BA (Hons) Illustration (With Foundation Year)

This BA has an extremely broad remit, from editorial publishing through to the guerrilla activists of Street Art, from book and magazine cover-design to zines and graphic novels. You’ll have the opportunity to develop your technical skills in drawing, printing, publishing, book arts, and object-making alongside the crucial media know-how to thrive in a swiftly developing visual culture. At the University of East London, we place an emphasis on the narratives of our lives and about responding to the world in both image and text. Every human has a story and this course is about finding and valuing your own narrative. Digital technology has had a profound impact on our culture, especially on the world of visual communication, but the importance of the individualized creative ‘voice’ has never been so important.

Foundation Year(If Required)

• all core

Year 1

• all core

Year 2

• all core

Year 3

• all core

Employability

Our Illustration graduates progress into a wide variety of stimulating jobs. Some become editorial illustrators, working on magazines or designing book covers. Others go into teaching the subject themselves or working for graphic design companies. A few have even landed jobs as technicians within the University itself. They just can’t tear themselves away from UEL’s winning atmosphere! Preparing you for your life beyond university is key for us. Each year, we have an annual ‘Detour Ahead’ week, when leading industry figures to visit us to offer invaluable insight and advice about further careers and entrepreneurship in the art and design world. Some of our students grasp their opportunities well before they leave our course. For example, Martin Reznik, one of our outstanding graduates who is now in hot demand as a magazine illustrator, was already designing apps for a company in Los Angeles as a student. Then there’s the story of a group of friends who set up their own company while studying at UEL. They began as a university society, just wanting to find a way of making their own comics more visible. Now, after graduation, they’ve grown into a business, Backwards Burd, offering publishing services and giving new illustrators and artists a fresh showcase.