Graphic Design
Learn to make visually stunning and socially relevant design that stands out on any media platform, in print, on screen, or in the environment. Become a critical and creative thinker, solving communication problems through engaging design work that can inform, persuade and motivate.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | Institute of Art Design and Technology |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | Institute of Art Design and Technology | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
4 years full-time.
Specific Subjects or course requirements
CAO Points: Combination of Leaving Certificate and Portfolio assessment points.
Min Entry Requirements
2 H5 + 4 O6/H7
English: O6/H7
Portfolio Yes
A portfolio is a collection of your work – both finished and in progress – that showcases your interests and enthusiasms. It should demonstrate curiosity, inventiveness and ideas through a wide range of media, as well as your ability to develop your projects around selected themes. You can include course and school projects as well as any independent work. We like to see a portfolio that demonstrates a high level of visual skill, creativity, self-motivation, experimentation, flexibility and stylistic variation.
We offer a portfolio masterclass at our Open Days. Check iadt.ie for dates.
Project Day
If you do not have a portfolio of work that you feel strongly about due to exam pressures, or because you have been out of education for a while, you can be assessed on your performance on the Project Day without the need to submit a portfolio for the following courses:
DL826 BA (Hons) Graphic Design
DL827 BA (Hons) Art
DL832 BA (Hons) Animation
DL833 BA (Hons) Photography + Visual Media
DL845 BA (Hons) Design for Film
The Project Days take place during the February mid-term break. Dates will be published on iadt.ie. Please note that you can attend the Project Day in February and also submit a portfolio in March. You can use your Project Day content as part of your portfolio. You may also submit a project and a portfolio.
The deadline of 5pm 11th March 2024 is the same date for both the Portfolio and Project Day submission.
Leaving Certificate General Entry Requirements
For standard applicants, selection is based on points. These are calculated by adding together the points scored in the best six subjects in a single sitting of the Leaving Certificate Examination (or equivalent). In the courses for which a portfolio is required, additional points to a maximum of 600 are added, based on the outcome of the portfolio assessment.
Maths Requirements
Some courses will accept Foundation Level Mathematics while others require Ordinary Leaving Certificate Mathematics. Please refer to the entry requirements for each individual course.
Bonus Points for Higher Level Maths
A bonus of 25 points will be allocated to students who achieve a grade H6 or above in Higher Level (HL) Mathematics. This means that the maximum cumulative LC points total will increase from 600 to 625 (maximum points plus bonus points).
The bonus points will only be relevant in cases where the subject HL Mathematics (including bonus points) is scored as one of the candidate’s six best subjects for points purposes. Consequently, if HL Mathematics (cumulative points score) is not among these six subjects, the bonus points will not be included in the total points score.
Irish Language Requirements
Foundation Level Irish, at F2 or higher, will meet the minimum language requirement for entry to all courses, but currently no points are added.
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
LCVP Grade Points
Distinction 66
Merit 46
Pass 28
QQI FET Applicants General Information
IADT is committed to encouraging QQI / FE award holders to progress onto our courses. For details of QQI / FE courses and Higher Education Links, please refer to qqi.ie.
Applications are made through the CAO, and all relevant closing dates and conditions apply.
If you have any full QQI / FE Level 5 or Level 6 award, you are eligible to apply for a place on our Ordinary Degree (Level 7 award) course – DL701.
If you have any full QQI / FE Level 5 or Level 6 award, with a minimum of three distinctions, you are eligible to apply for a place on any of our Honours Degree (Level 8 award) courses.
Please note that some courses (Applied Psychology, Creative Computing and Creative Music Production) require at least a pass (O6/H7) in Mathematics in the Leaving Certificate or a pass in a Mathematical Methods module as part of your QQI / FE award.
Points are awarded on the basis of QQI / FE results. See qqi.ie or cao.ie for details on the scoring system used.
Some courses require a portfolio in addition to your QQI / FE award. Please see the individual course listing and and details on portfolio assessments.
Careers / Further progression
What will I do after I graduate?
You can choose from a variety of career paths including design roles in graphics, digital, user experience (UX), and product design. Other more specialist areas cover motion graphics, packaging, experience/spatial design, research, and design journalism. Many of our graduates currently work in the public and private sectors in a wide variety of fields and industries including business, finance, healthcare, and technology. Additional career paths include art director and design consultant. Your skills and education will be highly sought after both at home and abroad. Postgraduate opportunities at IADT include the MA in Design for Change and MSc in User Experience Design and a Master’s by Research.
