Canterbury Epsom Farnham Rochester Careers Guide Design Your Career uca.ac.uk
WHY GRAPHIC DESIGN OR ILLUSTRATION? Do you... Get told you re creative or artistic? Enjoy communication using words and images? Enjoy all types of media? Look at signs, adverts and digital messages and think they could be improved? Image: Robert Brown, BA (Hons) Graphic Communication, UCA Farnham 2 Cover image: Patrick Hobley BA (Hons) Digital Communication Design, UCA Epsom
A DEGREE IN GRAPHIC DESIGN COULD BE RIGHT FOR YOU! A graphic design degree gives you the tools in the competitive world of visual communication. At university you can study anything from graphic design, communication to illustration enabling you to follow the path you are most interested in. A creative career of this type can be immensely satisfying and a degree will enable you hold a critical, conceptual and contextual understanding of this subject area as well as creativity supported by technical understanding. This will lead to work on work individually and in agencies on a wide range of activities from corporate identity, branding and imagery within all media. DESIGN YOUR CAREER So you like the idea of a career in graphic design, but what sort of jobs could you do? Here s a taster of just some of the roles that a graphic design degree could open doors to once you ve graduated Graphic Designer: Graphic designers manipulate words and images to communicate messages and ideas.this can be for anything from advertising, signage or packaging. For those with creative ideas, technical and artistic skills this can be an interesting and absorbing career. Typically you will be a good communicator who enjoys challenges and pays great attention to detail. You will be able to present your work, explain the ideas behind it, discuss concepts and take on board constructive criticism. Art Directors: If you have a creative flair, an eye for visually interesting messaging and an interest in communicating using clever ideas - then there could be opportunities for you in advertising or editorial areas. You will be capable of working collaboratively with a multi-skilled team and will be able to express your ideas in an inspiring and interesting way. You will be capable of working to deadlines and understand brands, products and concepts. Illustrators: Illustrators develop a distinctive visual style. They work in a wide variety of mediums producing artwork and diagrams that make services and products attractive and usable or exploring ideas through selfinitiated work. They can work on digital media, books, cards, advertisements, packaging and books. Illustrators work to a brief set by their client and create ideas around it, they work to a schedule to meet publication or other deadlines. Web and Broadcast Designers: If you have technical and creative skills can apply them to work to build websites and broadcast media, they can work in any area of business that wishes to promote itself. You need to understand how the consumer will experience the site or media and access the information or entertainment that it provides. Freelance: A number of design professionals act as freelancers, which means that they are self-employed and find their own work. You d get ultimate flexibility on your work and need to be a self-starter and great with people so that you build up lasting work contacts. 3
Image: Demetri Merry-Taylor, BA (Hons) Illustration, UCA Farnham 4
KICKSTARTING YOUR CAREER David Nathan Davies, a 2012 graduate from BA (Hons) Graphic Communication, Farnham, gives some background on his transition from student to working in a London branding agency HOW DID YOU CHOOSE YOUR COURSE? I chose to study Graphic Communication at UCA after seeing the quality of design work previous students produced. My degree was very multi-disciplinary, teaching me a wide range of skills from the fundamentals of layout and typography to more complex design principles, practical techniques, and semiotics. It also solidified my passion for graphic design, due in part to my tutors who were always on hand to offer feedback and advice, and guided me toward new designers, ideas and techniques. I also valued the emphasis on obtaining work experience as it allowed me to gain more insight into the life of a practising graphic designer. WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE AS A STUDENT LIKE? My time at UCA Farnham was an invaluable experience that prepared me with a wealth of knowledge and practical skills. These skills were underpinned by a solid understanding of historical and current design practices, allowing me to see my work in the wider context of the field of graphic design. After graduating, I was offered a full time position as a graphic designer in a London branding agency, based on the strength of my design portfolio from UCA. David Nathan Davies 2012 graduate BA (Hons) Graphic Communication UCA Farnham 5
INDUSTRY OVERVIEW The UK s creative industries are worth 76.9 billion per year. At a time when the creative industries are growing at three times the rate of the UK s economy, the influence of art, design and media in our lives has never been more clearly defined. There s never been a better time to take a creative course With over 2.62 million people working in jobs that contribute to the UK s creative economy, there are definitely careers for creative people. Just check out the facts - the latest figures from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) show that the UK s creative industries are stronger than ever. According to the DCMS, the industries growth was three times greater than the wider economy, with the UK s creative industries now recognised as world leaders. As the second largest provider of creative arts education in the country, UCA has launched thousands of students onto exciting career paths with some of the biggest brand names on the planet. 91.9% of UCA graduates are employed (or in further study) within six months of completing their degrees, and we currently have graduates forging careers in a host of rewarding roles. Source: Creative Industries 2015: Focus on Employment. Published: June 30, 2015. Image: Ryan Webb, BA (Hons) Graphic Communication, UCA Farnham 6
