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Postgraduate

MA Design for Art Direction

3D animation is muted pink and purple tones.
Work by Ziyin Zeng, Bubble Land - Self-Seeking and Redemption, London College of Communication, UAL.
College
London College of Communication
Start date
September 2024
Course length
1 year 3 months full time (45 weeks across a four-term model)

MA Design for Art Direction at London College of Communication gives visual communicators and designers the practical, critical and conceptual skills to develop their potential in the field of art direction.

Applying for more than 1 course

You can apply for more than 1 postgraduate course at UAL but we recommend that you apply for no more than 3. Find out more in the Apply Now section.

Why choose this course at London College of Communication

  • You are interested and inspired by the opportunity to improve your practice, the kind of work that you make and deepen your understanding of the roles that you can pursue in industry.
  • You'll work across disciplines and bring your own ideas to the delivery of visual communications for the industries by which you are inspired.
  • You’ll take on and examine the role of the art director, developing and realising ideas through a combination of collaborative and individual work.
  • You’ll reflect on the role of the creative studio and creative partnerships in shaping public imagination, exploring different types of communications such as activism and intervention.

Open Evenings

The next Open Evening for this course will be announced soon.

Course overview

MA Design for Art Direction takes a holistic approach to the creative industries. Through its multi-displinary nature, the course encourages the discovery of the potential to work across sectors in order to produce campaigns that educate and innovate for commercial, cultural and non-profit sectors.

Across five units, you’ll consider the politics and ownership of the different means of communication, alongside the role of publishing platforms, examining how these allow for creative work to engage with users in flexible ways.

You’ll develop cross-disciplinary research projects, through the intersections of art, design, science and technology, and learn to present these ideas in educational and engaging ways.

Reflecting on the role of the creative studio as a powerful instrument for broadening the public imagination, you’ll learn to communicate the cultural, social and political moment through the sophisticated aesthetics of visual communication.

What can you expect?

Lectures and workshops in production, treatments, pitching will help you to better define your practice and the type of tools you can use. This includes learning how to develop and write treatments and proposals, how to respond to briefs and how to structure your work and communicate the results that you want.

The course will also equip you with practical skills, insight and understanding to communicate with and get the best from collaborators and other creative practitioners.

Mode of Study

MA Design for Art Direction is in Full Time mode which runs for 45 weeks over 15 months. You will be expected to commit 40 hours per week to study.

Course units

We are committed to ensuring that your skills are set within an ethical framework, and we have worked to embed UAL’s Principles for Climate, Racial and Social Justice Principles into the curriculum and in everything we do. 

As part of this initiative, we’ve shaped our courses around social and environmental sustainability principles that ensure learning outcomes reflect the urgent need to equip you with the understanding, skills, and values to foster a more sustainable planet.  Our aim is to change the way our students think, and to empower you to work towards a sustainable future.  

Each course is divided into units, which are credit-rated. The minimum unit size is 20 credits. The MA course structure involves five units, totalling 180 credits.

Critical Perspectives and Research Methods (20 credits)

This unit equips students with practical and theoretical skills that situate art direction within a broader field of practice, culminating in a designed Literature Review as the end submission.

Defining Design for Art Direction (40 credits)

Within the scope of this unit, students define the meaning of art direction within their own practice through a variety of creative briefs and practical workshops. Producing manifestos, designs, campaigns and showcasing this within an academic portfolio.

Specialist Practices for Art Direction (40 credits)

Students will explore their self-driven ideas, using specialist tools to create unique ways of working within the field of art direction. Working on longer-form briefs, students will develop campaigns that are thoroughly researched and delivered. This unit has an emphasis on emerging digital techniques and play.

Collaborative Unit (20 credits)

This unit builds upon the inherently collaborative nature of the profession. Students explore different ways to collaborate, including interdisciplinary projects within UAL, and live projects working with professional partners and institutions outside of the course.

Final Major Project (60 credits)

The Final Major Project is an opportunity for the student to deploy all of the skills learned throughout the year in a self-directed project. This project will be driven by them and their interests and could be in an area that they wish to continue with upon graduation. 

Learning and teaching methods

  • Practice-based workshops
  • Workshops
  • Seminars
  • Lectures
  • Academic tutorials
  • Personal tutorials
  • Online blended learning
  • Self-directed learning
  • Speakers and visits
  • Assessed assignments

Online Open Day

(Recorded February 2023)

Course Leader, Jordon Hodgson gives an overview of studying MA Design for Art Direction at London College of Communication.

