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Undergraduate

BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design

Pastel coloured 3D geometric shapes
Mabel (Xiaotong) Chen, A Map of (Us)
College
Central Saint Martins
UCAS code
W215
Start date
September 2023
Course length
Three years full-time

BA Graphic Communication Design supports interdisciplinary, hybrid and specialist designers.

Applications closed 2023/24 

We are no longer accepting applications for 2023/24 entry to this course.

Visit the Courses with places available page for a full list of UAL courses that are open for application.

This course aims to equip you with the creative, conceptual, technical and critical skills expected of designers in the twenty-first century. It is part of the Graphic Communication Design programme.

Why choose this course at Central Saint Martins

Breadth of skills and expertise: You will engage with a range of specialist Graphic Communication Design practices and disciplinary areas of expertise. Generalist, hybrid and specialist practices emerge from the meeting and mixing of GCD Practices and Platforms that cross traditional discipline boundaries.

Contextualised practice: We use Graphic Communication Design to explore and address current environmental, cultural and social complexities and encourage a renewed consideration of consumerism, ethics and design for social good.

We ask questions: The course has a long tradition of “thinking through making” where the conventions of the discipline are challenged through rigorous experimentation of ideas, processes and techniques. This supports the development of curious, critical and reflective practitioners who are responsive to, and influential in, shifts within the discipline.

Learning together: We use learning strategies that encourage community and collaborative learning cultivated from the wide variety of individual backgrounds and cultural experiences of our international and diverse student and staff community. The course adopts an integrated approach to researching, writing and making which is enriched by collaboration as students share their ideas and interests and construct knowledge together.

Open days

There are currently no open days scheduled for this course, please check back at a later date.

Virtual tours:

You might be interested in checking out the College’s facilities and technical spaces through our virtual tours.

Scholarships, bursaries and awards

Course overview

The Graphic Communication Design Programme provides a community of conceptual and creative thinkers and makers who share a commitment to exploring the vast and ever-expanding field of graphic design. 

Our industry is led by technological transformation and driven by emerging modes of communication. BA Graphic Communication Design at Central Saint Martins will provide you with a solid grounding in the discipline's core practices, contexts and applications, while also encouraging you to test and stretch its boundaries.

Through graphic design, we bring a diverse range of perspectives and approaches to engage actively with the ways the world is changing. As a community, we continuously remix and redefine the future of our discipline and how it interacts with environmental, cultural and social complexities. We have embedded teaching and learning practices that actively encourage you to bring your own way of working, your own way of thinking and your own practice-based interests to the table. In fact, we see the course as a space for us – a community of students, tutors and practitioners – to explore and interrogate Graphic Communication Design together.

The structure of the course enables mobility across Platforms and GCD Practices that correspond to areas of contemporary graphic design practice. The choices you make and the work you produce will give focus to the intentions, contexts and values unique to your practice. This flexible journey through the course is devised to support three types of practitioner:

  • The inter-disciplinary designer or polymath who wants to stay broad-based
  • The hybrid designer who works across a targeted combination of areas
  • The specialist who has more specific discipline focus

We are committed to developing ethical graphic communication design practices. To achieve this, we are working to embed UAL's Principles for Climate, Social and Racial Justice into the course. 

Contact us

Register your interest to receive information and updates about studying at UAL.

Contact us to make an enquiry.

Course units

Year 1 and Year 2 is comprised of a sequence of GCD Practices and Platform Units, each structured by a combination of project briefs, independent tasks and associated workshops, seminars, and lectures. A sequence of technical, theoretical and professional skill sets is embedded within the project briefs and associated teaching and learning activities. 

GCD Practice project briefs adopt reading and writing as critical, reflective and evaluative activities which provide a theoretical and contextual framework for the practical application of traditional and contemporary media, methods, crafts and technologies used in the production of your work.  

GCD Platform project briefs are written in relation to specific themes, issues or provocations that relate to contemporary design practice and require you to make work which considers content, form, communication and audience.

As you progress through the course, the relationship between GCD Practices and Platforms becomes progressively porous, with each student connecting distinct threads of practice. Likewise, the relationship between research, writing, and making become integrated as a unified process for investigation, critical reflection and production.

By the end of the course, you will work in a Community of Practice which is organised around your practice-based interests and supports your unique approach to graphic design. Each Community of Practice supports students in bringing their ideas and values to the co-creation of the future discipline.

Year 1

Unit 1: Introduction to GCD
Unit 2: GCD Practices 01
Unit 3: GCD Practices 02
Unit 4: GCD Platforms 01

The units in Year 1 will help you to acquire and develop a range of technical, practical and theoretical skills relevant to the discipline. You will also develop the necessary skills for independent, collaborative and community-based learning.

