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Postgraduate

PG Cert Design For Visual Communication

Inside spread of publication exploring visual language.
Josh Carlisle, 2020. PG Cert Design for Visual Communication, London College of Communication, UAL.
College
London College of Communication
Start date
September 2024
Course length
30 weeks part-time

An intensive, vocational route into the graphic design profession that can provide a portfolio for further study at postgraduate level.

Course Closed

Please note: This course is no longer recruiting. September 2023 was the last intake of this course. View postgraduate courses at London College of Communication.

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

  • The course provides an intensive vocational route into graphic design.
  • Build a distinctive portfolio of personal and research-based projects.
  • Improve your confidence in design judgement and decision-making skills.
  • The course supports a diverse range of media outputs including spatial design, screen-based design, traditional print and digital media.
  • The course also supports individual ambition in areas such as exhibition design, data visualisation, cross-media, publication design and branding.

Open Evenings

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

Course overview

The Postgraduate Certificate in Design for Visual Communication is ideal for those from diverse work or education backgrounds looking to extend and develop their prior experience through visual communication. It will also support those looking to apply to further study at Masters level.

This course will benefit people from a diverse range of backgrounds who wish to enhance their visual communication skills. Graduates have used the course as an opportunity to advance their careers through the development of new skills they can apply in context, for example; information visualisation for financial or legal careers, communication skills in advertising or strategy. Or they have used the course as an opportunity to switch careers altogether.

Graphic design and visual communication are foundational to the creative industries and contribute significantly, directly and indirectly, to our economic and cultural well-being. As well as learning centred on skills acquisition and development, the course also engages you in discourse about the environmental and social impact and responsibility of design. You will leave the course as a highly skilled, conscientious and critical communicator able to lead in industry, practice or research contexts.

What can you expect?

  • You will join the exciting learning community of staff, students and alumni from a diverse range of creative disciplines and cultures centred on Design for Visual Communication. 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 in design and visual communication.
  • You will practically explore core areas of visual communication such as visual language and grammar, typographic hierarchy, graphic representation, identity and information visualisation. You will also have the opportunity to experiment in adjacent processes such as projection mapping, generative design and data visualisation.
  • Course projects will provide you with a foundation in the principles of visual communication whilst engaging with postgraduate level research methods such as participatory design, ethnography and contextual research. These will give you the critical thinking skills to engage with complex problems and lead on challenging projects.
  • The aim of developing new forms of practice and research is to demonstrate their applied value which you will explore through collaborative and self-directed projects with the aim of developing a portfolio of work for future employers, collaborators or for career development.
  • UAL and the Design School at LCC have made significant and meaningful commitments to positive change in design’s impact on environmental and social problems.
  • Throughout the course you will be encouraged to challenge processes, materials and ideas that might cause harm as well as develop innovative new solutions to support social and environmental justice. You can find our guidelines in the Responsible Design Framework available on Moodle.
  • In addition, beyond the course culture are extensive opportunities to engage with communities across the university working to improve our world.
  • The Postgraduate Certificate’s extended period of study allows greater flexibility for those continuing their careers or with caring responsibilities. The course’s innovations in digital and blended learning have also created more opportunity for more diverse ways of learning and underlines our commitment to inclusive, accessible education.

 

Mode of Study

Postgraduate Certificate Design for Visual Communication is in Part Time mode which runs for 30 weeks. You will be expected to commit 20 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.

The Postgraduate Certificate Design for Visual Communication has three units totalling 60 credits.

Autumn, Term 1

Research and Development (20 credits)

Introduces you to the key methods of investigation and research in the subject at postgraduate level.

Design Resolution (20 credits)

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.

Spring, Term 2

Research and Development (continued)
Design Resolution (continued)
Professional and Academic Context (20 credits)

Offers you an opportunity to undertake a choice of projects that places emphasis on your future professional or academic direction.

Summer, Term 3

Professional and Academic Context (continued)

The course is currently running in part-time mode only and fits within the university credit framework. Synchronous study is one day a week during the day.

It is comprised of tutored study and self-directed study, access to facilities and asynchronous online materials. You will embark on both course-set and self-initiated projects.

Learning and teaching methods

  • Workshops
  • Demonstrations
  • Group discussions
  • Tutorials
  • Synchronous online sessions.
  • Discussion and image forums
  • Student/tutor presentations
  • Set and self-initiated project work
  • Research and development techniques.
  • Asynchronous online materials.

Online Open Day

(Recorded February 2023)

Course Leader, Oliver Wrobel gives an overview of studying PG Certificate Design for Visual Communication at London College of Communication.

