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Graphic Design Portfolio for 15 - 17 Year Olds

  • Level(s) of Study: Short course
  • Start Date(s): 29 July 2024
  • Duration: Monday to Friday 10 am - 4 pm, one week
  • Study Mode(s): Short course
  • Campus: City Campus
  • Entry Requirements:
    More information

Introduction:

Develop your creative skills on this graphic design summer course and generate striking designs for your portfolio, ideal for the next generation of ambitious designers.

You'll work alongside like-minded creatives, exploring all aspects of visual communication in a vibrant studio environment.

This course will provide you with the fundamentals of graphic design and will introduce you to designing with a focus on making and experimentation.

With an emphasis on communication and visualisation skills, you’ll create artwork from the point of view of a creative thinker and as an advocate for a cause and social change, and any other ideas you’d like to communicate.

You’ll build portfolio-standard work that’ll support a college or university application and will help you to gain further experience and transferable skills in effective design.

  • You’ll be part of a design community in our creative studio culture; one that promotes discussion and collaboration, and encourages experimentation and the constant swapping of ideas.
  • With a limited class size you'll have the one-to-one attention you need to ensure you leave with the skills to continue developing your portfolio.
  • Benefit from learning with an experienced tutor who has established links to the profession and significant experience working in varied practices.
  • On successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance.

Doing your Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award?

This course can count as your Gold DofE Residential.

DofE participants must book both the course and accommodation on campus for this to count towards your Gold Award.

Here's what our previous attendees have said:

‘We explored aspects of graphic design unknown to me before, created a final design that can be used in my portfolio. The teacher was very helpful and let us explore and create freely, and we met and worked with a professional. It was great! I learned a lot!'

‘Very fun five days, thank you!’

‘Craig is very approachable and helpful, thank you’

What you’ll study

You’ll be encouraged to think creatively during your time at NTU, gaining technical skills based on a design brief around a current social, political or environmental issue.

Practical tasks will be set each day, culminating in exciting visuals suitable for a portfolio.

The tasks set will challenge preconceptions about the things around you and will help you develop, explore and experiment with unusual starting points.

  • learn about and practise the process behind effective graphic design
  • be introduced to the language associated with graphic design
  • consider formal elements such as colour, layout, composition and typography
  • discuss current events and issues and their impact on design
  • practise creating graphic design content that speaks to your audience
  • make a design a day to experiment and get ideas flowing
  • appreciate how the choices we make with regards to design and typography shape the tone of a message.

Further information on what you'll study

By the end of the course you'll have the beginnings of a portfolio of work, one that has been produced in an informal and creative, yet challenging, environment.

You’ll leave with a real hand-on experience of what it is like to be a design student at university, and an understanding of what admissions tutors are looking for.

Social events

We appoint NTU Student Ambassadors who host social events on Monday and Wednesday evening to help you make friends across the whole of our summer school programme for 15 – 17 year olds, which are free to attend.

How you’re taught

This course will be delivered in person on Nottingham Trent University city campus.

You will receive 25 contact hours of quality tuition with an experienced tutor.

96% of previous course attendees were satisfied with the course, received the attention they needed and would consider doing another short course at NTU.

Tutor Profile: Craig Proud

Craig Proud runs a creative workshop, design and print studio, Dizzy Ink.

Being a lover of education and grassroots activism, Craig has focused his personal research into Notts Zine Library, a free open and accessible resource currently based in Nottingham Contemporary.

With an extensive portfolio, Craig has been involved in many projects with a cause and continues to do so.

His artwork has been exhibited at Nottingham Castle, alongside V&A's collection of activist media for the exhibition: A World to Win, 2015.

As well as putting on workshops for D&AD New Blood and various festivals; another highlight was being commissioned to produce a special exhibition around the UK's referendum.

Through his print studio Dizzy Ink, he led QUADs major exhibition, titled, Three Months On, 2016.

Careers and employability

The course is designed to give you a real experience of university life, make new friends who share similar interests and develop your portfolio so that ultimately, you can make an informed decision about your future.

On successful completion of the course you will receive a certificate of attendance, which will further enhance your CV.

Doing your Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award?

This course can count as your Gold DofE Residential.

DofE participants must book both the course and accommodation on campus for this to count towards your Gold Award.

Campus and facilities

You will be based in the School of Art and Design on the City Campus.

You’ll find collaborative working spaces where you develop your sketches and concepts, and IT suites equipped with industry standard software including Adobe Creative Cloud.

You’ll also have access to our library to use outside of your short course; whilst you can’t reserve or take away books, you are welcome to use them as a resource for research and referencing.

Entry requirements

Level: Open to all

Entry requirement: You should have an enthusiasm for design, communication and visual arts, and an interest in developing your creative and technical skills.

You must be 15, 16 or 17 years old at the time of the course in order to attend.

Getting in touch

If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form

Level: Open to all

Entry requirement: You should have an enthusiasm for design, communication and visual arts, and an interest in developing your creative and technical skills.

You must be 15, 16 or 17 years old at the time of the course in order to attend.

Fees and funding

    The fee for this course is £525.

    Payment is due at the time of booking.

    Secure your place with a deposit - If you're booking more than two months before the course starts, we can accept a £200 deposit to secure your place, and the balance is due one month before the course starts.

    Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include great benefits such as the use of our modern library and free use of the IT equipment and software on the campus during your course.

    You will also need to bring with you:

    • Layout pad
    • Basic drawing equipment: a selection of pencils and marker pens, as well as other mark making materials
    • Scalpel and Ruler
    • Digital camera, useful but not essential
    • Masking tape

    You can read the terms and conditions of booking here.

    Need accommodation?

    If you're aged 16 or 17 then you can stay unaccompanied with agreement from a parent/guardian.

    To support safeguarding, all guests aged 16 and 17 will be accommodated together in the same halls of residence.

    The reception and security team are available 24 hours, and there will be a dedicated supervisor(s) during the evenings and mornings, outside of class times.

    Guests will be provided with a mobile number for the supervisor(s) during their stay.

    If you're aged 15 then you can stay as long as you are accompanied by a parent/guardian.

    Find out more at www.ntu.ac.uk/summeraccommodation

    Looking to turn your one-week course into a two-week experience?

    If you can match this with any second course, you’ll receive a 10% refund on your course fees.

    The fee for this course is £525.

    Payment is due at the time of booking.

    Secure your place with a deposit - If you're booking more than two months before the course starts, we can accept a £200 deposit to secure your place, and the balance is due one month before the course starts.

    Your course fees cover the cost of studies and include great benefits such as the use of our modern library and free use of the IT equipment and software on the campus during your course.

    You will also need to bring with you:

    • Layout pad
    • Basic drawing equipment: a selection of pencils and marker pens, as well as other mark making materials
    • Scalpel and Ruler
    • Digital camera, useful but not essential
    • Masking tape

    You can read the terms and conditions of booking here.

    Need accommodation?

    If you're aged 16 or 17 then you can stay unaccompanied with agreement from a parent/guardian.

    To support safeguarding, all guests aged 16 and 17 will be accommodated together in the same halls of residence.

    The reception and security team are available 24 hours, and there will be a dedicated supervisor(s) during the evenings and mornings, outside of class times.

    Guests will be provided with a mobile number for the supervisor(s) during their stay.

    If you're aged 15 then you can stay as long as you are accompanied by a parent/guardian.

    Find out more at www.ntu.ac.uk/summeraccommodation

    Looking to turn your one-week course into a two-week experience?

    If you can match this with any second course, you’ll receive a 10% refund on your course fees.

How to apply