Graphic design has a profound impact on all our lives. Whether it is magazine layout, editorial illustration, product packaging, CD covers or billboards, logos or public information signs, they all involve design. Take the first step towards becoming a graphic designer or web designer at WAES.
Develop your graphics skills and build your knowledge
Our Graphic Design courses enable you to learn new skills, move on to the next level or simply explore your creativity. You’ll receive practical instruction from industry professionals who can help you build your knowledge and skills through assignments, design and software instruction while keeping you up-to-date with current trends, developments and further studies.
Learn with up-to-date industry hardware and software
Work with professional Adobe Design software on the latest Apple Mac computers in our bespoke design suites and you’ll learn studio and research skills essential for the modern designer.
Learn how to use Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Dreamweaver, Flash and Fireworks, while developing your design skills in graphics, layout, animation and web design.
Our courses
Graphic design skills are really useful and can be used both at work and for personal projects. At WAES were have several fully equipped Mac suites in a range of prime Westminster locations. Whether you're looking to branch out into a completely new area or want to build upon your existing skills, you're bound to find the perfect course for you.
How to enrol
- Select your preferred course and then click on the Availability & Booking tab
- Decide on your preferred start date and click on the 'Apply' button next to the course details
- On the online application system, you will need to create a registration by clicking on 'Create an Account' or log in if you already have an account
- Once you have completed your online application, you will be able to select an interview date.
If you are having problems with the application system, or need advice and guidance, please call 020 7297 7297 or email us on info@waes.ac.uk
Westminster Adult Education Service offers four Mac Suites across two buildings in Westminster at our Lisson Grove Centre near Marylebone and in the south of Westminster at our Pimlico Centre.
The WAES Mac Suites are kept up to date with industry software to ensure that you have the latest technology and learning equipment at your fingertips.
Mac software includes:
- Photoshop
- InDesign
- Illustrator
- Dreamweaver
- Flash
- Fireworks
Choose the right course for you
Click a category on the left to browse our range of graphic design courses.
As he prepared toexhibit his work atPerspectives, the 2013 WAES summer arts exhibition,Graphic design student Glen Ross gave an insight into what inspires his work.
Tell us how you got involved in your area of art.
As a long time comic art fan I drew from an early age, steadily growing my styles and techniques to infuse art from all different art forms and philosophies believing that drawing anything and everything is the only way to improve. I started with pencils, watercolour, oil paints and sculpted small clay models, eventually expanding to encompass computer arts.
Before studying at WAES I had some success in doing freelance designing of posters and leaflets for a number of clients but I felt I needed a better understanding of the principles of graphic design. Plus, having qualifications in your chosen field gives an employer confidence in your ability.
What’s your proudest moment so far as an artist?
In the late 90s I read a lot of comics, and while working in retail (during the day) I got the chance to create, write, and illustrate my own short story for a smallpress magazine which was sold in my local comic shop. This was my first published work and gave me encouragement to continue believing that people might enjoy what I do.
Who or what inspires you?
My main source of inspiration comes from invention and inventors - people like Leonardo DaVinci and Thomas Edison who by imagining bigger and daring to go further achieved their dreams, by combining scientific endeavour with a vivid ability to bring their amazing visions to life.
What was the inspiration behind your featured piece?
The project was to design a set of 4 stamps which represent London in some way. I based my ideas on the 150th Anniversary of the London Underground. The idea was to depict the past through to the future using associated images and a range of techniques. The stamp designs were created using a variety of traditional freehand art and computer based packages. Good imagination, research, and design theory all play a part in every design I create.
'4 stamps'(pictured above, right) by graphic designstudent Glen Ross
Stamp 1, ‘The Time Traveller’, focuses on the images of yester-year and today and the changes which have taken place through the passage of time. Stamp 2, ‘Words and Lines’, looks at the relationships between the names of the tube lines and how they cross and intersect. Stamp 3, ‘The Journey’, uses photographs I took at Pimlico tube station, arranged as if to be a snapshot of life which those who travel the underground know well but take for granted. Stamp 4, ‘Pulsate’, is the view from below gives a some-what majestic resonance and combined with the 3 dimensional constructions which lends itself to a feel of a dynamic transport system at the heart of the city.
Choose the right course for you
Click a category on the left to browse our range of courses or contact us from the next steps tab, above.
