Illustration for Communication

Illustration for communication is a discipline that sits at the intersection of artistic skill and the need to convey ideas clearly and compellingly to an audience. Illustration is not decoration: it is a purposeful form of visual communication, used to explain complex information, to tell stories, to shape how products and publications feel, and to create the visual identities of brands, campaigns and editorial projects. The best illustrators combine a distinctive visual voice with the professional discipline to serve a brief and collaborate with designers, editors and clients.

At Ravensbourne University London this three-year full-time programme prepares you for the professional practice of illustration with an emphasis on communication as its governing purpose. Ravensbourne is known for its industry connections and its access to high-quality facilities, both of which shape the learning environment. You will develop your drawing and image-making skills across analogue and digital media, learning to work with a range of techniques and to adapt your visual language to different contexts and audiences.

The programme develops your ability to respond to briefs, to develop concepts from initial ideas through to finished work, and to present and promote your practice professionally.

You will also build understanding of the broader landscape in which illustrators work: editorial illustration, book illustration, advertising, character design, infographics, packaging and motion illustration are all contexts in which trained illustrators are employed. The communication emphasis means you will be thinking constantly about the relationship between the image you make and the message it carries.

Graduates work as illustrators for publishing houses, newspapers and magazines, advertising agencies, design studios and animation companies. Others develop freelance practices, build digital audiences and work directly with clients. Some move into adjacent creative roles in art direction, design, storyboarding and character design for games and animation.

Postgraduate study in illustration, visual communication or design is also an option for those who want to develop their practice further.