Graphic Design

Design can shape the way we understand the world - from branding that builds identities to campaigns that drive social change.

At Kent, you’ll explore how visual communication can inform, inspire, and provoke, developing your personal voice and identity along the way.

Not only will you develop core graphic design skills such as typography, image-making, editorial design, UX/UI, and motion. But you’ll also have the freedom to explore emerging trends and techniques.

You will consider graphic design in the context of major contemporary issues such as the climate crisis, digital misinformation, inclusive design, mental health awareness, ethical branding, and more.

Live projects, industry partnerships, and mentoring give you hands-on opportunities to refine your skills and build a portfolio that represents your personal style and innovative thinking while being informed by industry.

You'll use our range of specialist facilities to create your own work, respond to live briefs and industry-set challenges, deliver client pitches, and receive professional mentoring giving you the skills, experience and confidence for a career in design.

Year 2

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations:

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

• Brand Experiences & Interactions

  Brands are everywhere. Increasingly we see brand identities morph into brand experiences that appeal to all the senses, but who does it best, and how can you do it better? As consumers engage with brands online, where should designers start when crafting intuitive and engaging audience experiences?

  This module delves into the theory and application of brand identity and brand experience within graphic design, emphasising both analogue and digital techniques. Through case studies and a place-brand experience project, you'll develop your own perspectives and create alternative brand identity experiences aligned with ethical values. You’ll explore the principles of interaction design and deepen your understanding of design for digital interfaces.

• Wayfinding

  How can graphic design and architecture intersect to enhance spatial navigation? How does interdisciplinary teamwork elevate the creation of user-centric wayfinding solutions?

  In this module, you’ll explore spatial navigation through interdisciplinary collaboration with students on the Spatial and Interior Design and Architecture courses. You’ll study the principles of environmental graphic design, and focus on creating cohesive wayfinding systems that seamlessly integrate with architectural spaces. You’ll engage in research, analysis, and hands-on design through collaborative projects which emphasise user-centred approaches to enhance the navigational experience.

• Supergraphics

  Design is powerful. It influences user interactions, emotions, and perceptions across various platforms from digital interfaces to physical spaces. How can you adapt your existing skill set to connect with all the senses on a large scale, building environments to evoke emotions and tell stories?

  Experiential graphic design is a multidisciplinary approach to building an environment which contributes to how people perceive and interact with a space. In this module, you’ll learn where design and human experience intersect, broadening your knowledge of design principles beyond small screens and A4 paper. You’ll engage in projects and case studies which will challenge you to conceptualise and execute super-sized designs that work in spatial environments.

• Design Agency

  You have unique design skills, but how do you prefer to work and what personal and teamwork strengths would you bring to a start-up design agency?

  You'll identify your strengths and talents, form a start-up creative agency with classmates, and pitch work to clients. Together you’ll then formulate solid briefs and identify measurable outcomes. Through practical application, you’ll develop an appreciation of the commercial and financial concerns of the creative business sector, and show your work to a public audience.

• Designing with Data

  Data visualisation transforms data and information into graphical representations. What tools do designers use to ensure the resulting visualisations are simultaneously accurate and compelling?

  You’ll explore the theory and practice of transforming sometimes complex datasets into compelling visual narratives. You’ll also learn to interpret and communicate data effectively, exploring various visualisation techniques and tools. The teaching emphasises understanding the principles of information design, including hierarchy, clarity and accessibility, as well as data ethics and the importance of accuracy in creative solutions.

Please see the course page on our website for full module details.

Year 3

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations:

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

• Creative Ambition

  Are you nearly ready to fly? Now is the time to expand your network and connect with the organisations you want to work with after graduating later this year.

  This module is the culmination of your undergraduate degree, building on everything you have learned to date, and deploying strategies to make yourself and your career aspirations visible to the wider design community. You’ll develop a self-promotion strategy and research professional career options available to you. To aid this process, you’ll visit design studios, hear talks from professional designers and share your portfolio with prospective employers.

  By the end of the module, you'll have developed a Personal Career Development Plan and should feel confident and well-prepared to launch your career, whether that be employment in entry-level graduate jobs, setting up a freelance business or embarking on further study.

• Design Ethics

  How does design impact individuals, society and the planet? Is it possible to make the world more honest and peaceful, happier, healthier and fairer through design? Good design is not enough, and neither is ethical design. But when blended they ensure that design can be for the good of humankind and the planet.

  This module enables you to consolidate the research methods you have been using to date into a framework that supports ethical design. You’ll propose a research methodology to develop the overall image and presence of an existing brand to consumers. You’ll do this through critical analysis of an existing design according to a set of design-specific ethical principles.

  After you finish this module, you’ll be able to propose an ethical research strategy and compile a critical assessment and report for a brand’s main stakeholders.

• Discover & Define

  How do graphic designers work quickly to develop concepts and ideas for a range of briefs? What is it like to work thoroughly, but at pace? The Design Council describes the design process in the form of a double diamond and this module deals with the first of those diamonds: ‘discover and define’.

  By working on the initial stages of a series of external, competition and self-initiated briefs, you’ll learn strategies to undertake the discovery and definition stages of the Design Council’s double diamond. You’ll also develop your personal workflow and time management skills.

  You’ll learn to choose from a range of research methods to expand your creative ideas and ensure the underpinning research for any given project is solid. Using cross-disciplinary research, you’ll explore critical contexts and generate preliminary design directions resulting in professional standard early-stage client pitches.

