The Illustration Animation BA (Hons) - the UK's first degree in Illustration Animation - at Kingston School of Art combines narrative and time-based subjects to give the undergraduate complete creative freedom to engage in visual thinking, expression and communication.
The course is part of the highly-regarded Department of Illustration Animation and Kingston University is ranked No.1 in the London for graphic design* in the Guardian League Tables 2023 (*covers graphic design and illustration animation).
Illustration has expanded from the traditional printed page to explore many forms of visual media including digital objects and interaction, spaces and environments. Animation as a time-based medium allows exploration from traditional to hybrid domains like film and television, and virtual and augmented reality.
Kingston University celebrate the cross-pollination of ideas and skills through the hybrid nature of the course. Students will benefit from dedicated studio spaces and the opportunity for collaboration between illustration and animation.
Built around drawing, the course is carefully structured to develop students' individual voice, applying content to image communication to reach an audience. Kingston encourage learning through making and students will have access to all workshops to test and prototype using any process from etching to ceramics, arc welding to laser cutting, and 3D printing or large-scale textile printing.
The course includes self-initiated and group work assignments and presentations encouraged through self-reflective and critical discourse, individual practice is built and tested by peer group interaction. This breadth ensures students develop the range of skills essential to contemporary practice in all forms of applied image making.
Projects with industry, cultural and social institutions test and shape student understanding in real-world situations. Staff practitioners and alumni networks offer insight and contacts with international creative practice, including studio visits and placements.
The course has an excellent reputation for nurturing graduates who go on to be leading practitioners in illustration and animation, as well as design, direction and a broad range of creative careers.
