central Media Store counter.

Central Media Store

The Central Media store houses a diverse array of equipment, offering students the means to craft and capture...

Innovation Studio, photographed by Richard Bryant. Photo of an exterior wall with two reverse-L shaped windows and three semi-circle panels visible. A person walks past towards the right.

Innovation Studio

The Innovation Studio operates as a lab for creative technologies, a nucleus for start-ups and enterprises and an industry engagement hub.

Person stands by a table. Two printing presses are in the foreground.

Printroom

Our printmaking facilities are a hub of creativity on campus and have been inspiring students since 1964.

Three people working on projects in a print room.

Letterpress and Bindery

The Letterpress and Bindery studio is a central resource, where students can learn and explore bookbinding and letterpress printing.

Teaching, learning and assessment

What our BA (Hons) Creative Direction graduates are doing

Roles achieved by graduates of a similar course, which shares learning with this new course, include:

  • Head of Operations at Designwerk
  • Global People and Development Manager at Moving Brands
  • Marketing Manager at Spotify
  • Owner, Founder, Director, Jimmy’s Iced Coffee/Entrepreneur

Trips and visits

The academic year is planned to include educational visits. During the year, at least one excursion to London or another UK cultural hub is available. Due to Bournemouth's proximity to London, excursions can easily be planned to London’s art galleries and museums to supplement academic work. Professional progress as practitioners depends on primary research; trips give you confidence, promote independence, and present opportunities for your future professional and personal development. Any additional trip fees are disclosed before the visit.

Latest from BA (Hons) Creative Direction

See more of our student work

Through this course, you'll gain skills to lead, innovate and impact the evolving creative industries.

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