The modules on our Illustration degree will help you grow into a professional illustrator and become a flexible and resilient creative thinker. You will learn new ways to think, make, draw, and promote yourself, so you’ll be ready and prepared to make a living from your newly acquired skills.

Each year, modules build on the skills you have already gained and aim to enhance your creativity.

The degree starts with building a solid foundation in core skills: researching, idea development, drawing, colour theory, image making and printmaking. These are essential to your career as an illustrator.

In year two you’ll begin to explore the application of illustration and the many disciplines within the visual communications industry. You will also start to connect with the industry, through partnerships and live projects in the second year, which will improve your illustration practice and employability.

Your final year will enable you to put all your new skills and experience into practice, you will be able to identify your strengths and interests in the broad spectrum of illustration. You will be able to tailor your final year to match these skills and interests, we’ll also teach you core business skills in licenses, copyright and tax, and self-promotion. You’ll have the skills and creativity to define you as a contemporary and innovative industry professional.

Year One

Colour and Communication

• In this module you will explore how colour theory and colour psychology can be used to help you communicate your ideas and aid your visual storytelling. Focusing on both the practical and theoretical application of colour and its importance in image making.

Visual Skills

• An exploration of your own drawing style and visual language, this module will provide you with opportunities to experiment with a wide range of media and mark making techniques and drawing styles. You will begin to identify and strengthen your own visual language via drawing skills such as, location drawing, life drawing, printmaking and digital skills. These sessions will combine with studio-based sessions allowing you to engage in an experimental approach to media, process, mark-making and storytelling.

Illustration Fundamentals

• In this module, you’ll explore how illustration is applied within the industry of visual communication and illustration, while also considering your visual language, audience and market.

Communication Studies

• This is a contextual written module where you will look at key movements and features of the past, present and future of illustration practice.

Year Two

Illustration for literature and information

• Explore the application of illustration and examine the relationship between illustrator, client and agent for literature. Focusing on editorial, publishing, illustration for information, digital and printed material.

Illustration for place and product

• This module enables you to investigate the application of illustration with relation to places, products and brands.

Illustration for moving Image

• Learn more about the illustrator’s role in the production of animation and moving image. Explore the creation of character design, animation fundamentals, gif making and augmented reality filters.

Communication Studies 02

• Develop an advanced understanding of illustration contexts, its purpose and its applications, with an emphasis on social media, opportunities and trends in the creative industries.

Year Three

Critical Research Project

• This module provides a link between the methods of academic research and creative practice, it will enable you to undertake a sustained research project in a field relating to illustration and/or design.

Final Major Project

• Through negotiation with your lecturers, you will build a self-directed project, or a professional body of work or portfolio that is based on your strengths, interests or career aspirations.

Client Studies

• You will undertake a 70-hour work-based industry placement or complete a live project brief provided by an industry partner.

Professional and Promotional Practice

• This module will provide you with the opportunity to learn valuable employability skills, core business skills in licences, copyright and tax and generate professional and promotional outcomes such as a professional website and social media presence.

Competition brief

• You will explore the range of illustration and design competitions in this module. Students from the USW Illustration course have achieved success in the following national and international competitions, Penguin Design Challenge, Carmelite Picture Book Prize, YCN Awards, Ruth Borchard Portrait Prize, The Cheltenham Prize and the Creative Conscience Awards to name a few.

The USW Illustration course at our Cardiff campus offers a stimulating creative environment, with dedicated studios, industry standard Macintosh software and dedicated experienced staff.

Our teaching team is made up of industry professionals and technical experts. They will guide and push you to develop your own identity as an illustrator. You will develop all the skills and professional attributes required to succeed in design. You can expect lectures and workshop both online and in-person. Most of all, you can expect to be hands on and working from days one in our busy and active studios.

The emphasis is hands-on studio-based work, reinforced by lectures, seminars and studio workshops. Individuals will aim to graduate at industry level, demonstrating the expertise and knowledge required to seamlessly sync with today’s changing technology, expanding networks and diverse contextual positions.

Your work is assessed entirely through the submission of coursework, with the majority (80%) through a practical portfolio of work. The remaining elements integrate practice and theory through written and other forms. You will be encouraged to discuss your work critically with staff, leading designers and other students, through individual and group critiques in a supportive studio environment.

There are live projects each year, working directly with design companies and industry clients to enhance your portfolio and employability.