BA Visual Communication

Study Visual Communication at UE: Creation and design strategy in a Power Package!

Crafting Vision, Shaping Perception

In an increasingly digitised world, media does not simply reflect our reality, it significantly shapes and alters it. Our Visual Communication Bachelor's programme offers a practice-oriented education that will equip you with the design skills of the future.
Using our modern studios for video, virtual reality, animation, print and prototyping, you have the opportunity to bring your ideas to life, under the guidance of experienced lecturers. You will work with the latest design software and learn to creatively utilise the potential of modern AI applications in your work.
The media world will continue to face significant challenges in the coming years. Some of the topics we will explore in this programme include technological advancements, automation, artificial intelligence and their impacts. For this purpose, we have developed a versatile and comprehensive curriculum. Through our multimedia approach, integration of AI applications, and focus on interdisciplinary skills such as storytelling, we can optimally respond to future developments.

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a girl is standing in a digital classroom wearing vr glasses

Curriculum
Visual Communication

Design methods: you design simple information architectures and interactions and learn to use prototypes, mock-ups, minimal viable products, dummies and designs in context.

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Studying taught me how to link design methods and practice. This allowed me to understand where ideas come from and to learn how to justify my concepts, explains Lilly.

Her tip for your start at the UE: Take advantage of the free projects and explore the interdisciplinary offerings from other courses.
Lilly Bremer, Art Director at Accenture Song. She successfully studied at UE Hamburg.

Key facts Visual Communication

Check out our Location

Take a look at our Campus Hamburg.
A vibrant metropolis with a rich history and many cultural offerings.

Do you want to see our campus but aren’t around? Check out our Virtual Campus Tour.

Virtual Tour

Admission Requirements

Here are some things you will require for your application at the UE:

Completed admission form
Transcript & language proficiency
CV & Copy of passport
A portfolio is required

Admission Requirements

Professor Till Penzek provides an informative insight into our Bachelor’s programme.

With their design and software skills, our graduates in Visual Communication work in various fields after their studies – from traditional print and digital media to pure online communication. They work in advertising and communication agencies, as creatives in design offices, or even as self-employed freelance designers. The clients: companies, public institutions, NGOs, startups, publishers, and more – good communication is always needed everywhere, so the career prospects are equally diverse!

Semesters & Credits

6 semesters
180 ECTS (Credits)
Teaching language: English | German

The programme starts in both the winter and summer terms.

In your 5th semester, you can do internships or study abroad.

Examination and Study Regulation

Fees

EU applicants standard: € 744 monthly
Non-EU applicants standard: € 12,700 yearly

Got questions about financing? Check out our fees!

Fees & Financing

Build the Future: Why a degree in Visual Communication can multiply your career opportunities

In the Bachelor’s programme in Visual Communication, you’ll gain practical expertise and conceptual confidence in design. The curriculum encompasses key areas such as Design Thinking, Conceptualisation, Strategy, development of animated visual projects, Information Design, and Storytelling.

This course provides a balanced blend of theory and hands-on preparation to equip you for a successful career ahead comprehensively. In this programme, you will develop the skills and knowledge modern employers seek in their future employees.

Please fill out our online application form.

In addition, we require a portfolio for the Bachelor's degree programme in Visual Communication consisting of a selection of your design projects. How exactly you present yourself and which work samples you would like to include is your own decision. If you still need help with your portfolio, our regular portfolio workshops are a useful option.

Assemble a collection of approximately 8 to 12 work samples that effectively showcase your prowess in visual communication. These samples could encompass a range of mediums such as drawings, sketchbooks, collages, photographs, moving images, interactive projects, websites, and various other creative endeavours. Don't hesitate to include sketchbooks as well. Each piece of work should be accompanied by a brief written reflection that offers insight into the project or creation.

Important: In the application phase, you must have already decided which of our degree programmes you would like to study. However, please note that you may change programmes at a later time if desired.

You will become a sought-after professional in the media and advertising industry, ready to actively shape visual communication’s future.

Other specific professions are, for example:

Art director at agencies, communication companies, publishing houses,
Motion designer,
Curator, social media editor, content creator,
Graphic designer,
Strategist or consultant.

Print lab
Campus life
Print lab project
Classroom
Photo Studio
Illustration Studio
Hamburg Innenalster (Lake)
Hamburg City

Hamburg: the city of opportunities in visual communication

Combining a strong creative industry with a business environment, Hamburg is a great city to study Visual Communication BA. Hamburg is home to many advertising agencies, design studios and media companies, offering you plenty of opportunities for work placements and collaborations. The city is also home to many design and communication events, such as the ADC festival. These give you the chance to network and showcase what you're working on. With its blend of tradition and innovation, Hamburg is an inspiring backdrop for developing your visual storytelling skills and achieving success in the creative industries.

Industry Collaborations: Building Bridges to Success

In collaboration with renowned partners from the media and cultural industries, we offer you a practical education that nurtures your creativity and provides valuable insights into the working world. Our network of cooperation partners is constantly expanding: There are agencies, museums and cultural institutions in the immediate vicinity of the campus with whom we regularly work on joint projects. In Hamburg, there are very good prospects for job starters, founders and entrepreneurs - all doors are open to you after graduation.

Discover the projects from our students

© foll & filter
Elektrobeat visuals
A current cooperation project between our students, guest students and the Hamburg electro musicians from fool & filter. During the album recording in the Elbdeich Studios you can see the visuals of our students.

fool & filter themselves say: "Everything is improvised, what you hear was created in that moment, in that place." A cool music project that you should check out right away.
YouTube Video

© fool & filter
Pterosaurs with a street art look
Our students had the opportunity to design the mural that now adorns the entrance to the upper floor of the Geological-Palaeontological Museum at the Geomatikum in Hamburg.
The mural on the history of the earth is the perfect visual complement to the museum's redesigned exhibition. "The mural is a great success and a fantastic achievement by the students," says Dr Ulrich Kotthoff, Director of the Geological-Palaeontological Museum.
Video documentation

© Documentation by Photographer David Kern
An archive for everyone
With the now successfully established digital platform ArchivUE, an innovative and technically sophisticated archive has been created in which the final theses of the students of the Department of Art & Design are collected and presented on a long-term basis. This is supplemented by works from the Faculty of Business, Sport, Psychology and Media, as well as student works with renowned co-operation partners and national and international award-winning works.To the ArchiveUE