In Unit 1 you will work in collaboration with your peers on a project brief that responds to a real-world complex or “wicked” problem. This project will introduce the fundamentals of studying Graphic Communication Design at undergraduate level by orientating you to learning approaches, practices and knowledge bases needed to engage with your discipline.

This is followed by an introduction to GCD Practices in Unit 2, where you will work on a sequence of project briefs that encourage you to explore and experiment with technical and theoretical skills that relate to the five Graphic Communication Design practices – Computation, Contexts, Lens, Print Production and Typography.

In Unit 3 you will work on a sequence of GCD Practice tasks to further develop your understanding of the expanded landscape of Graphic Communication Design, conceptually, critically and in practice. 

In Unit 4 you will experience three of the five GCD Platforms. Each Platform will set fast-paced project briefs which place an emphasis on exploring and experimenting with discipline-specific media and methods and how they can be used to communicate effectively. You will make connections between GCD Practices and Platforms through the application of the new knowledge gained from your Unit 3 projects within your Unit 4 projects which run in parallel.

Year 2

Unit 5: GCD Practices 03
Unit 6: GCD Platforms 02
Unit 7: GCD Platforms and Practices
Unit 8: Creative Unions

In Year 2 the sequence of Units will encourage you to become more self-aware about the trajectory of your practice. In Unit 5 you will use writing to review, investigate and reflect on the development of your practice in relation to both the work you are producing in Unit 6 and debates in the larger context of Graphic Communication Design.

In Unit 6 you will engage with two of the five Platforms. Each Platform will set project briefs that encourage iterative experimentation and interrogation of a diverse range of media and methods appropriate to your chosen Platforms. The connectivity between Unit 5 and Unit 6, which run concurrently, will enable you to consider your practice in relation to cultural, social and theoretical contexts of contemporary Graphic Communication Design and discover emerging themes that begin to inform your creative practice.

In Unit 7 you will work with a selection of GCD Practices (Computation, Contexts, Lens, Print Production, Typography) and up to two GCD Platform preferences. The uniting of GCD Practices and Platforms will encourage you to make meaningful choices about medium, method, theme and process. You will need to consider how these decisions can be used to communicate effectively with relevant audiences and how they inform the development and location of your practice in relation to the contexts of contemporary Graphic Communication Design.

Unit 8 is a College-wide, transdisciplinary unit where you will work collaboratively with students from other courses. You will engage with a wider field of socially engaged practices for a more ethical world.

Year 3

Unit 9: Situating Practice
Unit 10: Communities of Practice

In Unit 9 you will remain in your final Unit 7 GCD Platform and will continue working with both your GCD Platform and Practices tutors. The project briefs will progressively shift the emphasis to self-directed enquiry to support you in situating your practice. 

In Unit 10 your practice and research interests are used to form Communities of Practice. Fusing your research, writing and making skills gained throughout the course you will produce an integrated portfolio of work that gives a clear articulation of your identity as a designer which will support your professional practice beyond graduation.

The working week 

The Central Saint Martins building, workshops and GCD studios are vibrant and busy working environments where students learn together by being active and giving time to their studies. You should expect to spend 40 hours per week on active participation in teaching events such as lectures, workshops, seminars, group discussions, and on independent and collaborative practice. Students get the most from the teaching and learning environment and are most productive when they are fully committed to their practice and to each other.

Mode of Study

The course runs for 90 weeks in full-time mode. It is divided into three stages over three academic years. Each stage lasts 30 weeks.   

You will be expected to commit 40 hours per week to study, which includes teaching time and independent study.

Credit and award requirements

The course is credit-rated at 360 credits, with 120 credits at each stage (level). On successfully completing the course, you will gain a Bachelor of Art with Honours (BA Hons degree).

Under the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications the stages for a BA are: Stage 1 (Level 4), Stage 2 (Level 5) and Stage 3 (Level 6). In order to progress to the next stage, all units of the preceding stage must normally be passed: 120 credits must be achieved in each stage. The classification of the award will be derived from the marks of units in Stages 2 and 3 or only Stage 3, using a dual algorithm.

If you are unable to continue on the course, a Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE) will normally be offered following the successful completion of Level 4 (or 120 credits), or a Diploma in Higher Education (DipHE) following the successful completion of Level 5 (or 240 credits).  

