Graphic Design BA Honours
Unleash your creativity in the heart of London's thriving graphic design scene. Begin your creative career with expert guidance, strong industry connections, and like-minded individuals
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Viewing course details for 2024 year of entry
- Code
- W210
- Attendance
- Full-time
- Start
- September 2024
- Fees
- £9,250 (UK) | £16,600 (INT)
- Duration
- 3 years full-time
- Course Leader
- Claire Lewis
- Study mode
- On campus
- Location
- Hendon campus
- Entry Requirements
- 112 UCAS points
- Placement year
- Yes
- School / Department
- School of Art and Design
Visual communication through graphic design touches and shapes many aspects of modern life. From mobile apps and interactive posters to pop-up shows and global branding – graphic design is everywhere. Our graphic design degree prepares you for an exciting career that can take you on many diverse paths.
Why choose BA Graphic Design at Middlesex?
Our highly knowledgeable staff will guide you to develop your own creative voice. You'll embrace the recent advancements, developments, and changes taken by the creative industries.
We'll provide technical support to develop your skills using our cutting-edge facilities. These include design workshops such as photographic studios, print rooms and an extensive art and design library.
You will be part of a vibrant community of creatives. Taking part in study trips to London's art galleries and design studios. And our north London location means that you’re able to explore your interests in this design-minded city.
We host regular guest lecturers so you can learn from leading industry professionals. Past lectures have included designers from Media Arts Lab, Futerra, Graphic Thought Facility, Penguin and the BBC. Many of these consistent connections to industry and London result in invaluable work placements and live briefs.
What you will gain
Year after year our students produce outstanding industry-standard work and leave the course with an impressive portfolio to launch their careers.
In your final year, you will develop a professional portfolio that will bring your three years of study together creating a portfolio that represents who you are as a designer. Your portfolio will be exhibited at our degree show, ensuring that creative industry employers see your hard work.
We have a focus on employability and have excellent industry links with many of our students undertaking work placements at top design companies during the second year. Our graduates have gone on to work at places such as the BBC, Penguin, Warner Brothers, Apple and Wolff Olins.
What you will learn
You'll work on briefs that closely resemble the professional world, gaining transferable experience right from the start.
Throughout your three years practical project work will help you learn how to communicate your ideas. This will be accomplished through a series of assignments in subjects such as branding, typography, editorial design, advertising, art direction, UI/UX, web design and moving image.
The course will equip you with a wide range of employable skills that are highly valued in the industry. Some of the key employable skills you can expect to gain from this course include:
- The principles of graphic design and visual communication
- Digital proficiency: you will gain proficiency in using various digital design tools such as Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and other software applications
- The development of your creative skills and the ability to learn how to generate unique and innovative design solutions to meet client needs
- The development of effective communication skills, including presenting ideas and concepts to clients and working collaboratively with other team members
- Learning how to identify problems and create solutions that meet the needs of clients and target audiences
- Time management: you will develop skills in managing your time effectively and meeting project deadlines.
Global experiences at Middlesex
We offer unique global experiences which could include studying part of your degree abroad and doing a placement or volunteering in another country, as well as many international opportunities in London. You'll build your cultural awareness and understanding and get a competitive edge in the job market. You may even qualify for grant funding under the Turing Scheme. Find out more about how studying at Middlesex will increase your global experience.
3 great reasons to pick this course
Year 1
As you start your degree course at Middlesex, the first year gives you an opportunity to explore and experiment with a wide range of approaches to graphic design. The first year is designed to build your foundational knowledge of typography – the art of working with text which underpins all areas of graphic design practice. You will also engage with a range of media and design skills, from photography to digital illustration, from printmaking to design thinking. Divided into four modules, projects are designed to encourage experimentation and hands-on making, with a focus on the design process, as much as final outcomes. You are invited to think critically about your work by engaging with a range of design ideas, both contemporary and historical.
Year 2
The second year is a stepping stone towards developing your skills, knowledge and identity as a professional designer. Building on key design skills developed in the first year, you will be pushed to strengthen your ability to problem-solve and develop effective design solutions to a range of experimental as well as live briefs. Working across specialist subject areas, such as advertising, editorial design, moving image, branding, and interactive or web design. You are also encouraged to start developing your own creative language and distinctive design skills. In this year you will make a shift towards independent learning and professional practice, preparing you for your future career while still experimenting with your design and growing your critical thinking.
