Illustration

Illustration is a discipline that applies visual art to communication, narrative and the interpretation of ideas, working across contexts from books, magazines and editorial media to advertising, animation, game design, surface pattern and fine art. Illustrators develop a distinctive visual language and the technical skills to express it across a range of media, both traditional and digital, and they work with commissioners and clients to create images that communicate, entertain, inform and add meaning. The field rewards both creative individuality and the professional versatility to work across different briefs and contexts.

At Coventry University, this three-year programme is designed to help you develop your unique illustrative style, build a tailored portfolio and gain the skills and industry insight needed to launch a successful and flexible career in the creative industries. You will develop your drawing and visual communication skills across a range of media and techniques, from traditional handmade mark-making to digital illustration tools, building the breadth and depth that a professional portfolio demands. A sandwich placement year gives you extended industry experience, a year abroad adds international perspective, and work placement opportunities throughout the programme connect your studies to the professional contexts in which illustration is commissioned and created.

Illustration graduates work across editorial illustration, book and children's publishing, advertising, branding, surface pattern design, textile illustration, animation, game art, graphic novel and comics, and arts education. Many work as freelancers or through agents, building relationships with publishers, brands and design agencies over time. Others work as in-house illustrators within studios, publishing houses and digital media companies.

Postgraduate study in illustration, visual communication or related creative disciplines is available for those who want to develop a research practice or specialist expertise. The combination of distinctive personal style and professional adaptability that the programme develops is the foundation for a sustainable creative career.