Develop your personal and professional voice with our 10-month Visual Communication Design course
Learn from professionals, academics and peers as part of a multi-disciplinary creative community
Develop your personal design voice and build a portfolio of critical, socially-engaged work
Discover new skills and put them into practice with access to facilities and hot-desking spaces
Hybrid (online and in-person)
January 2027 start
What is Visual Communication Design?
Visual Communication is now the most widespread form of communication in the 21st Century. Visual Communication is how we communicate information, tell stories, and design experiences with purpose and clarity.
This independent diploma award includes many of the key principles and practices of Graphic Design, such as typography, editorial design and semiotics, and also invites you to explore Visual Communication across animation, film, photography, illustration, art, architecture and digital visual culture.
At The Margate School of Art we take a critical and multi-disciplinary approach to design. We believe design has the power to inform, educate, challenge the status quo and to tackle some of the most urgent social and environmental issues of our time.
This course will enable you to develop your design knowledge and technical skills while also developing a critical and socially engaged design practice, where people and the planet come first.
Why study at mast?
Embark on a process of building the curriculum with staff and other students, following interests and shaping new ways of working.
The opportunity to work collaboratively with other students, and with small cohorts, the chance to get continuous feedback from artists, tutors and guest lecturers.
The chance to build your practice in a thriving artistic community in an area with a history of self-expression and experimentation.
Learn and share knowledge within the mast community and beyond: collaborating with studio holders, showing in our gallery, leading community workshops and working with students and tutors in our partner institution in Dunkirk, France.
modules
also available to study individually
visual language
The Visual language module takes you back to the basic principles and practices of visual communication design. You will explore how colour, composition, signs and symbols, form and scale are used to communicate meaning and emotion. These workshops are hands-on, non-digital, interactive and fun. You’ll be introduced to and explore working with visual semiotics and the Gestalt principles of visual perception.
typography
Explore the classifications and character of typography alongside the history of typographic design and printing. You’ll experiment with found type and develop an understanding of typographic hierarchy and layout. Throughout the module you will design your own typeface and digitise it. Practical workshops in this module will include screen-printing and letterpress / wood-block printing.
image
Explore visual communication through a variety of image making techniques, including analogue photography, collage, mono-printing and you’ll take on a live industry design brief in a collaboration with local businesses and organisations. The module will culminate in an interim exhibition / show, which students are invited to design and curate at the School.
design society nature
This dedicated Design Society Nature module focusses on socially and environmentally engaged design. Students will bring together elements of previous practice modules and engage with contemporary debates and pressing issues.
What’s included
Diverse programme of specialist workshops
Including screen printing, analogue photography and darkroom developing, letterpress and woodblock printing and more.
In-demand skills
Introductory tuition in Adobe Photoshop, In Design, Illustrator and Premiere Pro.
Studio access
7 days a week access to the TMS Design Studio, including workspaces equipped with Adobe Create Cloud enabled PCs.
Portfolio building
With a diverse range of design projects and explorations which will take you to where you want to go next.
Lectures and seminars
Scheduled across one day a week, including Design History and Critical Design seminars.
Collaboration
Live industry design briefs in partnership with local businesses and organisations.
Facilities
7 days a week access to the mast facilities and equipment including; dark room, screen printing, woodwork studio, kiln and 3D printing.
requirements
Evidence of previous creative practice (eg illustration, photography, printmaking).
application deadline
Final deadline: 21 December 2026, 12 noon (UK time)
costs
course structure
£2,400 per academic year, including hot desk, and computers with Adobe Creative Suite.
Fees can be paid up-front or monthly.
This is a hybrid course. In-person teaching takes place every other Thursday. On alternative weeks, students submit independent work online for peer and tutor feedback and discussion.
Students on this course have access to facilities, desk spaces and Adobe computers seven days a week, 7am to 11pm.
