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Graphic Design, Illustration and Visual Communication
Complete Graphic Design (SEG Award – Lev...

Complete Graphic Design (SEG Award – Level 1 Certificate)

Ages: 18+
Term: Spring
Length: 20 weeks

Overview

This highly practical two-term part-time course (SEG Level 1 accreditation) aims to equip you with all the essential design and production skills essential to make a successful start in the graphic design industry or to support any design-based study. The course will enable you to understand and explore the creative possibilities of graphics including in print, publishing and digital practices.

To book your place today, simply click Book Now to be taken to AUB's secure online store, where you can complete your booking. You can also sign up to our newsletter for short course updates.

Course information

Through a series of workshops, project-based sessions and demonstrations you'll understand how to plan and produce a range of graphic design projects, from learning about typography application in the design of posters, flyers and business cards to creating original artwork for packaging.

You'll be expertly guided by your tutor through exercises and set projects including working with graphic design briefs, how to research, visualisation skills, planning and applying digital media, advertising and packaging in graphic design. Other topics covered in group sessions will include the psychology of type, brand identity, composition, information graphics and campaign planning – this will also be applied to your individual projects.

As well as creating compositions using words, images and colours you’ll also explore professional layout design and explore corporate identity design. You’ll be expected to enhance your skills in contextual thinking within design and ideas generation. Course sessions will also include using software applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, along with other contemporary tools.

You'll plan, produce and present final outcomes that may include photography, reprographic techniques, digital software and font design. Techniques and equipment will be closely aligned to industry working practices in order to fully prepare you for developing as a graphic designer.

The course is suitable for those wishing to hone and expand their design knowledge with a focus on creative thinking and visual problem solving to develop their creativity at a professional, commercial audience or to support degree level studies in design-related subjects.

Techniques of developing a creative process
Variety of research strategies
Drawing, illustration and approach of mixed media
Typography and font design
Creating original artwork for publicity materials (posters, flyers, cards)
Advertising techniques, corporate and packaging design
How to turn ideas into creative and sophisticated concepts
Advanced work with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign techniques
3D/2D visual communication
Individual project-based assignments
Professional presentation skills

You'll be continually assessed throughout the two-term course in a variety of ways, including practical tasks, observations, assignments, presentations, and portfolio reviews.
In each of the two termly Saturday sessions, you'll receive a personal formative performance review by your tutor.
Skills Education Group will conduct final assessment of work submitted for Level 1 Moderation; graded Pass/Fail.

What you need to know

Autumn term 2025

Thursday 9 October – 11 December 2025 (10 Thursday evenings, 18.00-21.00)
Saturday 29 November 2025 (09.00-16.00)

Continuation in Spring term 2026

Thursday 15 January – 19 March 2026 (10 Thursday evenings, 18.00-21.00)
Saturday 14 March 2026 (09.00-16.00)

Continuation in Summer term 2026

Thursday 9 April – 11 June 2026 (10 Thursday evenings, 18.00-21.00)
Saturday 16 May 2026 (09.00-16.00)

Spring term 2027

Thursday 14 January – 18 March 2027 (10 Thursdays, 18.00–21.00)
Saturday 20 March 2027 (09.00–16.00)

Continuation in Summer term 2027

Thursday 8 April – 10 June 2027 (10 Thursdays, 18.00–21.00)
Saturday 22 May 2027 (09.00–16.00)

Please note, it’s not possible to enrol on this course part-way through. You’ll need to attend from the start date in October.

You’ll be expected to complete projects, exercises, and research outside your sessions at AUB. You’ll be provided with more details about timelines and project submission deadlines at the start of the course.

Age

Suitable for adults aged 18+.

Level

Skills Education Group (SEG) Award – Level 1 certificate

Experience or qualifications required

Ideally you'll have completed our 10-week Digital Graphic Design – an Introduction short course, or have equivalent understanding of the subject.

If you'd like to discuss if this course is suitable for you, get in touch with us: academy@aub.ac.uk or 01202 363222.

£889

Deposit

You can secure your place on the course today with a deposit of £400 of your total fee. Choose this option when you book your place online.  The total balance of course fees must be payable by 1 December 2026. 

Instalment option

Deposit: £400
Instalment: £489

Please refer to our Booking T&Cs below for further details.

Any additional costs

You'll need to provide some of your own art materials and equipment. This'll incur an additional cost if you need to purchase it for the course. See the 'What to bring to class' section below for full details.

Additional materials and resources will be provided by AUB and is included in your course fee.

Notebook and pens/pencils to take notes
USB flash drive

A student stands painting two cherries in a sketch book.

Suggested Suppliers

Information about resourcing specialist materials/consumables that you may need to bring these with you

A flower and a pair of sunglasses rest on a pair of boxes. A stiletto heel shoe and a handbag are sitting in front of another box. The other stiletto heel shoe is on top of one of the boxes.

AUB Academy FAQs – Evening and Weekend and Saturday Art School

If you have any questions about our Evening and Saturday Short Courses, you may find the answers in here.

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AUB Academy booking T&Cs

Please read our Terms and Conditions carefully before booking onto our Evening and Weekend courses.

Book your place today

Book now

Graphic design gallery

Sketchbook page with 12 different pencil drawings of Middle Street Bakery logos.

Open portfolio book with assorted colour swatches on the left-hand page.

Sketchbook page showing coloured illustrations of assorted vegetables and gardening equipment.

Box packaging for 'Aura' perfume sits on coloured paper cuttings.

Packaging box for 'Aura' rests on a plain surface.

Colourful packaging for perfume pictured against a multi-coloured backdrop.

Colourful packaging box for a perfume called 'Aura', resting on a multi-coloured surface.

Double page spreads of two books, one lying on top of the other, both containing a series of large images and blocks of text.

Two packaging boxes for a perfume called 'Cove', sitting on top of an open portfolio book.

Packaging box for a product called 'You', lying on top of an open portfolio book.

Packaging boxes for a perfume called 'You', resting on an open portfolio book.

Poster with illustrations of plants growing out of a watering can, a pair of boots and a shallow tray with a cat behind it. The main text appears above these illustrations and reads 'Where does your garden grow?'

Two pieces of packaging for 'Sense' lie on the spine of an open sketchbook.

Sketchbook page showing collage experimentation for 'Sense' botanical scent. Two pieces of packaging for 'Sense' lie on top of the page.

Sketchbook with graphics cuttings and hand-drawn illustrations, with handwritten captions and annotations.

Page with the heading 'Balance' in the top-left corner, with blocks of handwritten text and images along the bottom with handwritten annotations.

Beyond the course

This could just be the start of your creative journey! After this course, you could look to the future and explore our creative qualifications that can prepare you to further your current career, enable you to retrain to an alternative career path or prepare you for future creative arts studies.