Student work

  • Maria-Gimeno,-2020,-PG-Cert-Design-for-Visual-Communication,-London-College-of-Communication,-UAL.jpg
    Maria Gimeno, 2020, PG Cert Design for Visual Communication, London College of Communication, UAL.jpg
  • Izabela-Radwanska-Zhang,-2020,-PG-Cert-Design-for-Visual-Communication,-London-College-of-Communication,-UAL.png
    Izabela Radwanska Zhang, 2020, PG Cert Design for Visual Communication, London College of Communication, UAL.png
  • Sundeep-Verdi,-2020,-PG-Cert-Design-for-Visual-Communication,-London-College-of-Communication,-UAL.jpeg
    Sundeep Verdi, 2020, PG Cert Design for Visual Communication, London College of Communication, UAL.jpeg
  • Zuzana-Cimalova,-2020,-PG-Cert-Design-for-Visual-Communication,-London-College-of-Communication,-UAL.jpeg
    Zuzana Cimalova, 2020, PG Cert Design for Visual Communication, London College of Communication, UAL.jpeg
  • Andrew-Ollerton,-2020,-PG-Cert-Design-for-Visual-Communication,-London-College-of-Communication,-UAL.jpeg
    Andrew Ollerton, 2020, PG Cert Design for Visual Communication, London College of Communication, UAL
  • Josh-Carlisle,-2020,-PG-Cert-Design-for-Visual-Communication,-London-College-of-Communication,-UAL.jpg
    Josh Carlisle, 2020, PG Cert Design for Visual Communication, London College of Communication, UAL.jpg

Course videos

DVC showcase 2019

DVC showcase 2018

DVC showcase 2017

Structure and the City Publication - Brutal Theatre

Work by Imo Glover.

Structure and the City Publication - Deconstructed

Work by Maria Gimeno.

Animations for MyAware

Work by Izabela Radwanska Zhang.

Course instagram

Course stories

Facilities

  • A close-up of the moveable type available in the Letterpress area.
    Image © Lewis Bush

    Printing and Finishing

    Discover our printing techniques, from Lithographic Printing to Print Finishing and Bookbinding.

  • A tutor in the process of producing a print.
    Image © Lewis Bush

    Printmaking

    This workshop offers a wide-range of expertise in everything from etching to lithography.

  • 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

£4,445

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.

Home fees are currently charged to UK nationals and UK residents who meet the rules. However, the rules are complex. Find out more about our tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£9,525

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.

Home fees are currently charged to UK nationals and UK residents who meet the rules. However, the rules are complex. Find out more about our tuition fees and determining your fee status.

Scholarship search

Entry requirements

The course team welcomes applicants from a broad range of backgrounds, from all over the world. PG Cert Design for Visual Communication attracts applicants from a variety of backgrounds. Applicants will normally have a first degree or its equivalent. We welcome applications from non-traditional backgrounds and in particular mature students.

Your experience is assessed through our selection criteria as a learning process. Tutors will evaluate that experience for currency, validity, quality and sufficiency.

Your educational level may be demonstrated by:

  • Honours degree (named above);
  • 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:

  • Practical creative ability and the potential to develop that ability through visual vocabulary (composition, line, shape, form, scale, space, light, colour and texture); quality of ideas (conceptual evidence); use of materials and media.
  • Critical knowledge of and enthusiasm for the subject area 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).
  • An openness to new ideas and ability to take initiatives, through the ability to evaluate an idea and make decisions based on that evaluation.
  • A developed and mature attitude to independent study and an ability to take responsibility for a project and manage this independently, and demonstration of mature approach through academic and/or professional work.

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 deadline

Round 1:

7 days after digital portfolio and/or video task request

Round 2:

7 days after digital portfolio and/or video task request

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 deadline
7 days after digital portfolio and/or video task request
7 days after digital portfolio and/or video task request
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

Application form coming soon.

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 deadline

Round 1:

7 days after digital portfolio and/or video task request

Round 2:

7 days after digital portfolio and/or video task request

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 deadline
7 days after digital portfolio and/or video task request
7 days after digital portfolio and/or video task request
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

Application form coming soon.

or

Apply with a UAL Representative

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: Digital Portfolio

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

You’ll need to submit this via PebblePad, our online portfolio tool.

Digital portfolio advice

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

It should:

  • be maximum 20 pages
  • include work from a maximum of 6 different projects, with supporting descriptions and annotations
  • include at least 1 example of graphic design that demonstrates the use of typography within a digital project
  • include diverse examples in mediums such as sketching, developmental work, photographs, 3D work, textiles, written work, printmaking, commercial work etc.
  • demonstrate your awareness of how audiences experience design from a visual perspective
  • showcase your technical skills and conceptual ability
  • highlight your interest and enthusiasm for the discipline.

For more support, see our Portfolio advice and PebblePad 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

Students have gone on to find employment within high profile agencies, they have progressed to work as art directors, senior designers, creative directors in areas such as interaction, branding, exhibition, editorial and information design.

Graduates of the course have gone on to work at:

  • Studio Myerscough
  • Information is Beautiful
  • Design Council
  • Fallon
  • Lewis Moberly
  • Frost
  • Unit Editions
  • Pentagram
  • The Guardian
  • Spin
  • Bibliothèque
  • Why Not Associates
  • Natural History Museum