Illustration

Illustration is the art of visual storytelling and communication, the discipline that uses drawing, image-making and design to convey ideas, narratives, emotions and information in ways that engage audiences and serve purposes that words alone cannot. From picture books and editorial images to graphic novels, medical illustration, animation and digital content, illustration encompasses a remarkable range of approaches and applications, united by the commitment to purposeful visual communication that distinguishes illustration from fine art or decorative design.

At the University of Westminster, this three-year full-time programme helps you find your distinctive creative voice and develop the skills you need to transform your passion for design into a successful career. You will work across a range of illustration contexts and techniques, developing both traditional and digital skills while building the conceptual thinking and professional awareness that career illustrators need. The programme encourages you to develop an individual approach to image-making, to understand the relationship between image and text, and to create work that is both visually compelling and communicatively effective.

A sandwich year provides extended professional experience in the industry, a year abroad broadens your visual and cultural perspective, and a work placement gives you further direct exposure to the professional contexts in which illustrators work.

A typical entry tariff of 104 points makes the programme accessible to students from a range of creative backgrounds, and Westminster's London location gives you access to one of the world's richest concentrations of creative and publishing industry contacts.

Graduates pursue careers as illustrators across publishing, advertising, editorial, animation, games, fashion, surface pattern design, children's books and digital media. Some build independent practices through galleries, commissions and licensing, while others work within creative agencies, design studios, broadcast companies or brand consultancies. Postgraduate study in illustration, animation, graphic design or visual communications offers further pathways for those who wish to specialise or move into research and teaching.