Let’s face it, the creative industry is a bit of a whirlwind at the moment. Everything from the rise of AI to the shakeout of agencies means that whatever stage you are in your career, you’re probably thinking about your future more carefully than ever.
For some, that might mean pursuing an MA, but with rent and bills to pay, most of us won’t have the luxury of taking one or two years out of work. That’s why Falmouth University is offering the opportunity to study at home, part-time, enabling designers, artists and storytellers to access world-class creative education in a way that fits around their existing careers and commitments.
You might feel an online MA is somehow a lesser option than being physically present on campus. If so, that would be a mistake. In fact, in many ways, it’s a better experience.
To discover why, I spoke to Bryan Clark, head of graphic design at Falmouth University, and Jasmine Hortop and Max Bloom, who took online MAs in Illustration
and Graphic Design respectively. Read on to find out why signing up to a Falmouth Masterclass taster session could be the first step in developing your distinctive creative voice.
Making online better
The first thing that sets Falmouth’s approach apart is its commitment to creating a truly bespoke experience. “Falmouth has 120 years’ experience delivering creative education, but we’re not just taking our campus-based courses and putting them on video call,” explains Bryan. “We see teaching online as a creative opportunity. We’re distilling a large amount of professional, educational and academic experience to teach online MAs that encourage exploration, risk-taking, and deep reflection on personal practice.”
Indeed, Falmouth is something of a pioneer in this space. “We’ve been offering online MAs for nearly 10 years now, way before COVID,” Bryan points out. “That’s given us time to really hone things in a way that enables creatives with different learning styles to study in the way that suits them, especially if you’re neurodivergent.”
Falmouth has applied this mindset to developing online MAs in a wide range of areas including Graphic Design, Illustration, User Experience, Digital Marketing, Photography and Fine Art. And it’s an approach that appeals to recent graduates looking to specialise and established professionals seeking renewal or change.
Work by Max Bloom
Work by Max Bloom
Graduate Max had already been working as a graphic designer for a few years when he applied. “I had some really good practical experience in the industry and a pretty solid portfolio, but I was mostly self-taught,” he says. “I realised if I wanted to progress my career and improve as a designer, I’d need to push myself and get a qualification.”
Jasmine, meanwhile, had been working as an illustrator for around eight years, both in-house and freelance. “While I was getting consistent commercial work, I was craving the space to slow down and reconnect with my own creative voice,” she recalls.