MA Branding and Identity at Nottingham Trent University

Brand creation is about attitude. It’s about creating and sustaining trust and giving purpose. It means delivering on promises and being relevant. The best and most successful brands are completely coherent. Every aspect of what they do reinforces who they are.

Our Branding and Identity course offers you the opportunity to investigate one of the most dynamic, powerful and influential areas of professional graphic design. We believe that storytelling and conceptual thinking is at the heart of good branding.

Key features

• Develop a project tailored to your own personal interests and career aspirations
• Engage with industry by undertaking short internships and studio visits
• Work in our dedicated Art & Design postgraduate studio
• Benefit from regular lectures from leading figures in the design industry
• Attend workshops covering: Typography as Language, Branding, Storytelling, Ideation for Designers, Design Semantics and Technical Workshops.
• Opt for an additional advanced research module if you’re thinking of progressing on to PhD or Professional Doctorate study.
• We are proud to be in the top ten in England and Wales for Art and Design (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2020).

Careers and employability

Career Prospects

This course will equip you with strong creative and problem-solving skills. Our graduates become valuable members of professional teams working together on a range of visual communication projects, involving all kinds of cross-discipline collaborations.

Our graduates often pursue careers in digital and printed media for advertising, branding, marketing and promotion, and a diverse range of publications.

Recent graduates roles and destinations include:

• environmental visual designer, Horizon Design
• graphic designer, Cyprus University of Technology
• junior designer, WELEDA UK

Others have:

• set up their own business, in the UK and abroad
• progressed to further study at PhD level
• found work within related careers in the design sector
• returned to their previous occupations with a new focus

Connections with Industry

We’ll support and encourage you to undertake short internships and studio visits to engage with industry. You’ll also have the opportunity to enter industry competitions and take on live projects.

Recent examples have included:

• RSA competition briefs
• Creative Conscience competitions – focused on ethically conscious design
• collaborative projects with galleries such as Nottingham Contemporary

Guest speakers

You’ll benefit from guest lectures from visiting professionals who will cover a wide range of creative and professional practice. Recent guests have come from companies such as:

• Baxter and Bailey
• Chrissie Levett from Creative Conscience Awards
• social media consultant, Debbiedooodah

You’ll have the opportunity to learn entrepreneurship skills through business development courses (such as The Hive’s HeadStart programme), and attend events held by industry experts and organisations. You will keep a professional journal, which you will develop throughout the course to become an in-depth examination of current professional theory and practice in your specialist subject area.
You will also attend work-related learning sessions on topics such as self-promotion and marketing, interview skills, and CV and portfolio building.

Study trips

Study trips will inspire and inform your projects. Recent visits have included the Manchester Design Conference, and the First Tuesday monthly networking event in Nottingham.

You’ll also have the opportunity to go on a study trip to design capitals like Berlin or New York, where you’ll visit internationally renowned design studios.

YouFirst – working with our Employability Team

Our friendly, experienced careers consultants will work closely with you at every stage of your career planning, providing personal support and advice you won't find in a book or on the internet. You can benefit from this at any time during your studies and up to three years after completing your course.