Expand+What is this course about?
This exciting course offers students the chance to study in the dynamic and expressive world of animation and motion design. The course develops creative individuals with artistic design skills and vision to produce a wide...

Hide-What is this course about?
This exciting course offers students the chance to study in the dynamic and expressive world of animation and motion design. The course develops creative individuals with artistic design skills and vision to produce a wide variety of animation and design in motion.

Our course aims to give students a platform to shape their ideas, stories and skills through a series of challenging creative briefs. The design briefs are both structured yet malleable. Physical art making is at the core of our approach. Our mantra is ‘to make’ rather than ‘to find’. The philosophy of the course is based on the development of the creative animator and motion designer, focusing on the development of key skills in creativity, drawing, design, exploration, problem solving and collaboration.

Students are exposed to the principles, the tools and the processes of animation and motion design, through demonstrations, lectures and workshops. The course focuses on key graduate attributes in design as well as specific software skills. Emphasis is placed on vocational learning alongside research, analysis and reflective practice. This is underpinned by the use of sketchbooks, journals and visual notebooks.

Expand+What will I study?
Year 2: The year begins with a strong emphasis on classical animation techniques and approaches. You will learn the art of traditional frame by frame animation, drawing on light boxes in our designated drawing studio. Later in the...

Hide-What will I study?
Year 2: The year begins with a strong emphasis on classical animation techniques and approaches. You will learn the art of traditional frame by frame animation, drawing on light boxes in our designated drawing studio. Later in the year you will be introduced to digital animation, backed up by a series of workshops on digital painting and illustration. You will also work with stop-motion animation, beginning with paper cutout techniques, while learning to capture your images on camera with our stop-motion software ‘Dragon Frame’. Life drawing, observational and perspective drawing classes will be delivered within studio and on field trips. You will also be introduced to graphic design for screen and begin looking at 3D animation and model-making. Critical & contextual studies and seminars in professional practice support your practical work.

Year 3: During this year you will further develop your digital skills in animation, 3D, visual effects and motion graphic design. The emphasis will also shift to the art and craft of model-making, set fabrication and character modelling. Through a much greater focus on narrative and storytelling, you will learn to bring your creations to life on screen. Students will also gain essential industry experience during work placement that occurs in the second semester of Year 3. Year 4: In your final year you are engaging with significant Animation and Motion Design projects as you develop an industry standard show reel and online portfolio.

Year 4 is largely a self-initiated course of study leading towards a major project for the end of year graduate exhibition. Students are encouraged to create and develop their own unique individual styles together with learning industry ready skills.