Art and Design

For entry to this course you'll need:

• a real interest in art and design
• four National 5s or equivalent, including Art and Design OR a relevant NC course at SCQF Level 5 or equivalent, such as Introduction to Art and Design
• an interview with us
• a portfolio of your work

If you don't have formal qualifications, but have life experience, then we'll also consider you for a place, so please call us for a chat.

This course will give you a great foundation in graphic design and related areas, as well as the opportunity to build a portfolio for progression to a higher level of study.

Here's just some of what you'll be doing:

• graphic design - creating logos and brands, advertising and packaging.
• illustration - learning different techniques and media and looking specifically at children's book illustration.
• photography and digital imaging - learning basic camera skills, composition, enhancing and manipulating images, and a project such as creating a movie poster.
• animation - creating and animating characters through stop motion
• life drawing - producing studies of parts of the human figure, and drawings of live models.
• exploratory media - trying media and materials you might not have handled before.
• art and design software, developing skills in Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop.

There's also a bit of theory and contextual studies too, but most still involve some practical work:

• colour theory - exploring colour relationships, values and emotional responses to colour.
• art history - covering the larger areas such as impressionism, Pop Art and Op Art.
• digital media - its role in art and design.

You may also have the chance to:

• work on live briefs for community projects or local businesses.
• go on trips to galleries and exhibitions, like the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh or Kelvingrove in Glasgow.
• be involved in the Creative Department's Annual End of Year Show.

When you successfully complete this course, you'll have the choice of:

Moving onto HNC Art and Design or HNC Visual Communication
Exploring your future career options including: Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Practising Artist, Community Arts, Youth Arts Worker, Art Therapist, Photographer, Teacher.

With additional qualifications, you may be able to progress to a degree course at e.g. Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow Clyde, Glasgow Caledonian University, Edinburgh School of Art, University of Edinburgh, Duncan of Jordanstone in Dundee, Gray's School of Art in Aberdeen, University of Dundee, Edinburgh Napier University or Perth College.

In this course you will build transferable Essential Skills in meaningful contexts to help you become more effective in life, learning, and work. This could be communication, numeracy, ICT, working with others, and problem solving.

You may also have the chance to work on live briefs for community projects or local businesses.

HNC Visual Communication