At UTS you will engage with design and the larger world through guest lectures, industry collaborations, competitions, field trips, local community participation, global studios and international exchange.
Engaged study
Student and professional awards
Our students are frequent recipients of local and international design awards. Over recent years we have taken home numerous prestigious D&AD Gold Pencils (Design and Art Directors) as well as sweeping awards in competitions run by the International Society for Typographic Designers, Adobe, the Australian Graphic Design Association, and the Design Institute of Australia.
D&AD Yellow and White Pencil winner, The Dirty is a campaign to shake up the outdated and inaccessible sex education young people receive. Manon Drielsma, Hou Fong (Brian) Lo, Olivia Mullins, Lizzie Smith
Global studios
The visual communication program emphasises international networking to build a global perspective within an individual’s design practice. Global studios allow you to experience immersion in other design and educational cultures through study tours, collaborations with overseas universities, or designing for and with local communities. Previous studios have taken students to Japan, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Greece, Germany, Indonesia, China, Italy, the UK, India, Korea, Cambodia, the Czech Republic, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal, France, and Denmark.
Ichibei Iwano, designated a National Living Treasure by the Japanese Government, explains the art of making washi (traditional Japanese paper) in his remote rural studio.
Industry collaboration
Collaborate with a changing roster of external partners, ranging from grass roots community organisations such as the Bayside Women’s Shelter to financial institutions like Westpac, and multinational technology companies such as Google. Address real world problems identified by your industry partner, and design outcomes that target environmental problems, address social issues, reimagine our technological futures, or rethink conventional business models.
From first-year onwards, you will be closely mentored by staff and industry leaders to ensure your learning is both academically and industry focussed.
Students working with Google’s Creative Lab to reimagine the future of digital experiences.
Socially responsive design
Throughout the degree you’ll work with real clients from the community and not-for-profit sectors. You’ll apply design thinking and strategies to help solve their communication and organisational problems and enhance their impact working on the frontline of social change. Step outside of the University to work as a socially engaged professional, and apply your skills, empathy and professionalism to enhance the impact and capacity of purpose driven organisations.
The Moving Poet project partnered with Transport for NSW to bring poetry to our city streets. Kayla Gilbert, David Thane, Georgia Urie, Janice Wang, Yake Zhao.
International exchange
The UTS Global Exchange program allows you to study overseas at a partner university for one or two semesters with credit applied to your UTS degree. With over 240 exchange partners in over 40 countries, Global Exchange is a chance to explore the world, and gain skills and experiences that will make you a confident and adaptable global citizen.
