Art & Design
Create the extraordinary at City of Portsmouth College
Students immerse themselves in creativity from day one, working in open-plan studios and digital labs across fine art, photography, graphics, and 3D design. They build portfolios through live projects, exhibitions, and festivals, such as The Trinity Buoy Wharf Drawing Prize, New Contemporaries, and Portsmouth’s Look Up Street Art Festival. With hands-on experience and professional connections, learners leave ready to create something extraordinary.
ART AND DESIGN
Subject overview
What's on offer
Your creativity deserves to shine, not be dimmed. Taking a creative course at City of Portsmouth College will not only reveal your brilliance but elevate it.
Art and design bring people together. Whether it’s gathering around the television for a riveting season finale, gathering outside a store for the latest gadget, or gathering around classical art in a gallery to muse about a model’s smile, there’s something beautifully uniting about art and design in all its forms.
With us, you can explore yourself and reveal new ways of working and thinking, all enabled through a flexible curriculum that reflects your needs and brings out the very best in you. And with outstanding links throughout the creative industries, you’ll have opportunities to work on live briefs, gain precious work experience and build your creative network
Subject highlights
- hear talks by visiting lecturers from the University for the Creative Arts and University of Portsmouth
- learn from teaching staff who are working practitioners in visual arts industries
- enjoy trips to cultural and creative destinations – from London to Madrid
- opportunities to create work for the Young Creates Market, Creative Festival and exhibitions.
Course: A Level 3D Design/Architecture
- Course Type: A Levels
- Campus: Sixth Form Campus
- Attendance: Full-time
- Course Code: Q100007
Popular Course!
29 people have been looking at this course recently
Course: A Level Film Making & Animation
- Course Type: A Levels
- Campus: Sixth Form Campus
- Attendance: Full-time
- Course Code: Q100016
Course: A Level Fine Art
- Course Type: A Levels
- Campus: Sixth Form Campus
- Attendance: Full-time
- Course Code: Q100013
Course: A Level Graphic Communication
- Course Type: A Levels
- Campus: Sixth Form Campus
- Attendance: Full-time
- Course Code: Q100017
Course: A Level Photography
- Course Type: A Levels
- Campus: Sixth Form Campus
- Attendance: Full-time
- Course Code: Q100019
Course: Level 1 Pathway to Art & Design
- Course Type: Vocational
- Campus: Highbury Campus
- Attendance: Full-time
- Course Code: P220968
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23 people have been looking at this course recently
Course: Level 2 UAL Diploma in Art & Design
- Course Type: Vocational
- Campus: Highbury Campus
- Attendance: Full-time
- Course Code: P237667
Course: Level 3 UAL Diploma in Creative Practice (Art, Design & Communication)
- Course Type: Vocational
- Campus: Highbury Campus
- Attendance: Full-time
- Course Code: P259983
100% Pass Rate
Proven with perfection in 24/25
Course: Level 3 UAL Extended Diploma in Creative Practice (Art, Design & Communication)
- Course Type: Vocational
- Campus: Highbury Campus
- Attendance: Full-time
- Course Code: P266057
100% Pass Rate
Proven with perfection in 24/25
Course: Level 3 UAL Subsidiary Diploma Art and Design (Visual Arts)
- Course Type: Vocational
- Campus: Sixth Form Campus
- Attendance: Full-time
- Course Code: Q271891
Our facilities
When you’re developing in-demand skills, you deserve professional grade facilities. At City of Portsmouth College, you’ll discover purpose-built spaces for creation and collaboration.
Key facilities include:
- two photographic darkrooms
- studios for moving image and photography
- specialist workshops for textiles, sculpture, 3D design and screen printing
- computers loaded with the Adobe Creative Suite.
Virtual tour
Take a closer look at our learning spaces and stand-out facilities with our interactive 360° virtual tour.
A great way to explore our facilities before booking a visit.
“It’s a relaxed course and it’s a safe space to be in. All the people here are wonderful. This course is one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever done.”Amy Dawe
Studying: Level 3 UAL Applied General Diploma in Art & Design
School: St Edmund’s Roman Catholic School
Future plans: To become a film set designer
Careers in the creative industries
Animator
Animators breathe life into drawn, modelled or computer generated characters in film and TV.
Main responsibilities:
- Bring scripts and storyboards to life by hand or using animation software
- Create characters, backgrounds and effects using colour, texture, lighting and shading
- Use motion capture tech to design lifelike expressions and movements
- Film 3D models using stop-motion techniques
- Layer and combine animations to produce a polished and engaging final product
Salary range:
£21,000 - £65,000
Interior Designer
Interior Designers plan the internal layout and decoration of homes, public and commercial spaces.
Main responsibilities:
- Work closely with clients to bring their ideas and visions to life
- Advise on space planning, colour schemes, fabrics, fittings and furniture
- Create detailed 2D and 3D design plans using specialist software
- Provide estimates for materials and work costs, as well as project timescales
- Find the right suppliers and oversee design projects
Salary range:
£23,000 - £45,000
Photographer
Photographers take and process pictures of people, products and places for individuals and organisations.
Main responsibilities:
- Work with clients to understand their vision and agree a creative brief
- Find and prepare locations, set up equipment and plan the shoot
- Take high-quality pictures using professional techniques and lighting
- Edit and enhance photos using industry-standard software for a perfect finish
- Select and present the best images for clients to use online or in print
Salary range:
£17,000 - £45,000
Graphic Designer
Graphic Designers create branding, adverts, publications, packaging and more.
Main responsibilities:
- Discuss clients’ goals and create ideas that excite them
- Create design drafts using specialist software and present them for feedback
- Refine designs to deliver exactly what the client needs
- Plan budgets and deadlines to keep projects on track
- Keep up-to-date with the latest design trends and tech
Salary range:
£20,000 - £40,000
Web designer
Web designers use both creative and technical skills to design and improve websites.
Main responsibilities:
- Plan and design the style and layout of web pages and sites with clients
- Build and update websites using content management systems (CMS)
- Monitor the performance of sites and pages by analysing visitor statistics
- Produce progress reports for managers and clients
- Work with IT teams to quickly fix any technical problems on the website
Salary range:
£18,000 - £40,000
Let’s help you shape your future.
Young UK designers lead the charge for sustainable change
The D&AD New Blood Awards is a global showcase for the next generation of creatives in commercial design, craft and advertising. Entrants respond to briefs from real businesses and their work is judged by top professionals. British successes show young UK designers using visual communication to inspire change – from using a variable font to visualise the thinning ozone layer, to adopting a faint outline typeface when highlighting hidden microplastics in our food and air.
Frequently asked questions
Our Art and Design courses include fine art, graphic communication, illustration, photography and broader creative pathways.
Each course encourages experimentation, technical development and creative thinking, helping you refine your style while building a strong body of work. You'll explore a range of materials, processes and digital techniques, allowing you to discover where your strengths and interests lie.
Whether you are drawn to traditional studio practice or digital design, you'll be supported to develop originality, confidence and a clear creative direction. This is your space to experiment boldly and find your brilliance as a creative thinker and maker.
Some courses require a portfolio to demonstrate your creativity, ideas and potential.
Your portfolio does not need to be perfect. It should show your interests, development and willingness to explore different techniques.
Students have access to specialist studios, digital design suites and creative workshop spaces.
These environments allow you to experiment with materials, develop advanced digital skills and produce professional standard outcomes. Working in dedicated creative spaces encourages focus, collaboration and the confidence to take creative risks while refining your craft.
Many courses include project work based on real industry style briefs, exhibition opportunities and externally set challenges.
This helps you understand how creative ideas are developed for clients, audiences and professional contexts. Responding to live briefs strengthens your problem solving skills, adaptability and ability to present your ideas clearly, all essential qualities in the creative industries.
Career routes include graphic design, branding, marketing, illustration, photography, digital media and wider creative industries roles.
Creative qualifications also develop problem solving, visual communication and critical thinking skills that are highly valued across industries. Many students progress into specialist creative roles, freelance practice or higher education, using their portfolio as a powerful showcase of their talent and potential.
Assessment is typically portfolio based, supported by project outcomes and final exhibitions.
This allows you to demonstrate your progress, creativity and technical ability through a body of practical work.
Art and Design courses are well recognised for progression to higher education in specialist creative disciplines.
Many students move on to university or higher-level creative study with a strong, carefully developed portfolio.
Once you have chosen the right course, simply visit the relevant course page and follow the clear application or enquiry instructions provided.
Each listing outlines entry requirements, next steps and key dates so you can move forward with confidence. After submitting your application, you will receive confirmation and further guidance about what to expect next.
Our process is designed to be straightforward and supportive, ensuring you feel informed at every stage as you take your first step towards finding your brilliance at City of Portsmouth College.
Have a question?
Get in touch and our advice and guidance team will be more
than happy to answer any questions you may have and guide
you in the right direction.
