Postgraduate Certificate Design for Visual Communication
| Course Director | Tony Pritchard |
|---|---|
| Course Location | Taught at LCC within the School of Design |
| Study Level | Postgraduate |
| Study Mode | Part Time |
| Course Length | 30 weeks part-time |
| Home/EU Fee | £2,500 (2012-13 fees). Please note fees could be subject to review. For a full breakdown of standard fees visit the University's Tuition Fees pages. |
| International Fee | £4,435 (full-time 2012-13 fees). Fees given could be subject to review. Some courses charge non-standard fee rates and additional costs. For details call the International Office on +44 (0)20 7514 8138.
A Rector's Scholarship worth £2,500 is available to UK and EU students on this course, (shared between the two pathways - print/online and TV). Fore more information please go to the MA funding page. |
| Start Date | January |
| Autumn Term Dates | Spring term: 9 January - Friday 16 March 2012 , Summer term: 16 April - 22 June 2012, Autumn term: September - December 2012 |
| Spring Term Dates | See above |
| Summer Term Dates | See above |
| Application Route | Through College. UK and EU students should download this application form (PDF 4MB). International students should use the international postgraduate application form which is available to download on the international office's web pages. |
| UCAS Code | N/A |
| University Code | N/A |
| Course Code | N/A |
London College of Communication’s vocationally-focussed Postgraduate Certificate will help you to build practice-based and professional skills in the highly diverse field of design for visual communication.
Visual communication is a process by which ideas are made visible and conveyed through media to enhance meaning, experience and understanding. This one-year intensive course re-examines the relationship between design principles, research methodologies and the related theoretical contexts.
The programme is ideal for those from diverse academic backgrounds who wish to extend and develop their prior experiences through visual communication. Students on the course have previously studied subjects from molecular genetics to English, architecture to textiles, micro-biology to fine art and product design to geography. The course is a confidence-building bridge to Masters study as well as providing the foundations for professional career development.
You can expect ...
You can expect to become part of a unique learning community made up of staff, guest speakers and fellow students from a diverse range of creative disciplines and cultures. Through tutorials, set and self-initiated projects, workshops and group discussions, you will gain a deeper understanding of the design process that will enhance your practice. Visual language and grammar, typographic hierarchy, symbol design, graphic representation, identity and information visualisation are just some of the areas you will explore.
Personal projects will provide you with a foundation in the principles of visual communication whilst engaging with postgraduate level research methods and conceptual development. Examples of personal projects include: mapping directional devices in the city; the promotion of a typeface; visual analysis of people flow and visual surveys of lettering. Graduates from this course have found employment within high profile international creative agencies, design management, teaching and professional practice. Some have established their own design studios, while others have gone on to achieve highly at Master’s level.
Tutors on this course...
Tony Pritchard is Course Director on the Postgraduate Certificate Design for Visual Communication. His teaching philosophy relates to an understanding of the fundamental design principles such as visual language (colour, form, structure, composition etc), typography and information design.
He is a student assessor at the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD) and is a regular contributor to Eye Magazine. He has over 25 years professional experience working in small to medium size design consultancies as well as running a freelance practice. Tony regularly publishes his thoughts on design, teaching and learning via his blog – http://tonypritchard.wordpress.com
Alumni ...
Alumni of the School of Design include Neville Brody (Research Studios), John Brown (John Brown Publishing), Angus Hyland (Pentagram), John Hegarty (BBH) and John Kedgley (Tomato). As well as progression onto Masters level courses, graduates of the Design for Visual Communication course find employment both as freelance designers and with high profile international agencies. The following illustrate some of the successes of our alumni: Aidan Brown (Studio Myerscough), Matthew Hancock and Dominc Busby (David McCandles / Information is Beautiful), Rebecca May (Senior Designer – Design Council / Fallon / published author), Alison Guile (owner LMNOP shop), Annalisa Premoli (John Brown Media / MTV Nickelodeon), Emily Fox (Lewis Moberly), Caroline Nitsch (Lead Online Designer Harrods), Joanna Hopkins (Frost / CERN), Jun Tsuzuki (Nippon Design Center), Sthuthi Ramesh (Brand Union India), Laura Heeks (Pentagram, The Guardian, GQ), Nick Hearne (U-Dox / Wunderman), Ian Carr (owner Labour+Play). Recent graduates have taken up internships at: Browns, Spin and Studio8.
