Art and design

Study art and design and prepare for a career in this exciting, creative industry.

Make the most of the opportunity to build a top-class portfolio in our inspiring workshops, supported by our specialist, industry-experienced teachers. We will help you develop your creative skills in: art and design, photography, fashion or graphics.

The creative industries sector is growing, with nearly 2 million people in the UK currently working in it. Around a third of them are freelancers or self-employed. In 2018/19, the industry grew by an extra 90,000 jobs.

Subjects available

Choose an art and design pathway and develop your creativity through our multi-disciplinary approach. we're focussed on developing personalised pathway, allowing you to undertake a broad and multi-disciplined programme of study.

Whilst learners may take this qualification in a specialist subject, it is also ideal for those who have not decided which discipline or subject area within art and design they wish to specialise in.

The creative industries need people with a mix of technical and creative skills. It relies on people that know how to work as part of a team, but still have that independent mindset, which you’ll grow through setting your own challenges.

If you’re ready to specialise in an area, we’ve got you covered too! Our specialist subjects include:

• Fine Art
• Fashion
• Photography
• Graphic Design
• Visual Communication
• Textiles
• Illustration
• Advertising
• Printmaking
• 3D Design
• Ceramics 

Whatever your area of interest, you’ll be taught by industry-experienced practitioners in professional-level facilities.

Qualifications

Our art and design qualifications are awarded and certified by University of the Arts London (UAL). This means you will have the opportunity to have your work shortlisted for the annual UAL awarding body exhibition at Chelsea College of Art.

We offer a range of qualifications, from Level 1 diploma (equivalent to GCSEs grades D-F or 3-1) to university level. 

Facilities

You will learn in our amazing facilities, featuring specialist workshops with equipment that mirrors that available in the workplace. You will develop your skills in 2D and 3D processes, using a variety of art, design and craft media, making your design drawings come to life in our specialist workshops and with industry standard equipment. 

Student success

Our art and design students have gone on to have successful careers in this industry, working for existing organisations or launching their own business. Rosie Dennington completed the Extended Diploma in Fashion, before achieving a first class honours degree in fashion and costume at Birmingham City University. Rosie is now a fashion designer at Rosie Red Corsetry and Couture. Her designs were modelled by the actor Helena Bonham-Carter in Vanity Fair magazine. 

Meanwhile, Jasmine Gilhooly, who completed the BTEC National Diploma in Art and Design at Banbury and Bicester College, launched her own cokmpany, D'Cruz, designing an eclectic range of bespoke handmade leather handbags. 

Industry partnerships

We work closely with organisations to provide industry standard teaching, learning and progression opportunities for our students, including: Arts at the Old Fire Station, Reading Rep, William Hands, The Furniture Makers, Benchmark and Ercol.

You will have the opportunity to develop your employability skills by taking part in exhibitions, festivals and events, organising community workshops and pop-up shops. You will also gain new skills by taking part in competitions, attending masterclasses and career talks, and responding to live briefs set by employers.

What’s happening in Art and design

12 December 2019

Reading College students go back to the Victorian era in collaboration with the National Trust

27 November 2017

Student illustrators take part in children's book competition