Cardiff School of Art & Design

With our capital city location, purpose-built facilities and innovative curriculum, Cardiff School of Art & Design is the ideal place to continue your creative journey.

Work with other artists, designers, architects and makers across disciplines, sharing skills, ideas and experiences. Build your skills and experience in the context of social responsibility, global citizenship, inclusivity, wellbeing and sustainability. Become one of our highly skilled graduates, ready to join the leaders, thinkers and entrepreneurs of the future.

Our Curriculum

Our ground-breaking undergraduate curriculum is built around three module types:- Subject, Field and Constellation:

Subject immerses you in the histories, methods, concepts and practices of your discipline. Field introduces you to interdisciplinary working where you develop the skills and abilities to respond to real world challenges. Constellation introduces an expansive range of themes and ideas to develop your research and critical thinking skills.

Refer to the course directory on pages 22-23 for full list of Art, Design & Architecture degrees.

Learn more about our Art, Design & Architecture degrees by scanning the QR code.

Art & Design facilities

Cardiff School of Art & Design offers an extensive range of facilities to help you realise your creativity, no matter what form it takes.

Our fully equipped workshops are staffed by expert Technician Demonstrators who can provide you with all the training, advice and support you need to make the most of them.

Our interdisciplinary curriculum offers opportunities for students from across the School to access our whole range of facilities.

Read more and take a virtual tour of our School of Art & Design facilities by scanning the QR code.

Exploring my Creativity at Cardiff Met

The best thing for me about studying illustration at Cardiff Met has probably been my tutors. They just offer so much encouragement, and they really care about their students.

They want you to develop as artists, but also as people, so that you’re putting out work that’s going to have a really positive impact in the world.

There’s also so much encouragement to explore your practice and try different mediums and different fields. You really develop your work in ways you’d never have expected. The encouragement and passion the tutors bring to the table creates a safe environment where you can really push yourself and your creativity.

Joshua Donkor

Illustration BA (Hons)

Read more of our Student Blogs by scanning the QR code.

Animation

Animators breathe life into stories, making even the simplest line drawing magically come alive, and engaging everyone in a language understood by all.

On our BA Animation degree, you become familiar with the techniques, principles and skills that open up the world of animation. You will learn to create the illusion of motion using time, sound and form to bring images, ideas and stories to life. You will take complex information and use traditional media as well as new and emerging media and technology to assemble meaningful narratives.

Our Animation degree course allows you to build on your critical and analytical skills. You will develop your individual voice as well as your expertise and learn how to apply your skillset across the creative industries.

You will engage with cutting edge studio practice, collaborate with other disciplines, explore methods and theory, work on live briefs and competitions and undertake self-directed projects.

Emerge as an animator with the skills, confidence and critical thinking to dive into the growing world of professional animation.

Course: Animation - BA (Hons)

UCAS Tariff: 96-120 Duration: 3 years full-time

Key: W

(Portfolio and interview required)

Read more about our Animation Course by scanning the QR code.

Architecture

Architecture shapes the world around us. It reflects our societies and communities, and influences the way we think and feel. Architecture dominates our skyline, transforms our cities, changes the way we live and work and becomes part of our narrative.

Learn how to design buildings and make spaces for people in a creative and environmentally responsible way.

Our Architecture degrees are informed by the tradition and heritage of a school of art and design, and by the contemporary creative use of cutting-edge technology, exploring the relationship of human experiences with architecture.

There will be opportunities to engage in real-world activities, including work with local communities and employers, as well as chances to experience other cultures – and their architecture – through overseas study trips.

Course: Architecture - BA (Hons) UCAS Tariff: 120-128 Duration: 3 years full-time Key:  W (Portfolio and interview required)

Course: Architectural Design & Technology - BSc (Hons) UCAS Tariff: 96-120 Duration: 3 years full-time Key:  W (Portfolio and interview required)

Read more about our Architecture Courses by scanning the QR code.

Artist Designer: Maker

Makers are artists, designers, craftspeople, innovators, creatives, technologists and many other things besides. They work with intelligent hands and creative minds to create the objects that shape our world.

The BA Artist Designer Maker degree at Cardiff Met is a course that has making at its heart. You will gain hands-on experience with materials from metals, glass and ceramics through to wood and textiles. You will learn to bridge the gap between ageold skills and the latest technology and create new and original ways of making for our ever- changing world.

You will develop your own unique style and consider where your work sits within creative practice. You will learn from professional practicing artists, designers and makers, sharing in their passion and acquiring their skills.

By the time you graduate, you’ll be able to investigate and develop an idea all the way through to realisation - whether it’s a functioning product, decorative object, sculpture or installation. You’ll be a maker - and the future will be in your hands.

Course: Artist Designer: Maker - BA (Hons) UCAS Tariff: 96-120 Duration: 3 years full-time

Key: W

(Portfolio and interview required)

Read more of our Artist Designer: Maker course by scanning the QR code.

