BA (Hons) Advertising and Brand Design

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Currently reading: Course overview

Starts: Sep 2025
Duration: 3 years
Mode: Full time
UCAS code: NW52
Fees: UK: £9,535 (2025/26) / INT: £17,000 (2025/26)

Ideal for...bold thinking graphic designers and visual communicators, who aspire to tell brand stories that change perception and influence behaviour.

Build brands, create change.

This award-winning course connects strategic thinking and design, investigating emerging practices at the intersection of advertising and branding. Driven by insights, our students develop impactful brand communication, social media content, and advertising campaigns. (BA Hons) Advertising and Brand Design will create opportunities to explore graphic design, strategy, branding, copywriting and art direction. Work with industry partners, brands, and emerging technologies and take your place within one of the most exciting sectors of the UK creative economy.

Student work

A black background with white text saying Trust the journey

So What do you do. Self Promotional film by Michael Bailey

Student work – Government Product Communication

Why study this Advertising and Brand Design degree?

Be guided by industry professionals throughout your study
Become a brand storyteller
Fantastic industry links. Tap into opportunities with Creative Agencies and Studios such as Sky, Bulletproof and Neverland
Boost employability in a large, diverse and ever-changing industry
Upskill in pitching, team working and project management
Explore cutting-edge digital and communication technologies
Develop a professional portfolio through a carefully structured learning journey.

Award winning students

In the last six years, our students have won 15 Pencils in the prestigious D&AD New Blood Awards, including a much-coveted White Pencil. They have won 10 Creative Conscience awards and have been shortlisted for professional awards including The Drum Creative Futures.

Become a brand storyteller

Our students ‘learn with industry’ engaging with professional practice throughout the course. in the last 3 years we have worked with global brands like Sky, Kopparberg and leading Agencies and Studios such as Bulletproof, The Electric Theatre Collective, DNCO, The Drum, Dentsu, Stormbrands, Mr Bailey @concept Kicks and Studio Blup.

This advertising and branding degree investigates how visual stories are deployed to bring products and services to life. You examine diverse areas of marketing, branding and advertising, including: how to develop brand communication, social media content, marketing strategy and interactive experience. You will also learn to create graphic design communication for contemporary media platforms.

You will construct stories that connect strategically across print, social and online channels to engage audiences and influence perception. As well as exploring cutting-edge, such as apps, digital print, online media and mobile games, you will also examine traditional communication formats, like print-based media. This degree in advertising really will provide you with a solid grounding.

Creative advertising, social media, digital technology, communication, storytelling and brand design are all prominent branches on the all-encompassing marketing tree. They are also decisive factors in what makes many contemporary companies successful and stand out from the crowd. As such, when you graduate with a BA honours degree in Advertising and Brand Design at Ravensbourne University London, you will not just be given a robust foundation to help you move into your chosen field of expertise. You will also boost your all-round employability, developing a diverse skill-set that is highly transferable.

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Key areas of study

Creative Strategy
Branding and Identity Design
Copywriting and Art Direction
Campaign Development
Social Media Content Creation and Interaction Design
Team-working and Project Management

The way the course is structured, you almost feel as if you are working in a creative agency. Everything is so geared up to preparing you for industry and the way in which you receive feedback is similar to a real-life scenario. ”

—

Esther Gbogbaode , BA (Hons) Advertising and Brand Design graduate

The specifics

Downloadable course specification

This year's all about empowering you as an advertiser and brand strategist. It will focus on the development of core skills and will help you to understand key concepts and ideas related to advertising and branding.

You will examine the historical context of the discipline and explore creative principles through an investigation of industry-standard design processes. The year will end with the creation of a full strategic advertising campaign.

Modules may include*:

Creative Principles
Key Concepts and Thinking Frameworks
Process and Skills 1
Process and Skills 2
Professional Life Practice - Developing Your Practice
Professional Life Practice - Exploring Your Practice

*Subject to change.

The second year will be more exploratory. You will examine and challenge the conventions of the discipline and collaborate with other students in the Department of Design Practice.

You will choose from a selection of units designed to promote cross-disciplinary practice and examine emerging practice within our discipline, such as social media content creation, audience participation and interaction, and experience design.

Supported by Ravensbourne careers team, you'll have the chance to secure a work-based learning opportunity within industry.