Learning and teaching methods

The learning and teaching methods devised for this course include:

  • Unit briefings 
  • Subject-specific briefs
  • Self-directed briefs
  • Practical and technical workshops
  • Lectures, seminars and group discussions
  • Individual and group tutorials 
  • Project reviews – project presentations, peer and tutor feedback and discussion
  • Independent and collaborative learning
  • Peer and self-reflective assessment

Learn about BA Graphic Communication Design at Central Saint Martins

Graduate Showcase

Explore work by our recent students on the UAL Graduate Showcase

  • Graduate Showcase: Bence Iványi
    Bence Iványi, 2021 BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design, Central Saint Martins, UAL
  • Shiffting Stages
    Shiffting Stages, Diandra Elmira, 2021 BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design, Central Saint Martins, UAL
  • Dimensional Glyphs
    Dimensional Glyphs, Yue Hu, 2021 BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design, Central Saint Martins, UAL
  • Everything I Did Last Wednesday
    Everything I Did Last Wednesday, Milly McAlister, 2021 BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design, Central Saint Martins, UAL
  • Black History
    Black History, Amandine Forest, 2021 BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design, Central Saint Martins, UAL
  • \'Home Ground\' and \'Ode to Sports Return\'
    \'Home Ground\' and \'Ode to Sports Return\', George Simmons, 2021 BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design, Central Saint Martins, UAL
  • Liǎn (脸): A mask that reacts to online emotions
    Liǎn (脸): A mask that reacts to online emotions, Jann Choy, 2021 BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design, Central Saint Martins, UAL
  • Tools for Digital Wellbeing
    Tools for Digital Wellbeing, Maximilian Zimmerer, 2021 BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design, Central Saint Martins, UAL
  • Mr Lightbulb
    Mr Lightbulb, Po-An Pan, 2021 BA (Hons) Graphic Communication Design, Central Saint Martins, UAL

BA Graphic Communication Design stories

  • MullenLowe NOVA Awards 2023: the nominees
    Credit: Elmira Ismukhamedova

    MullenLowe NOVA Awards 2023: the nominees

    Announcing the nominations for this year's MullenLowe NOVA Awards for Fresh Creative Talent, as part of CSM Shows 2023. This year, 52 nominated students present projects across art, design, fashion, architecture, materials and performance.

  • Graduation 2022
    Graduation 2022 (photo: David Poultney @In-Press Photography)

    Graduation 2022

    Today, our class of 2022 gathered at the Royal Festival Hall to celebrate their graduation.

  • Bringing the boing

    Bringing the boing

    The visual identity for Central Saint Martins' end-of-year show focuses on collective energy and joy. We speak to the BA Graphic Communication Design student team behind it.

  • Nominations for MullenLowe NOVA Awards 2022 announced
    Fran Hayes, BA Fine Art

    Nominations for MullenLowe NOVA Awards 2022 announced

    As we prepare to open our doors to celebrate our graduating students in Central Saint Martins Shows, we can share the nominations for this year's MullenLowe NOVA Awards for Fresh Creative Talent.

Facilities

Stage 3 Leader: Leslie Kwok

Platform Leader, Experience and Environment: Benjamin Cain
Platform Leader, Time and Movement: Michelle Salamon
Platform Leader, Strategy & Identity: David Preston 
Platform Leader, Information and Systems: Paul Finn
Platform Leader, Narrative and Voice: Andrew Hall

Practices Co-ordinator: Andrea Lioy
Practices Tutor, Typography: Stephen Barrett
Practices Tutor, Digital: Jazmin Morris
Practices Tutor, Print Production: Esther McManus
Practices Tutor, Lens: Gary Wallis
Practices Tutor, Context: Paul Rennie

Lecturer: Mikael Calandra Achode
Lecturer: Anoushka Khandwala
Associate Lecturer: Brendan Olley

Fees and funding

Home fee

£9,250 per year

This fee is correct for 2023/24 entry and is subject to change for 2024/25 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students.

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

£25,970 per year

This fee is correct for 2023/24 entry and is subject to change for 2024/25 entry.

Tuition fees for international students may increase by up to 5% in each future year of your course.

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 standard entry requirements for this course are as follows: 

One or a combination of the following accepted full Level 3 qualifications: 

  • Pass at Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (Level 3 or 4) and one A Level at grade C or above 
  • Two A Levels at grade C or above (preferred subjects include Art, Art and Design or Design and Technology) 
  • Merit, Pass, Pass (MPP) at BTEC Extended Diploma (preferred subjects include Art, Art and Design or Design and Technology) 
  • Pass at UAL Extended Diploma 
  • Access to Higher Education Diploma (preferred subjects include Art, Art and Design or Design and Technology) 
  • Equivalent EU/international qualifications, such as International Baccalaureate Diploma (24 points) 

And three GCSE passes at grade 4 or above (grade A*–C). 

