A Level
Graphic Communication is a design course for all those interested in pursuing a career in the creative industries. Graphic Communication opens endless potential career avenues – from Illustration, game and character design, architecture, product design, brand identity, animation and motion graphics, to stage set, vehicle and costume design.
Visit Subject websiteThe course examines the basics of design, including design problem solving, allowing you to select, investigate and work in your own specific areas of interest. You will be exploring a range of traditional drawing and painting media, stencilling, collaging as well as learning to use industry standard software packages such as Photoshop and Illustrator and their equivalents. The department is well equipped with digital drawing tablets, scanners, digital cameras and access to a range of colour printing facilities. This allows you to develop and create professional quality work that will take you on to the next stage of your education, apprenticeship or career.
Students will participate in a series of skills workshops and be expected to demonstrate their creative ability in the following areas; typography, photography, digital image manipulation, fine liner illustration, cross hatching, continuous line drawing, branding, logo design, monoprint, cell drawing, digital colour. Students have flexibility in their approach and can specialise in an area of design or explore a theme through graphic processes; such as illustration, animation, games design and architecture. You will learn to develop skills and knowledge using Adobe creative suite to create digital compositions of final artworks, produce illustrations using a graphics tablet and also motion graphics.
Component 1: Personal Investigation (60% of the A Level) Students present an individual project based on a personal idea or genre which can be presented in a sketchbook or online portfolio and includes written work of 1000 to 3000 words which supports practical work.
Component 2: Externally Set Assignment (40% of the A Level) Students respond to a stimulus issued by Eduqas and a body of work is produced on one of the visual or written briefs. The finished outcome or series of outcomes are created during a 15 hour period of supervised time. You are required to work in one or more of the following areas:
You are encouraged to develop your designs from original work which can be applied to many purposes: advertising, packaging, compact disc covers, illustration projects, leaflets, posters, information graphics, book jackets, corporate identity, logotypes, etc.
(Exam board: WJEC Eduqas)
(Specification code: A654QS)
The graphics team have professional experience of working in the creative sectors and base teaching and learning experiences around practical demonstrations, live projects and talks. Students are encouraged to specialise and develop their skills and creative thinking. Individual project work is supported and assessed in a continual series of lessons and tutorials. The classrooms are fully equipped with iMacs and the full Adobe Creative Suite of software, which everyone will become familiar with in the HE and work environment. The course encourages students to strive for a professional level of creative output in their chosen area. We also support and develop each individual student’s use of the creative sector’s standard terminology so they can easily progress onto their chosen path.
Minimum entry requirements are GCSE grade 4 in English as well as a genuine interest in Graphic Design. It is advisable to have studied a creative subject at GCSE in Art or Media; grade 4 or above is required. Students wishing to study Graphic Communication who do not have an art based GCSE will still be considered.
A GCSE grade 5 is a minimum requirement if you want to take two or more art and design subjects. Anyone wishing to do this should speak to a member of the art department during enrolment.
Students will also need to meet the general College entry requirements. Entry requirements are subjects to change.
Many students go on to study the Foundation Art diploma at Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College to support applications into prestigious arts-based university degrees. Universities actively seek to recruit from our A Level Graphic Communication course based on the strength of the work featured in portfolios. The Creative Industries have been one of the major growth sectors of the economy in the last decade, with new career potential still developing each year. In terms of employment and its contribution to the economy, we encourage our students to view our course as the first step into an exciting and fulfilling career in the creative sector.
Graphic Design combines well with other creative subjects including; Fine Art, Textiles, Photography, Media and Film Studies. Also, in previous years students have studied a variety of subjects alongside Graphics such as; Physics, IT, Computer Science, Business Studies and Math.
Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College,
Vane Terrace,
Darlington,
County Durham,
DL3 7AU
Principal: Laurence Job
+44 (0)1325 461315
qe@qeliz.ac.uk
Proud to be part of
Northern Arch Learning Partnership, c/o Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College, Vane Terrace, Darlington, Co. Durham, DL3 7AU
www.northernarchlearningpartnership.org.uk
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