Ceramics

Clay has a visual and material language crossing all cultures. It is intrinsic to people’s lives, needs and memories. A ceramist is skilled in working with this most versatile of materials. They feel the world through their hands and engage with the transformative power of materials.

Our BA Ceramics degree gives you the skills to contribute to this expanding field. You will explore an anthropological approach to making, socio-geographic mapping of materials and practices, and the social capacity of skills by working with local initiatives, such as galleries, market places, collections, and as part of our ‘global studio’. You will examine creative strategies to identify your own tendencies and patterns in idea development, studying glaze and material technology to turn those ideas into form.

You will be equipped with the skills to respond to both conceptual and commercial contexts, to appreciate the breadth of the field from function to figurative, from installation to innovations in new technologies. With opportunities to work real-world contexts on live briefs, creative competitions and interdisciplinary projects, you will be encouraged to identify and build your own independent practice and work towards your future career.

Course: Ceramics: - BA (Hons) UCAS Tariff: 96-120 Duration: 3 years full-time

Key: W

(Portfolio and interview required)

Read more about our Ceramics Course by scanning the QR code.

Fashion

Fashion expresses our values, culture and society. More importantly, it influences and shapes them.

You will explore your individual talents through the professional design process, which creates freedom with constraints and reflectivity with spontaneity.

Our Fashion Design course embeds originality and risk taking right into the design process, from concept to final product, with consideration for commercial viability and creativity at its core.

It is designed to reflect contemporary practice and to inspire you to succeed in this fast-moving industry.

You will become multi-skilled, flexible, resourceful and creative fashion practitioners with well-developed transferable and interpersonal skills. You will work within a creative environment with well-equipped workshops and studios that support our vibrant student community, where personal talent and individual development are shared, exchanged and nurtured.

You’ll also gain an understanding of the ethical issues facing the fashion industry, allowing you to graduate as a responsible designer ready to shape the industry.

Course: Fashion Design - BA (Hons) UCAS Tariff: 96-120 Duration: 3 years full-time Key:  W (Portfolio and interview required)

Read more about our Fashion Course by scanning the QR code.

Fine Art

It takes a rare and special ability to become a fine artist. You need both technical skill and creative insight to produce work that conveys an original perspective.

Our BA Fine Art degree course gives you the space, freedom and support to fully express your artistic vision. Choose your own journey - define your interests and practices and immerse yourself in exploration.

You will develop skills through an engagement with traditional materials and contemporary technologies within a studio practice culture. Both a strong art historical and broader contextual view of your work is a crucial as part of your evolution as an artist.

Through blending material exploration, practice and philosophy, you will explore the intricate connections between theoretical and conceptual ideas and artistic intention. You will gain insights from diverse interdisciplinary contexts, engage with critical theory and learn to apply them through your work.

Be ambitious, disciplined and motivated in your practice and you’ll graduate with the skills, confidence and critical ability to continue your journey as a professional artist.

Course: Fine Art - BA (Hons) UCAS Tariff: 96-120 Duration: 3 years full-time

Key: W

(Portfolio and interview required)

Read more about our Fine Art Course by scanning the QR code.

Graphic Communication

Graphic Communication makes an essential contribution to the material and visual cultures that surround us. It is a powerful catalyst for social, cultural and political change, has the power to shape behaviour, inform perceptions and guide attention.

Om our BA Graphic Communication degree, you will explore the changing landscape and role of graphic design within a 21st century context, dealing with the challenges of globalisation, inclusivity and sustainability.

You will engage with cutting edge studio practice, collaborate with other disciplines, explore methods and theory, work on live briefs with real clients and undertake selfdirected design projects through typography, image and narrative.

We believe that the role of the designer is equally critic, curator, author, craftsperson, philosopher, communicator, collaborator and instigator, and will support you in becoming a skilled practitioner ready for national and international employment.

Course: Graphic Communication - BA (Hons) UCAS Tariff: 96-120 Duration: 3 years full-time

Key: W

(Portfolio and interview required)

Read more about our Graphic Communication Course by scanning the QR code.

Illustration

Illustrations are active images; they always have a purpose, making sense of complex ideas. As illustrators, you will work to enable understanding of the everyday - from enriching literature and poetry, to responding to societal issues from science and medicine to politics and economics.

You will develop rich imaginative responses to build your unique practice, inviting your audiences in. With core skills in drawing and narrative you will explore and experiment with materials, developing a range of both technical skills to find your own visual languages with which to tackle challenging subject matter. Through our unique curriculum you will grow a practice that is defined in its purpose not only by how you make your work but importantly by what the work is about, and how it communicates, underpinned theoretically and historically.

You will test your illustrations in a variety of environments and scenarios – exploring beyond the immediate world of the illustrator through, for example; animation, film, printed and digital media to contextualise and articulate your discipline, enriching your work with a greater understanding of the environment it operates in.

Illustration is constantly extending its reach. Whether it’s working with clients and collaborators or authoring and directing your own projects, you will graduate with a multitude of transferable skills. As students in illustration you will join our Vertical Studio where you will explore, examine and reveal the discipline through dynamic conversations, debates and presentations, unlocking the power of illustration.