Year 3
In your final year of study, you will concentrate on solving visual communication problems to a professional standard and develop an individual portfolio. Using the skills and knowledge developed in your first and second year, you'll develop self-initiated projects that push the boundaries of graphic design both in terms of your conceptual thinking and visual style. In addition to your Final Major Project, you'll engage with a range of projects and briefs in branding, publishing, publicity, advertising, retail, and interactive media, as well as internationally recognised creative industry competitions. This allows you to develop a rich and diverse portfolio of work, and prepares you for a future career in the industry.
BA Graphic Design at Middlesex is known for its exceptional facilities and studios, which allow you to develop design skills to the highest level. Supported by staff with in-depth knowledge in specialist areas of graphic design – from editorial design and typography to advertising or web design – you are given the tools needed to enhance your learning.
Students are able to develop skills in letterpress, risograph, screen-printing or photography, as well as digital skills through the use of specialist software and technology. You will be guided by staff and technicians, while also using the specialist facilities independently to develop projects and studio briefs to the highest professional standard.
About your course
BA Graphic Design at Middlesex embraces an experimental, innovative and playful approach to designing for communication. The flexible structure of the course offers you the opportunity to develop a range of skills across typography, branding, illustration, motion graphics, photography, interactive, user experience (UX) and editorial design. You will find the right tools and refine your skills to create effective design solutions. This multi-disciplinary approach enables you to find your creative voice and find your place within the dynamic landscape of contemporary graphic design.
This module will introduce you to a variety of design thinking processes within the field of Graphic Design. You will develop your conceptual ability and come up with creative solutions to a brief. You will be shown how to use typographic content and imagery with contrast, hierarchy and scale change to create original graphic content.
This module will introduce you to the creative communications potential of typography by providing a strong grounding in fundamental typographic principles such as structure, hierarchy, layout, and terminology. Throughout this module, you will be encouraged to use conceptual creative thinking when exploring the possibilities of typography.
This module will provide you with an opportunity to explore a variety of different graphic media so that you can gain an understanding in the value of these media for visual communication. You will be introduced to areas of design such as printmaking, image making, photography, digital design and design thinking. You will be encouraged to have an inventive and experimental response to the use of processes and materials in workshop and studio areas.
This module aims to deliver a rich understanding of the chronological development of Graphic Design from its earliest origins to the present day. You will be introduced to the ‘isms’ of Art in the 20th Century and a timeline showing the development of design from early writing to the recording of words and language “the codex” or book.
This module will encourage the exploration and development of a graphic visual language within professional practice. You will be taught to integrate and enhance the practices of problem solving and typography developed in earlier modules. You will be encouraged to focus on exploring and refining imaginative visual communication concepts, resolving details and further developing the time management skills needed to meet the deadlines of professional external requirements. Professional practice is an important element of this module and opportunities will be provided to help you develop practice skills through a choice of briefs from internationally recognised design competitions. Advice on building relationships with industry by encouraging you to participate in self initiated placements will be provided. You will also be given the opportunity to investigate design with a social conscience, exploring how design can have a positive impact on society.
This module will develop your understanding of specialist subject areas of creative practice through studio and workshop based activities. You will be able to further develop individual approaches in using creative processes analysing, evaluating visual pieces of work and presentation methods. The acquisition of intermediate specialist skills to work effectively in creative workshop areas such as editorial design, moving image, letterpress, coding, three-dimensional design and digital design will be encouraged.
This module aims to contextualise contemporary Graphic Designer and current design thinking with developments in technologies and society in the digital age. You will be given the opportunity to develop ideas connecting the recent developments of technologies, looking particularly at the digital nature of design. You will then look at societal changes made possible by the new digital age and to the more fluid role of Graphic Designer in society, including areas of design such as service design and interdisciplinary design. This will all be underpinned by looking in detail at current designers, asking questions about what is coming next.
This module will enable you to deliver a critical and contextual research project and pursue creative major projects and graphic authorship. You will consolidate the development of skills such as project identification, research organisation and development, time management, visual analysis and critical argument. You will go on to extend the ability to think creatively about the presentation of conceptual, critical and contextual material in both written and visual form. This module aims to enable you to identify and deliver a practice-based research project related to your studio practice which will explore the dialogue between theory and practice. You will be encouraged to develop an individual graphic design style and working methodology to and above the standard required by industry and postgraduate study. One way this will be done is through a self-initiated project to explore the idea of graphic authorship and experimental graphic design.
