The BA (Hons) Graphic Design at Liverpool John Moores University has a well-established reputation for developing innovative designers and illustrators, highly sought after by employers in this exciting but competitive sector.
Modules are designed to be flexible so you can specialise in either graphic design or illustration early in the course or take your time deciding while you get a feel for different art forms.This means that you will be working in a highly creative and stimulating environment where craft-based skills flourish alongside new technology using a variety of traditions including drawing, typography, image-making and inventive approaches to new media. Even the John Lennon Art and Design Building, where the School is based, is considered a work of art, having been nominated for the prestigious Stirling Prize.
Our close links with the local and national creative industries have resulted in collaborations, 'live' projects and internship opportunities, all of which are essential preparation for your future career.
This course has a reputation for excellence and we are proud to have produced some of the country’s most innovative and respected designers and illustrators. They include Paul Pensom, who is current Art Editor at Creative Review; Jimmy Turrell, Graphic artist and Video Director represented by Heart Agency and an international client base including Nike, MTV, Conde Nast, Pentagram and Dazed&Confused; Joe Stoddard, Lead Designer at Adidas in Germany; James Gilmore, designer at Design Studio, responsible for the recent rebranding of The Premier League and Airbnb; Malik Thomas-Smeda who was commissioned by the National Football Museum in Manchester; Al Murphy, a freelance illustrator with an international client base including MTV, Guardian and TimeOut NY; Richard Turley, Global Creative Director at Wieden + Kennedy, New York.
Additional opportunities available outside of the studio include study trips at each Level (typically to Manchester, London and Berlin) and the prestigious Susan Cotton Travel Awards and Sue Dunthorne Travel Bursaries, which give students opportunities to undertake overseas trips for personal and professional development.
The course recently collaborated with The Double Negative, art criticism and social commentary online magazine, to launch a series 'In These Times: Pandemic Conversations'. The partnership between LJMU Graphic Design & Illustration and The Double Negative focuses on students, acknowledging the profound difficulties posed to students in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. It also recognises outstanding work produced during this challenging time.
