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Graphic Design (including Year 0) at Norwich University of the Arts - UCAS

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2024 - 20252025 - 2026
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Norwich University of the Arts has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Course summary

OVERVIEW Graphic Design at Norwich University of the Arts is a contemporary ideas-led course that specialises in branding, identity design and packaging. The course is highly regarded amongst industry for its unique focus on clever and witty visual ideas, often taking a steer from the classic graphic design text, A Smile in the Mind. You will work on brands and identities for a range of organisations and businesses including designing the brands, or re-branding, within the food and drink categories. Very few courses have a reputation for doing this, and this course is rightly famous for it. You will also work on a broader range of design problems such as brand promotion and extension, editorial design and digital design. Typography, copywriting, imagery (photographic and illustrative) and print applications lie at the heart of all your work. You can also get involved in motion design as part of your solutions and/or to bring your projects to life on screen. INTEGRATED FOUNDATION (YEAR 0) This course includes an integrated foundation year (Year 0), which promotes developing practical, technical and creative skills and confidence. Building on your prior experience, you will be introduced to some of our workshops to assist your skill development, with an increasing emphasis on professional standards and independent study. The course places emphasis on your personal commitment to study, while supporting you in your progression. KEY FEATURES

  • Share your first year with other graphics students, and continue to work alongside each other, allowing for a unique cross fertilisation of knowledge, skills and experience
  • Develop skills in typography, printing, layout, photography, design research, idea generation, visual narrative and story telling
  • Become adept at understanding and deciphering a brief, researching and generating ideas, problem-solving, developing the most successful concept, and executing and presenting the final work
  • Create clever ideas-based solutions for organisations and brands, premium food and drink packaging, design for good/change and campaigns that aim to address the problems we face in the world
  • Your timetable will be punctuated by regular industry talks from some of the highest profile designers, studios and agencies, anywhere in the world
  • Participate in workshops and classes run by external professionals, undertake project briefs initiated and taught by designers from industry, and enter national and international design competitions judged by the design industry
  • Engage with industry through portfolio reviews and surgeries, talks from practising alumni focused on portfolio development and employability, interview practice and graduate portfolio showcase events
YOUR FUTURE You will be asked to consider the design industry in terms of the sectors you wish to work in, and the potential roles that are available to you. You will have the opportunity to create a range of employment focused tools including a CV, email/covering letter and a career overview and strategy. By the time you conclude the course you will have developed a professional portfolio and a strong sense of where you want to work within the industry. Nearly all designers must collaborate with others; even sole traders need to work with clients and suppliers, and of course working within any sort of agency set-up requires that you can work alongside others. Therefore, we provide these opportunities for you to develop a set of professional and transferable skills such as teamwork, time management and project planning. Students have found employment at some of the most prestigious design agencies including Turner Duckworth, JKR, Magpie, The Cabinet, Hat-Trick, The Chase, Pearlfisher, Elmwood, and many, many more. OUR STUDENTS’ WORK Explore our online Graduate Showcase – celebrating the very best Norwich University of the Arts graduate work at nuagradshowcase.com

Modules

You can find more information about the content of the BA (Hons) Graphic Design (including Year 0) course at https://norwichuni.ac.uk/4-year-degrees/

Assessment method

The University assesses you through the coursework you produce as you complete each unit. Each unit will require you to present a portfolio of work which may include finished pieces of work, written work, your research, and a reflective journal which allows you to evaluate your learning and highlight your strengths and areas for further development. You can find out more information about our assessment methods at https://norwichuni.ac.uk/ba-hons-graphic-design/#assessment

How to apply

29Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
W216
Institution code:
N39
Campus name:
Norwich University of the Arts
Campus code:
A

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Foundation

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

Norwich welcomes applicants of all ages from all backgrounds. Your application will be primarily assessed through your portfolio, responses to questions asked and personal statement, so even if you have no formal qualifications or do not meet our typical offers it can still be worth applying. If you are studying at the time of your application and your application is successful it is likely that you will receive a conditional offer. If the qualification that you are studying is not shown, do not worry as we are able to accept other pre-entry qualifications as well as combinations of different qualifications.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://norwichuni.ac.uk/ba-hons-graphic-design/#integrated-foundation-year

Additional entry requirements

Portfolio

Once you have applied to BA (Hons) Graphic Design (including Year 0) at Norwich, we will ask you to prepare a portfolio. This will be used to assess your suitability for the course. Your portfolio should clearly demonstrate your passion for the subject and your individual creativity. For more information please visit our website at www.nua.ac.uk/ba-hons-graphic-design/#tabs-portfolio-guidance

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
80%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
95%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9250* Year 1
Northern Ireland £9250* Year 1
Scotland £9250* Year 1
Wales £9250* Year 1
Channel Islands £9250* Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9250* Year 1
EU £18000* Year 1
International £18000* Year 1

*This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

These provisional fees are based off the 2024/25 fees and are subject to change.
Graphic Design (including Year 0) at Norwich University of the Arts - UCAS