BA (Hons) Graphic Design

Jenna Smith

'I live locally and first attended a year-long Foundation degree in Art and Design at the University of Portsmouth. During this time, I was able to see the work going on in the degree course and was very impressed by its content and high standards. I had no doubt in my mind that the University of Portsmouth would be the best choice for me when starting my degree. 

I have had a strong passion for graphic design since I first studied it in secondary school. I enjoy the opportunities in the interplay of words, images, colours and form to communicate a message. The School of Art, Design and Media has recently set up a new Master's course in Graphic Design, which could be an option for me as I very much enjoy studying at the University. Alternatively, I will aim to pursue a career as a graphic designer.

What makes this course particularly beneficial is that some of the units are set in cooperation with institutions outside the University. This means that the lecturers and tutors are a mix of academics and successful professionals within the graphic design field.   It enables us to have a taste for what life as a graphic designer would be like when we graduate. The tutor to student ratio is very good, which makes the interaction very personal, and allows for a lot of time dedicated to guidance and support.

The School of Art, Design and Media is fully equipped with the latest computers and technology, whilst also giving access to some of the older methods for printing e.g. the screen printing room.  The University Library is particularly impressive, with a vast collection of books, journals and electronic resources. The easy navigation, long opening hours and extra support from the Library staff makes finding material very easy.  The Library also offers great leaflets and drop-in times to learn about writing essays and acquiring other useful skills.

I only have a few lectures a week but I still spend all day at University because the friendly environment makes it a pleasurable place to work and socialise with people. I have a part-time job at the weekend and spend evenings with friends and family.

Everything in Portsmouth is within walking distance. The city offers a good and varied nightlife, and the beach is a great place to go and relax in the summer.'

Jo Randall, BA (Hons) Graphic Design

'I chose Portsmouth because I came for interview and it was relaxed and friendly in comparison to other places. The facilities looked good and I just felt immediately comfortable in the School of Art, Design and Media, which had a good atmosphere. Also the Student's Union building was new and swanky. I quite liked the idea of being by the sea.

My course is very good - it has covered a wide range of communication design with different aspects, and media outputs like moving image and poster design. There are workshops in software and design skills like typography.

I really enjoyed the unit Professional Practice where you had to push yourself and work in a group, which was challenging and hard work, but good. Now I am in my final year and I can choose topics which I am personally really interested in.

The course has taught me how important research is - looking back I can see the progress I have made learning what is relevant and how to explore sources. Actually you get better at lots of things like meeting deadlines and making presentations. These things are on my mind at the moment because soon I'll be leaving and job hunting.

We are encouraged to promote ourselves on the course and create an online portfolio. I'm working on my website at the moment. I am pretty confident I can show my creativity and skills that I have developed during the course and will definitely be pursuing a career in the creative industries or design world.

Student life at Portsmouth is very social! Moving away from home was exciting and the Students' Union is a great place to meet people when you are a fresher. Places in the halls of residence are easy to get and there are loads of support for housing and finance problems - this is one of the really good things here.

Meeting lots of people from different places has been one of the best parts. You get to meet people from other courses through societies and other events. I also worked on Pugwash, the University student magazine. Life in Portsmouth is good for a student - it's well set up, easy to get around and by the sea.'