Previous partnerships and relationships for this course have included; Sky, Barclays, JKR, Moving Brands, Concept Kicks, Kin + Carta, the Wilderness Agency, Kairos Media etc.

Modules may include*:

Digital Storytelling 1
Digital Storytelling 2
Process and Skills 3
Professional Life Practice - Applying Your Practice
Work-Based Learning.

*Subject to change.

Your final year is all about developing the skills to truly engage with your audience. You will personalise your practice and present ideas to the world.

In preparation for graduation, you will also collaborate with an industry partner and prepare a portfolio and the materials required to present work professionally.

Modules may include*:

Competition Briefs
Self-Directed Major Projects
Professional Life Practice- Situating Your Practice
Professional Trajectories.

*Subject to change.

At Ravensbourne we accept a wide range of qualifications for entry onto our courses, whilst also considering the context in which they were achieved. For this course, we would usually require a GCSE Grade 4 or above in English in addition to any of the below;

Two A Levels at grade CC or above
BTEC Extended Diploma at grade MPP
UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma
T Level (pass or above)
Access to Higher Education Diploma
International Baccalaureate at grade 24 or above
Other/Mixed qualifications equivalent to 64 UCAS Tariff points

At Ravensbourne we take a flexible approach to admissions, as we want you to know exactly what you need to achieve in your exams to guarantee a place on the course. We still think exams are important and look forward to hearing about your successes, but we place just as much importance on the work you will share with us as part of our interview and/or portfolio process.

Selection criteria:

You should ideally have a background in art, creative media or design. You are expected to submit a portfolio of work which demonstrates a range of skills and why you would be a good fit for the course.

We may also consider a combination of portfolio and academic qualifications and take into consideration progress made during studies and/or relevant work experience.

UK students

Simply select your chosen start date using the 'Apply now' dropdown at the top of this page, and you will be directed to the appropriate course page on the UCAS website. The UCAS code for this course is located in the course overview bar at the top of this page.

The UCAS website will guide you through the simple application process. You can also apply through your school or college using the UCAS system.

Learn more: how to apply for an undergraduate degree course

The entry requirements for this course can be found in the relevant section above.

International students

International students can apply directly via our Online Applicant Portal. Please see bespoke advice for international students in the dedicated accordion item below.

Admission onto this course is also subject to successful completion of an interview and portfolio (or showreel).

If you wish to study our BA (Hons) Advertising and Brand Design degree course, we would like to see examples of your advertising, design, brand and/or marketing projects that you have produced during previous academic, professional or personal pursuits.

For this course you will need to provide a portfolio of material comprising of work created during your previous creative education, alongside any personal or professional projects.

This might include:

Typography
Graphic design
Adverts
Posters
Digital design
Animation
Photography
Written material such as scripts or copywriting.

It is also important that you include research and development material such as moodboards, experiments, tests, thumbnails and brainstorms.

We do not expect a perfect professional finish but would rather see that you are prepared to take risks and explore outside your comfort zone.

This page offers great tips for completing your portfolio/showreel and preparing for your interview.

You can’t learn in a vacuum. At Ravensbourne University London, industry connection is ingrained into everything we do. We will equip you for success in the creative and digital industries, ensuring you are truly industry ready upon graduation. Our tutors are respected academics and practitioners with substantial experience and industry links.

You will be part of a diverse community of creatives, working collaboratively to explore new professional practices. Ravensbourne have strong industry links with a range of high-profile companies, including: Apple, Barclays, the BBC, European Space Agency, Marks & Spencer, Museum of London, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Samsung and many more.

For information on study routes, visa requirements, studying in England, language and entry requirements, application requirements and access to international agents, please visit our international section.

Quick links:

I really liked the combination of creativity, writing and strategic thinking. You definitely won't get the industry links that are available at Ravensbourne anywhere else!”

—

Molly Smith , BA (Hons) Advertising and Brand Design graduate

Read my story

Lecturers

Paula Williams

BA (Hons), FHEA, PGCert

Steve LLoyd

BA (Hons) FHEA PGCert

My degree has given me a network of like-minded individuals and contacts throughout the creative industry. It has given me the confidence to trust my creative judgement and my work. I found my calling.”

—

Michael Bailey , BA (Hons) Advertising and Brand Design graduate