The module will enable you to develop your professional practice and extend your range of specialist skills through producing a professional portfolio. You will also be enabled to develop an individual graphic design style and working methodology to and above the standard required by industry and postgraduate study. This will include developing a range of specialist skills in graphic design and visual communication to pursue creative problem-solving projects. You will be provided with the knowledge you need to be at the forefront of your profession and have the confidence to gain successful employment. You will then be able to develop a high-quality portfolio that best reflects your abilities and professional goals.
To find out more about this course please download the Graphic Design BA Honours specification (PDF).
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Teaching
You'll be taught by an experienced teaching team with a wide range of expertise and professional experience.
This course approaches teaching and learning as a collaboration between you, your colleagues and our academic staff. You'll be taught by an experienced teaching team who have a wide range of expertise and professional experience.
The team includes academics, professional practitioners, and technical staff. Graduate teaching assistants or trained postgraduate research students may also have input into your teaching under the supervision of the module leader.
Most of your learning is done through project work. You will be guided through project introductions, demonstrations, seminars, group and one-to-one tutorials.
At the beginning of a project, there is a briefing at which the assignment is introduced by the tutor who will explain what the brief asks you to do and the criteria by which it will be assessed. A variety of teaching methods will be used to monitor and support your progress on the project. At the end of the project you will receive constructive feedback on the outcomes from your tutor and peers, Lectures by tutors and visiting lecturers are a good source of inspiration and provide insight into the industry. Practical skills are often demonstrated, particularly in workshop activities.
Some of these methods of teaching may be familiar to you, others not. But don't worry you will quickly get used to new situations, and tutors will be able to explain what is required of you, and why, any time that new situations are introduced.
This course will require your active participation in learning activities and engagement with your fellow students both individually and collaboratively, working and learning with other students as part of a small group.
Your work will be divided into credits. Each credit is equal to 10 hours of study time. You will complete 120 credits per year of study, which are broken down into modules of typically 30 credits.
You will be studying at our north London campus in Hendon.
Whether you are studying full or part-time – your course timetable will balance your study commitments on campus with time for work, life commitments and independent study.
We aim to make timetables available to students at least 2 weeks before the start of term. Some weeks are different due to how we schedule classes and arrange on-campus sessions.
Independent learning
Outside of teaching hours, you’ll learn independently through self-study which will involve reading articles and books, working on projects, undertaking research, and preparing for assessments including coursework, presentations and exams.
Teaching vs independent learning
Here is an indication of how you will split your time:
Year 1
| Percentage | Hours | Typical activity |
|---|---|---|
| 27% | 324 | Teaching, learning and assessment |
| 73% | 876 | Independent learning |
Year 2
| Percentage | Hours | Typical activity |
|---|---|---|
| 27% | 324 | Teaching, learning and assessment |
| 73% | 876 | Independent learning |
Year 3
| Percentage | Hours | Typical activity |
|---|---|---|
| 27% | 324 | Teaching, learning and assessment |
| 73% | 876 | Independent learning |
Our excellent teaching and support teams will help you develop the skills relevant to your degree from research and practical skills to critical thinking. And we offer free 24-hour laptop loans with full desktop software, free printing and Wi-Fi to use on or off campus, even over the weekend.
Assessment
The assessment for this degree is 100% coursework. Your practical work will be submitted at the end of a project where there will often be a chance to see and discuss the finished design solutions of your peers.
Assessment may also involve self, peer or group approaches. For example, you may be asked to self-assess your own work, indicating where you feel you have clearly demonstrated your understanding and also identifying areas where can see you have room to improve. Assessment may also be a peer process where you, individually or in a group, offer feedback on each other’s work. Group assessment may also be part of your course where part of the assessment requires you to demonstrate your ability to work as part of a group and possibly receive a group mark.
To help you achieve the best results, we will provide regular feedback.
Constructive feedback from staff will be given in the form of an assessment sheet or an audio recording, which will be given to you once your project has been assessed. It will usually provide comments and suggestions under a number of headings, so you can see clearly which were felt to be the strong aspects of your work and where it was thought to be capable of improvement.
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North London campus
Our north London campus is 23 minutes away by underground train, travelling from London Kings Cross.
Learn moreCourse facilities
The facilities, studios and workshops at our £18 million purpose-built Art and Creative Industries teaching spaces are recognised as amongst the best in the country. With a wide range of specialist equipment, software, and digital media equipment.
