Student work

BA Part 2

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BA Part 3

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Teaching news

MA Communication Design: Open Afternoons 2024-25

19 September 2024

Interested in MA Communication Design? Join us at our Open Afternoons and discover our 4 study pathways. Visit the Department of Typography & Graphic Communication,… Read more

Pixel Party

17 May 2024

  Working as part of the Baseline Shift team prior to this job, we knew we wanted to connect more with the guests we have… Read more

FAB Lab Branding

17 May 2024

Real Job by Jasmine Sheppard, Tasnia Asmi and Vivien Lee Read more

FAB Lab Toner Foiler Instructions

7 May 2024

A guide to using the toner foiler Read more

FAB Lab Laser Cutter Instructions

7 May 2024

A guide to using the laser cutter Read more

FAB Lab Cricut Maker Instructions

3 May 2024

A guide to using the Cricut maker Read more

Structural differences between the Persian (top) and Urdu (bottom) flavours of the Nasta’liq style

TDi 2024 | Practice masterclass and research working seminar

27 February 2024

Announcing the 2024 intensive summer course in typeface design: one week of a multiscript masterclass, and one week of a research-focused working seminar. Read more… Read more

Promoting the Sustainable Development Goals

6 February 2024

Spring Term 2024 An exhibition by second-year students in the Department of Typography & Graphic Communication The work featured in this exhibition are posters designed… Read more

MagCulture Trip 2022

27 October 2022

During the Autumn term, the Department organised and paid for a trip for the Part 3s to go to London and visit the MagCulture. Not… Read more

Baseline shift returns

5 October 2022

Our student-curated series of guest lectures returns this week, featuring live in-person sessions for the first time in two years. Read more

Mac computer screen showing Amrita's project work for Bottomline Technologies

Designing a brand onboarding system with Bottomline Technologies

6 December 2021

Amrita Shrilal has been involved in an exciting new collaboration with Bottomline Technologies this past year. Amrita is one of our MA Communication Design Graphic… Read more

A diagram illustrating 3 stages in a wayfinding strategy

Reimagining the wayfinding project during the pandemic

18 June 2021

In spring term, our MA Communication Design students on the Information Design and Graphic Design pathways have the opportunity to undertake a wayfinding project, as… Read more

Assessment and feedback in our department

7 October 2020

James Lloyd, our Part 1 tutor, outlines the key things to know about assessment and feedback on our course. Read more

Image of laptop showing Lantana website

Our new collaboration with Lantana Publishing

22 July 2020

Lena Gomez, of our current MA Communication Design Information Design Pathway cohort, has been involved in an exciting collaboration with Lantana Publishing this year. Lantana… Read more

Online Careers Day: getting ready for the future

22 June 2020

When we asked for volunteers to come and talk to our students about careers, we got quite a response. 17 generous friends and alumni stepped… Read more

2020 Postgraduate Open Day

3 February 2020

The Department of Typography & Graphic Communication warmly invites prospective MA applicants and offer holders to visit us for our annual postgraduate open day. This… Read more

Student drawing at Baseline shift creativity and ideation session.

What is creativity?

21 November 2019

James Lloyd gave us an insight into expanding student skills in creativity and ideation. Tldr? Learn stuff, and mix it up. Read more

Good essay writing: techniques, tips and characteristics

11 November 2019

Rob Banham explains what is expected of a high quality essay for Graphic Communication and Typography BA, and how university essays are different to A-level… Read more

Real Jobs: Celebrating over five decades of professional design practice on our undergraduate course

17 June 2019

Alongside our degree show opening last week, we also launched a new exhibition celebrating our ‘Real Jobs’ scheme. Real Jobs has been our flagship professional experience… Read more

The contents section of Laura's ebook. Illustrated leaves are encroaching on the title 'Invasive Species' to give a sense of the theme of the book. At the bottom of the screen is a menu with thumbnails of the different sections of the book to help readers choose what they would like to read.

Designing for an evolving publishing industry

10 April 2019

The Department recently collaborated with Oxford University Press on an exciting digital publishing project. OUP’s brief gave final year students an opportunity to explore the… Read more

Two postgraduate students looking at historic posters in our Collections

Join us for our May postgraduate visit opportunity

3 April 2019

We’re delighted to let you know we have scheduled another visit opportunity for prospective MA applicants to visit us. The Department of Typography & Graphic… Read more

Ravensburg ’19 and the D&AD awards

21 March 2019

Our collaboration with DHBW Ravensburg saw 40 German students join us for a day of presentations centred on the D&AD New Blood awards. The exchange also… Read more

Lauren Towner: The life of a professional illustrator

21 March 2019

Lauren Towner came to speak with our undergraduates about the experience of creating illustrations on-demand, on-brief and on-time, and what designers can learn from the… Read more

‘It’s never right the first time’

22 February 2019

Alison Black led week 3’s Baseline Shift talk on approaches to academic writing. She focused on the emotional experience of writing, the barriers that stop… Read more