Further information
Mature and Non-standard Applicants
We welcome applications from mature students to all courses. Mature applicants – i.e. those who are 23 years of age or over on the 1st of January in the year of entry to a course – are not required to meet the minimum entry requirements as specified for standard applicants.
Mature and non–standard applicants must apply to the CAO by the above closing dates and tick the relevant box (mature student or disability/ specific learning difficulty) on the CAO application. You will then receive the ‘Supplementary Information Form’ from the CAO for completion. You may then be invited to an informal interview to discuss your application.
If applying for a course that requires a portfolio, mature and non–standard applicants must submit their portfolio for assessment as above. The 1st February application deadline applies to such applications.
30
Entry 2024 - Restricted Course
Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2024 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2024 at 5pm
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid submitting an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all fees are non-refundable.
Restricted Courses
Applying for a restricted course – you must have applied to CAO by 1 February 2024 at 5pm if you wish to apply for a restricted course. The restricted course must be included on your course choices list by that date, or added to your application using the facility to amend course choices (for a fee of €10) before 1 March at 5pm.
Restricted courses normally require additional assessment procedures, for example, the submission of a portfolio, an oral assessment or interview, or a written assessment. Restricted courses are identified in the handbook by the words “(Restricted - see page 3)" on the same line as the restricted course’s title. Please make sure to acquaint yourself with the additional requirements, if any, of the restricted course(s) that you have applied for and go to page 24 of the 2024 CAO Handbook for more information about interviews and assessments.
Exception: If a restricted course shares the exact same assessment procedures with a course you had applied for by 1 February 2024, you may be permitted to introduce it on a Change of Mind. You should consult with the relevant HEI before introducing such a course.
Mature Applicants
Mature applicants – most HEIs will require mature applicants, who wish to be assessed on mature grounds, to have applied to CAO by 1st February 2024 at 5pm, and include course choices by that date or add them using the facility to amend course choices (for a fee of €10) before 1 March at 5pm. (This restriction does not apply if the applicant wishes to be considered on the basis of school leaving qualifications only.) For more information about applying to CAO on the basis of mature years go to www.cao.ie/mature
Supplementary Admission Routes
Applying for DARE and/or HEAR – to be considered for DARE and/or HEAR, applicants must have registered on the CAO system by 1 February 2024 at 5pm. To apply to DARE, you must answer YES to Question 1 ('Do you wish to be considered for DARE?) on Section A of the fully completed Supplementary Information Form (SIF) by 5pm on 1 March 2024.
To apply to HEAR, you must indicate on your CAO application that you wish to apply for HEAR and fully and correctly complete all elements of the online HEAR form by 5pm on 1 March 2024.
Supporting documents for DARE and/or HEAR applicants must be sent to CAO offices before 15 March 2024 at 5pm
What is this course about?
Our BA (Hons) in Graphic Design has been developed to help you become a versatile designer who can formulate messages, and create and edit stories, campaigns and communications across a wide range of media. From books and magazines, through to digital media, advertising, and branding, the programme has been carefully calibrated and fine-tuned to guide, train, and equip you in the art of visual communication that can have a real impact on people’s lives. As Ireland’s most prestigious design programme, the BA in Graphic Design at IADT won the Grand Prix Award for Design Education at the 2022 Institute of Designers in Ireland (IDI) Student Awards.
What will I do?
— Become a versatile visual designer and critical thinker who can work as an individual and in multi-disciplinary teams.
— Visualise effectively using a range of hand-based and digital methods and tools including photography/ videography, screen printing, and supporting applications.
— Critically analyse and creatively solve problems using a range of research methods including design thinking approaches, human-centred and planet-centred research methods.
— Create effective visual communication through the combination of designing typography, images, colour, sound, motion and interaction.
— Develop and produce a unique design portfolio in preparation for professional practice.
— Take opportunities for work placement or choose to study abroad in year three.
International Study Opportunities:
For this course, IADT has developed Erasmus Programme partnerships with colleges in Finland, Poland, Belgium, Portugal, Italy, and Germany.
What will I study?
First year will see you learn fundamental visual design and composition skills, and how to effectively communicate in a variety of different media formats.
In year two, you will further develop your practical design skills and critical understanding of graphic design before being introduced to the core principles of experience design and the basics of web design.
In year three, you will focus on honing your core skills and practicing them in real world graphic design contexts, with the option of work placement abroad.
In your final year of the programme, you will showcase your work with your peers in IADT’s graduate exhibition, helping you gain invaluable skills.
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