Illustration

An industry-informed illustration degree that combines authentic image-making with real-world commercial practices, helping you build a robust, fulfilling and lifelong illustration career. Study in a spacious, naturally lit studio and learn with input from illustrators and industry partners from around the world.

This industry-informed degree explores and defines what it means to be an illustrator today. You’ll combine authentic image-making with real-world commercial practices to build a robust, fulfilling and lifelong illustration career.

On this course, you’ll cultivate a variety of conceptual and image-making methods by dissecting and tackling the essential ‘ingredients’ of illustration and how you might apply them to your own creative practice. You’ll be challenged to cultivate a culturally curious attitude while being mindful of the ethical responsibilities that accompany the field of illustration.

At a glance

• Degree: BA (Hons) Illustration

• UCAS codes: 3-year degree W220 / 4-year extended degree W221

• Typical UCAS points: 104–120

Course overview

You’ll become an effective practitioner in the areas you feel most connected to, informed by the expert experience of your tutors, who work in those fields:

• Editorial

• Advertising

• Narrative

• Books

• Research

You will be challenged to develop authentic ways of working, assuming agency and autonomy as an image-maker and learning what this means to you as a practitioner.

Developing your illustration practice

You’ll cultivate conceptual and image-making methods by dissecting and tackling the essential ‘ingredients’ of illustration and applying them to your own creative practice.

You’ll approach independent projects with a critical mindset, considering the purpose, rationale, production and application of your own original work.

Studio culture and community

You will be based in a spacious and naturally lit studio in the heart of our seaside city, where you’ll build your own unique blend of skills and attributes and grow into a well-rounded practitioner.

Within this supportive studio environment, you’ll delve into your subject both individually and as part of collaborative, interdisciplinary teams. We’ll inspire you to engage with our nurturing, student-led communities across the university, showcasing your final outputs as part of enterprising collectives, pop-up shops and curated exhibitions.

Why choose this course?

Creative empowerment: You will learn how to make great work, developing your ability to express powerful ideas, evoke emotions, and communicate propositions through illustration. You will create artwork that exceeds what you think you’re capable of.

Professional empowerment: You will learn how to find and get work, building the refined set of skills needed to operate as a practising illustrator. You will become comfortable working with real clients, dealing with money, and maintaining professional relationships.

Personal empowerment: You will learn how to enjoy your work, nurturing your independent creativity, confidence, and fulfilment. Across your time on the course, through compassionate teaching and a studio of peers, you will become more than an illustrator.

Careers and next steps

Career opportunities include:

• Freelance commercial illustration, focused in, or moving between, areas such as editorial (newspapers and magazines), picture books, branding, technology or advertising

• In-house illustration in areas such as packaging, technology or retail

• Graphic design within an agency, studio or as a freelancer

• Studio management and art direction within an agency, studio, or larger creative organisation

Further study and qualifications, with options to move into creative education or a more specific creative niche

Course Modules

Arts University Plymouth offers a year long sandwich year option. Framed within the institution’s innovative Common Unit Framework, the sandwich year experience is offered as a unit that contributes to your BA (Hons) Degree.
The sandwich year can take the form of an internship or work placement, and can take place in the UK or abroad. It is intended to give you the possibility of gaining experience in art and design practice in a ‘real life’ industry setting, before you return to complete the final year of your degree. You will be able to build your CV and, if you choose to take on your sandwich year outside of the UK, enhance your experience of international creative practice.
Sandwich year placements will be selected by each student who wishes to take one, assisted by Course staff within AUP. Opportunities may also come through corporate approaches to AUP or through links built by your course tutors. Each placement opportunity will be reviewed by the University before being approved to ensure its suitability to be part of your course. During the Sandwich Year you remain enrolled at AUP with access to IT and your email accounts, online library and learning support.
Once approved, the sandwich year will count towards your overall degree and completion of it will be acknowledged on your degree certificate.