Focus or generalise
You can choose to specialise in graphic design, interactive or experience design, illustration or typography. Or mix and match.
Global top 200
Get creative at Massey. The only New Zealand university to be ranked by QS in the top 200 for art and design.
Stretch and grow
Do it all at Massey. Learn the fundamentals. Be challenged. Evolve, whether you're just starting out or an established creator.
Design your own degree
All Massey design students start with broad core courses. Then in later years you can specialise or gain wide-ranging skills.
Overview
Visual communication can educate, entertain, guide and inspire. It's a key way people experience the world – online, in print, in physical or virtual worlds.
Learn from world-class staff with industry experience as diverse as corporate branding, creative coding, and service design. Explore new ideas in areas such as creating characters or designing for social impact. Master new skills with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.
Get hands-on with real-world projects. Gain skills employers need, such as working collaboratively and adapting to new ideas and technologies.
Visual communication design is a good fit if you:
- do well in school subjects such as art (ngā toi) or design and visual communications
- want to use design to entertain, inform, or to tackle issues
- like thinking creatively and critically, and have a good eye for detail.
Key topics
Visual communication design courses may cover:
- design processes, including ways to generate ideas and develop concepts
- designing characters, concepts or settings
- storyboarding
- technical skills to create digital media, illustration, print and video
- user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design, also called interaction design
- VR, AR and MR (mixed or hybrid reality), also called immersive design.
Design competitions
Our staff, students and graduates have a long history of participation and success in design competitions such as the:
Bachelor of Design with Honours – BDes(Hons)
Extend your skills and push the boundaries of design innovation with our four-year Honours degree.
How to study visual communication design
Discover what we offer if you’re interested in visual communication design – whether you’re coming to university for the first time, changing direction or returning to advance your study or career.
Undergraduate study
Undergraduate study An undergraduate qualification is generally the first thing you’ll study at university. In some qualifications you can choose what subject you’d like to specialise in.
Bachelor's degrees and bachelor's degrees with Honours
Bachelor of Design – BDes
Change the world through design. Study in New Zealand’s leading and most comprehensive design qualification.
Concept Design – Bachelor of Design
Imagine new worlds with Massey's Bachelor of Design (Concept Design). Learn how to design concepts for entertainment and education within film, animation, television, gaming, and location-based experiences.
Integrated Design – Bachelor of Design
Take a unified approach to design. Develop strong design strategies and contextual understanding, applying your technical skills in the design fields of your choice.
Mātauranga Toi Māori – Bachelor of Design
Study creative arts and help shape a future where te ao Māori is at the forefront of Aotearoa creative industries. A first for Aotearoa tertiary education, the Mātauranga Toi Māori major engages te ao Māori in any of our creative disciplines in Design – Concept, Fashion, Industrial, Integrated, Photography, Spatial, Textiles or Visual Communication Design.
Visual Communication Design – Bachelor of Design
Visual communication is one of the most universal forms of design. It is at the heart of how our world works; guiding, informing, persuading, and inspiring us every day.
Bachelor of Design with Honours – BDes(Hons)
Extend your skills and push the boundaries of design innovation with our four-year Honours degree.
Concept Design – Bachelor of Design with Honours
Imagine new worlds with Massey's Bachelor of Design with Honours (Concept Design). Learn how to design concepts for entertainment and education within film, animation, television, gaming, and location-based experiences.
Integrated Design – Bachelor of Design with Honours
Take a unified approach to design. Develop strong design strategies and contextual understanding, applying your technical skills in the design fields of your choice.
Mātauranga Toi Māori – Bachelor of Design with Honours
Study creative arts and help shape a future where te ao Māori is at the forefront of Aotearoa creative industries. A first for Aotearoa tertiary education, the Mātauranga Toi Māori major engages te ao Māori in any of our creative disciplines in Design – Concept, Fashion, Industrial, Integrated, Photography, Spatial, Textiles or Visual Communication Design.
Visual Communication Design – Bachelor of Design with Honours
Visual communication is one of the most universal forms of design. It is at the heart of how our world works; guiding, informing, persuading, and inspiring us every day.
