MA Graphic Design (Online)

In a noisy global landscape dominated by visual communication, forging a solid creative identity can be a major challenge for graphic designers. MA Graphic Design (Online) is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary course that will equip you with the ability to elevate your creative practice and so much more. With units focused on urgent global issues such as sustainability, inclusivity and human-centric design, you’ll embark on a transformative journey that empowers you to help people and the planet. 

Today’s business market is in high demand for graphic designers who can think laterally, apply critical thinking to their own practice, and engage meaningfully with the world around them. While day-to-day professional experience is invaluable, it takes outstanding academic teaching rigour, theoretical knowledge and contemporary research resources to raise your discipline to the next level. 

1. Design for a better future – Sustainability is embedded in every unit, empowering you to create socially and environmentally responsible design that drives positive change.
2. Designed by industry leaders – Our course units are created by experts actively shaping the field of graphic and visual communication. Stay inspired with fresh, forward-thinking content that equips you with the skills to advance your career, start a business, or launch your own agency.
3. Build a powerful network – Connect with influential creatives, guests and contributors including our Industry Patron, Sarah Hyndman, whose globally recognised workshops explore the science of sensory typography.

Course leader Steph Horan provides an overview of the MA Graphic Design (Online) course.

As a graduate of the MA Graphic Design (Online) course, you’ll unlock a diverse range of varied, rewarding career options in the future. Innovative designers are in high demand at companies worldwide. With the knowledge you acquire at AUB, you’ll stand as someone who can help them meet their sustainability and inclusivity goals – and you'll be able to navigate these issues with confidence. 

The international network you’ll develop with your peers and tutors will also broaden your knowledge and help you get established as an in-house or freelance graphic designer. Whichever route you choose, your industry-ready skills will empower you to spearhead positive change in the world and drive companies toward success. 

Of course, establishing yourself as a graphic designer is just the tip of the iceberg – there are many areas in which you can apply your skills. Whether you’d like to bolster eco-conscious brands, advise businesses on sustainable practice, design eco-friendly packaging with recyclable materials, or branch out into inclusive web design, your dream job will be within reach. 

Here are just a few of the options you could pursue as an MA Graphic Design (Online) graduate: 

• Sustainable design consultant
• UX/UI designer
• Director of interaction/experience design
• Brand/design strategist
• Creative director

You could also pursue opportunities in innovation strategy, UX research, and packaging design.

Exclusively offered to students on the course is the ability to have access to presentations from industry professionals. This not only provides an insight into current industry practice but a wealth of research sources and networking links.

• Clara Gaggero Westaway – Co-founder and Creative Director of Special Projects. Clara is a designer, inventor, and educator focused on creating meaningful and sustainable innovations that enhance well-being and our relationship with technology. She has designed award-winning products for major brands, exhibited globally, and leads design education initiatives at prestigious institutions.
• Clare Nattress – Clare Nattress is an interdisciplinary artist, researcher, and educator exploring environmental interconnectedness through art and science, often collaborating with researchers to develop new perspectives. Her minimalist lifestyle and year-long cycling journey have shaped her practice-led PhD and artistic focus on air pollution, while she also lectures at York St John University and curates international exhibitions.
• Damian Rees – Damian is founder of Make Human. As an expert in UX, CX and human-centred design, he's deeply committed to developing solutions that genuinely address people’s needs and help fix bad design. Damian is passionate about making technology more human and finding ways tech can solve the real-world problems people face in their day-to-day lives.
• Emma Bice – Award-winning international designer Emma Bice specialises in furniture, fixtures, and surfaces, creating bespoke interior and exterior solutions through her consultancy. With a focus on sensory design, she blends comfort, style, and craftsmanship to shape spaces that reflect both property and inhabitant. We consult Emma about how she uses the sensory aspects of brand design in physical spaces.
• Fan Sissoko – Designer, artist and storyteller. Fan Sissoko is a designer and researcher based in Reykjavík. She works with charities and the public sector to improve health, care and food systems. She is also an artist whose work revolves around storytelling.
• Jason Bascombe – Jason Bascombe is a Creative Technologies lecturer at AUB, and a photography practitioner. He researches generative AI and its role in creative disciplines, focusing on integrating these tools while preserving human agency.
• Jean Hewitt – Jean is the Inclusive Environments Technical lead at Buro Happold. She's currently the Disability Access Ambassador for the Built Environment, a voluntary role appointed by the Cabinet Office. Jean contributes to the discussions on inclusive design.
• Paul “Nobby” Davies – ‘Nobby’ Davies is founder of the Creative Elder and a multi-award-winning creative with over 40 years of experience in advertising, branding, and design. As the Creative Elder, he helps creators reach their full potential and contributes to discussions on the creative process in problem-solving.
• Phil Jones – Dr Phil Jones is a designer, academic, and author, currently leading the on-campus MA Graphic Design course at AUB. His research applies cognitive science to communication design, explored in his book Towards a Cognitivist Understanding of Communication Design (June 2024), which examines how cognitive theories enhance creativity and design practice.
• Rejane Dal Bello – Rejane Dal Bello is an award-winning designer and AGI member with over 20 years of experience in graphic design and branding, having worked with top agencies like Wolff Olins and Studio Dumbar. As the founder of Studio Rejane Dal Bello in London, she creates impactful, purpose-driven designs for global clients, contributes to design education, and shares her creative process through lectures and workshops.
• Richard Gillingwater – Richard Gillingwater explores how brands use design and visual storytelling to communicate effectively in a world saturated with visual stimuli. By leveraging psychology and media theory, he highlights how nonverbal cues evoke emotions, shape perceptions, and influence behaviour.
• Sarah Hyndman – We're delighted to have designer, researcher, author and speaker Sarah Hyndman as our course's Industry Patron. Sarah contributes to the course by sharing her unique sensory experiments, connecting words and senses to shape transformative experiences. Visit Type Tasting's website for more information.
• Sonnaz Nooranvary – Sonnaz Nooranvary is a UK-based creative entrepreneur and upholstery expert, best known for her role on BBC’s The Repair Shop. With a passion for craftsmanship, sustainability, and inspiring future creatives, she runs her own interiors business and launched House of Sonnaz in 2024 to promote ethical manufacturing. Sonnaz contributes to discussions on design and branding in physical spaces