CAREERS The world of graphics and illustration offers you an abundance of interesting career options, in areas such as: -Advertising -Animation -Consultancy, branding and brand strategy. -Digital imaging -Editorial design -Education -Freelance illustration and design -Graphic design -Multi-media production -Packaging -Printmaking -Project management -Publishing -Set design. -Typography -Web design. The types of roles a graphic design and illustration higher education could take you into include: -Graphic and packaging designers -Art directors -Picture editors -Information designers -App developers -Web and broadcast designers -Freelance illustration -In-house illustration/design. SKILLS AND QUALITIES As a student on a practical course, you ll develop as a highly-skilled practitioner in your chosen field. You ll also learn a wide range of transferable personal skills, such as: -Communication -Networking -Presentation -Commercial awareness -Problem solving -Decision-making -Research -Time management -Self- promotion -Team-working -Attention to detail. INDUSTRY LINKS Interaction with the industry is fundamental to university degrees. At UCA we engage with industry through studio visits, work placements, live projects and tasks either set by or coauthored by industry practitioners, as well as international competitions and collaborations. Courses at UCA have links with: -Brian Webb -Creative Review magazine -Design Museum -EHS Brann -Eye magazine -GBH -Lewis Moberly -MOJO magazine -Neoco -The BBC -Walker Books -Why Not Associates -Baseline magazine -BCMH -Unicorn Press -Thomas Matthews 7
MAKING IT IN THE INDUSTRY Peter Allinson studied Graphic Design at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at UCA Epsom he is currently Head of Design at UKTV. A large network responsible for a portfolio of 10 well known television channels including Dave and Gold. Previously he was Head of Design at STEAM Motion and Sound, a Soho-based creative agency which produces television commercials, online content and music videos for high profile brands in music, entertainment and theatre. Peter has just been appointed Design Director at UKTV, a multi-award winning media company with 10 channels, a role which he takes up shortly. After being asked to create a mock James Bond title sequence in the first year of his undergraduate degree, Peter discovered a love for motion graphics, honing his skills over the next three years to eventually win a Design & Art Direction global student award and secure two internships. A good example of this was when I was working with Sony to rebuild PlayStation s iconic brand. This extensive rebrand covered branding guidelines, outdoor advertising, digital design, social media, in store displays and logo animations. The industry demands more cross platform executions, requiring designers to understand a greater number of software packages and become flexible in the way that they work - more now than ever before. WHAT INTERESTED YOU IN DESIGN? To a designer, it s glaringly obvious that every single object around us has been designed for a purpose. From the seat you are sitting on right now, to the toothbrush that you use every day. It is this that has always intrigued me, said Peter, 30. Graphic design has traditionally been seen as a two-dimensional medium, but this is no longer the case. Graphic design is a form of visual storytelling using anything from traditional media, to motion graphics or digital art. WHO HAVE YOU WORKED WITH? Peter s post-university successes include working with such luminary clients as ABC, Channel 4, Disney, HSBC, ITV, Red Bull, UBS, Sky, Sony, Universal Pictures and Warner International. Amongst his biggest projects is the music video for Michael Bublé s Baby it s Cold Outside, which has nearly 14 million hits on YouTube and was broadcast on national television. I love working on music videos because there are such a wide variety of artists out there, said Peter. There are some new musicians who 8
Peter Allinson UCA Alumnus are working with us on some rather ambitious videos. These projects are always fun to work on because they are becoming more abstract and inventive. I enjoy working on projects where I can let my imagination run wild and leave it partially up to the audience to decide on how to interpret the message. Peter recently art directed a new television campaign from concept to post-production for The Lion King on Broadway. Beginning with a green screen shoot involving the full cast in New York, and culminating back in London with intensive editing, grading, and compositing, the project ultimately collected gongs for Best Entertainment and Best Choreography at the Telly Awards in the US. So many theatre productions are crying out for more creative content. I enjoy pushing the boundaries and presenting ideas that the client may not have considered. I have always enjoyed the challenge of broadening a brand identity through various media. It is this passion and creative challenge that has contributed to me pursuing a career in design; I feel fortunate every day to be doing something I love. 9
Image: Tom Lewis, BA (Hons) Digital Communication Design, UCA Epsom Image: Jessica Ettridge, BA (Hons) Graphic Design: Visual Communications
WHAT S NEXT? SO, YOU VE DECIDED A CAREER IN GRAPHIC DESIGN OR ILLUSTRATION IS FOR YOU WHAT S THE NEXT STEP? Speak to your careers advisor Ask you friends/parents/teachers for advice Find your closest UCAS event and attend Pick your three favourite universities Go to the open days of these universities Get some work experience if you can Build your portfolio Enjoy planning your future! THERE S A WIDE RANGE OF DEGREE COURSES AVAILABLE AT UCA IN CANTERBURY, EPSOM AND FARNHAM Advertising Graphic Communication Graphic Design Graphic Design Visual Communication Illustration and Animation Visit uca.ac.uk to find out more. E: enquiries@uca.ac.uk T: +44 (0)1252 892883 11 Cover image: Patrick Hobley BA (Hons) Digital Communication Design, UCA Epsom
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