The challenge is to understand and use visual trends in a critical way, whilst developing your own unique approaches – all while taking into account the power of images in a visually saturated world. Through the three years of study you will shape your own unique practice so that it speaks in a way that is inclusive of your audience.

Course: Illustration - BA (Hons) UCAS Tariff: 96-120 Duration: 3 years full-time

Key: W

(Portfolio and interview required)

Read more about our Illustration Course by scanning the QR code.

Interior Design

Design has a profound impact on society, and effective interior design has the potential to change the way we live our lives for the better.

You will study objects and their relationships with space, as well as the ways in which they create user experience.

By studying our BA Interior Design degree, you will learn the importance of sustainability and environmentally responsible design; tradition and heritage of place; aesthetics and materiality; as well as the impact design has on human experience and well-being.

Our undergraduate Interior Design course will equip you with a critical and contemporary understanding of interior space. These skills will allow you to remodel the past, create the present and inform the future.

You will undertake collaborative projects spanning a range of contexts, countries and cultures. You will explore and employ a range of technologies, critically engage with live briefs and real-world concerns as you develop your own design identity. This will enable you to compose, visualise and simulate unique and individual environments, preparing you for your future.

Course: Interior Design - BA (Hons) UCAS Tariff: 96-120 Duration: 3 years full-time

Key: W

(Portfolio and interview required)

Read more about our Interior Design Course by scanning the QR code.

Photography

Photography is a powerful language. It enables us to communicate complex ideas and emotions. It tells us what is considered important, and helps us to understand and question the past and the present.

Your unique vision can help to redefine the way we see the world around us. As a critical and creative photographer, you can contribute to creating the visual landscapes of the future.

The BA Photography degree at Cardiff Met will develop your understanding of technical, creative and conceptual approaches to photography, drawing inspiration from artistic and editorial approaches to image-making and experimental lens-based practices. You will acquire professional digital and film photography skills alongside a knowledge of photographic history and practice.

The BA Photography degree at Cardiff Met will develop your understanding of technical and conceptual approaches to photography, drawing inspiration from commercial, artistic and experimental lens-based mediums. You will acquire professional digital and film photography skills.

You will learn to critically evaluate your creative approaches to contemporary photographic practices, positioning these within wider visual culture. We will encourage you to pursue your own photographic interests, nurturing a unique way of seeing, and creating a dynamic portfolio of work.

You will develop a distinctive visual identity and an understanding of the ways in which your personal style might be applied to a range of contexts from fashion and fine arts to advertising and editorial.

Course: Photography - BA (Hons) UCAS Tariff: 96-120 Duration: 3 years full-time

Key: W

(Portfolio and interview required)

Read more about our Photography Course by scanning the QR code.

Product Design

The things in our lives, the objects that we love, the equipment we use and the tools we depend upon, are developed by product designers.

A product designer is as much a creative problem solver as they are an identifier of problems. They respond to human needs within real-world contexts, develop sustainable interventions, rigorously test them and turn them into products ready to be manufactured and put to use.

The BA/BSc Product Design degree at Cardiff Met gives you the skills this fast-moving industry demands. You will explore cutting edge design thinking, sustainable design principles, material science and engineering, rapid prototyping and manufacturing, and human-centred design principles.

You will work within real-world contexts on live briefs, on interdisciplinary projects and creative competitions to develop your knowledge of design processes through to manufacture.

Opt to study either a BA or a BSc Product Design - whichever you choose, you’ll gain thorough knowledge of the product development process and leave with the skills and expertise you need to become a designer whose products have the potential to change lives.

Course: Product Design - BA/BSc (Hons) UCAS Tariff: 96-120 Duration: 3 years full-time Key:  W (Portfolio and interview required)

Read more about our Product Design Course by scanning the QR code.

Textile Design

Textiles are the very fabric of life. A tactile, sensory and aesthetic medium tied to geographical locations, natural resources, human relationships and technological developments, expressed through a tapestry of texture, form, colour, pattern and meaning.

The BA (Hons) Textiles programme explores the diversity of the medium for contemporary sustainable practice, blending traditional processes and emerging digital technologies.

Synthesise traditional and modern processes in print, stitch, dye, fabric manipulation, knit, and elementary weaving and explore emerging digital technologies.

Apply your skills to surface pattern design, 2D and 3D construction for interiors, stationery, fashion, and art markets. You will prepare for professional practice through working with cutting edge studio practice, collaborating with other disciplines, exploring methods and theory, working on live briefs with real clients and undertaking self-directed projects.

You will be supported in developing your own unique style, giving you the confidence, vision, and professional awareness to take the next steps into your future.

Course: Textile Design - BA (Hons) UCAS Tariff: 96-120 Duration: 3 years full-time

Key: W

(Portfolio and interview required)

Read more about our Textile Design Course by scanning the QR code.