Visual Communication 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) Visual Communication

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 Visual Communication.

We look forward to meeting you all!

- Rich Hurst, Course Leader

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 Visual Communication. It'll provide you with the opportunity to present yourself to the rest of the group. It will also allow you to explore the meanings, messages and information that are communicated using either type or image or both.

MeMeMe (Summer Project):

You're required to design a presentation called MeMeMe. You'll be expected to present for three minutes to explain:

What you hope to gain from the course
Something interesting about yourself
Which designers/illustrators inspire you

This must be a designed presentation either on paper or digital or both.

How to submit your summer project

Bring your Summer Project with you during Welcome Week, either as a physical piece or as a PDF on a memory stick.

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., & 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 current students are producing to get an idea of the type of work you may be making on our course.

A series of posters showing illustrations of various fruits and vegetables. Every poster is different.

A series of four flyers showing images of different fruit and vegetables. The words 'world veg' appear on all four.

A photo of a coastline, with the water very clear and blue and the land very dark. The words 'History of the Jurassic Coast' appear over the land.

A CD sleeve, with a disc half out of the sleeve. Dark cloud-like images are on the cover. The word 'Kala' is in the bottom-right corner.

The words 'Love yourself that's important' is visible on a pink background made up of close-together vertical lines

Pixellated black-and-white image of a ballerina in the background. The word 'Here' appears in front of this.

A magazine cover showing a dog on a leash that's connected to a Kilner jar, sitting on a counter. The words 'Seeds and Lead' are next to the dog.

A bright blue poster with various items of text all over it. The word 'Pink' is in big lettering in the middle of the page.

A close-up of a person's face, viewed upside-down. The words 'I think I know you' appear over the photo.

A distorted image of a man sat at a table or piano. The words 'come and experience' appear near the centre of the image.

A pair of hands are crossed into the shape of wings, with the shadow visible looking like a bird. The words 'To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee' appear at the top of the image

The image of a person is visible but blurred behind a series of colourful lines and curves

Map of Great Britain and Ireland on a yellow piece of paper. Half of Great Britain shows trees, the other half shows brown blocks. A line of text at the bottom reads, "46-58 Thousands square miles of forest lost per year".

Model wearing a T-shirt showing the internal organs of the human body represented as plants, leaves and flowers.

Two books are arranged on a shelf, with a series of pieces of paper hanging on a plain background above them

A poster showing a map of the UK made up of items of rubbish. The text reads '70% of cartons are put in landfill each year, which cost the UK £300 million a year'.

Three posters featuring blocks of text and bold images hang on a gallery wall

A series of posters featuring military imagery, such as helmets, guns and boots. One poster reads 'A live grenade landed on the roof next to Carpenter'.

A series of posters featuring an assortment of lettering examples

Four bottles of tonic water sit in their packaging on a plain surface

Four bottles of tonic water, each with a different coloured label, sit on a counter

A pair of magazine covers showing a person wearing jeans lying on a sofa

A page showing six different patterns featuring dots of different sizes. The words 'The Wingtips of Northamptonshire' appear at the top.

Several posters and pages hung on a gallery wall. One features a block of text, another shows a furry creature curled up

A poster showing a woodland, mountains in the background and a body of water in the foreground

Two magazine pages with blocks of text on both. One has large letters G R, the other has T E !

Examples of packaging and communications. The main poster is text-based, reading 'moving on moving up moving ahead moving forward first requires movement'

What to bring on your first day

All you'll need on your first day is a notepad, mug, pens or pencils and a smile. 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:

Propelling pencil
Double-sided tape
Masking tape
Layout pad A3
A3 Presentation portfolio
Digital camera
A4 Folders to keep course handouts and various other documents

If you're going to buy a computer, we recommend a laptop suitable to run design programs. However, BA (Hons) Visual Communication students have access to a range of iMac computers in our studio and in our Mac Suite. They're also able to hire iPads, laptops and cameras from our Central Media Store when required.