Graphic Design means many things to many people.

Ask any five artists or designers what Graphic Design is and you’ll get at least ten answers and a heated debate.
One of the reasons that a definition is so hard to pin down is because the subject itself is in a state of constant change.
And the reason that its constantly changing is because the world is always changing and Graphic Design, whatever else it may be, is in the business of working with the real world. Influencing its culture, commerce and technologies.
 That’s why it’s such a fascinating subject to study.
Graphic Design at Epsom is about communication.
As Richard Morrison film title designer and visiting lecturer says:
“It’s a place to mix paint with ideas”
It’s about new ideas, new ways of working and using new media to make new messages for new audiences.
To achieve this we take a broad approach that engages you with the full range of the skills, concepts and applications used in Graphic Design today.
Our extensive on site facilities will enable you to put these into practice in a wide range of studio sessions and workshops in the specialist skills required of the modern graphic designer, such as:

Typographic principles and digital font authoring (Font Lab), Layout (In-Design), Moving image (Premier, Final Cut, After effects), Interactive and Digital media (HTML, CSS), Book binding, Illustration, Screen printing, Photopolymer etching, Letterpress, woodcut, Digital photography, Black & white photography, Cyanotypes, Laser cutting, fabric printing, Marketing, Pitching, Setting up a company, digital editing, etc.

On site facilities for Graphic Design students studying at Epsom include:
•    Open access suite of Macs fully equipped with the latest digital media software including CS5
•    Letterpress
•    Screen printing
•    Relief printing
•    Photo-polymer etching
•    Black and White darkroom
•    Fully equipped photographic studios
•    Laser cutter
•    Extensive media store containing a wide range of state of the art media equipment including HD cameras, professional steady cam rigs and sound equipment

Our strong industry links and close proximity to the design community in London (Waterloo and Victoria are just over half an hour away by train) can be seen in our regular program of Live Briefs, Competitions, Visiting lectures and Workshops with recent engagements with people such as:

Eye magazine
Rick Poynor
Michael Wolff
PaperCo
Martin O’Neill
Adrian Shaughnessy
Creative Review Magazine
Why Not Associates
Le Gun
Vaughan Oliver
Tomato
Nina Chakrabarti
 Brian Webb
BBC
Neoco
EHS 4D
The Design Museum

Graphic Design influences every aspect of people’s lives and communicates a multitude of messages through a multitude of media.
From the commercial, radical, political, religious, scientific or intensely personal, visual design helps us cross the road, buy products or services, prevent the spread of illness and challenge injustice. Throughout history this practice has had a profound effect on the development and exchange of global culture and carries enormous power and responsibility.

Graphic Design is the art of every day life.

We’re looking for students with motivation, passion and independence.
Dedicated, practical makers and thinkers who are willing to experiment with and explore a wide range of media and approaches to develop a personal visual language.

See our entry requirements  and  Portfolio advice

Studying Graphic Design at Epsom will immerse you in the language of the modern world, its signs, symbols, meanings and media, you’ll learn new thinking skills, new making skills and new communication skills.

You’ll learn the history and principals that inform Graphic Design today, so that you can influence and change Graphic Design tomorrow.

You’ll develop your personal approach to the subject and actively engage with industry in order to learn how and where to apply it.

You will emerge from the course with  solid  transferable skills and a individual  approach  that is innovative, flexible,adaptable.

Graduates have gone on to pursue successful careers in:
Editorial design
Publishing
Moving image
Television
Art direction
Branding and Marketing
Interaction and web design
Book arts
Freelance illustration

The Course In- Depth
BA (Hons) Graphic Design at Epsom is a three-year, six-semester course of study that is conceptually driven, practice-based and student-focused.
Students gain not only an understanding of the core graphic languages, techniques and processes, but also the emerging audiences for them. The ongoing debates and theoretical backdrop to the dynamic media landscape ahead is constantly assessed and re-assessed.
There are dedicated studios and both digital and analogue process areas and a tutorial team of current practitioners with ongoing experience in Graphic Design, Illustration, Branding, Advertising, Film and Television, and both Print and Web-based media. Added to this are renowned visiting speakers, studio lecturers and varied experts who contribute to our workshop culture.
Theoretical appreciation of the subject area runs throughout the first five semesters, delivered by Contextual Studies tutors, up to and including completion of a single – or double – dissertation in Stage Three.
Students are encouraged to find a distinctive proactive voice, adding to and refining their skills while reviewing their progress through discussion and personal blogs. The course embraces work that is inter-disciplinary or multi-vocational – such as the commercial and client-based – alongside work of a more authorial and personal nature.
Self-direction grows year on year and there are constant connections made to the vibrant creative industries in London, which is only 35 minutes away. Our record of winners in prestigious competitions including the RSA (Royal Society of Arts), Paperco and D&AD (Design and Art Directors) Awards speaks for itself.

Syllabus
STAGE 1
This introductory level is based on exploration and active participation, building a personal creative language that each student will refine later. This is where our welcoming creative community begins, with playfulness and individuality nurtured during a range of project work. Studio experiences run parallel to independent experimentation and discussion, critique and presentations all play their part.

Semester 1
Studio Practice 1A: Creativity and Play
Independent Practice 1A: Experimentation
Semester 2
Studio Practice 1B: Production & Consumption
Independent Practice 1B: Exploration

Contextual Studies
Mapping the Modern: Introduction to Design, Visual & Popular Culture since 1900
Ways of Seeing, Ways of Knowing: Introduction to Research, Analysis and Interpretation

STAGE 2
By this level the individual creative identity of the student is clearer. They are helped by tutors to experiment even further and discuss still more passionately, while seeking the strongest solutions to practical Graphic Design project briefs.
Individual working processes are tested against external contexts and settings, including the practical challenges of work placement opportunities, external competitions, exhibitions and publications.
Contextual Studies continue, and subjects for the final dissertation are considered.

Semester 3
Studio Practice 2A: Methods & Madness
Independent Practice 2A: Interrogation
Semester 4
Studio Practice 2B: Audiences & Contexts
Independent Practice 2B: Implementation

STAGE 3
This level is driven by the student’s ability to express and articulate. Skills are refined and – underpinned by a strong theoretical knowledge – add to work and working process that is mature, professional and personally satisfying to the student. Levels of the highest technical production are encouraged alongside innovative thinking. In Semester Six, having completed their written dissertations, students pick up real creative speed as they prepare for possible destinations in the design industry, related creative areas or post-graduate study.

Semester 5
Studio Practice 3A: External Positioning
Independent Practice 3A: Articulation
Semester 6
Independent Practice 3B: Summation & Production

Successful completion of all three stages of study leads to the award of

BA (Hons) Graphic Design.

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