A
About the programme
The programme is part of the 2-year Master's programme at the Royal Danish Academy. Read more about the programme's academic content and structure here.
Programme description
Programme description
During your studies, you will engage in a diverse and comprehensive understanding of visual communication. You will learn to adopt a critical approach, questioning existing standards and explore multiple themes within society through open research agendas and iterative processes, reflecting on both the stakeholders and contexts that the design addresses. These projects lead to opportunities for you to work individually or collectively with external partners in a critical exploration of design outcomes.
By combining elements of the applied arts tradition of graphic design with a critical and experimental approach, you will have the opportunity to deepen and expand your competencies in disciplines like visual identity, type design, data visualization, art direction and areas such as speculative design, design thinking, and design research.
You will be the driving force in the progression, direction and specialization of your education. In other words: What you bring to the table is essential and will determine the unique characteristics of your professional profile.
The master's degree programme is a 2-year full-time education comprising 120 ECTS points. A semester's full-time study is prescribed to comprise 30 ECTS points, corresponding to a workload of 825 hours. Students are expected to study 40–45 hours per week during all semesters. Students are expected to attend all planned teaching activities
Structure and Content
Structure and Content
The level of self-initiation will gradually increase throughout the four semesters.
1. semester: Type, Technology and People
The first part of the semester focuses on developing students’ knowledge, skills and competencies in motion graphics, type design, art direction and creative coding.
In the main project of the semester, the students will work within the field of design research and data visualization on a larger, complex theme within society. To address the information needs of the intended recipients, students will strive for both explorative and clear solutions.
2. semester: Concept and Identity
The semester begins with projects related to an investigation of a subject as well as an enquiry into the student’s own role as a designer.
The main course of the semester revolves around the concept of identity, which can include visual identity, artistic identity, or cultural identity. We explore and expand the concept of visual identity and expand it in various disciplines of the students’ choice. During this project, students will be introduced to a range of different topics and approaches, depending on the type of project chosen.
In the final part of the semester, the students will undertake a self-formulated project. Alongside the projects there will be a study group for reading and discussing relevant literature.
3. semester: Theory and Method
The semester focuses on the interplay between theory, methods and praxis forms, and commences with a self-formulated theoretical assignment related to issues in visual communication design. The outcome is presented both in writing and as a verbal presentation.
Based on their thesis topic, students will work on disseminating the required knowledge, which could be through an online format, a physical exhibition, a book or another method. The final assignment of the semester serves as a preliminary to the graduation project, allowing students to test some of the issues they intend to address in their final graduation project.
4. semester: Master’s Project
The fourth semester is the realization of larger self-initiated and self-directed projects.
Language
Language
The programme is taught in English.