Entry to this course will also be determined by assessment of your portfolio. A very high proportion of successful applicants complete a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design. 

AP(E)L – Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning 

Exceptionally applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered. 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.

Please note that these qualifications alone will not be sufficient to secure entry to the course.

English language requirements

IELTS level 6.0 or above, with at least 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking (please check our main English language requirements webpage).

Selection criteria

What we are looking for: We are interested in students who are prepared to be curious investigators of the discipline and who show a commitment to developing an innovative Graphic Communication Design practice  

Applicants are selected by portfolio and personal statement according to a demonstration of current and potential ability to:

  1. Work imaginatively and creatively with graphic and visual media
  • by engaging with experimentation with media and methods
  • by showing an interest in developing innovative Graphic Communication Design practices
  1. Demonstrate a range of skills and technical abilities
  • by showing a commitment to developing and applying a range of skills and technical abilities 
  1. Provide evidence of intellectual enquiry within your work 
  • by demonstrating curiosity and a willingness to research around themes and practices relevant to your interests 
  • by reflecting critically on your learning 
  1. Demonstrate cultural awareness and/or contextual framework in your work 
  • by identifying historical and contemporary graphic design practices 
  • by identifying social and/or cultural influences on your work
  1. Demonstrate an ability to articulate and communicate your project intentions clearly
  • by making use of appropriate and effective communication and presentation skills 

Apply now

Applications closed 2023/24 

We are no longer accepting applications for 2023/24 entry to this course. Applications for 2024/25 entry will open in Autumn 2023.

Applications closed 2023/24

We are no longer accepting applications for 2023/24 entry to this course. Applications for 2024/25 entry will open in Autumn 2023.

There are two ways international students can apply to an undergraduate course at Central Saint Martins:

You can only apply to the same course once per year.

When applying via UCAS you will need the following information:

University code:          U65

UCAS Code:                 W215

Transfers

If you are currently studying somewhere else on a course in an equivalent subject area and would like to transfer to this course, you can transfer to:

Year 2, if you’ve completed 120 credits in Year 1

Year 3, if you’ve completely 240 credits in Years 1 and 2

Apply via UCAS and choose Year 2 or 3 for your POE (Point of Entry).  Please check our Student Transfer Policy for more important information and be ready to provide us with your current course handbook and Year 1/Year 2 unit transcripts.

Please be ready to provide an official document (translated into English) from your current university, explaining the learning outcomes of the units you have completed.

Visas

Read our visit our immigration and visa advice page to find out whether you need a visa to study.

Deferred entry

Central Saint Martins does not accept applications for deferred entry. You should therefore apply in the year you wish to study.

Application deadline

We recommend you apply by 18.00 (UK Time) on 25 January 2023 for equal consideration.  However this course will consider applications after that date, subject to places being available.

Communicating with you

After you have successfully submitted your application, you will receive an email confirming we have successfully received your application and providing you with your login details for the UAL Portal.  We will request any additional information from you, including inviting you to upload documents / portfolio / book an interview, through the portal.  You should check your UAL Portal regularly for any important updates and requests.

Applications closed 2023/24 

We are no longer accepting applications for 2023/24 entry to this course. Applications for 2024/25 entry will open in Autumn 2023.

Applications closed 2023/24

We are no longer accepting applications for 2023/24 entry to this course. Applications for 2024/25 entry will open in Autumn 2023.

There are two ways international students can apply to an undergraduate course at Central Saint Martins:

You can only apply to the same course once per year.

When applying via UCAS you will need the following information:

University code:          U65

UCAS Code:                 W215

Transfers

If you are currently studying somewhere else on a course in an equivalent subject area and would like to transfer to this course, you can transfer to:

Year 2, if you’ve completed 120 credits in Year 1

Year 3, if you’ve completely 240 credits in Years 1 and 2

Apply via UCAS and choose Year 2 or 3 for your POE (Point of Entry).  Please check our Student Transfer Policy for more important information and be ready to provide us with your current course handbook and Year 1/Year 2 unit transcripts.

Please be ready to provide an official document (translated into English) from your current university, explaining the learning outcomes of the units you have completed.

Visas

Read our visit our immigration and visa advice page to find out whether you need a visa to study.

Deferred Entry

Central Saint Martins does not accept applications for deferred entry. You should therefore apply in the year you wish to study.

Application deadline

We recommend you apply by 18.00 (UK Time) on 25 January 2023 for equal consideration.  However this course will consider applications after that date, subject to places being available.