Graduate Showcase

Explore work by our recent students on the UAL Showcase

Student voices

Abby Deardorff

Titled ‘Frivolous’, Abby’s project aims to challenge the established ‘minimalist and beige’ design norms commonly associated with sustainability by proposing a more colourful, maximalist aesthetic.

Ruby Rossini

Ruby tells us about Emeveda, a video installation that explores gender as a performance.

Facilities

  • Student soldering in the Creative Technology Lab
    Student in Creative Technology Lab, 2020. London College of Communication, UAL. Photograph: Tim Boddy

    3D Workshop

    View images and find out about the range of tools and technologies on offer.

  • Red light indicating recording is taking place.
    Image © Vladimir Molico

    Lens-Based and Audio-Visual

    Find out about the workspaces and studios that support Lens-Based and Audio-Visual practice.

  • Student reading a book in between two bookshelves in the Library
    Students in the Digital Space. London College of Communication, UAL. Photograph: Alys Tomlinson

    The Digital Space

    The Digital Space is an open-plan, creative hub with computers set up with specialist software.

Staff

Fees and funding

Home fee

£13,330

This fee is correct for 2024/25 entry and is subject to change for 2025/26 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£28,570

This fee is correct for 2024/25 entry and is subject to change for 2025/26 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

Scholarship search

Entry requirements

The MA Design for Art Direction course welcomes proactive, contextually aware and curious thinkers from a broad range of backgrounds, from all over the world.

Applicants may come from a range of disciplines such as graphic design, photography, moving image, set design, curating, art practice and related fields with an Honours degree course in a relevant field, or have other equivalent qualifications.

The course team also welcomes students with relevant technical/ practical background experience who show a commitment to critical thinking and ambitious project development, as well as those who may have previously worked in industry, or non-traditional backgrounds, or be already in employment.

Educational level may be demonstrated by:

  • Honours degree at 2:1 or first-class
  • Possession of equivalent qualifications;
  • Prior experiential learning, the outcome of which can be demonstrated to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required;
  • Or a combination of formal qualifications and experiential learning which, taken together, can be demonstrated to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required.

APEL (Accreditation of Prior Learning)

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

  • Related academic or work experience
  • The quality of the personal statement
  • A strong academic or other professional reference
  • OR a combination of these factors

Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

Language requirements

All classes are conducted in English. If English is not your first language, we strongly recommend you let us know your English language test score in your application. If you have booked a test or are awaiting your results, please indicate this in your application. When asked to upload a CV as part of your application, please include any information about your English test score.

  • IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent) is required, with a minimum of 5.5 in each of the four skills.
  • If your first language is not English, you can check you have achieved the correct IELTS level in English on the Language Requirements page.

For further details regarding international admissions and advice please visit the International Applications page.

Selection criteria

Offers will be made based on the following selection criteria, which applicants are expected to demonstrate:

  • Sufficient prior knowledge and experience of and/or potential in area of visual communication and project management to be able to successfully complete the programme of study and have an academic or professional background in design
  • Willingness to work as a team player, good language skills in reading, writing and speaking, the ability to work independently and be self-motivated
  • Enthusiasm for the subject area of art direction and capacity for research-led design, intellectual inquiry and reflective thought through: contextual awareness (professional, cultural, social, historical); evidence of research, analysis, development and evaluation (from previous academic study and employment) and a grounded understanding of the world of visual and multi-disciplinary networked culture as well as the ability to engage with and contribute to critical discussion
  • Portfolio of diverse examples of visual communication that is conceptual and research-based, evidencing your thinking and making process in variety of media, whilst demonstrating your curiosity to explore, test and experiment
  • Whilst candidates are not expected to demonstrate particular software skills their suitability will be evaluated on evidence of diverse use of medium in generating visually compelling outcomes effectively communicating with audiences (portfolio) and evidence of project management demonstrating ability to manage time, negotiate outcomes, work to deadlines, and take responsibility for deliverables (CV).

