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Crossmedia Design
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Course

Course

Today's media designer uses all media and combinations of media. This calls for creative designers who are familiar with the entire media landscape and who choose their own path within it. On the Crossmedia Design course in Enschede, you will be working to put together a well-stocked toolbox: from typography to interaction design, from image generation (photography/film and illustration/animation) to editing, from concept development and crossmedia strategy to software knowledge, from print to social media. You will learn to combine image and typography for all formats, from book to app and from poster to object or public space. Practice and theory form an integrated whole; while working on an assignment, we discuss the corresponding theory.

Find your own path in the world of design 

The course is aimed at giving you a sufficient foundation to make firm choices about and within professional practice. Which is why this design course is broad but not generalistic, with a high degree of freedom while maintaining structure. And always taking your own initiative as the starting point.  

During the course, you will learn to understand all facets of design and, together with your lecturers, you will search for your own place within the world of design. It is up to you how independent or applied your way of working is; throughout the course, it is possible to create crossovers between Fine Art and Moving Image, between art and design, between 2D and 3D, and between craft and concept. In this way, you will grow to become a skilled designer or artist with your own vision and identity.  

Throughout the course, your individual development and choices are key, but always within the context of the entire design world. And that works. We get rave reviews from the studios where our students do their internships: “These are the people we need. People with an overall grasp and expertise, but also with their own view of the world”

SAATCHI & SAATCHI GERMANY  

Course structure

  • Focus on image

    Lessons in the initial year are class-based. You will familiarise yourself with the visual media, such as drawing, photography and film. The second semester is devoted primarily to creating imagery, with a focus on design issues.

  • Focus on various media

    The second year is all about exploring the possibilities afforded by various media. The assignments in the first half of the year are short and intensive; you will be introduced to many facets of design and forms of expression and the different design processes. In the second semester of year two, assignments will become longer and you will be combining various media and possibilities. Starting this semester, you will discuss your individual progress at least once a month with your mentor, who will help you maintain an overview of your studies.

    During the first two years of the course, a great deal of emphasis in the class-based lessons is on how to formulate and receive critique and develop your own stance, which is crucial for the next stage in your education.

  • Focus on your position

    In the first half of the third year, you will select (in consultation with your mentor) from a list of various short-term and long-term projects suited to your interests and talents. The project structure provides plenty of room for working on widely divergent investigatory questions. You will learn to work on, and assume your role in, varying design teams. You will also have to take responsibility for developing your own speciality, strategy and method of working. You will create a portfolio and work on your thesis. In the second half of the third year, you will either do a traineeship or an exchange programme at an academy abroad.

  • Strengthening your own position  

    In the first half of the fourth year, you will be given a lot of space to work on your own research and projects. There will be plenty of scope to broaden and deepen the knowledge you need to continue to develop in the direction you want.  
    In the final semester, you will focus entirely on your final exam, which will consist of a portfolio (print and online), a thesis (print) and a graduation project (using media of your own choice). You will present your project at the end of the academic year during the ArtEZ finals in Enschede.  

What do you learn on the Crossmedia Design course at ArtEZ AKI?  

Each year of the course curriculum consists of two semesters, which conclude with an assessment. In each academic year, you will take the following subjects: 

  • Design methods 
  • Graphic design/typography 
  • Photography/film 
  • Illustration/animation/motion graphics 
  • Spatial design/public space 
  • Interactive media/scenario 
  • Theory in the arts 

In addition, we offer clinics to help you deepen or broaden your knowledge. For example, bookbinding, virtual reality, street art, 3D modelling, printing techniques such as cyanotype, textiles, presentation techniques and bio-art.   

You’ll learn to design in 2D (print; books, posters, leaflets...), 3D (spatial; exhibitions, signage, public spaces...), 4D (time-based; film, animation, websites, apps, ...) and in 2-3-4D combinations (identity, campaigns, events, product development, games...). You’ll use your talents, knowledge and skills to create an authentic, effective end product. Key questions will include: What do I want to communicate? How can I make the best use of my goal? Which media do I use?  

A starting point is that all media should make use of the same elements: surface, shape, colour, frame, relationship and context. This basic knowledge is central to the first part of the course and is applied to a wide range of media and manifestations.  

 

Crossmedia Design
Design Ryo Sakamoto Crossmedia Design

Challenging practical assignments  

The Crossmedia Design course has its own design agency, in which you will work on challenging practical assignments under the supervision of lecturers. Every year, this agency takes on a wide range of design assignments, such as publications, corporate design, campaigns, websites, motion graphics and video, plus long(er) running practical assignments, collaborating with alumni and third parties.  

Course supervision  

The emphasis during the course is on individual supervision, also in the classroom setting. Starting in the second year, you will be assigned a lecturer as your personal mentor, with whom you will discuss your progress on a monthly basis: what do you want and how will you achieve it?  

Facilities  

Along with the Moving Image and Fine Art courses, the Crossmedia Design course makes up a small-scale art academy, a loose, non-competitive sanctuary for the independent artists and designers of today and tomorrow. Because of the small scale and character of the academy, friendships, mutual exchanges and collaboration easily arise across disciplines, sometimes even for life. 

AKI is small but complete, with workshops for metal, plastics, screen printing, graphics, ceramics and wood. With large-format plotters, laser cutters, 3D printers, an extensive video and photo studio and an analogue darkroom. With studios and exhibition spaces. It could hardly be better, but if a student has other requirements, we are always keen to find solutions. You can collaborate with students from the University of Technology, Saxion University of Applied Sciences and the ArtEZ Academy of Music.

  • Get an impression of the Academy with this video:  

 

Studying in Enschede 

Look here for more information about studying in Enschede.