Communicating with you

After you have successfully submitted your application, you will receive an email confirming we have successfully received your application and providing you with your login details for the UAL Portal.  We will request any additional information from you, including inviting you to upload documents / portfolio / book an interview, through the portal.  You should check your UAL Portal regularly for any important updates and requests.

After you apply

What happens next

Initial application check

We check your application to see if you meet the standard entry requirements for the course.  If you do, you will be invited to submit a portfolio through UAL’s online portfolio review system.

Digital portfolio

Your portfolio should be no more than 25 pages. It should be made up of your best work, showing your skills and thinking.  You can create the pages in any layout (For example: presentation boards) but they should be uploaded as jpeg images.

It should:

  • Include primary and secondary research, ideas development and experimentation with a different range of materials, techniques and media as well as finished pieces
  • Include images from sketchbooks or notebooks, working drawings, life-drawing, photography and media manipulation, 2D or 3D work. Your work could be the result of set projects and self-initiated work
  • Demonstrate your ability to tackle visual problems and find inventive and creative solutions
  • Be organised into categories to make it easier to view. Avoid repetition and demonstrate a wide range of your skills, and include brief (one-sentence) explanatory captions.

For more portfolio advice please visit our portfolio advice page.

Interview

Following the review of the portfolio we select a small number of applicants to move on to the next stage of the process.  These applicants may be invited to an online interview lasting 15 to 20 minutes.

How we notify you of the outcome of your application

You will receive the final outcome of your application through UCAS Hub.

Feedback

This course receives a high number of applications, and unfortunately we cannot provide feedback to everyone who is unsuccessful. We can only provide feedback after you have had an interview.

If you would like to request feedback, please contact us via your portal.

Each and every application is carefully considered by a member(s) of our academic team. With so many strong applicants to choose from, it is often a very difficult decision to make. If you are unsuccessful, you are welcome to apply to us again in the future.

Deferring your place

This course accepts requests from offer holders to defer their place for one academic year. Deferral requests are granted on a first-come, first served basis until all deferral places are filled, or a deadline has been reached, whichever is sooner.

Careers

BA Graphic Communication Design students leave with a broad and valuable understanding of graphic communication design practice in its many forms. Skills acquired enable graduates to become versatile practitioners in many exciting and diverse professions.

Recent alumni activity demonstrates the breadth of careers within the subject, embracing interactive design, web design, advertising, graphic design, information design, illustration, photography, film & TV, animation, editorial design, typographic design, packaging design, brand development, exhibition design, book design, 3D design, as well as in fine art, writing and filmmaking.

Course alumni include: Alan Aboud, Alan Fletcher, Andy Altman, Colin Forbes, Damon Murray, Derek Birdsall, Dylan Jones, Graham Wood, Huw Morgan, Jonathan Barnbrook, Katy Hepburn, Ken Garland, Lucienne Roberts, Michael Worthington, Minkie Spiro, Morag Myerscough, Paul Neale, Phil Baines, Platon, Richard Hollis, Sandro Sodano, Stephen Sorrell, Tom Hingston, Tony Chambers.

Design groups or companies formed by our graduates or employing our graduates include: Aboud Sodano, Bibliotheque Design, Barnbrook Design, Fallon, FUEL Design, GTF, Johnson Banks, Moving Brands, Multistorey, Pentagram, Praline, REG Design, Sans+Baum, Studio Myerscough, Tom Hingston Studio, Tomato, Why Not Associates, Wolff Ollins.

Developing your links

At the end of Stage One you will be expected to take part in the 'End of Year Folio Show' and at the end of Stage Two, the 'Work in Progress Show'; these shows are public exhibitions and although not assessed, are seen as key learning experiences as preparation for your Degree Show.

There are regular opportunities to engage with client-led live briefs featuring brands, such as LVMH, Samsung and Sony, and to participate in national and international student design competitions, such as RSA, Lloyds TSB, and D&AD. The course is a member of D&AD - BA Graphic Design students gain from discounts on submissions to the D&AD Student Awards and other benefits.

Arrangements for work experience or internships are encouraged and facilitated on an informal basis. Study trips, studio visits and collaborative projects (either within UAL or with partner institutions at home and abroad) offer further opportunities to study within a broader context. During Stage Two a number of 'Study Abroad' students from the USA and other countries join the course for one, two or three terms. Context 'creative writing' groups, student clubs such as 'book club' and 'sketchbook club', exhibitions such as 'work in progress', 'pop-up shows' and the 'degree show', 'interest groups', 'guest lectures' and a school-wide 'elective' present additional opportunities for social interaction or collaboration.

For details of the wide range of careers support provided for students, please visit our Careers support page.