Graphic Design

Diploma/Extended Diploma , Level 3
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Available at the following campuses:

What Our Students Say

“Actually what we’re encouraged to do here is work a lot in our sketchbooks and our studio books, and make sure we’re always sketching our ideas up. We have art classes upstairs and so we can use screen printing, we do lino print, and then we have a photography class as well – so I’ve learned how to use DSLR cameras, we’re actually learning the fundamentals of the traditional, and developing them further if we are wanting to make them digital.””
“

Fran, Graphic Design

“Drawing a person, drawing a character from a TV show and whatnot that’s one thing, it’s fun, but it’s just one thing – but then when you see the buildings and billboards, and they just stand the test of time – hundreds of thousands to millions of people can see them, and knowing that if I have kids in the future maybe one day I could point them at a billboard and say – yeah your dad made that!”

Jay, Graphic Design

I particularly enjoyed feeling part of an artistic community, and gaining confidence in myself and my work.

I feel each project throughout the course in a way allowed for creative thinking and allowed me to create work I felt passionate about, whilst still keeping in line with the proposed themes.

This course has allowed me to learn and make use of various mediums and materials that I haven’t used before and given me the courage to continue to experiment with them.

Did you know!

  • We provide full-time arts education to over 1,000 students every year, from level 1 through to BA Honours degrees. If you are successful in gaining a place on one of our specialist courses, we will work with you to develop your creative skills and prepare you for the next big step – either to university, drama school, art college or the world of work.
  • The number of Graphic designers needed in Leeds is due to grow by 4% between 2019 and 2024 (Emsi

Course Information

Introduction

Delve into graphic design with this creative programme. You’ll develop your practice with Adobe software and professional photographic skills as well as traditional techniques such as printing, drawing, and painting. You will build a personal portfolio that showcases your work which will be essential for higher education and employment. You’ll also work on live client brief projects and have the opportunity to apply to train on-site in a local creative agency.

Overview

Video Transcript

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Discover Visual Arts at Leeds City College | Creative Arts

Location: Quarry Hill Campus, Leeds City College

WCAG 2.1 Doc

Speakers featured:

Narrator / Voiceover

Student Speakers / Interviewees

[00:00 – 00:17] The video opens in a bright, sunlit, and modern art studio. A focused art student with long blonde hair sits gracefully on a stool, intently painting vibrant, deep magenta floral patterns onto a large canvas. The camera zooms in to showcase her delicate hand movements as she uses a fine-tip paintbrush, illustrating the high-level focus and artistic skill fostered at the college.

Narrator: “The arts unify people in their search for joy. The arts promote courage, community, and communication beyond language. A painting, a poem, a film, a song… the arts underpin the emotional structure of humankind.”

Meanwhile, another dedicated student with braided hair works expertly on a sculpted 3D artwork, carefully applying powder and detail with precision in an inspiring studio environment. The view transitions to a digital tablet displaying colourful, modern floral graphic designs, demonstrating how students interact with cutting-edge digital media and modern artistic styles. Next, two students collaborate smoothly on a professional screen-printing press, pressing a vibrant blue graphic design onto fabric with confidence and teamwork.

[00:18 – 00:26] The camera moves into a darkroom illuminated by soft red lighting, where a student carefully inspects newly developed, high-quality darkroom photographs.

Student Speaker: “Being able to create, and it’s almost like limitless. You can just think of anything and then make whatever, whenever.”

In a spacious fashion design studio equipped with professional dress forms, a student thoughtfully cuts crisp white pattern paper using tailor’s scissors, demonstrating meticulous craftsmanship. Outside the studio entrance, a vibrant, modern poster proudly advertises the “IGNITE: End of Year Show – Creative Arts,” while dedicated students in the background work on large-scale mural installations.

[00:27 – 01:00] In a brightly lit studio space, a fashion student meticulously pins intricate embellishments onto a striking red embroidered evening dress fitted on a mannequin. Cut to a sleek runway showcase where a model confidently walks the catwalk wearing a stylish contemporary outfit, showcasing the high-calibre results of the fashion program.

Student Speaker: “Make your idea, you sketch your designs, and you like bring that sketch to life.”

Voiceover / Staff: “We’ve got the art and design courses, and they give a breadth of experience in terms of fundamental art skills. Photography, which obviously straight away has got a clear pathway into industry. Graphic design, again, which can work quite well with photography. And we do fashion and textiles, and it’s the fastest-growing course I think we’ve had. Differences within the courses that can take you in different pathways.”

During this narration, dynamic scenes showcase the diverse, industry-standard equipment available:

A student with a durag works on sophisticated 3D digital character modeling on a desktop computer.