Bachelor of Screen Arts – BSA
Whether you dream in film frames, animation loops, epic scripts or game levels, the Bachelor of Screen Arts (BSA) is your backstage pass to a career in the world of screen storytelling.
Emerging Creative Technologies – Bachelor of Screen Arts
Virtual and Augmented Realities (VR and AR) allow new ways for us to blend the physical and digital worlds, creating uncharted possibilities for the future.
Mātauranga Toi Māori – Bachelor of Screen Arts
Study creative arts and help shape a future where te ao Māori is at the forefront of Aotearoa creative industries. A first for Aotearoa tertiary education, the Mātauranga Toi Māori major engages te ao Māori in any of our creative disciplines in Screen Arts – Animation, Documentary and Factual, Emerging Creative Technologies, Film Production, Game Development or Visual Effects.
Visual Effects – Bachelor of Screen Arts
Bringing the unreal to life. Love action-packed scenes, mind-blowing explosions, or epic fantasy creatures? With the Visual Effects major, you’ll learn how to create the impossible – and make it look real.
Bachelor of Screen Arts with Honours – BSA(Hons)
The four-year BSA with Honours is an opportunity to extend your skills and push the boundaries of your creative work, creating a larger project alone or in a group.
Emerging Creative Technologies – Bachelor of Screen Arts with Honours
Virtual and Augmented Realities (VR and AR) allow new ways for us to blend the physical and digital worlds, creating uncharted possibilities for the future.
Mātauranga Toi Māori – Bachelor of Screen Arts with Honours
Study creative arts and help shape a future where te ao Māori is at the forefront of Aotearoa creative industries. A first for Aotearoa tertiary education, the Mātauranga Toi Māori major engages te ao Māori in any of our creative disciplines in Screen Arts – Animation, Documentary and Factual, Emerging Creative Technologies, Film Production, Game Development or Visual Effects.
Visual Effects – Bachelor of Screen Arts with Honours
The Visual Effects major provides expertise in creating fantastic characters and scenes for all forms of screen media.
Undergraduate certificates
Certificate in Creative Arts – CertCreativeArt
Massey’s Certificate in Creative Arts is a flexible qualification that will introduce you to the basics of design, screen, music and art covering a broad range of creative arts subjects. You can complete this qualification in person on our Wellington campus or via distance.
Undergraduate diplomas
Diploma in Creative Arts – DipCreativeArts
You’ll study with design, screen, music and art degree students in a range of courses covering a broad range of creative arts subjects, studying in-person on our Wellington campus or via distance. Successful completion of this qualification can allow entrance directly into the second year of College of Creative Arts bachelor's degrees.
Graduate diplomas
Graduate Diploma in Design – GDipDes
Develop your technical skills and learn to think like a designer.
Graduate Diploma in Screen Arts – GradDipSCA
Develop your technical skills and learn to think like a professional in the screen arts sector.
Postgraduate study
Postgraduate study Once you’ve graduated with a bachelor’s degree – or have equivalent experience – you’ll be ready to take on postgraduate study.
Master's degrees
Master of Design – MDes
Go in depth with an advanced design research qualification. You’ll develop a creative outcome, often of direct application to design industry or community. We will help you make strong connections with the business, public or non-profit sector.
Master of Fine Arts – MFA
Embed yourself in a rich dialogue about your creative practice in Massey’s Master of Fine Arts. Our MFA embraces intersections between knowledge systems, a spectrum of making processes, and modes of audience engagement.
Master of Screen Arts – MSA
Pursue screen arts research pathways, supported through connections and partnerships with industry and the sector. Our Master of Screen Arts (MSA) spans many fields; animation, documentary and factual, emerging creative technologies, film production, game development, media technology and visual effects.
Postgraduate diplomas
Postgraduate Diploma in Design – PGDipDes
Go beyond your bachelor’s degree and advance your design thinking with a Postgraduate Diploma in Design.
PhD and other doctoral degrees
Doctor of Philosophy – PhD
A prestigious research qualification that demonstrates your ability to carry out independent and original research in your chosen field.
Relevant research areas at Massey
Discover research expertise, projects and initiatives relating to visual communication design at Massey.
