Our Visual Communication course will enable you to develop a critical and socially engaged design practice.
Qualification
Certificate
Duration
Part-time, January to October 2026
Cohort size
Up to 15 places
Teaching sessions
Thursday. 15 hours minimum independent study
Entry requirements
Evidence of previous creative practice (eg illustration, photography, printmaking)
Costs
See details below
What's included
Lectures and seminars
Scheduled across one day a week, including Design History and Critical Design seminars.
Diverse programme of specialist workshops
Including screen printing, analogue photography and darkroom developing, letterpress and woodblock printing and more.
In-demand skills
Introductory tuition in Adobe Photoshop, In Design, Illustrator and Premiere Pro.
Collaboration
Live industry design briefs in partnership with local businesses and organisations.
Studio access
7 days a week access to the TMS Design Studio, including workspaces equipped with Adobe Create Cloud enabled PCs.
Facilities
7 days a week access to the TMS facilities and equipment including; dark room, screen printing, woodwork studio, kiln and 3D printing.
Portfolio building
With a diverse range of design projects and explorations which will take you to where you want to go next.
Self-led practice time
Regular one-to-one tutorials with the Visual Communication Design tutors and guest lectures as part of every module.
Modules
Practice module
Visual Language
The Visual language module takes you back to the basic principles and practices of visual communication design. You will explore how colour, composition, signs and symbols, form and scale are used to communicate meaning and emotion. These workshops are hands-on, non-digital, interactive and fun. You’ll be introduced to and explore working with visual semiotics and the Gestalt principles of visual perception.
Image: student work, 2023
Practice module
Typography
Explore the classifications and character of typography alongside the history of typographic design and printing. You’ll experiment with found type and develop an understanding of typographic hierarchy and layout. Throughout the module you will design your own typeface and digitise it. Practical workshops in this module will include screen-printing and letterpress / wood-block printing.
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Practice module
Image
Explore visual communication through a variety of image making techniques, including analogue photography, collage, mono-printing and you’ll take on a live industry design brief in a collaboration with local businesses and organisations. The module will culminate in an interim exhibition / show, which students are invited to design and curate at the School.
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Practice module
Image
The Moving Image module invites you to explore time based media design, including forms of animation, experimental film-making and sound design. This module includes tuition in Adobe Premiere Pro.
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Practice module
Final Project
Drawing on the knowledge, skills and interests you develop in the first 4 thematic modules, in this module you embark on producing a self-directed body of work, supported by ‘open studios’ with ongoing tutor and peer support and guidance. The culmination of this module is a body of work, including elements which you will exhibit in your final graduate show.
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Practice module
Graduate Show
In this module you will collaborate to plan, design and realise your final graduate show, which will take place during the Margate Festival of Design. Together you’ll develop a visual identity, marketing campaign and materials for the show, and will take a lead on curating the show alongside the Events Team at The Margate School.
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Individual Module Short Courses
The following course units can also be booked as stand alone 6 week short courses without the requirement to take part in an interview
Visual Language
Typography
Image
Moving Image
Tutors
The Art Society Nature coordinator and tutors are research active practitioners and the programme is supported by a core team of regular tutors with visiting tutors joining the programme.
Costs
Per academic year
£4,000 per academic year, including hot desk, and computers with Adobe Creative Suite.
Per module
£691 per individual module.
Finances
We believe that your financial situation should not be a barrier to education, please get in touch by email for a conversation to discuss how we can assist: ellie@themargateschool.com
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Image credit: David Babaian
Dr Paul Rennie
Paul is a collector and curator of art and design, with over twenty years of experience in teaching, including at Central Saint Martins, London. He is the author of several books about poster history and design, including Tom Eckersley (2021). Paul lives in Folkestone, Kent, and is a great enthusiast of the therapeutic and transcendent potential of art and the seaside.
Rachel Kirk BA / MA / FHEA
Rachel is a Graphic Designer, Communications Consultant and Educator. She holds an MA in Graphic Communication Design at Central Saint Martins, UAL, where she now teaches Critical and Contextual Studies alongside other design modules. Rachel has a broad design and communications skillset and over fifteen years of experience working primarily with not-for-profit organisations and start-ups focusing on sustainability and socially-engaged practice.