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The Special Collections are held in the Materials Room in the Sheppard Library.
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Student Support
We offer lots of support to help you while you're studying including financial advice, wellbeing, mental health, and disability support.
Additional needs
We'll support you if you have additional needs such as sensory impairment or dyslexia. And if you want to find out whether Middlesex is the right place for you before you apply, get in touch with our Disability and Dyslexia team.
Wellness
Our specialist teams will support your mental health. We have free individual counselling sessions, workshops, support groups and useful guides.
Work while you study
Our Middlesex Unitemps branch will help you find work that fits around uni and your other commitments. We have hundreds of student jobs on campus that pay the London Living Wage and above. Visit the Middlesex Unitemps page.
Financial support
You can apply for scholarships and bursaries and our MDX Student Starter Kit to help with up to £1,000 of goods, including a new laptop or iPad.
We have also reduced the costs of studying with free laptop loans, free learning resources and discounts to save money on everyday things. Check out our guide to student life on a budget.
How can the BA Graphic Design support your career?
Our Graphic Design degree has an excellent reputation within the design industry and has very strong links with employers. Many of our students undertake placements at top design companies in their second year and our industry partners support us with live projects and give visiting lectures. Hundreds of design agencies, organisations and other employers also attend our final year degree show each year.
Graduate employers
Graduating from this course opens up a wide range of exciting career opportunities. Recent graduates work for magazine publishers, design consultants, advertising agencies and media providers all over the world, including the BBC, Stylist, Penguin, Amazon, Pentagram, Interbrand, Imagination, 20/20, JKR, Ogilvy & Mather and Leo Burnett.
Graduate job roles
Our graduates have the suite of skills and knowledge and creativity to be able to work in a variety of roles in communication design which include:
| Art Direction | Art Direction | Account Management |
| Animation | Book Design | Brand Consultancy |
| Corporate Design | Design Management | Digital Design |
| Experience Design | Font Design | Games and App Design |
| Editorial Design | Environmental Graphics Design | Exhibition Design |
| Graphic Design | Film | Illustration |
| Information Design | Interaction Design | Mac Operator |
| Magazine Design | Motion Design | Packaging Design |
| Photography | Production Design | Project Management |
| Retail Design | Strategic Design | Studio Management |
| Typographic Design | UI/UX Design | Visualiser |
| Wayfinding Design | Web Design |
We also support you in securing part-time work, placements, internships, and volunteering opportunities, and offer an enterprise support service for those looking to start their own business.
Further study? You can go on study courses such as our Masters in Graphic Design, Children's Book Illustration and Graphic Novels and Photography.
MDXworks
Our employability service, MDXworks will launch you into the world of work from the beginning of your course, with placements, projects and networking opportunities through our 1000+ links with industry and big-name employers in London and globally.
Our dedicated lifetime career support, like our business start-up support programme and funding for entrepreneurs, has been recognized with the following awards:
- The top 20 UK universities for business leaders and entrepreneurs – Business Money, 2023
- A top 10 university for producing CEOs – Novuana, 2023
MDXcelerator Student Start-Up Support
Want to be your own boss? You'll have the chance to pitch your business to gain mentoring and grants of up to £15,000.
Global network
You’ll study with students from 122 countries who’ll hopefully become part of your global network. And after you graduate, we'll still support you through our alumni network to help you progress in your chosen career.
Entry Requirements
Qualifications
- A Levels
- BBC
- BTEC
- DMM
- Access requirements
- Overall pass in a relevant subject: must include 45 credits at level 3, of which all 45 must be at Merit or higher
- Combinations
- A combination of A-Level, BTEC and other accepted qualifications that total 112 UCAS Tariff points
At Middlesex, we're proud of how we recognise the potential of future students like you. And how we can support you to succeed in your future career.
We make fair and aspirational offers because we want you to aim high, and we’ll support you all the way. Together we can achieve great results.
We’ll always be as flexible as possible and take into consideration any barriers you may have faced in your learning. And, if you don’t quite get the grades you hoped for, we’ll also look at more than your qualifications. Things like your work experience, other achievements and your personal statement.
Qualifications
112 UCAS points
We accept students with a wide range of qualifications, including combinations of qualifications.
Our entry requirements page outlines how we make offers.
