Course: Visual Communication.
FACTS:
Summer Semester: 1st April
Winter Semester: 1st October
6 semesters (full-time) / 3 years
Certificate: Communication Designer
425 € / month
Successful application interview, portfolio of creative projects
High School Diploma, General Certificate of Secondary Education or higher.
THE COURSE:
The Visual Communication course that the HTK – Academy of Design offers is divided into 6 semesters and lasts 3 years.
At the HTK – Academy of Design you learn all the phases of design projects: starting with generating ideas, developing concepts and then combining text and images into exciting layouts for adverts, brochures and posters, for example. You then learn the various technical requirements of the production phase of design projects in digital and print media.
For an effective and successful Visual Communication course, the Academy itself is just part of the story: we seek talented applicants who not only bring with them creative ideas and artistic skills, but also the ability to work on projects both independently and in groups, a sense of discipline, as well as an open and positive attitude.
You have access to a range of technical resources and facilities, such as photographic studios, video editing suites and, of course, Apple iMac computers with design software.
COURSE PROJECTS AND ASSIGNMENTS:
Many of the course projects are usually related to contemporary culture and themes and are often reality-based assignments from real clients, giving you the opportunity to present your ideas and designs to visiting clients - and receive their feedback directly!
An intermediate examination takes place at the end of the 3rd semester, which also defines the end of the foundation semesters. Following this examination, in the 4th and 5th semesters, you have the opportunity to select specific course options from the key areas of Visual Communication: Advertising Design, Digital Media, Editorial Design and Illustration.
CAREER DEVELOPMENT:
During the 6th semester, the emphasis moves to preparing you for your professional career as a designer: employed in a design studio, as a freelance illustrator, in-house working directly for clients or in an innovative start-up for example.
FINAL PROJECT AND EXAMINATION:
Over the last 3 months of the course, you will prepare a major design project and your portfolio of finished course projects and assignments. You will present the project and your portfolio to a board of examiners during the final examination, which takes place at the end of the 6th semester.
The board of examiners consists of professionals from the design industry, eg. creative directors from advertising agencies, designers from publishing companies, marketing or human resources executives from design companies. These external examiners, together with representatives from the Academy: directorate and course lecturers, form the board of examiners, providing a balanced and objective assement.
The grading for the final examination is based on the major design project, as well as the final portfolio of projects and assignments and the grades during the 3-year course. Following a successful final examination, you will be awarded a certificate, confirming the grades from the final examination and successful completion of the training course in Visual Communication. Furthermore, the final grade may be awarded with or without distinction, depending on the assement of board of examiners.
THE CAMPUS:
The Berlin campus of the HTK - Academy of Design is centrally located in a building in which creativity can be unleashed and design ideas developed. The building provides seminar rooms, studios, computer rooms and technical facilities with generous amounts of space in which to work. The Berlin campus provides a central meeting area and a café – ideal for taking a short break from classes and working on projects. The Berlin campus is located in close proximity to a variety of cafés and restaurants and two prestigious shopping malls: Potsdamer Platz Arkaden and LP12 Mall of Berlin – which offers extensive shopping and gastronomy opportunities.
AN INSPIRING ENVIROMENT:
The Berlin campus is located near to many famous historical and cultural highlights of Berlin. The surrounding streets also offer fascinating buildings and artefacts from German history: from the huge former wartime aviation ministry complex in Wilhelmstraße to one of the few remaining intact sections of the Berlin Wall in Niederkirchnerstraße. Located on the same road, the Martin-Gropius-Bau is a museum known for its trendsetting art and photography exhibitions.
A short walk away and on the western side of the former Berlin Wall, is the new, modern Berlin: the rebuilt Potsdamer Platz, which before the Second World War was one of the busiest traffic intersections in Europe. During the Cold War years and the division of Germany and Berlin between East and West Superpowers, Potsdamer Platz was a huge, devastated and abandoned wasteland between the American and Soviet sectors.
Following the Fall of Berlin Wall in 1989, Potsdamer Platz is once again at the heart of Berlin, transformed into the dynamic center of the German capital. The high-tech Sony Center, inspired by Mount Fuji in Japan, is home to the Film and Television Museum, a cinema complex and a multitude of entertainment facilities.
WITHIN EACH REACH:
Due to its central location near Potsdamer Platz, you can comfortably and quickly reach the Berlin Campus of the HTK – Academy of Design from practically all districts of Berlin.
Convenient connections to Berlin’s comprehensive public transport system include four subway stations (U-Bahn and S-Bahn): the U2 line stations Mendelssohn Bartholdy Park and Potsdamer Platz as well as the S1 line stations at Potsdamer Platz and Anhalter Bahnhof. Metro bus stops for routes M41 and M29 are located at Anhalter Bahnhof. The Berlin inner city ring road motorway A100 can be reached within approx. 10 minutes by car.