What our students say...
“As an Architect I was quite familiar with the idea of “design” but I felt the need to build a good grounding to progress in the graphic design field. The course at LCC has been fundamental for my career development. Thanks to the portfolio of info-graphics projects built at LCC, a few months after the end of the course I started freelancing for Sidan Media, a sport publishing company visualising football statistics.” Former student, Grazia Trisciuoglio, now Information Graphic Designer at Live Nation
"This was such a valuable course that gave me so much – I'm forever grateful."
Former student, Geoffrey Dahl, now a freelance Graphic Designer
“Thank you for everything. The course has changed my life.” Former student, Valentina Verč , Intern at the award-winning OPX studio.
This course is taught within the School of Design at LCC.
The Postgraduate Certificate Design for Visual Communication has three components:
- Research and Development
- Design Resolution
- Professional and Academic Context
These units run concurrently to achieve an integrated approach to your learning and to avoid the notion that research and application are aspects of design that are experienced in isolation.
The course includes: visual language and grammar; typographic hierarchy; narrative and sequential design; symbol design; graphic representation; identity; information visualisation; as well as opportunities to pursue projects of individual interest.
Research and Development introduces you to the key methods of investigating subject matter employed at postgraduate level.
Design Resolution will investigate and re-examine the main themes of graphic design such as visual language and grammar; hierarchy; structure; navigation; identity; etc. This unit will enable you to experience research and development methods in practice.
The Professional and Academic Contexts Unit offers you an opportunity to undertake a choice of projects that places emphasis on your future professional or academic direction. The following are indicative subject areas: information design, typo/graphic design and image-based design.
The course is currently running in part-time mode only and fits within the University credit framework. It is comprised of tutored study and self-directed study with access to facilities. You will embark on both course-set and self-initiated projects.
You will also engage in debate exploring a multitude of subjects, from design fundamentals to notions of cross-disciplinary thinking.
Students have gone on to find employment within high profile agencies such as Frost Design in Australia; Kenya Hara in Japan; Nick Knight Photography; Studio Myerscough; and Fallon Design. They have progressed to work as art directors in advertising agencies; interactive/digital designers; identity designers; typo/graphic designers and museum/exhibition designers. The strategy of preparing for Masters study has also paid dividends with many high performances including distinctions.
Students will normally have a first degree or its equivalent. We welcome applications from non-traditional backgrounds and in particular mature students. We can assess prior experience as part of our selection criteria.
International and EU students: If your first language is not English you should check you have achieved the correct IELTS level in English. Further information is available on our International Applications page.
Portfolio advice
Your portfolio should demonstrate visual acuity, conceptual ability, technical competence and personal interest. Acknowledging that applicants come from diverse academic backgrounds 'portfolio' is taken as having a broad definition. It may include: sketch/notebooks; developmental work; photographs; PowerPoint presentations; web/interactive work; diagrams; printmaking; illustrated reports; commercial work; freelance commissions; personal work; conceptual work; 3D work (photographed); textiles; and written work.
Application route
You need to apply to this course through the College. UK and EU students should download this application form (PDF 4MB). International students should use the international postgraduate application form which is available to download on the international office's web pages. Applications should be sent to Postgraduate Admissions, Central Administration Office, 5th Floor Tower Block, London College of Communication, Elephant and Castle, London, SE1 6SB.
Admissions enquiries
For enquiries about admissions please call the postgraduate admissions team on +44(0)20 7514 6569 or email pgadmissions@lcc.arts.ac.uk (for UK and EU student enquiries) or v.gavulic@lcc.arts.ac.uk (for international enquiries).