Paul Luna: a very short introduction to typography

25 January 2019

‘It’s not all about fonts!’ At a special Baseline Shift session, our former Head of Department stressed the importance of design for reading. Read more

Typography alumni talks: a look at our future

10 December 2018

Typography graduates from the past 15 years returned to give us an insight into how their careers have progressed since graduating. Read more

A group of five postgraduate students with a tutor looking at publishing projects

Join us for our February 2019 postgraduate open day

4 December 2018

The Department of Typography & Graphic Communication warmly invites prospective MA applicants to visit us for a postgraduate open day. The open day will be… Read more

Creativity, Ideation, and Process Workshop

29 November 2018

Wendy Mclean, a Teaching Fellow in Studio Art at Reading, led a fun and interactive workshop about creativity, ideation, and process. Read more

IBM iX: design thinking, processes and opportunities

27 November 2018

Milly Longbottom and Will Trickey, alumni of our department who now work at IBM, came to talk to Part 1 students about UX design process… Read more

Visiting Oxford University Press

16 November 2018

Part 2 students who opted to design book covers for Oxford University Press in their design practice module were lucky enough to be given the… Read more

David Pearson: Flowers, Football & Fonts…

16 November 2018

David Pearson began his talk to Typography students at the University of Reading citing three things that sum up what really interest him – the… Read more

Research introductions

14 November 2018

Alison Black, Jeanne Louise Moys, Sue Walker, Gerry Leonidas and Eric Kindel showcased a range of research projects, past and present, to give Part 1… Read more

The basics: a guide to good writing and referencing

1 November 2018

In Typography at the University of Reading, a huge importance is placed on having a good academic writing ability. Week four and five of the… Read more

Making a ZINE: ‘I am, we are… different by design’

30 October 2018

Our second Baseline Shift session was run by Camara Dick, Seniz Husseyin, Malaika Johnson and Martha Macri, members of a group of students who have… Read more

DK at the University of Reading

17 October 2018

Our first Baseline shift Wednesday morning session kicked off this week and Typography students were lucky enough to receive a visit from two members of… Read more

Study Aboard at Monash University, Melbourne

9 August 2018

Hi, I am Jason from BA Graphic Communication Part 3. Welcome to my exchange journey to Monash University in Melbourne, Australia! Even though it is… Read more

Part 2: Editorial Design

13 June 2018

Staff have asked a team of Part 2 students to publish reflections on the work they produced for taught project over the past 12 months. This… Read more

Beyond awareness: inclusive design for Graphic Communication

6 March 2018

This week, Part 2 Graphic Communication students completed the inclusive design component of their integrated design modules. Building on the series of workshops (see BdB blog) we did earlier… Read more

Michael Twyman

Professor Michael Twyman on forms design and the history of forms

1 December 2017

(Cross posting from Centre for Information Design Research) We are delighted to be able to point you to a video of one of a series… Read more

Part 3s in Ravensburg

20 March 2017

Erasmus-supported Teaching Fellow, Sara Chapman and nine of our Part 3s spent Week 6 in Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW) in the mediaeval town of Ravensburg, Germany.… Read more

Minister for disabled people visits Reading

21 October 2016

Yesterday, Penny Mordaunt, Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work visited the University of Reading to find out more about our transformative Breaking down Barriers… Read more

Soapbox host one of our typography summer placements

1 August 2016

Our Part 2 visiting student, Gabriela Lyrio Assreuy is spending her summer enjoying a stimulating, two-month placement at Soapbox. The London-based studio specialises in design that ‘helps leading policy, research and… Read more

Presses in action for open days

20 June 2016

Thank you to all our prospective applicants and their parents who visited the Department on Friday and Saturday as part of the University’s Open Days. We… Read more

Alumni visit to help with data visualisation with Part 2s

25 March 2016

We were very pleased to welcome alumni Craig Melvin to the Department during our recent Part 2 ‘Data Visualisation’ project. The Part 2 brief was… Read more

Inclusive design workshops for print and digital design

5 February 2016

This week our part 2 undergraduates participated in exciting inclusive design workshops as part of the Breaking down Barriers project. Students wore simulation gloves to… Read more

Giving constructive feedback

16 March 2015

Mariana Mota, Lead Interaction Designer at software and web apps company Oxford Computer Consultants, is writing a book on verbal communication and leadership for designers. Her first… Read more

Part 3 branding project

26 February 2013

Coinciding with a celebration of the work of Ken Garland and in the spirit of the First Things First manifesto, Part 3 students took on five not-for-profits and social… Read more

Supporting design studies in the EBacc

4 December 2012

We are the first institution, with Goldsmiths, to support the campaign to include design in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), a proposed new qualification. Currently, the EBacc will require pupils… Read more

Teaching award for Sara Chapman

27 September 2012

Congratulations to Sara, who has received one of the 2012 University Awards for Outstanding Contributions to Teaching and Learning. This scheme recognises and rewards individuals… Read more