We'll accept T Levels for entry onto our undergraduate degree courses (including our extended courses with a foundation year) with standard application of science requirements and GCSEs in line with UCAS tariff calculation.
Foundation year
If you don't meet the entry requirements, why not consider our Visual Arts Foundationcourse to help you prepare for the full degree?
Mature students (over 21)
We welcome applications from mature candidates, including those without formal qualifications, provided you can demonstrate relevant experience and ability.
Academic credit
If you have a qualification such as a foundation degree or HND or have gained credit at another university, you may be able to join us in year two or three. Find out how you can transfer.
If you have relevant qualifications or work experience, we may be able to count this towards your entry requirements. Find out more about prior learning accreditation.
We welcome students from the UK and all over the world. Join students from over 122 countries and discover why so many international students call our campus home:
- Quality teaching with top facilities plus flexible online learning
- Welcoming north London campus that's only 30 minutes from central London
- Work placements and networking with top London employers
- Career support to get you where you want to go after university
- Global alumni network and connections.
Qualifications
112 UCAS Tariff points
We accept a wide range of international qualifications such as A level and International Baccalaureate. You can find out more on your country's support page. If you need help with your application, please contact your nearest regional office.
English language
You'll need good English language skills to study with us. That's usually an IELTS 6.0 qualification (with a minimum of 5.5 in all sections). And, if you need help, we offer an intensive pre-sessional English course.
Visas
To study with us in the UK, you will need a student route visa.
Interviews
You won’t be required to attend an interview for this course.
Interview
As far as possible, you are required to attend an interview. The interview will take approximately 15 minutes but you should allow one hour for the whole interview process as you will be offered the opportunity to view the facilities and meet appropriate staff and students. We use the interview to find out more about you, to better understand your aspirations and interests, and to explore why you want to study with us.
We will invite you to an interview either on campus or via Zoom.
The interview will start with a group welcome followed by your one-to-one interview. Details of your interview will be emailed to you. If you visit us on campus, we will show you the facilities and introduce you to staff and students. If you are unable to attend the interview, you can submit a portfolio instead.
Portfolio
We will ask you to share with us your portfolio of work as part of your application. Here are some interview tips, advice on portfolio preparation and some guidance around Graphic Design portfolios.
Please apply via UCAS using this UCAS code B400.
Need help with your application? Check out our undergraduate application page.
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Fees
The fees below are for the 2024/25 academic year:
UK students1
Full-time: £9,250
Part-time: £77 per taught credit
International students2
Full-time students: £16,600
Part-time students: £138 per taught credit
Additional costs
The following study tools are included in your fees:
- Free access to resources, learning materials and software you need to succeed on your course
- Free laptop loans for up to 24 hours
- Free specialist software for your course
- Free printing for academic paperwork
- Free online training with LinkedIn Learning.
The following course-related costs are not included in the fees, and you will need to budget for these:
- Your art materials, for example, a portfolio. (around £100 per year)
- Optional field trips (approx. £200)
Scholarships and bursaries
To help make uni affordable, we do everything we can to support you including our:
- MDX Excellence Scholarship offers grants of up to £2,000 per year for UK students
- Regional or International Merit Awards which reward International students with up to £2,000 towards course fees
- Our MDX Student Starter Kit to help with up to £1,000 of goods, including a new laptop or iPad.
Find out more about undergraduate funding and all of our scholarships and bursaries.
Fees disclaimers
1. UK fees: The university reserves the right to increase undergraduate tuition fees in line with changes to legislation, regulation and any government guidance or decisions. The tuition fees for part-time UK study are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.
2. International fees: Tuition fees are subject to annual review and we reserve the right to increase the fees each academic year by no more than the level of inflation.
Any annual increase in tuition fees as provided for above will be notified to students at the earliest opportunity in advance of the academic year to which any applicable inflationary rise may apply.
Speak directly with one of our Unibuddy student ambassadors
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Unistats information
Please select 'see course data' on the following course option to view the full Unistats data for BA (Hons) Graphic Design.
Why not explore
We’ll carefully manage any future changes to courses, or the support and other services available to you, if these are necessary because of things like changes to government health and safety advice, or any changes to the law.
Any decisions will be taken in line with both external advice and the University’s Regulations which include information on this.
Our priority will always be to maintain academic standards and quality so that your learning outcomes are not affected by any adjustments that we may have to make.
At all times we’ll aim to keep you well informed of how we may need to respond to changing circumstances, and about support that we’ll provide to you.