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In today's competitive landscape, graphic design proficiency is vital across diverse industries. Our digital-first BA (Hons) Graphic Design positions you as an industry-ready professional with a deep understanding of design principles, industry trends, and client expectations, increasing your chances of securing rewarding positions and advancing your career.
Adobe Creative Cloud
You'll have free access to Adobe Creative Cloud as part of your studies. We'll guide you through integrating your newfound knowledge into your designs using Adobe tools, empowering you to master this essential tool to a professional standard.
What you’ll learn
This BA Graphic Design course will equip you with the professional, creative, and practical skills needed to excel as a graphic designer in the creative industries. Through carefully curated modules tailored to industry demands, you’ll learn why certain compositions work better than others and how to convey specific messages through design. This will enable you to produce high-standard designs and articulate how they fulfil the requirements of a given brief.
By the end of the course, you'll be ready to thrive in an ever-evolving digital landscape, presenting yourself as a well-rounded graphic designer with the knowledge and skills to succeed.
Preparing you for professional success
We prioritise your employability, ensuring you acquire valuable experience for your future career. You'll tackle authentic industry briefs, guided step-by-step from concept to completion. This process empowers you to transform creative ideas into industry-standard original designs, equipping you with the skills you need to effectively handle client briefs in a professional setting.
Your course modules emphasise employability and equip you with the practical design skills to succeed once you graduate. That’s why professional portfolio development is a critical aspect of our programme, and we offer a dedicated module in your final year to help you best present your work.
Just some of the fascinating modules you’ll study on this course include:
Creative Digital Skills
Get familiar with Adobe Creative Cloud, the industry-standard software suite used across the creative sector. This module provides a solid grounding in Adobe CC tools for creative practice. You’ll become proficient in the interface and learn how to transform creative ideas into professional graphic designs.
Reading Images 1
Learn how visual communication works and gain the ability to understand and convey the context and significance of your designs. Completing this module will elevate you from a competent designer to a smart one, capable of creating visually compelling and meaningful work.
The Major Project & Creative Showcase
Tackle a self-initiated design brief, choosing your own subject matter and media to create work that reflects your unique interests and style. You’ll present this work professionally to a public audience, preparing you for real-world exposure and critique.
I really feel like Arden University has already helped me with my career, not just because of the design/marketing knowledge I gained here but because studying here gave me a lot of confidence. I used some of my freshly gained knowledge in a recent interview in a marketing and promotions role, and it felt really good to be able to get ‘real life’ achievements due to my studies this early on.
You have 3-9 years to complete this course, meaning that you can take up to three years to complete each level; however, many of our students complete the course in 3-6 years.
No exams: Instead of traditional exams, our assessments mirror real-world tasks you'll encounter in your career. This approach ensures you graduate fully prepared for the workplace, with a focus on building a comprehensive portfolio.
Tailored technical skill sessions: Our lecturers have curated a library of technical skill videos and offer personalised one-on-one assistance, empowering you to employ various design techniques. These skills enrich your professional toolkit, enabling you to create remarkable designs.
Specialisation opportunities: We advocate for specialisation and personal growth through independent projects. Working closely with you, we explore your response to briefs, helping you discover your unique creative voice. This allows you to specialise in an area of graphic design most aligned with your passions.
Design thinking: We prioritise the development of critical analysis skills, essential for understanding the purpose and effectiveness of imagery in graphic design. Our dedicated modules in this area cultivate a deep understanding of design principles, setting you apart in the field.
Professional portfolio development: In your final year, we offer a free web space for you to showcase the work you have created throughout your studies. Every aspect of your degree contributes to your industry relevance, and we provide guidance on presenting yourself as a “full package graphic designer”.
Hands-on learning is central to our approach. Throughout the course, you'll engage in drawing, creating, and designing, all while honing core graphic design skills like digital design, typography, and image creation for diverse platforms and objectives – from UX design to packaging. This practical approach ensures you not only learn but also can apply your knowledge effectively. By consistently putting theory into practice, you'll graduate equipped with industry-relevant skills.
Everything you produce becomes part of your professional portfolio, which we assist you in developing using our free personal webspace while you're enrolled with us. This platform allows you to showcase your capabilities to potential employers.
This course is available to students as a fully online programme, which gives you the convenience of being able to study from anywhere worldwide.
