BA (Hons), MA, PGCE
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- BA (Hons) Visual Communication
BA (Hons) Visual Communication
From the icons on your smartphone to the signs at an airport, from the logo on a cola to the type on your favourite magazine, Visual Communications play a powerful part in shaping our choices.
Visual Communication course information
Visual Communication is a broad discipline, encompassing graphic design, image generation, typography and screen-based design. Throughout the course, your industry knowledge will be strengthened through independent research, as well as collaborative and individual participation in ‘live’ and prestigious competition briefs, set by the likes of D&AD and ISTD.
Visual Communication combines skills in illustration, graphic design, typography and digital design to create images that persuade or inform.
From the start, the course focuses on hand-drawn imagery to develop a feel for the shapes and styles that connect with audiences. Practical experiences will be used to develop your skills. We’ll help you to build your visual awareness and understanding of the world around you. In addition to plenty of theory and debate, you’ll have the chance to work on live briefs with other students and find work placements in creative businesses.
Visual Communication underlines the importance of good ideas. You’ll leave with all the practical skills that you need to work in a vibrant and exciting industry. Our graduates work as freelancers in small design companies and with larger firms, both locally and internationally.
Level 4 (First Year)
In your first year, we’ll introduce you to the communications industries and the skills you’ll need to make a career within them.
We’ll introduce you to the diverse areas of visual communication: text and image, illustration, photography, typography.
You’ll learn to think critically and gain an understanding of design methodology, as well as learning to appreciate the importance of experimentation, creativity and risk taking.
You’ll develop practical skills, such as mark-making and typography. We’ll also teach you design and software skills through workshops and learn about the different aspects of professional practice.
You’ll also have the chance to work with industry, including creating ideas for advertising campaigns or editorial design.
Level 5 (second year)
In your second year, you’ll add new skills to your portfolio – including digital design. You’ll also have the chance to work in a creative business.
Level 5 will see you design for both print and screen. You’ll learn about web design, the use of visual language, packaging and branding.
The main focus of the year is on gaining further insight into the broad subject discipline of visual communication, alongside an increasing appreciation of design aesthetics.
You’ll develop your conceptual skills, critical analysis, creativity and self-expression and work on a range of stimulating live projects.
You’ll discover more about industry through independent research, participation in ‘live’ projects and prestigious competition briefs.
Your practical work will be underpinned by sound theoretical principles and an awareness of cultural, social, political, ethical and environmental issues.
Level 6 (Third Year)
Your third year brings your learning together, as you use your practical skills to create solutions for industry projects.
We’ll encourage you to develop individual, independent lines of creative enquiry and demonstrate design and technical skills at an advanced level.
You’ll have the opportunity to develop your career interests by actively pursuing your practice within contemporary discourses. You’ll carry out extensive and specific research and develop your practice, gaining an understanding of the context and behaviours of an audience.
You’ll have the opportunity to work on collaborative projects with industry professionals and will leave AUB with plenty of useful contacts.
All students are registered for the award of BA (Hons); however, exit awards are available if you leave the course early, having successfully completed one or two levels. If you successfully complete a level of the course, you will automatically be entitled to progress to the next level.
For the award of a Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), you must have achieved a minimum of 120 credits at Level 4. This qualification may be awarded if you leave the University following successful completion of the first year of your course.
For the award of a Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE), you must have achieved a minimum of 240 credits of which a minimum of 120 must be at Level 5. This qualification may be awarded if you leave the University following successful completion of the second year of your course.
For the award of a BA (Hons) you must have achieved a minimum of 360 credits of which a minimum of 240 must be at Level 5 or above, of which a minimum of 120 credits must be at Level 6. This qualification will be awarded upon successful completion of your course.
A BA without Honours may be awarded if you have achieved 300 credits, at least 180 of which are at Level 5 or above, and at least 60 of which are at Level 6.
Course team
You can find out more about the experienced teaching staff that you’ll be taught by below. Explore their profiles to find out more about their specialisms and research interests.
MA, BA (Hons), PGCE
MA, PGDip, BA(Hons), PGCE
MA, BA (Hons)
BA (Hons)
BA (Hons)
PhD, MA, BA (Hons)
BA, MRes
MA RCA, BA (Hons), FHEA, PGCert
How to apply
Once you've found the perfect Undergraduate course, you can apply to study via UCAS, including direct entry applications to second and third year.
When applying through UCAS, use the institution code A66. All of our courses take place on one site, so we don't have a campus code. We'll then use your completed UCAS form to make decisions about your application. You can find out more on entry requirements in our apply section.
When you apply to one of our courses, it's important that you help us get a good picture of both you and your work – so you'll need a great personal statement. We want to know more about why you're interested in the course, your key influences, and what you hope to do after your studies.
If you're invited for an interview, many of our courses will ask to see a portfolio of your work so we can get more insight into your ideas and abilities. To help you, we've created guidelines outlining what we expect from your portfolio for each course.
Student gallery
Portfolio requirements
We are looking for candidates with an open-minded and lively approach to new ideas, and an awareness of the specialist areas of design and visual problem-solving
For courses that require a portfolio review or an audition, the Admissions team will be in touch with you and request a digital portfolio or audition.
We'll hold Offer Holder days in Spring and invite applicants to visit the campus and meet the course team, or if you're unable to visit us you'll be able to attend a virtual Offer Holder Day.
Initially, you will be introduced to the course in a group (usually three to six people). At this stage, you will have the chance to ask any general questions about the course and study at AUB. From here you will have the opportunity to speak one-to-one with a lecturer and present your portfolio; at this point, you may also ask any questions specific to your application.
To enable the course team to assess your creative ability and potential the particular things that we shall be looking for are:
- Enthusiasm for exploring ideas through exploration of media and techniques.
- Evidence of creative problem-solving, an enquiring mind and a commitment to further study.
- Evidence of sketchbooks and visual diaries that demonstrate a thoughtful approach, and commitment to design problem-solving.
- Evidence of contextual and historical research and understanding.
- A willingness to engage in debate on a variety of topical and cultural issues.
Universities interviewing for creative courses will expect to be presented with a portfolio to help them understand your ability and range of work. Your portfolio could be your golden ticket into receiving an offer so making sure it’s presentable, well-organised and accessible is essential.
Visual Communication is a continuum and seamless spectrum of creative activity, ranging from conceptual practice to mainstream design. Visual Communication is now producing graduates who are not only able to work at any point on that continuum, but have the ability to move within it at will. These abilities are crucial, not only in life, but also in maintaining currency of practice and longevity of employment.
Fees and funding
The fee that you pay the Arts University Bournemouth provides the necessary equipment and training for you to complete your course.
You may also choose to buy some items of personal equipment such as a laptop or tablet computer, but this is not required; desktop and laptop computers are available for you to use in common study areas, including a loan system in the Library.
Studios and resources
Studying on this course, you’ll work in a professional environment with two dedicated studio spaces and computer suites.
There are also areas for quiet working and facilities for more hands-on processes, such as bookbinding, letterpress and traditional print.
Teaching and learning
The teaching and learning within BA (Hons) Visual Communication’s working studio environment is open so that you can make the most of the opportunities that arise from within and beyond the curriculum structure. This manner of teaching is multidisciplinary, and characteristically based on collaborative studio practice.
Projects explore the interface and overlap between analogue and digital technologies, and look at ways in which traditional ‘craft’ media and processes can be used alongside technological developments. We are interested in the ‘hybrid’ processes, visual thinking and ideas generation from concept to final outcome that emerge from this overlap, with a particular focus on print and digital/traditional publishing, typography and screen-based design.
Honours study combines independent learning and taught sessions.
The course objectives will be met by deploying a wide variety of teaching and learning methods including workshop projects, studio projects, lectures, seminars, group critiques, guided reading and tutorials.
The methods employed will, whenever possible, lead you into the disciplines required of a creative design practitioner and promote the transferable skills of self-management and self-reliance.
The course is structured progressively to provide increased opportunities for autonomous learning.
The progressive promotion of student-centred learning reflects maturity as a student and allows development towards individual goals.
Teaching is directed at supporting individual engagement in learning, although there will be opportunities to work in teams/collaborations to enable learning the value of peer cooperation.
The integration of theory and practice is promoted and reinforced through a team-teaching approach. Lectures, seminars and tutorials may be delivered by team members as appropriate in the creative environment of the studio.
Contact hours include all scheduled teaching sessions, but also supervised time in the workshop or studio. In line with national guidance, we include in our calculation of contact hours all the time which is scheduled in the studio for independent study which is also supported by staff (either academic staff, or technicians).
The information provided below gives the proportion of your study time which constitutes contact hours. Where there are optional routes through the course, we have used the figures for the most popular option.
Assessment and feedback
Each unit is assessed separately, and the assessment forms part of the unit. Assessment both provides a measure of your achievement, and also gives you regular feedback on how your learning is developing.
For every unit of your course, we'll inform you of what you're expected to learn, what you have to submit, how your work will be assessed, and the deadline for presenting your work for assessment. This is made available through Unit Information, which is on your course blog.
