What will I do?
The course is diverse and challenging and will enable you to develop your creative and technical skills in order to produce a varied and sophisticated portfolio of work and prepare you for a rewarding and exciting career in design or illustration.
During the two years, the work you produce within the units will give you the opportunity to improve your drawing and graphic skills, develop your use of appropriate materials, techniques and processes, learn and use the design process, find out how to generate ideas and concepts and then how to visual communicate them to specific audiences. You will also have lectures and undertake personal research into the history of design, photography, animation and illustration.
The course is a strong foundation in design and illustration, as it gives you the basics of how to design and illustrate well, while producing work using a mixture of traditional (by hand) and digital techniques and processes.
The type of design/illustration produced may be any of the following: Typographical and illustrative posters (digitally produced, screen printed or produced by hand), CD and DVD cover design, packaging including labels, stamp design, book cover design, magazine spreads, corporate identities/logo design, brochure design, photography, websites, advertising, type design, animation (istop motion or flash) drawings and book illustration, we also work on live assignments that come from outside clients.
The work produced reflects some of the career paths available within graphic design and will help you to choose the right specialist path when you reach the end of the course and are applying for a higher level course in a specific subject.
What qualifications will I need?
We normally offer places to students who have at least 4 GCSEs at grade A* to C with at least one in a creative subject and who can show commitment and enthusiasm for art and design through examples of creative work. Adult students may have these requirements waived on interview based on examples of creative work.
If you do not have the necessary experience or qualifications we offer a Level Two BTEC First in Art and Design which upon successful completion may enable progression to a BTEC Extended Diploma course.
What qualifications will I gain?
On completion of the two year course and by successfully passing all units you will have achieved a BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma – equivalent to 3 full A-Levels
How do I apply?
We offer all prospective students an opportunity to request an advisory interview to ensure that you are placed on the most suitable course; this can be a good opportunity to ask questions and get some advice on what we like to see in a portfolio.
Please apply on-line and when we receive your completed application form we will arrange for you to have an interview and ask you to bring along examples of your creative work.
Whilst we are happy to receive applications at any time of the year, we would encourage you to apply as early as possible before the start of the course.
What could I do after?
Successful students may progress to a variety of degree level programmes at Plymouth College of Art, for example in Graphic Design, Illustration and Print, Design for Games and Animation or gain entry to other Colleges and Universities. Alternatively you may choose to look for employment.