Precision hands operate a high-tech 3D printer and keyboard setup.

A student fine-tunes a detailed watercolor landscape painting with soft, expressive strokes.

A high-end DSLR camera sits ready in a professional photography setup, followed by liquid chemical pouring in the darkroom lab.

Students analyze digital photography work side-by-side using professional image-editing software.

A student works efficiently with a large-format commercial printer.

An impressive poster for “Creative Decisions” by a college student is proudly displayed on a street column in the vibrant city center of Leeds.

In a professional photo studio, a student model poses gracefully under studio softbox lighting while being photographed.

Hands skillfully sew fabric pieces using an advanced sewing machine.

A close-up highlights a detailed butterfly embroidery craft inside a wooden hoop.

[01:00 – 01:25] A student wearing a green headscarf and apron operates a heavy-duty heat press machine with proficient, confident movements.

Student Speaker: “I feel like my course has really helped me develop myself. I definitely feel like I’ve found my style.”

Student Speaker: “You are taught, but you’re also pushed to do your own research, and you naturally do that too. It’s good and it’s healthy. You will find something you are interested in.”

The video highlights supportive staff and student interactions:

A friendly student with an afro discusses a project animatedly with a supportive staff member in a media lab.

A student puts on protective safety glasses to work with cutting-edge laser machinery, which precision-engraves a teal block reading “MY WILL MPUS”.

Two female students collaborate warmly over a laptop labeled “MacBook Pro”.

Voiceover / Staff: “The transferable skills you get from a creative course give you a much wider and, I suppose, better chance or opportunity of what you might do following college.”

Visuals illustrate printmaking mastery as a tutor and student collaboratively align paper on a heavy-duty etching press, followed by close-up footage of a 3D printer building intricate metallic models layer by layer.

[01:26 – 01:40] A close-up shot shows paint being mixed on a palette while a student continues painting.

Guest / Local Business Partner: “I have an outdoor advertising company. I think it’s really good that the college invite local business in. It’s really important to get people who are in a career in the same field that the students are to come in and talk to them about it.”

Visuals highlight dynamic career connections:

A student designs a cute 3D character on a desktop.

A 3D printer accurately prints a bold red logo emblem.

A photographer adjusts studio lighting while capturing a poised model in an elegant evening gown, who then performs on a runway stage under bright spotlights.

A group of trendy, creative students walk up the steps of the modern campus building together, smiling and chatting.

[01:41 – 02:18] People gather around the “IGNITE” exhibition posters and explore a detailed architectural scale model of a modern city skyline.

Student Speaker: “Working to a live brief really forced me to come out of my comfort zone. I created artwork that, say, in high school I would have never been able to create.”

Voiceover / Staff: “The staff and the students, they interact in a way that is as it would be in industry.”

A smiling tutor with glasses wearing a staff lanyard chats warmly with visitors in an art gallery filled with student paintings and photo prints. An interactive art piece featuring a mirror reads, “WHAT DOES LOVE MEAN TO YOU?”. Nearby, an artwork display showing a red dragon and fantasy castle is admired by a visitor. Behind the scenes at a fashion show, stylists adjust a luxurious white gown featuring a red rose motif.

Student Speaker: “The tutors themselves, they’re all for a start incredibly talented, creative, but they’re also like humans too, and they just know how to speak to you. There’s a really good support network.”

Voiceover / Staff: “What makes me most proud, I think, is the students’ realization of what is possible.”

Students are seen engaged in hands-on work: drawing monster concepts on sketchpads, monitoring high-precision 3D resin printers, working with vinyl decal stickers, and walking the fashion show runway in custom designer garments.

[02:19 – 02:30] The camera pans past clean studio aprons hanging in a brightly lit hallway. A student sitting at a well-organized workstation carefully paints ceramic jars.

Student Speaker: “Honestly, I feel like coming to Leeds City College has really made it feel like I have more of a future. Leeds City College is a good place for us to study, where we can pursue our dreams.”

The video concludes with a shot of the “Creative Decisions” outdoor advertising pillar in central Leeds. The screen transitions to a vibrant red logo screen featuring the white geometric emblem of “SCHOOL OF CREATIVE ARTS – LEEDS CITY COLLEGE”, leaving an inspiring and professional lasting impression.


Video Transcript

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LCC GRAPHIC DESIGN WCAG 2.1 AA TRANSCRIPT

SCHOOL OF CREATIVE ARTS, LEEDS CITY COLLEGE TRANSCRIPT

INTERVIEWEE – SHARON DUCE, Graphic Design Course Leader (SPEAKING)

INTERVIEWEE – JAMARI, Student of Graphic Design Level 3 (SPEAKING)

INTERVIEWEE – FRANCINE, Student of Graphic Design Level 3 (SPEAKING)

Scenery – Student grabs a watercolour pencil.