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

16 January 2024

Round 2:

16 April 2024

Decision outcome

Round 1:

End of March 2024

Round 2:

End of June 2024

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)
3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
16 January 2024
16 April 2024
Decision outcome
End of March 2024
End of June 2024

All applications received by 3 April will be treated equally. If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

16 January 2024

Round 2:

16 April 2024

Decision outcome

Round 1:

End of March 2024

Round 2:

End of June 2024

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)
3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
16 January 2024
16 April 2024
Decision outcome
End of March 2024
End of June 2024

All applications received by 3 April will be treated equally. If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply to UAL

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Based across the world, our local UAL representatives can support you with your application from your home country. Check to see if there is a representative available in your country currently.

Find your representative

How to apply

Follow this step-by-step guide to apply for this course

Step 1: Initial application

You will need to submit an initial application including your personal statement and CV.

Personal statement advice

This should be about 500 words long and include:

  • your reasons for choosing the course
  • your current creative practice and how this course will help you achieve your future plans
  • any relevant education and experience, especially if you do not have any formal academic qualifications.

CV advice

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If you have any web projects or other media that you would like to share, please include links in your CV. If English is not your first language, please also include your most recent English language test score.

Step 2: Video task and digital portfolio

We will review your initial application. If you have met the standard entry requirements, we will ask you to submit a video task and digital portfolio.

You’ll need to submit these via PebblePad, our online portfolio tool. Please submit your video task on the first page followed by your portfolio.

Video task advice

We’d like you to submit a 2-3 minute video to help us learn more about you. When recording your task, please face the camera and speak in English.

What to include in your video task

  • Choose 1 project from your portfolio and explain how it challenged you and your understanding of design in art direction.
  • Tell us how this experience inspired you to apply to MA Design in Art Direction at London College of Communication.

Read our guidance for how to submit your video task and which file types we accept.

Digital portfolio advice

Your portfolio should consist of recent work that reflects your creative strengths.

It should:

  • be maximum 20 pages and feature work from up to 5 projects
  • include a selection of self-initiated and/or commercial work in art direction or similar practice, evidencing your research interests, skills and engagement within your current field
  • include short statements about each project that describe your motivation, development and contribution/roles
  • include evidence of research, testing and experimentation, as well as finished pieces of work.

For more support, see our Portfolio advice and PebblePad advice.

Step 3: Interview

You may be invited to an interview following our review of your application. All interviews are held online and last 15 to 20 minutes.

For top tips, see our Interview advice.

You also need to know

Communicating with you

Once you have submitted your initial application, we will email you with your login details for our Applicant portal.

Requests for supplementary documents like qualifications and English language tests will be made through the applicant portal. You can also use it to ask questions regarding your application. Visit our After you apply page for more information.

Applying to more than 1 course

You can apply for more than 1 postgraduate course at UAL but we recommend that you apply for no more than 3 courses. You need to tailor your application, supporting documents and portfolio to each course, so applying for many different courses could risk the overall quality of your application. If you receive offers for multiple courses, you'll only be able to accept 1 offer. UAL doesn't accept repeat applications to the same course in the same academic year.

Visas and immigration history check

All non-UK nationals must complete an immigration history check. Your application may be considered by our course teams before this check takes place. This means that we may request your portfolio and/or video task before we identify any issues arising from your immigration history check. Sometimes your history may mean that we are not able to continue considering your application. Visit our Immigration and visas advice page for more information.

External student transfer policy

UAL accepts transfers from other institutions on a case-by-case basis. Read our Student transfer policy for more information.

Alternative offers

If your application is really strong, but we believe your strengths and skillset are better suited to a different course, we may make you an alternative offer. This means you will be offered a place on a different course or at a different UAL College.

Deferring your place

We do not accept any deferral requests for our postgraduate courses. This means that you must apply in the year that you plan to start your course and you will not be able to defer your place to start at a later date.

Application deadlines

For postgraduate courses at UAL there are 2 equal consideration deadlines to ensure fairness for all our applicants. If you apply ahead of either of these deadlines, your application will be considered on an equal basis with all other applications in that round. If there are places available after the second deadline, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Careers

Career paths

The course will equip you with the skills to set up small scale agencies or join in-house teams as junior art directors, designers, researchers, art/media buyers or junior creatives.

You'll be prepared for a successful career within media agencies, cultural institutions, print and web editorial and production companies.

Work in both the commercial and public sectors in areas such as:

  • In-house teams in the cultural and voluntary sectors
  • Trend forecasting
  • Design education
  • Exhibition and event organisations
  • Creative consultancy for brands
  • Retail development
  • Editorial design
  • Set design
  • Creative direction
  • Curating