What our students say
“If I hadn’t gone to Massey I’m not sure I would have stumbled across my 'calling’. It taught me how to be empathetic, how to ask questions and how to make a difference.”
“In fourth year I'm in control of my own project and I can reach into what I really like—how can design educate people?”
“Integrated Design looks to develop an attitude that I still practise today: an openness towards broader fields of creativity while challenging one's own design practice.”
Our facilities
You'll have access to a wide range of first-class facilities when you study with us.
Fab Lab
Fab Lab Wellington is Australasia’s first digital fabrication laboratory affiliated to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Fab Lab's capabilities include:
- A computer-controlled laser cutter
- numerically-controlled milling machine
- a sign cutter
- a precision milling machine to make 3-dimensional moulds
- surface-mount circuit boards
- and small 3D printers.
Photo studios
Massey University's Wellington campus has specialised professional photography studios, (white cycs, green screen, Elincrom/Bowens/Diva lite) access only by students enrolled in photographic specialised papers only.
Virtual and augmented reality
A specialised room where students can explore and prototype virtual spaces and experiences, or create virtual artworks or designs using virtual reality and augmented reality equipment.
Screen and digital print facility
Massey students have access to a screen and digital print facility, where they can use a digital sublimation printer for polyester fabrics and materials, and a screen printing facility with 7m print tables.
Toystore
The Toystore offers a wide range of audiovisual equipment for design students to borrow, as well as access to large format printing and technical support.
Jobs in visual communication design
Careers can span content creation to concept design, advertising to experience design, post-production to publishing.
Job prospects are good, with growing demand for employees who can apply design thinking to products and services for businesses, government agencies, and social enterprises.
Our graduates work in New Zealand, Australia, Europe, North America and beyond. Some are freelance illustrators or designers. Others start their own business.
Visual design communication careers include:
- concept designers, who create characters or settings for film, TV or virtual spaces
- graphic designers, who work for advertising, design or publishing agencies
- digital designers, who may specialise in interactive design
- interaction designers (UI and UX)
- service designers.
Annual salary ranges for jobs
- Advertising specialist – $48,000 to $150,000
- Animator or digital artist – $55,000 to $120,000
- Graphic designer – $65,000 to $105,000
- UX designer – $100,000 to $175,000
Salary ranges disclaimer
Indicative pay rates are:
- in New Zealand dollars
- based on Tahatū Career Navigator website data.
Which visual communication design qualification?
Examples of where our qualifications may take you.
| Qualification | Jobs |
|---|---|
|
Bachelor of Screen Arts with Honours Bachelor of Design with Honours (Concept Design) Bachelor of Design with Honours (Concept Design / Mātauranga Toi Māori) Bachelor of Design with Honours (Visual Communication Design) Bachelor of Design with Honours (Mātauranga Toi Māori / Visual Communication Design) |
Animator or digital artist |
|
Bachelor of Design with Honours (Visual Communication Design) Bachelor of Design with Honours (Mātauranga Toi Māori / Visual Communication Design) |
Designer working in advertising, marketing or publishing |
|
Bachelor of Design with Honours (Concept Design) Bachelor of Design with Honours (Concept Design / Mātauranga Toi Māori) Master of Design |
Designer specialising in film, game or TV |
|
Bachelor of Design with Honours (Visual Communication Design) Bachelor of Design with Honours (Mātauranga Toi Māori / Visual Communication Design) Bachelor of Design with Honours (Integrated Design) Bachelor of Design with Honours (Integrated Design / Mātauranga Toi Māori) Bachelor of Information Science (Information Technology) |
UI or UX designer |
Accreditations and rankings
QS Ranking - Art & Design
College of Creative Arts – Toi Rauwhārangi ranks in the global top 200 for art and design by QS World University Rankings.
Ranked 2nd in Asia Pacific for the Red Dot Design ranking
Massey is ranked 2nd in Asia Pacific in 2025 in the international Red Dot Design Ranking for the third consecutive year, the only design school to be ranked in New Zealand and Australia. This year’s results places Massey in the top 3 universities in Asia Pacific for the 11th year in a row.
Get an information guide
Download our guides to find out more about studying visual communication design at Massey.
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