Year one is a smooth transition into studying at degree level, and will nurture your ability to generate new ideas, learn software and develop advertising concepts in a supportive environment.

In year two, you’ll work on real-world advertising briefs, provided by agencies from Cardiff, the UK and internationally, and you will start to understand professional expectations. This year also offers the opportunity for a European exchange through the Erasmus programme, as well as industry work placements.

Year three is regarded as your professional, industry-facing year, as we prepare you for a career within the many roles of advertising. You’ll tackle national and international competitions and have further opportunities to engage with industry professionals via internships and live real world briefs.

Year One:

Advertising Fundamentals 

This module introduces you to the very basics of advertising, such as target audiences, advertising techniques and engaging with different consumer audiences. 

Creative Process 1

An exploration on how to create innovative ideas, using the creative process, research techniques, development of ideas, and strategic thinking to produce campaign concepts. 
 
Advertising for Print 

This module introduces you to the Adobe Suite of software, in order for you to create traditional, print-based ad campaigns, with written and visuals elements. 
 
Creative Content 1

As a basis for all creative work, this module introduces you to the fundamental skills, knowledge and understanding required to produce creative responses to advertising design problems using movement, sequence and  sound. You will produce outcomes such as audio ads and short-form videos for online consumption. 

Copywriting 

Introducing you to using all types of creative writing in an advertising context, from social media to traditional print ads, to script writing and storytelling on behalf of brands. You will develop your professional writing skills for use across a wide spectrum of the advertising and marketing campaigns.

The Advertising Industry 

This module will introduce you to the broad range of job roles within the ad industry, from the creative roles to the business side of the industry, as well as looking at the processes used by agencies in order to produce campaigns across all media platforms.

Year Two:

Customers and Consumers 

Understanding consumer behaviour, lifestyles and habits is key to understanding audiences via research and customer insight. You will learn how to select the most appropriate media platform in which to engage with them on behalf of clients.
 
Experiential Advertising

Exploring new technology-driven advertising, this module focuses on expertential and digital media landscapes and platforms in order to engage with the target audience via innovative campaigns.
  
The Agency*

Working on a brief provided by a variety of industry leading agencies and charities, you will create an integrated campaign within a budget and timeline, reflecting the studio dynamic of a real-world ad agency. This campaign has the potential to be used by the agency or charity for their next project: a true live brief.

Account and Media Planning

This module focuses on the strategies used within the  business side  of the advertising industry to underpin successful campaigns.This module explores the role of an account planner by examining the influence of consumer insights, market intelligence and trend prediction. This process ensures optimal return on investment and maximum success for the client.

Creative Process 2

This module focuses on how to further develop and nuture your ideas using the creative process that you were introduced to in Year 1. Research techniques, development of ideas and strategic thinking are utilized, along with exploration of creative idea techniques, which will help you produce an integrated campaign outcome.  

Content Creation 2

You will further develop skills and vocabulary relating to storytelling, narrative and sequence, and be introduced to the technical skills required to produce motion based digital ads from social media content to cinema ads.

*25% of this module can be studied in Welsh.

Year Three: Advertising

Competitive Advertising 

This module offers you the chance to respond to industry competition briefs set by an agency.  Alongside this, you will tackle a specialist project that responds to the cultural, social, and economic impact and issues in advertising.

Advertising Collaboration 

This module offers you the chance to produce an integrated campaign of social media and cinematic content.  Working with selected national charities, you’ll develop your film and editing skills via a series of professional production workshops.

Case Study

In this module, you will critically engage with investigative research, you will then focus your research and produce a case study to support your professional project.

Creative Advertising*

This module is all about developing your professional digital portfolio, skill set and launching yourself into the ad industry, with adjoining support of the USW Careers Team, so you’ll be ready to respond to working in this demanding industry in any job role.

Professional Project

In this final project, you will create a self-written, self-directed piece of content using integrated media platforms of your choice to include in your portfolio as your flagship project upon graduation. This module is the culmination of all of the skills you have acquired over the three years on the course.

*25% of this module can be studied in Welsh.

You will work in an exciting and constantly changing area of advertising and marketing in a relaxed, supportive environment of the creative studio, exploring creative direction, consumer behaviour and strategic development, as well as creating campaigns for all forms of traditional and digital media advertising. 

Our partnerships with the advertising industry provide you with an inspiring programme of visiting guest lecturers, workshop and live, real-world briefs, developing your professional practice with live and competition projects alongside workshops with practising industry specialists. This interaction with the industry develops into work placements and internships during the course.

Outside the studio, you will have access to a range of resources across the modern Cardiff campus. Cross course collaboration is encouraged and facilitated. In addition, we conduct agency visits and study trips to such destinations as Bristol, London, Manchester, New York, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Berlin.

Throughout the Advertising Design course, you will be assessed on both practice-based modules and written assignments. You will receive clear and detailed feedback, both during the module and after submission that will help you reflect on and further develop your strengths and skill set.

This course is 100% coursework assessed.