Graphic Design

Our BA (Hons) Graphic Design will prepare you for a career as a graphic designer, as well as for design-related roles in creative agencies, social media, communications and marketing, publishing, and advertising.

Our students have gone on to work with design studios or media and communication companies, producing advertising, corporate identities and promotions, packaging and branding, informational design, editorial and book design, web designs and interactive media.

Cambridge is the perfect place to start your graphic design career – a creative hotspot that’s home to thousands of established businesses and start-ups. Our students have gone on to work at Drench, Filofax, Nash Matthews, Onespacemedia, Coast Digital, Workshop Creative Agency, Conscious Communications and Piranha Designs.

Our students work closely with a number of graphic design studios, including Cambridge University Press, CPL, The District, and Onespacemedia, who will set your live briefs as well as providing lectures and one-to-one feedback, ending with a final review that can often lead to work placements, internships and long-term professional relationships.

Our students recently took part in a live brief with the University of Cambridge Museums (UCM), creating an identity for their relaunched Bridging Binaries LGBTQ+ Tours across online and offline promotional platforms.

There are plenty of opportunities to get your work seen, too. At the end of your final year at ARU, you’ll take part in our Degree Show and could be selected to produce publicity materials for the event – the perfect launchpad for life as a graphic designer.

Informed by employers, our courses support an integrated approach to employability. You’ll have opportunities to develop the skills and abilities they are looking for and gain a deeper understanding of how your academic learning relates to the world of work through Live Briefs and Ruskin Modules.

To amplify your career ambition, you will need to actively dedicate time outside of your studies, whether you choose to explore an ARU Certificate for Professional Development, placements, internships or volunteering. Or you could make a social impact by collaborating with our partner organisations through our volunteer scheme Students at the Heart of Knowledge Exchange (SHoKE). These all give you an edge, providing you with experience that you will be able to evidence on your CV and talk about in interviews.

Our Employability and Careers Service offers a range of expert advice and support to build your unique professional profile, including tailored career appointments, advice on writing your CV, and help to complete job applications. You’ll have 24/7 access to the Careers Centre, our comprehensive online digital resource, which empowers you to start building a Personal Career Development Plan from the very start. Design your future at ARU.

A foundation year prepares you for the rest of your course, and focuses on general skills such as researching and referencing, numeracy and ICT, and communication. We'll also start to look at some more subject-specific topics.

Your placement year is a chance to put everything you’ve learnt in Years 1 and 2 into practice. Spend up to nine months working for an organisation, developing your skills and gaining valuable work experience. Our Placements Team is here to help you secure a placement.

This is a hands-on, practical course and our assessment is based on the coursework you complete for each of your modules. This includes completed project work as well as accompanying material such as sketchbooks.

Assessment is ongoing and includes one-to-one feedback, group crits and class design presentations, so you can be sure you’re receiving structured, insightful feedback throughout your degree course.

See our recommended materials and things you can do to prepare for the course.