DURATION
One year full-time.

INTRODUCTION

Graphic Design influences all aspects of our everyday lives, from the design on your cereal box to the icons on your mobile, from the layout of movie posters, magazines and newspapers to the packaging your local supermarket. As the graphic design industry responds to the growing needs of the digital media sector, graphic designers now design websites and interface’s, icons for apps, on-line gaming graphics and much more. The role of the designer is to use their creative skills and technical ability to present and communicate a product in the most effective and visually appealing way possible.

Our graphic design course at Coláiste Stiofáin Naofa has over 15 years of experience, helping students enter college degree programs and gain the skills needed for industry. This course has been developed to cater for all students interested in a career in graphic design and in particular:

• Students those who wish to gain entry into college degree programs by developing a high standard portfolio (check student testimonial)
• Students who wish to begin working in the graphic design industry upon graduation from this course (check student testimonial)

MAIN AREAS OF STUDY May Include:

• Graphic Design
• Drawing
• Illustration (Adobe Illustrator)
• Desktop Publishing (Adobe Indesign)
• Design
• Web Design (Adobe Dreamweaver)
• Art Appreciation
• Digital image processing (Adobe Photoshop)
• Work Experience

SPECIAL FEATURES

This graphic design course offers you a broad focus on all aspects of graphic design and will provide you with the flexibility required by an expanding industry to design for print and digital media. On this course you will learn to draw and illustrate your ideas and concepts. You will also learn the computer skills to put your work together in a finished piece, using industry standard technology (Adobe CS). Suddenly you will notice Graphic images around you that you never noticed before, and you will see how a sketch becomes a corporate logo and a photograph becomes a poster. Having completed this course you will have developed a high standard portfolio, an essential element for building a design career.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Work Experience is an integral part of the Graphic Design course where students go out into industry and work in a design environment. This hand’s on experience offers students a unique insight into the day to day running of a design business. Work experience compliments and enhances our student’s course education while also providing students with the opportunity to display their talents and possibly lead to employment.

(student testimonials)

FEES
Exam Fees – FETAC Level 5: €60
Course Materials: €130
Department of Education and Skills Fee: €200
Student Services: €220
Total: €610

CAREER PROSPECTS

Graphic Design, Illustration, Web Design, Desktop Publishing, Advertising, Digital media, Gaming Graphics,Web Design, Multimedia Design, Page Layout Design, Printing industry, Art Direction, T.V Graphic's .

FURTHER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

Students who have been successful in attaining a FETAC Level 5 award in Graphic Design have advanced to Diploma and Degree courses in Graphic Design, Digital Design, Gaming Design and Multimedia courses in I.T. Colleges nationally.

We have direct links with C.I.T where students who complete this course and achieve appropriate grades and standard of portfolio can apply for 1st or 2nd year on the Visual Communications CR600 (BA Honours) course at C.I.T. with some students going directly into second year from our Graphic Design course at CSN.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Entry into the Graphic Design Course is on an interview basis where all interviewees bring a Portfolio of Art & Design: drawings, paintings, crafts, sketches, logo/poster designs or personal work associated with graphic design.

CERTIFICATION

National Certificate - FETAC (NCVA) Level 5 in Graphic Design
(NCVA Award Code: 5M1995)

COURSE DIRECTOR

- Bartley Burns

For all the latest information, portfolio images and graduate profiles please check out our