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Introduction
Why choose this course?
Key features
Access one-to-one support from the Leicester Media School Drawing Centre to perfect your drawing skills and meet like-minded artists.
Benefit from our Gurus and Grasshoppers peer support mentoring scheme – final-year students mentor new students on formal assignments and additional areas, as needed.
Develop your practical and professional skills through live project briefs set by real clients from the design industry.
Enter high-profile competitions such as D&AD, RSA, Macmillan Children’s Books, Batsford, Penguin and Creative Conscience.
Explore the world with DMU Global, our international experience programme. Graphic Design students have previously researched the Bauhaus art movement in Berlin and visited museums and galleries in Amsterdam.
Exhibit your work at the week-long DMU Degree Show, one of Leicester’s biggest art and design shows, where final-year students have the chance to meet talent scouts and win industry prizes.
Benefit from Education 2030, where a simplified ‘block learning’ timetable means you will study one subject at a time and have more time to engage with your learning, receive faster feedback and enjoy a better study-life balance.
Overview
The Graphic Design (Illustration) degree is taught in alliance with the Graphic Design degree, with module-specific teaching to develop a more personal visual language.
Graphic designers and illustrators need to be curious innovators and follow a reflective and explorative design process. They need to understand and engage audience. The Graphic Design (Illustration) course will build both your Graphic Design industry skills and develop your own personal visual style. You will be taught how to interpret briefs, identify and solve problems to create innovative design illustration solutions.
On the Graphic Design (Illustration) course you will have the opportunity to explore and experiment with an extensive range of media and craft skills, taught by expert practitioners. You will work on projects that allow your creativity and talent to thrive over all print, digital and analogue media platforms.
Through our close relationships with industry you will be set live projects enabling you to have work selected and published.
The course will prepare you in all aspects of graphic design and illustration to prosper in the exciting, everchanging creative industry. You will work towards building a professional creative portfolio that will showcase your unique visual voice.
Modules
Year one
• Block 1: Exploration and Ideation for Graphic Design and Illustration
• Block 2: Applied Idea Development for Graphic Design and Illustration
• Block 3: Visual Communication for Graphic Design and Illustration
• Block 4: Creative Resolution for Graphic Design and Illustration
Year two
• Block 1: Design Process for Graphic Design and Illustration
• Block 2: Design Process Progression for Graphic Design and Illustration
• Block 3: Design Communication for Graphic Design and Illustration
• Block 4: Year 2 Personal Practice for Graphic Design and Illustration
Year three
• Block 1: Independent Practice
• Block 2: Independent Practice 2
• Block 3: Professional Practice
• Block 4: Professional Practice 2
Entry Criteria
ENTRY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Home Office Share Code
For EU students only.
IF no Qualification
Please provide CV with at least 2 years of work experience, and employee reference letter.
Entry criteria
Normally 104 UCAS points from at least two A-levels or equivalent, with Art and Design at grade C or above or
Art and Design BTEC National Diploma/ Extended Diploma at DMM
Plus five GCSEs at grade C or above, including English or equivalent.
Alternative qualifications include:
Pass in the QAA accredited Access to HE Art and Design course with at least 15 credits in Art and Design at merit. English GCSE required as a separate qualification as equivalency is not accepted within the Access qualification. We will normally require students to have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course or
International Baccalaureate: 24+ points including Art and Design at higher level grade 5 or
T Levels Merit or
Art and Design Foundation Diploma: Pass
Portfolio Required: You will also need a good portfolio according to the course guidelines as part of your application.
Interview Required: No
Contextual offer
To make sure you get fair and equal access to higher education, when looking at your application, we consider more than just your grades. So if you are eligible, you may receive a contextual offer. Find our more about contextual offers.
English language
If English is not your first language then an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component (or equivalent) is essential.
English Language tuition, delivered by our British Council accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.
Assessment
ASSESSMENT METHODS
1. INTERNAL ENGLISH TEST if you don't have an English accredited certificate
2. Academic Interview
Teaching
This is a full-time course. Each module is worth 30 credits. Outside of your normal timetabled hours you will be expected to conduct independent study each week to complete preparation tasks, assessments and research.
Course delivery is in block mode, which means each 30 credit module consists of a seven week teaching block.
The multidisciplinary approach requires a range of deliveries, such as: workshop demonstrations, studio work, lectures, seminars, tutorials, group project work, screenings, external visits, visiting professionals, independent learning, research and self-directed studies all inform practical areas of study. Lectures and seminars, research and self-directed study deliver the contextual and historical information students need to inform their thinking around theoretical issues, and their analytical writing skills.
Assessment
Formative reviews of work take place on a continuous weekly tutorial basis preceding formative assessments each semester and summative assessments in May. Assessment strategies adhere to subject benchmarks and applicable professional requirements.
Career Opportunities
Graduate careers
Graphic Design (Illustration) graduate Jack landed a two-book deal with Kings Road Publishing thanks to his final-year project, The Mega Meltdown, a book about ice age animals such as the woolly mammoth, sabre tooth tiger and giant sloths.
He said: "DMU gives students lots of support in establishing yourself as a self-employed freelancer, which was really helpful for me. My tutors were great too. They didn't just stand up and give a lecture, they’d come around while you're working, talk to you about your projects, and give you advice."
DMU Global
Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich studies, broaden cultural horizons and develop key skills valued by employers.
Through DMU Global, we offer an exciting mix of overseas, on-campus and online international experiences, including the opportunity to study or work abroad for up to a year.
Recent trips have seen Graphic Design students explore Berlin and take part in illustration and interactive courses in Amsterdam.
Placements
During this course you will have the option to complete a placement year, an invaluable opportunity to put the skills developed during your degree into practice. This insight into the professional world will build on your knowledge in a real-world setting, preparing you to progress onto your chosen career.
Our Graphic Design Illustration students have recently secured placements at Pochin Bathrooms and Fleishman Hillard.
Our Careers Team can help to hone your professional skills with mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and an assigned personal tutor will support you throughout your placement.
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