I am only halfway through my second module of year one at Arden, but I’m loving every part of it. I was worried at first about how I could manage it alongside my job, and also about how we would manage to build a sense of community among the students, but this is working well so far. So far the course has opened my creative mind to some forgotten aspects of design as well as introducing new possibilities. I’m really enjoying the whole experience.
Studying this course online gives you the ultimate in convenience. You can enrol with Arden from anywhere in the world and study your degree from the comfort of home, without the requirement to attend classes in a physical location.
Our online students study their degree through ilearn, Arden’s university campus in the cloud. ilearn provides everything you need to study at University. It offers an integrated virtual learning experience, including your virtual classroom, lecture theatre, and access to our Library Portal. The portal includes an extensive digital library including thousands of journal titles, eBooks, and academic and industry databases which you can use to research your assignments and projects. All of these materials are provided to you free of charge, and contain all the research information you’ll need to complete your degree with us.
ilearn is also integrated with Zoom, making it easier to chat with your course tutor during your scheduled seminar sessions. You can even integrate our study materials into your Kindle, making it possible to study wherever you have you Kindle handy.
Studying online doesn’t mean studying alone. As well as receiving regular feedback and guidance from your course tutor, you’ll be studying with likeminded students who you can meet with through our Unitu community, and you’ll have access to community message boards to discuss your course and the topics being raised within it. We’ve even set up community boards embedded into each of the course modules so you can have discussions with your tutor and classmates on the topics you’re currently learning.
Online learning students resident in the UK can apply for a Tuition Fee loan to pay for their course. If you cannot attend your course in person because of a disability, you may also be entitled to a Maintenance Loan to cover living expenses. Please find more information on our fees and funding page. If you're a student from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland you can find information about obtaining a student loan to cover your costs from your student finance body.
At Arden University we consider applications on a case by case basis. If you have significant work experience, have qualifications you have gained elsewhere, or a degree or qualification that isn't a clear pathway to this degree - we are more than happy to discuss your application.
Our aim is to make learning as accessible as possible by ensuring that you can study in a flexible and convenient way. That's why we keep our requirements simple. All you need is a laptop or desktop PC (we recommend one running the latest version of Windows), and a good internet connection. Through ilearn, our online university campus in the cloud, you'll be able to access your course calendar, support services, learning materials, and our online library containing thousands of ebooks, as well as tools for creating assignments, keeping notes, and collaborating with other students on your course.
Standard entry requirements
Non-standard entry requirements
We also offer an internal English test for applicants. More information on this can be found here.
We are happy to consider an application from you if you can show us you have the motivation to study this graphic design degree.
We’ll ask you for a personal statement that demonstrates your ability to study the course. We may also want references and evidence of relevant experiences.
Professor Marcus Leaning is Head of the School of Design and Creativity. Marcus joined Arden University in 2023 and has worked in universities for over 25 years. He has taught in the UK, Thailand, Japan and Costa Rica, is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a National Teaching Fellow. He is the author or editor of eight books, numerous journal articles and has given over 80 conference papers and keynotes in over 30 countries. Marcus is particularly interested in assisting neurodiverse students achieve their potential. Outside of academia, Marcus is a practicing ceramicist / potter and specialises in medieval-influenced pitchers and other historical forms.
This course provides unique opportunities to cultivate personal creative interests and talents, empowering you to specialise in your chosen area of expertise. Beyond Adobe skills, we foster professional graphic design thinking, enabling you to integrate your knowledge into your designs. With step-by-step guidance on handling briefs, you will gain valuable skills in turning concepts into marketable products, a crucial career asset in the competitive graphic design industry.
To provide you with insight into the typical salaries within the Graphic Design industry in the UK, here are some average figures*:
Content Designer: £87,939
User Experience Designer: £56,170
Designer: £39,493
Creative Designer: £37,035
Packaging Designer: £36,718
*Sourced from Reed Salary Tracker, 5th May 2024
This programme equips you with essential employability skills for the creative industries. By working on real-world briefs and independent projects, you will build a unique portfolio vital for job applications. While studying, you will:
The critical analysis of imagery is crucial in today’s graphic design field, particularly given the rise of AI-generated images. The understanding of design intent you’ll gain throughout this course will set you apart for a wide range of exciting opportunities. Here are a few career options you might consider:
All Arden students will have free access to LinkedIn Learning through the Library Portal. LinkedIn Learning is a video-based online learning platform offering over 16,500 expert-led courses across a wide range of subjects including business, technology, and creative skills.
With LinkedIn Learning, you can:
