Illustration - BA (Hons) Degree

Unlock ideas for illustrative material – from a variety of perspectives. You’ll explore applied narrative, drawing, making and collaborative processes, incorporating a wide range of skills that include:

• Drawing experimental and observational
• Painting
• Printmaking
• Understanding colour
• Characterisation
• Composition
• Personification i.e. working with inanimate objects as characters
• Metaphor
• Storytelling
• Animation stop-frame/experimental
• Book binding
• Book design and book cover design
• Editorial illustration
• Zine making
• Poster design
• Gif making
• Design for personal website
• Shadow puppetry/puppetry
• Live briefs/competitions

You’ll start to think about your speciality – honing your skills and building on your strengths. And in your final year, you’ll work towards producing a sophisticated body of work to showcase your passion for communicating ideas.

Right from the beginning, you’ll look ahead to the future. You can get exposure to the industry through live briefs and work placements, travel and study abroad or expand your academic skills with a research project.  

Year One

Subject: Visual Languages - 40 credits
This module utilises a combination of workshop experiences and project briefs through which students develop a foundational awareness of visual languages and begin to explore how visual images can be used to communicate ideas, feelings, information and specific points of view.

You will challenge preconceived ideas regarding the practice and the function of illustration in order to show how new work emerges, and does so actively and with purpose.

Students develop a variety of practical skills (e.g. drawing, photography, collage, print, moving image) and conceptual skills that work in harmony and enable them to compose a body of work that demonstrates these skills.

This playful, experimental module uses texts and sound as catalysts aiding the elaboration of possible scenarios in which illustrations work actively. The combination of traditional and non-traditional methods and skills acquired in this module are transferable and built upon in subsequent modules.

Subject: In Contexts - 20 credits
This module invites you to explore the significance of context for the discipline of illustration through reflective practice. Considering who is your audience, where will your work be seen and what is the purpose of your work?

There will be a mixture of projects with fixed outcomes to and ones which are freer and can be led by you. This reflects the nature of the way an illustrator may navigate their career via client led and self-initiated projects.

Throughout the In Contexts module you will be building on your experience within the Visual Languages module, in particular continuing to develop skills in your use of materials, process and technique and your overall understanding of image making and the role of narrative within illustration.

Research Basics - 20 credits*

This module aims to develop students' core academic research skills including locating sources, evaluating credibility, and analysing information. It will provide the foundations from which students will cultivate their confidence to engage in theoretical discourse and idea-driven dialogues which will be required throughout their undergraduate studies.

Interdisciplinary Understanding - 40 credits
This module aims to introduce you to the principles of Interdisciplinary working: collaborative working, critical thinking and reflection. Projects within the module will challenge you to work with another discipline to explore a societal and cultural theme or challenge.

​Year Two

Subject: Visual Languages 2 - 40 credits
This module allows you to explore your illustrative world and ground you in your unique ways of working. You will then apply this when learning to communicate complex information using a variety of voices and perspectives.

You will apply your practice through tutor-led and competition briefs – designed to help you to develop your own approach and ideas. All of this is underpinned by discourse, reading and writing to expand your knowledge and understanding of the subject.

21st Century Challenges - 40 credits
The 21st Century Challenges module builds upon the introduction to Interdisciplinary problem-solving developed at level 4 to continue to refine, and begin to apply, your skillsets through real-world projects and live briefs. Projects will tackle 21st Century Challenges to develop your leadership, collaboration, future literacy/critical thinking skillsets.

Real-World Contexts - 20 credits
The Real-World Contexts module challenges you to apply the situated awareness and future-thinking skills to deploy your own practice in the creation or promotion of value for a variety of external stakeholders and communities.

Research Proposal - 20 credits*
The Research Proposal offers you an opportunity to strengthen your research skills, consolidate your research experience and orientate your level 6 contribution around an enquiry of your choosing that is inspired by your learning across all modules at level 4 and 5. This research proposal will be used to continue your personal and professional development at level 6 where you will identify a route for your own enquiry.

Year Three

Subject: Visual Languages 3 - 60 credits
This module is as much about your enquiry into visual languages as it is about developing final work. You’ll consider difficult subject matter that challenges your communication skills. And you’ll explore new ways of working – taking you beyond traditional methods to help further your creative practice.

Positioning in Practice - 20 credits
The module aims to support your readiness in developing your unique professional career. It will embed attributes reflective of the requirements of real-world practice aligned to your specialist discipline.

You will have the opportunity to reflect upon how your experiences over the last 3 years have allowed you to position yourself as a professional in preparation for graduate level work, continued study, research, and entrepreneurial ventures.

Contribution - 40 credits*
Your practice is underpinned by your knowledge. Demonstrate your research and analysis skills in your final research submission, where you explore ideas in both written and practical forms​.

*modules available through the medium of Welsh

All undergraduate programmes within the School of Art & Design are taught within an interdisciplinary learning environment.

Our sector-leading curriculum has been designed in relation to current literature and best practices across the UK and Europe, providing students with authentic learning opportunities with a focus on real-life situations and solving real world problems. Our graduates are ready for, and adaptable to, 21st century working and living, driven by creativity, social responsibility, futures literacy and entrepreneurial thinking and behaviours. You can read more about our undergraduate curriculum here.

Studio-Based Learning

All programmes are delivered through a studio-based learning approach, with an authentic environment that encourages collaboration, independent exploration, and a shared learning experience. Studio spaces are designed to meet the specific needs of your discipline, offering a range of learning opportunities such as group seminars, critiques, presentations, one-on-one tutorials, technical workshops, and guided independent study. This environment supports the development of student-led learning, where you can shape your research focus and expertise, working autonomously with guidance from expert academic and technical staff.

Hands-On Practical Workshops

You will engage hands-on in practical studio sessions and workshops, building core skills in materials and processes relevant to your discipline. Lectures provide a theoretical framework that complements your studio practice, while smaller group seminars offer targeted support for practical growth. Collaborative group projects create opportunities to build connections and develop teamworking skills that may extend into extra-curricular or personal projects. Regular critiques (studio crits), briefing sessions, and presentations are designed to develop critical thinking, effective communication, and build confidence to present work both visually and verbally.

Project-Based Learning

Learning strategies aim to develop professional competencies while promoting critical and creative thinking. A strong focus is placed on project-based and problem-based learning, where you will tackle projects that vary in scope: from set briefs to student-led and real-world live projects. Each project challenges you to analyse problems, conduct research, make decisions, and develop both technical and creative solutions. Projects will have defined objectives, but you are encouraged to develop an individual interpretation.

Self-Reflection

Students are further supported through a structured Personal Development Plan (PDP), which encourages self-reflection and professional development. This document serves as both a record of growth and a portfolio, highlighting your evolving body of work. Throughout your studies you will be introduced to real-world scenarios, often collaborating with external industry professionals, guest speakers, or on placements, giving you valuable exposure to industry standards and practices.

Virtual Resources

Additional support is available through personal academic tutors, who provide guidance on academic matters and your journey through the degree, contributing to student well-being and helping you to find a professional path within the programme. A Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) complements in-person learning by offering a range of resources, discussion forums, and self-assessment tools. This platform also enables formative assessment and facilitates communication within the programme.

This integrated learning and teaching approach ensures that students acquire both foundational knowledge and advanced, discipline-specific skills. By blending theoretical understanding with practical application, the course prepares students for sustained, lifelong learning and equips them with the competencies to navigate and contribute to their chosen fields.

Throughout the duration of your studies, you will be evaluated on three main criteria, which underpin all of the disciplines being taught at CSAD:

SKILLS: The practical, technical and conceptual skills you acquire during your course.

CONTEXT: Your understanding and knowledge of broader intellectual context within which your discipline and work is located. This includes historical, environmental and ethical issues and will often be explored in your 'Theory and Context' modules.

IDEAS: Your understanding of intellectual and creative ideas from within and beyond your discipline; plus your ability to acquire new concepts and form new ideas. Ideas will be explored in your written work, as well as being evident in your practical progress.

Each of these criteria is given equal weighting during the assessment process. That is to say that they are seen as equally important and critical to your development; an emphasis which is designed, for example, to enable a more well-rounded skill set from a student who may be skilled technically, but weak in generating ideas, or a student with much creative flair who may struggle to hone a broad concept into a strong, individual design.

We provide a number of ways for you to track your progress en route to submitting your work for marking. Understanding that the emphases will revolve around the core areas of skills, context and ideas, you will also become familiar with the structured assessment form used by your tutors and learn to relate to your work back to the intended learning outcomes of each brief.

The main types of formative assessment are; academic (feedback from your tutors); peer (from your course-mates or project partners); and self-assessment (which is your own critique, in light of other forms of feedback). You won't just be receiving feedback at the end of a brief, however – your tutors will often assess your progress as your work develops, providing formative feedback at crucial moments where it is hoped to encourage you to take risks, maintain your motivation or shape-up your ideas ahead of deadline.

Illustration is constantly extending its reach. On this course you'll interact with clients and collaborators, author and direct your own groundbreaking projects, and you'll graduate with a wealth of versatile and transferable skills. Our commitment to hands-on, real-world experiences goes beyond theory. We help you to forge invaluable connections, engage in immersive placements, and thrive on live briefs. For those entrepreneurial thinkers we provide support to help you create and shape a business.​

You can elect to take a route through your second and final years of studies where you can engage with businesses or prepare to launch your own business upon graduating. In your final year, rather than submit a dissertation, you have the option of devising a detailed business plan.

Graduates from the programme are well placed to join design companies, work as illustrators and designers in large organisations, or set up their own businesses. Some take further training, for example a PGCE. Some elect to take their studies further by studying at CSAD for a master's level qualification and there are opportunities to take this further still, through a Professional Doctorate in Design.

Typical Offers

• Tariff points: 96-120
• Contextual offer: See our contextual offers page.
• GCSE: Preferably five GCSEs at Grade C / 4 or above to include English Language / Welsh First Language, Mathematics / Mathematics – Numeracy.
• English Language Requirement: Academic IELTS 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in all elements, or equivalent.
• A level: Minimum three A levels. No specific subjects required. Welsh Advanced Skills Baccalaureate considered as a third subject.
• BTEC National / Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma: MMM-DDM
• T Level: No specific subjects required.
• Access to Higher Education Diploma: No specific subjects required.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma: 24 points. No specific subjects required.
• Irish Leaving Certificate: No specific subjects required. Higher level subjects only considered with a minimum grade H4.
• Scottish Advanced Highers: No specific subjects required.
• Other requirements: Successful portfolio review. For more information please read our Advice for Applicants page.

Combinations of the above qualifications are accepted if they meet our minimum requirements. If your qualifications aren’t listed, please contact Admissions or refer to the UCAS Course Search.

Further information on Overseas qualifications can be found here.

If you are a mature applicant, have relevant experience or RPL that you would like us to consider, please contact Admissions.

How to Apply

Further information on how to apply can be found here.

What’s included?

We offer a wide range of specialist facilities for our creative programmes, with dedicated studios, purpose-built workshops, and extensive technical equipment. You will have access to these workshops following successful inductions, and will be supported by a highly skilled technical team.

You will not be charged a studio fee and will be provided with all the essential materials that you need to learn the processes that your course requires.

Cardiff Met is an Adobe® Creative Campus, and CSAD students have access to the full Adobe® Creative Cloud at no additional cost.

We pride ourselves on leading the way in sustainable studio and workshop practices. Whether that’s carbon literacy, re-use, waste reduction and material science, you will be encouraged to use materials consciously as you develop your own way of working. You will also get:

• Dedicated studios for independent work or group study
• UK-based study trips that are core to your learning experience
• Creative digital facilities tailored to your course, such as specific software, print facilities or digital visualisation tools
• IT and library facilities, which include an extensive range of artists’ books, publications, journals, magazines, and digital resources to support your learning and research

What is an additional cost?

When developing individual projects, you will select and provide your own materials, many of which can be purchased at cost price on campus. We will support you in sourcing additional materials depending on your creative ambitions and budget, and in keeping with our sustainable and safe practices.

You may require course-specific equipment and tools, but this will vary depending on your practice. A joining pack will be sent to you before you start, containing detailed information about any recommended equipment including laptop specification advice. We recommend that you don’t make major purchases before receiving the joining pack or speaking with a member of staff.

Some examples of additional costs:

• Students will find a laptop or tablet helpful and will need to allow for the purchase of apps and software
• Optional UK or overseas study trips and exchange programmes
• Placements and associated costs such as travel and accommodation
• Optional access to Cardiff FabLab which is subject to charges for equipment use and materials
• Material costs when opting to use specialist equipment independently, such as digital fabric printing, 3D printing and laser cutting
• Other costs such as printing, copying, and the purchase of textbooks

For up-to-date information on tuition fees and financial support that may be available whilst at Cardiff Met, please visit www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/fees.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact us.

For general enquiries please contact the Admissions Team on 029 2041 6044 or email askadmissions@cardiffmet.ac.uk.

For course specific enquiries, please contact Subject Leader Amelia Huw Morgan: Email: AHuwMorgan@cardiffmet.ac.uk