You will receive a final mark for each unit in the form of a percentage, which will be recorded on your formal record of achievement (transcript). Each component of assessment is graded using a notched marking scale, whereby only certain marks are used within each grade. The only marks available within any ten-point band are *2, *5 and *8 (e.g. 62, 65, 68). These marks correspond to a low, mid, and high level of achievement within each grade band.
All learning outcomes must be passed to successfully complete the unit.
On successful completion of your Honours degree course, you will be awarded a degree classification based on your unit marks. The final classification is determined using all unit marks at Levels 5 and 6 using two different algorithms, which are detailed in the HE Student Regulations. If the two algorithms produce different results, you will be awarded the higher class of degree.
If you have joined Level 6 through either the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) route or having completed a Foundation Degree (FdA), the final classification is determined using only your unit marks at Level 6.
For further information on assessment, progression, awards and classifications, please visit https://viewpoint.aub.ac.uk
What our graduates are doing
Our graduates go on to a range of dynamic careers in the creative industries, which cross the traditional boundaries of graphic design.
Creative industries form a huge part of the UK’s economy. AUB Visual Communication students graduate with a broad range of creative skills; they're able to show their creativity and adaptability and be ready to work. From international design agencies and motion graphic studios to book publishers and app developers, our students start their creative careers here.
- AKQA
- BBC
- BBD
- CHS
- Conrad Design Group
- Dam Digital
- Design Studio
- Dyson
- Eleven Miles
- Elmwood
- ITV
- Make Studio
- Otherway
- Penguin Random House
- Jack Renwick
- Sky
- Superunion
- Tatler
Our graduate careers include:
- App designer
- Art director
- Artworker
- Brand designer
- Creative director
- Digital designer
- Editorial designer
- Event director
- Game developer
- Graphic designer
- Illustrator
- Interaction designer
- Lecturer
- Marketer
- Motion designer
- Photographer
- Studio founder
- Technician
- Type designer
- Visual merchandiser
- UX / UI artist
- Web designer
Arabella Jones
Arabella Jones graduated from BA (Hons) Visual Communications in 2017. She shares with us her experience at AUB...
Luke Bonner
I was a really, really proactive student. My work was average, I was bang in the middle of the class...
Josh Ogden
BA (Hons) Visual Communication Graduate, Josh Ogden, graduated from AUB in 2013...
We recognise that winning awards is fantastic for accelerating our student's careers and working on award briefs is a key area of our curriculum. AUB Visual Communication students achieve success in a range of industry awards, winning in recent years:
- 8 Creative Conscience Awards
- 26 D&AD Awards (Design and Art Direction)
- 1 IDA Award (International Design Awards)
- 35 ISTD Awards (International Society of Type Designers)
- 1 OFFF Festival Award
- 3 RSA Student Design Awards (Royal Society of the Arts)
- 2 YCN Awards (Young Creative Network)
Trips, guest speakers and placements
Trips and visits
As part of your course you may also get the opportunity to take part in course trips* to further expand your research and knowledge of visual communication. Previous trips have included:
- Amsterdam
- London
- New York
- Berlin
*These trips are optional and some may incur additional costs
Guest speakers
We offer a lively programme of speakers and workshops by creative industry professionals from design agencies, branding consultancies, type designers and many more.
These have included:
- Oded Ezer – Typographer/Educator
- Sarah Hyndman, Type Tasting – Type educator
- Alan Kitching – Typographic designer
- Jonathan Barnbrook – Designer educator
- David Pearson – Designer
- Hamish Muir
- Dan Cramer, Design studio
- Tina Touli – Creative director
- Becky Chilcott, Macmillan Publishers – book designer
- Matt Cox, Superunion Design Studio
- Fred Wiltshire – Type designer
- Amy Ratcliffe, CHS Creative Agency
- Catherine Losing – Photographer/Director
- Owen Davey – Illustrator
- Rami Afifi
- Fox Rogers – Creative director
- Radim Malinic – Designer/Author
- Ian Wharton – Art director and innovator
- Iran Griffiths and Dot Falla, EPM Digital
- Matt Ford, GF Smith Paper
- Matt Lamont – Designer/Archivist, Out of Place Studio
- Craig Oldham – Designer
- Sam Winston – Designer/Visual artist, Space Studios
- Yarza Twins
Placements
We encourage students to find placements during the holidays and these can lead to later employment. Previous students have found opportunities in the creative industries both locally and nationally including in branding, editorial design, illustration, app and web design, type design and advertising.
