Digital Design BA (Hons)
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
Please note: our Design courses are currently being updated therefore this course is subject to validation. First entry to this course is September 2025.
Digital Design is designed to address the challenges of designing for new and emerging digital technologies, and to prepare you for a career within the creative Digital Industries.
The course will provide you with a strong foundation in industry-standard design tools and practices for developing engaging digital experiences and products across a range of platforms and devices (e.g. web, app, smart devices).
You will experience a range of digital design methods and processes: Visual Communication, Interface Design (UI) User Experience (UX) Data Visualisation, to AI-led Design and Design for Virtual or Mixed Reality.
Studio-based practical activities will foster your development towards a final portfolio of work. Live briefs will be used to enhance your experience, ensure you have a connection to creative industries, and ready you for your future career.
See other courses you may be interested in: Graphic Design
Art & Design at Northumbria is ranked top 15 in the UK (Times Good University Guide, 2024).
Art and Design at Northumbria is ranked 4th in the UK for research power (REF, 2021). This is a rise of 6 places compared to 2014.
Art & Design at Northumbria is ranked 9th in the UK for Graduate Prospects (Times Good University Guide, 2024).
93% of students studying Design at Northumbria believed they had chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth (NSS, 2023).
UK Fee in Year 1*: TBC
* The maximum tuition fee that we are permitted to charge for UK students is set by government. Tuition fees may increase in each subsequent academic year of your course, these are subject to government regulations and in line with inflation.
EU Fee in Year 1: **TBC
International Fee in Year 1:
TBC
ADDITIONAL COSTS
TBC
Look out for module specifics coming soon. Please keep checking this web page for updated information.
As a Digital Design student, you will use creative design briefs and real-world collaborations to explore the principles and practice of designing human-centred digital products, interfaces, objects or environments. Led by subjects experts, the course combines human-centred and critical research methods with visual and interaction design principles to allow you to explore and speculate with new and emerging technologies, and prototype outcomes. A shared module in each year will allow you to expand your field of study in collaboration with students from across different design disciplines.
The first year will provide you with foundational skills for the rest of the course. It will introduce you to the key principles and concepts of digital design practice including: the principles of visual communication, and user-interface design (UI) ; interaction design and design for screens; and user-experience design (UX), including methods for developing human-centred design outcomes. You will also be introduced to core principles of coding for building interactive prototypes and be able to investigate an area of specialism of your choosing.
During your second year you will build upon the principles and practice established in year one, and explore more advanced areas of Digital Design practice and theory. This includes: advanced motion and sound design for time-based visual communication; data visualisation methods and practice, and advanced methods unto User Experience design research and practice. This year will also give you the chance to explore the potential applications for new and emerging technologies (e.g. Mixed Reality, AI-informed design and IoT Design).
Your third year gives you the opportunity of live industry experiences or studying abroad. This can be through national and international live or simulated industry projects, placements, and opportunities to explore entrepreneurship, fostering your potential, adaptability, and competitive advantage in the job market. You will document your year and share your experiences with staff and peers.
Your final year gives you an opportunity to develop professional experience, investigate a specific field of study and develop your final design portfolio tailored towards your career goal. Supported by expert tutors and professionals you will engage in a combination of live collaborative projects set by external clients, and an extended piece of self-directed research and practice into your own specialist field of Digital Design practice, refining your design and professional practice skills.
Digital Design is a vital growth area of Design Production and Research. The key elements of Digital Design, such as User Experience Design, Co-design, Experiential Design, and AI-enhanced production are among the crucial growth employment sectors in the UK. New digital technologies are societally transformative and will be key for the future of life and work in the UK and internationally.
A BA Digital Design graduate would have potentially a number of possible career pathways from the programme for example:
These opportunities extend over a number of both public and private-sector industries:
There is also further innovation and research, for example:
As a Digital Design student, you will work individually and collaboratively to explore and design creatively and critically. Engaging with live briefs and collaborators, you will develop the practical and creative skills necessary to prepare you for a career within the expanding digital design industries.
You will have the chance to develop a broad range of skills related to the digital interfaces, including video, audio, web, animation, virtual reality. All the while, you will be encouraged to consider how digital design can create solutions to real world challenges. For example, previous students have addressed topics such as mental health, education, and the environment.
You will be taught by a breadth of internationally leading design practitioners, researchers and educators.
Their expertise includes visual communication, UX/UI design, data visualisation, digital arts, publishing and social innovation. By sharing their design expertise, they will help you shape your own design future through the programme.
As a BA Digital Design student, you will have shared use of a dedicated design studio. The design studio includes state-of-the art computers and industry standard software. You will also have access to a range of workshops including the photography studio, virtual reality suite and prototyping lab.
If you have not used specialist equipment and workshops before, you will have the opportunity to be inducted by our expert technical staff. You will also have free access to online tutorials to familiarise yourself with new software.
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
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