is it worth taking an a level in graphics, when AI is progressing so rapidly?

5

i start sixth form college in september - i chose graphics over art or textiles as i find it easier. but i’m seeing a lot of things saying that graphic designers are at threat because of AI, so i don’t imagine i would want to continue it at university. would the a level be a waste if i want to go on to do art or fashion/interior design at uni? would i need to take fine art or textiles a level instead to get in?

Reply 1

Norwich Uni Arts

Official Rep

10

Original post

by kittyfilarious

i start sixth form college in september - i chose graphics over art or textiles as i find it easier. but i’m seeing a lot of things saying that graphic designers are at threat because of AI, so i don’t imagine i would want to continue it at university. would the a level be a waste if i want to go on to do art or fashion/interior design at uni? would i need to take fine art or textiles a level instead to get in?

Hi @kittyfilarious,

Graphic Design courses at degree level are still very much a good degree with lots of opportunities to work in many industries.Take a look at our 4 various Graphics courses here: Norwich Uni courses. Alternatively, we also have textiles and interior design courses.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any further questions 🙂

Thanks,
Charlotte, Student Ambassador (y2 Graphic Design)

Reply 2

Faygee

7

Hi there, I take graphic A level (well have finished now) and am going to study architecture or engineering at uni! Even if you decide to do a degree in textiles or fine art etc, most universities ask for any art and design A level (or any other qualification) and/or a decent portfolio. Basically, if graphics is what you are going to enjoy the most and think you are best at, take graphics! I personally loved the course and have found it very useful so I would definitley recommend it

Reply 3

aspalax

Volunteer Team, Clearing and Applications Advisor

19

I answered a similar question to this over on this thread https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=7594579#post100573317

As Faygee says, most creative university courses will accept any art and design A level and a portfolio - that being said having done something like Textiles may benefit you more than graphics if you were to go on to study fashion. But if you're still undecided, doing Graphics at A level will do you no harm at all.

If you think you'd want to take graphics to higher education and the AI reasoning is the main thing stopping you and encouraging you to pick something else - yeah, the information you've received is misinformed. Employers will definitely still be using human graphic designers and graphic design as a degree is applicable across a number of employable fields including marketing, social media management and so on.

Reply 4

Kingston Eve

Official Rep

13

Original post

by kittyfilarious

i start sixth form college in september - i chose graphics over art or textiles as i find it easier. but i’m seeing a lot of things saying that graphic designers are at threat because of AI, so i don’t imagine i would want to continue it at university. would the a level be a waste if i want to go on to do art or fashion/interior design at uni? would i need to take fine art or textiles a level instead to get in?

Hey @kittyfilarious!

I agree with the advice given above; regardless of whether or not you decide to pursue graphic design at university, an A-Level in Graphics can still be extremely useful when applying to other creative/art-based subjects. The main thing art schools tend to focus on is your portfolio, which A-Level Graphics will give you the chance to develop further. If you find Graphics easier than Art or Textiles and believe you can achieve a better grade in it overall, I'd recommend continuing with it.

Both Kingston University's BA Fine Art and BA Fashion courses require 'Level 3 qualifications in Art and Design subjects (A-levels, BTEC Diploma, Access Diploma, IB Diploma, etc.).' When you're making your portfolio, you should ideally tailor some of your pieces to the exact subject you're applying for, but specific knowledge in any one medium/field of art isn't expected.

Hope this was helpful and best of luck with sixth form!
Eve (Kingston Rep).

Reply 5

insidedesigner

7

AI will completely change graphic design in the next 10 years or so, but that's no reason to pursue it.

It's almost certainly going to massively reduced the number of graphic designers employed around the world. Automated tools (like Canva etc) will get more sophisticated, meaning non-designers won't need an agency to design stuff for them.

However, at the top end of the industry, the future is looking fine. People will always be needed to tell the software what to do, and decide if it's any good. Original ideas, an eye for trends, and a good sense of taste are more important than how well you know the details of Photoshop. Luckily a decent number of the best agencies in the world are based in the UK, and they aren't fearing AI at all. In fact, they're embracing it.

So, to answer your question - if you want to do graphic design - do it. It's always better to choose subjects that you enjoy. Graphic design skills can be used in a variety of other courses at Uni too. It's worth saying that AI will affect every field, not just graphic design.

It's worth saying that lots of University graphic design courses seem to be burying their head in the sand when it comes to AI. I see some courses running the same projects they did 10 or 15 years ago, so if you do end up going down that path - choose somewhere that teaches contemporary skills.

is it worth taking an a level in graphics, when AI is progressing so rapidly?

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