Graphic Design with Foundation Year

Graphic design is one of the most pervasive creative disciplines in the world, shaping how organisations communicate, how products and services are perceived, and how visual information is organised and conveyed. It is a field that rewards creative problem-solvers and dynamic communicators, people who can think differently and develop the mindset of a contemporary designer who is constantly evolving their practice. Good graphic design is never merely decorative: it resolves communication problems, makes complex information accessible, and gives visual form to ideas that matter.

At the University of Derby, this four-year full-time programme includes an integrated foundation year that provides a thorough introduction to design thinking, visual communication, and core creative skills before you advance to the main degree. You will explore typography, image-making, branding, digital design, and the conceptual frameworks that underlie effective visual communication, developing both your technical fluency and your critical understanding of design as a discipline. The programme includes a sandwich year with a year abroad and work placement, giving you direct professional experience in a design studio or agency environment and international creative exposure before you graduate.

Entry typically requires around 104 UCAS tariff points.

Graphic design graduates work as designers, art directors, brand identity specialists, user interface designers, motion graphics artists, and creative directors in agencies, in-house design teams, and as freelancers. The combination of creative and conceptual skills the degree develops also opens doors in publishing, advertising, communications, and the broader creative industries.