• Develop & Deliver

  Which pieces in your design portfolio best showcase your design strengths and indicate your potential to a prospective employer? How can you demonstrate your creative design and production skills to ensure you stand out from everyone else?

  The focus of this module is on the resolution, implementation and production of at least two major practical projects, which you’ll design against a critical context that you specify. You’ll learn how to use the Design Council’s second diamond of the double diamond model to generate a range of concepts, edit, justify, and select the strongest, and generate original pieces.

  By undertaking two significant design projects, being responsible for setting your own deadlines and taking responsibility for self-defined briefs, this module will help you transition from a learner to a fully independent designer ready to work in the creative industries.

Please see the course page on our website for full module details.

Year In Industry (optional)

Year in Industry

You have the option to add a year in industry to this course. We already know you have the confidence and commitment to thrive in the workplace and kick-start your career. This is your chance to prove it, to yourself and to employers. The Year in Industry can be added during your studies at Kent.

Any questions? We have the answers!

When should I start looking? Companies will recruit at different times of the year based on their size. It's good to be application ready by the summer of your first year.

Where can I get help finding a placement? Book an appointment with a placement adviser via the careers service.

Will I get paid? Most of our placements are paid.

Do I have to pay tuition fees? Yes, you’ll pay a substantially reduced fee. Fees for the current year (subject to changes) can be found on our tuition fees website.

Where can I get visa advice if I’m an international student? Kent Students' Union can help with any visa queries.

Does the University keep in touch? You receive four-weekly check-in emails, a visit from the team every three months and you can reach out to us any time by email or phone.

Do I work for a full year? The minimum requirement for an industrial placement is 44 weeks.

Year Abroad (optional)

Go Abroad

Taking a year abroad – whether you study at one of our prestigious partner universities or do an internship – is an amazing opportunity. This can be added during your studies at Kent.

Any questions? We have the answers!

Is there any additional funding for the year abroad? You may be able to apply for funding; check with our Go abroad team.

Do I have to pay tuition fees for the year abroad? Yes, you’ll pay a substantially reduced fee. Fees for the current year (subject to changes) can be found on our tuition fees website. You don’t pay anything to the host uni.

Will I still get my maintenance loan? Yes.

When does the year abroad take place? Between your second and final year.

Do I have to learn a foreign language? You’re taught in English in many destinations, but you’ll get more out of your year if you learn the local language.

Does the University keep in touch? You have full access to all Kent’s support services as well as our dedicated Go abroad team.

Year 1

The following modules are what students typically study, but this may change year to year in response to new developments and innovations.

Compulsory modules currently include the following:

• Design Fundamentals

  As designers, how do we communicate visually across the digital realm, physically across the printed page and on a larger scale spatially and environmentally? What are the fundamental design techniques, processes, skills, and principles that enable us to work with clients?

  You’ll be introduced to a range of design fundamentals to develop your visual literacy, enabling you to confidently communicate your design concepts across a range of outputs. You’ll explore how to interpret client briefs and be able to suggest a range of creative solutions.

• Design Perspectives

  How have historical and contemporary practices and practitioners contributed to the discipline of graphic design? And where does graphic design sit within cultural, political, and commercial contexts?

  You’ll learn critical and core theories of the discipline, analysing design artefacts through the lenses of process, identity, form, affect and environment. In doing so you’ll study a range of global design movements and outcomes from Mass Production to Postmodernism, from typographic design to political propaganda. You’ll engage in essay writing and develop skills in research, academic referencing, and articulating arguments through writing and graphic design.

• Play & Storytelling

  How can play be used as a tool in the design process and what form might it take? How can the arrangement of elements, colours and typography carry a narrative, conveying both meaning and emotion?

  Through a series of workshops and briefs you’ll learn how play can be used as a methodology in the design process to ideate, explore and create original and thought-provoking outcomes. You’ll also learn how design, narrative and storytelling are used to communicate a concept or an idea to a wider audience.

• Making your Mark

  Can imagery alone communicate ideas to an audience? If so, how? By creating original artwork, graphic designers have the power to synthesise and illustrate content. What techniques and processes might you use to do so?

  You’ll learn a range of creative image-making techniques and processes such as photomontage, collage, print making, photography, and mark-making. Through experimentation and application, you’ll develop your ability to art direct and create images based on conceptual requirements – a key feature of being a successful graphic designer.

• Working with Typograph

  How can type be used to carry meaning, language and emotion? In what ways can type and letterforms break convention and be used to challenge function and form?

  You’ll learn the attributes and language of typography, appreciating the principles of type and how it enables an idea to be written and given visual form. You’ll examine the breaking of conventions and be encouraged to undertake type/letterform experiments, such as hand lettering, calligraphy, using type as image, type for headline, and body copy typographic detailing.

• Making it Move

  How can we use moving images to bring characters and stories to life using motion and sound? Animation is frequently used to intrigue and engage an audience with its capacity to connect linear events and moments. What are the limitations of both physical and digital moving imagery, and how might you overcome them?

  You’ll learn the core principles of animation and trial these across multiple platforms including stop-motion, flip book, kinetic typography, claymation and motion graphics. You’ll explore visual storytelling through original image generation, sound and motion, with a focus on application in analogue and digital environments.

  Please see the course page on our website for full module details.