Teaching news
MA Communication Design: Open Afternoons 2024-25
19 September 2024Interested 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 2024Working 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 2024Real Job by Jasmine Sheppard, Tasnia Asmi and Vivien Lee Read more
FAB Lab Toner Foiler Instructions
7 May 2024A guide to using the toner foiler Read more
FAB Lab Laser Cutter Instructions
7 May 2024A guide to using the laser cutter Read more
FAB Lab Cricut Maker Instructions
3 May 2024A guide to using the Cricut maker Read more
TDi 2024 | Practice masterclass and research working seminar
27 February 2024Announcing 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 2024Spring 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 2022During 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 2022Our student-curated series of guest lectures returns this week, featuring live in-person sessions for the first time in two years. Read more
Designing a brand onboarding system with Bottomline Technologies
6 December 2021Amrita 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
Reimagining the wayfinding project during the pandemic
18 June 2021In 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 2020James Lloyd, our Part 1 tutor, outlines the key things to know about assessment and feedback on our course. Read more
Our new collaboration with Lantana Publishing
22 July 2020Lena 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 2020When 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 2020The 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
What is creativity?
21 November 2019James 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 2019Rob 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 2019Alongside 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
Designing for an evolving publishing industry
10 April 2019The 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
Join us for our May postgraduate visit opportunity
3 April 2019We’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 2019Our 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 2019Lauren 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 2019Alison 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 2018Typography graduates from the past 15 years returned to give us an insight into how their careers have progressed since graduating. Read more
Join us for our February 2019 postgraduate open day
4 December 2018The 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 2018Wendy 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 2018Milly 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 2018Part 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 2018David 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 2018Alison 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 2018In 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 2018Our 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 2018Our 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 2018Hi, 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 2018Staff 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 2018This 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
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 2017Erasmus-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 2016Yesterday, 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 2016Our 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 2016Thank 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 2016We 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 2016This 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 2015Mariana 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 2013Coinciding 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 2012We 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 2012Congratulations 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