Graphic Design in Arnhem (GDA) has a rich history of dedicated and renowned lecturers with nationally and internationally recognised design studios – both past and present. Our lecturers are active professionals who share their extensive knowledge and current experience with you and with the programme.
In the first year, you will get to know the main graphic design principles and the research and design process. Through creative and experimental subjects and assignments, you will focus on key methodologies, technologies and processes that build your knowledge and skills. Examples of subjects include Type & Typography, Spaces & Systems, Materiality & Play, and Visual Grammar.
You will develop your visual skills and a personal identity as a designer, while becoming familiar with the fundamental principles of graphic design. You will also be given the tools to build an intellectual, theoretical and critical awareness of your discipline – both in practice and in a broader context.
In the second year, you will continue to develop and expand the skills gained in year 1. You will be encouraged to challenge yourself – not to ask what graphic design is, but to explore what it can mean. Assignments in the second year are broader, more complex and explore the subject in greater depth. Particular attention is given to subjects such as Design Research and Media & Design Theory.
The second-year curriculum creates new learning environments for authorship, while the skills acquired in the previous year are further developed and applied. This comes to life in subjects such as Experiment & Motion and Image & Authorship. You will also begin focusing on your professional portfolio, learning how to apply it and what it can represent beyond GDA.
In the third year, you will further develop your personal field of interest through subjects such as Interactive Media and Open Lab. A great example from Open Lab is the Humburger project, created by third-year Graphic Design students Dana de Paauw, Danique Hoppen and Jeong In Moon. This stop-motion work was selected for the prestigious Go Short Festival in Arnhem and presented there in October 2024.
In preparation for the Major Research Project, which you will complete in the second semester of year 4, you will be introduced to the new subject Curiosity & Method. The emphasis is on initiating your own design processes and setting your own pace. The Portfolio component of the curriculum will help you prepare and plan for an internship or exchange.
Year 4 is the grand finale, a project-based year that allows you to focus on your own areas of interest within both practical and theoretical frameworks. You will apply the knowledge, skills and insights gained over the previous three years to create work of the highest standard, demonstrating both technical ability and critical thinking.
You will also take part in an internship or exchange, in the Netherlands or abroad, to further contextualise your developing design practice. The ArtEZ Finals mark the conclusion of the GDA programme and the beginning of your journey as a GDA alumnus, ready to embrace and initiate creative and professional opportunities with confidence.