Scenery – Student begins colouring in a rose.

Scenery – Student places lens into camera.

Scenery – A model poses for their photo to be taken.

Sharon Duce – “Hi I’m Sharon and I’m the course leader for Graphic design at Leeds City College. Graphic design is not a computer course, we’re not just invested in teaching you the skills of how to use adobe software. We’re here to help you learn how to think. It might be something that might be typical graphic design, advertising, marketing this kind of thing. Equally it could be a sculpture or it could be something else. Anything goes in our Graphic design course.”

Scenery – Students are shown painting.

Scenery – Sharon provides feedback on Jamari’s work.

Jamari – “Hi I’m Jay and I’m studying Graphic Design Level 3, I think when it gets to design – stuff like that I just enjoy letting my imagination take control. For me specifically I like to lay about 5 – 10 maybe even 20 different foundations, maybe sketches to see what they are asking me to make and what I can produce. Look back at the stuff that I’ve made – It’s like making an art style, when you make an art style you need to look at different pieces and put them together to make a mesh that looks cohesive”.

Scenery – Jamari is seen using Adobe InDesign to do his work.

Jamari – “So like if I want to make something bold and that stands out for people that see it, I want to look at my previous art and think what about that makes me look at it. What’s the first thing I see when I look at this drawing that I’ve done. That’s the kinda stuff that I just really enjoy putting together.”

Scenery – Students are seen using Macs in a classroom.

Scenery – A screen shows a student’s work.

Sharon Duce – “Because I can draw upon my 20 years experience within the graphic design industry, I have a good idea, a very good idea of what students need to be able to do when they leave college and also to understand that we need to give them a variety of skills. We like to offer what we call a pick and mix of technical skills this does include computer skills, adobe, photoshop etc but it also includes getting those ideas on to paper, using a pencil, using paint other mark making materials, getting messy in an art studio and coming up with these ideas to begin with.”

Scenery – A student dabs their paintbrush into some paint.

Scenery – Students paint onto papier mache.

Scenery – Student finishes off a portrait piece.

Sharon Duce – “Trying things out, experimentation because from experimentation comes great ideas and the ideas and the point you’re trying to make the message you’re trying to deliver? This is what graphic design is all about.”.

Francine – “Hi I’m Fran, I’m studying Level 3 Graphic Design at Leeds City College. I’ve been working on a lot of Adobe Illustrator just really trying to practise on that. Whatever we learn at college maybe when I go home because I can use the software at home as well. I just practise on Adobe Illustrator so I can get my digital illustration techniques a little bit better.

Scenery – Fran is seen using illustrator

Francine – “Actually what we are encouraged to do here is work a lot in our sketch books and our studio books and make sure we’re always sketching our ideas up. We have art classes upstairs, so we can do screen printing and lino printing and then we have a photography class as well so I’ve learned how to use DSLR cameras”.

Scenery – Students are seen handling a DSLR camera and setting up softboxes.

Francine – “We’re actually learning the fundamentals of traditional art like I said and developing them further if we actually want to make them digital”.

Jamari – “Drawing a person, drawing a character from a TV show, that’s one thing. It’s fun but it’s one thing but then when you see buildings and billboards, they just stand the test of time. Hundreds of thousands to millions of people can see them. Knowing that if I have kids in the future, maybe one day I could point them at a billboard and say ‘ Yeah your Dad made that’.”

End Slide – Leeds City College (School of Creative Arts)
END

Who is this course for?

If you’re in year 11 or 12 and are looking to take the next steps towards your career, this course is for you. Our vast selection of vocational courses span a range of subjects and combine academic study with practical skills. Study in industry standard facilities and use our industry links to prepare for progression.

Benefits and skills

  • Create illustrations, magazine layouts, advertisements, campaigns, typography, animation, videos and photography to professional standards using Adobe software.
  • Experiment with mixed media and develop your art and design skills.
  • Make use of our professional facilities including Apple iMac studios, photographic studios, photography dispensary, and graphics tablets.

Entry requirements

Four GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English or maths.

Available apprenticeships and progression options

Progression may include degree level study, apprenticeships or employment.

Course details

Duration:

1 year Diploma
1 year Top-up Extended Diploma

Start Date: 06/09/2027
Fees (16-18): No fee
Study Type: Full time
Course Code: 76727-01
Fees (Adult): £2,882

Employment Statistics

  • Graphic and Multimedia Designers

    Average Salary
    £26,428
  • Interior Designers

    Average Salary
    £40,372
  • Design Occupations n.e.c.

    Average Salary
    £32,395

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