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Push the boundaries of illustration using a blend of traditional and digital techniques. Develop your own style and release your personal creativity. Perfect your craft alongside experienced academics and like-minded peers. Become industry-ready and launch your career as an illustrator or designer.
Are you passionate about drawing? Full of creative ideas? Illustration and Design will cultivate your talents. Here at Sunderland, we encourage you to push the boundaries of illustration, blending traditional techniques with computer technology, such as virtual reality and 3D design. You can also combine illustration with other areas, including animation, graphics, advertising, 3D illustration, and web design.
You’ll explore design principles, printmaking, and drawing in your first year, before pursuing a specialist study of illustration during your second and final year. You’ll perfect your craft alongside experienced academics who are all practicing professionals at the cutting edge of their field, bringing their industry insights and experience directly into their teaching.
Throughout the course you’ll build and develop a creative, industry-ready portfolio that will help launch your career as an illustrator or graphic designer, or any other role where these creative skills are needed.
Teaching sessions are made up of a combination of personal one to one meetings with design tutors and group critiques designed to encourage team working and to create a community vibe among the year groups. This is supported by lectures, seminars, workshops and independent learning. You'll have access to studio spaces outside of teaching time, which facilitates reflection on work and peer evaluation.
Feedback is given regularly during teaching sessions and at the end of the semester in order for you to develop your work to the highest standard and also to reflect on how you might have approached the project differently.
Your first year of study introduces you to a range of different media and focuses on the fundamental skills of illustration including observational drawing, printmaking, animation and digital drawing and painting. You'll then progress onto stages 2 and 3 where you'll narrow your focus and develop your own personal style of illustration through open briefs based on real-world commercial projects.
You'll have the opportunity to apply to undertake an optional placement year out in industry between your second and final year, this is sometimes known as a sandwich degree.
At the end of your final year you'll have the opportunity to exhibit your work at the end of year degree show. The show is open to the public and invited guests in order for you to showcase your portfolio and meet potential employers from the design sector.
Part-time study
Students can study part-time and must pass 80 credits per year to progress to the next stage. 360 credits must be gained over the whole three years to graduate (the same number as full-time students).