Visual Communication: Creative Risks

You will be introduced to contemporary art and design practices through hands-on, fast-paced projects that explore the unexpected, the imperfect, and the inventive. You will engage with a wide range of visual culture, including graphic design, photography, 3D work, fashion communication, typography, layout, sound, and publication design, investigating how ideas emerge, evolve, and communicate visually.

Emphasising experimentation over polished outcomes, the course encourages you to take playful risks, learn from accidents and errors, and build creative confidence while nurturing critical curiosity about the visual world.

Learners will be taught in a specialist art studio with practical demonstrations, one-to-one support, and group discussion. Access to an internet-connected device is required for access to materials beyond the class contact time.

You may be asked to bring some materials to the first class. Please wait until the first class and speak with your tutor before purchasing further materials. You will require access to a computer or other device with internet connection. 

Learning in this course is hands-on, and your skills will develop through practice, discovery, and engagement with materials and techniques.

If you have fully engaged with all the learning activities and have attended regularly, by the end of the course, you should be able to:

• Experiment with contemporary visual practices across multiple media, generating creative outcomes that prioritise process, playfulness, and inventive approaches over polished results.
• Analyse and reflect on the emergence and evolution of ideas, evaluating how experimentation, accidents, and iterative practice shape visual communication in diverse art and design contexts.
• Apply and critically reflect on problem-solving, adaptability, creative collaboration, critical thinking, visual literacy and communication, demonstrating these skills through experimentation, creation, and reflection on technical and conceptual challenges.

Learners with an enthusiasm for creative exploration and making may find this course particularly rewarding. Curiosity about colour, texture and form, and a willingness to experiment and express ideas visually, are encouraged.

We welcome all and are committed to fostering a positive culture and sense of community among learners and staff. We expect learners to treat others with dignity and respect. Learners must be aged 16+.

If you have a disability, learning difficulty, health condition, or personal circumstances which may affect your learning, please let us know so that we can make appropriate adjustments in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

Wherever possible, we mainstream adjustments in line with the University’s Accessible and Inclusive Learning Policy.

Learners will have limited access to the University’s student support services who will signpost appropriate local sources of support. 

This course is suitable for participants with no prior experience. We welcome anyone with a vivid imagination and a passion for creative exploration. While no formal background in art or design is required, the course is hands-on, and a willingness to experiment and express ideas visually is encouraged.

We aim to keep materials affordable while ensuring you have the appropriate tools. Costs may vary depending on the course, and your course teacher will provide further details during the first class.

You will need to have reading, listening and communication skills, including the ability to understand detailed ideas and information presented verbally and in writing. You must be comfortable learning in English if it is not your first language. You will need basic digital skills, such as using a computer and navigating a website, to access the learning materials.

Booking is available until 23:59 the day before the course is due to start, unless the course is full or cancelled.