Graphic design at Edinburgh involves:

• balancing project guidelines with personal expression
• the interchange of traditional and contemporary technologies

Our approach 

Graphic design must: 

• challenge the status quo
• cross boundaries
• think backwards from the future
• develop powerful and novel solutions

Designers should be:

• observant
• culturally, ethically and historically aware
• open
• understanding
• receptive

At Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) we encourage bold, lateral thinking and understanding of process, technique and business. 

Through intense, sustained involvement with the design process, we support you in producing a design that is: 

• innovative
• emotive
• enduring
• aesthetic

We aim to produce skilled, confident and emotive designers equipped for contemporary graphic design demands.

Graphic design graduates work in a wide range of creative careers. The variety of skills and approaches you will learn on our programme can be applied to many disciplines. 

Typically, our graduates become valuable members of a graphic design community locally, nationally and internationally. 

We produce graduates who are aware of career possibilities in graphic design and related fields. Our programme enables you to build extensive links with the professional world through:

• industry-led projects
• staff research
• staff contacts
• visiting lecturers and mentors

Career paths 

Career paths include: 

• design for print
• digital design
• retail design or packaging
• interaction, exhibition or experiential design
• advertising and marketing
• design research
• multimedia
• design management
• education

Most graduates seek employment within a design studio. 

Others choose to: 

• set up as freelancers
• start their own business
• study at postgraduate level

Careers Service

Our Careers Service can help you to fully develop your potential and achieve your future goals.

The Careers Service supports you not only while you are studying at the University, but also for up to two years after you finish your studies.

With the Careers Service, you can:

• access digital resources to help you understand your skills and strengths
• try different types of experiences and reflect on how and what you develop
• get help finding work, including part-time jobs, vacation work, internships and graduate jobs
• attend careers events and practice interviews
• get information and advice to help you make informed decisions

Visit the Careers Service website

Further study

After you complete your programme, you may want to go onto further study at Edinburgh or a different university. You could progress to:

• a masters degree
• a postgraduate diploma or certificate
• a PhD
• a second undergraduate degree

Find out about options for further study 

Postgraduate degrees you might be interested in could include:

• Illustration
• Design for Change
• Digital Media Design
• Design

If you'd like to study on an undergraduate programme at Edinburgh College of Art, you must apply through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. You can find out how to do this on the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder, where you'll also be able to

• see the structure of the programme and what you will study each year
• see detailed entrance requirements and portfolio guidance for each programme on the Degree Finder
• get information on what to expect after you apply
• find out about fees
• find out where to go for further advice and guidance.

If you have any questions about the application process, your qualifications or deadlines, our Undergraduate Admissions Office will be happy to help you.

Email the Undergraduate Admissions Office: futurestudents@ed.ac.uk