Next course starts 29 April 2025

Fees

Early bird fee: £1125
until 3 March 2025
Regular fee: £1250
from 4 March 2025

Location

Online: eight sessions over four weeks
Week 1: 29 April & 2 May 2025
Week 2: 6 May & 9 May 2025
Week 3: 13 May & 16 May 2025
Week 4: 20 May & 23 May 2025
10.30am – 1.30pm BST per session

You are invited to discover an expanded view of editorial design in an open and experimental online environment, under the expert guidance of RCA tutors Adrian Shaughnessy and Astrid Stavro.

This short online course offers an opportunity to explore the craft and art of editorial design, which is defined as the presentation of information in a coherent, relevant and innovative manner, across a variety of analog and digital platforms.

You will work on individual projects that develop your personal and professional skills, and which help you re-evaluate your working methodologies. You will be encouraged to consider ways in which the art of editorial design can be expanded and pushed beyond normal boundaries.

You will be expected to show and discuss your work in the context of editorial craft and the new communication platforms that allow greater fluidity in the way information is received and understood.

At all times you will be supported by RCA staff and guests in a caring and supportive environment. You will work towards validating and presenting your proposals to RCA tutors for review and critique, as well as interacting and collaborating with co-attendees.

This short course will benefit anyone with a desire to develop the skills that will put them at the forefront of current practice. These new found skills can be used in both the professional realm or in more personal activities such as self-publishing.

The course is co-led by RCA tutor Adrian Shaughnessy with internationally renowned graphic designer Astrid Stavro.

View our case studies:

Case Study: Editorial Design Summer School 2024

Case Study: Editorial Design Summer School 2022

About the course

Personal and organisational benefits

In this course you will gain:

the confidence to recognise and develop editorial design skills that put you at the forefront of current practice
the ability to discuss approaches and gather knowledge about contemporary and historical trends
an expanded understanding of what editorial design is in the current media landscape
the chance to work on MA-level projects and experience professional-level critique
a certificate of online attendance.

What will you learn?

By the end of this course you will have learnt to:

experiment with new channels and new platforms
produce editorial design that satisfies readers, content providers (such as writers, editors and photographers) through tuition, guidance and insight
develop your own editorial design projects and present them in front of RCA tutors
expand your skills and grow confidence in making editorial design approaches
ask critical questions about the practice, such as, what is the role of sound and motion in editorial design?

How will you learn?

Students will work on briefs in their own time and use the online sessions to present work, receive critique and engage in group discussions.
Work with practitioners and educators to develop a critical, creative and insightful practice in an environment catered for personal exploration.
Attendees are encouraged to make work in response to briefs, and then submit it to informed critique.

Online Delivery

The course is organised in synchronous sessions in a live virtual environment that combines various digital platforms and tools.

Zoom

Using the videoconferencing service Zoom, the RCA's esteemed academics and facilitators deliver a mix of:

live lectures
case studies
guided assessments
presentations

Participants interact with the faculty and peers in breakout rooms in real time.

Miro

Participants engage in cross-functional team work with the use of visual collaboration tools.

Through the online whiteboard platform Miro, participants get to:

interact with various formats and templates

plan and brainstorm ideas

create processes and workshop activities in the digital workspace

Moodle

The College's learning platform Moodle is personalised according to the course's requirements to provide participants with a secure integrated system where they can access the course content.

The hub hosts a range of useful resources to enable the learning experience, including comprehensive timetables, pre-reading materials, course slides, curated videos, tutorials and session recordings.

Slack

Participants stay connected and communicate via the channel-based messaging platform Slack throughout the whole duration of the course.

In this space, the academics, facilitators and delegates get to network, plan the course activities, share documents and files during the live sessions or offline.

Course outcomes

You will come away from this course with:

A thorough re-appraisal and revitalisation of your current editorial design practice
An expanded notion of what it means to be an editorial designer and what forms editorial design can occupy
At least one piece of work that shows an ability to function at an advanced level, and which, if desired, can be used as a portfolio item
Above all, you should emerge with a new-found confidence in your ability to make work that avoids blandness or lacks ambition

Examples of course outcomes might be: test spreads for publications (print and digital)

Who should attend?

This Editorial Design short course will benefit anyone across the broad spectrum of the editorial industry with a desire to develop design skills that put them at the forefront of current practice. This includes but is not limited to:

current graphic design students
recent graduates with a need/desire to improve editorial design skills and knowledge
professionals working in publishing, advertising and communications
people interested in self-publishing
those preparing for Master’s-level study
most importantly, it is for anyone seeking an opportunity to improve, expand or revitalise a personal practice and experiment without professional constraint.

Admission criteria

This course is not suitable for beginners.

Participants must:

have an undergraduate degree in a design or a demonstrably creative background
be familiar with some of the industry-standard software packages (e.g. Adobe InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop, FontLab, Glyphs, etc)
use a desktop computer or laptop
have a basic understanding and some experience of editorial design
have a good level of English
be 21 years or over

Disclaimer: The information given is accurate at the time of publication, however, the RCA reserves the right to amend the described course as circumstances dictate.

The RCA Editorial Design Summer Intensive video above is intended to be informative and some elements are not possible for the online version.

“The design course was incredibly enlightening. I learned advanced techniques that have significantly improved my design skills. I was surprised by how much detail and nuance go into creating effective layouts. This course has fundamentally changed my approach to design, making me more attentive to the finer details and more innovative in my work. It's a transformative experience that I highly recommend to anyone looking to elevate their design capabilities”
Zhou Yuelun, Project Visual Designer, Richemont 2024 Participant
“I joined during a creative block in my day-to-day design work, often constrained by brand perspectives. Sharing work and receiving feedback from both tutors and fellow students was incredibly enriching and supportive. A key lesson I learned was refining my design approach to create visually compelling and cohesive layouts. This significantly boosted my skills and confidence. Overall, the course was well-structured and engaging, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking to improve their editorial design skills.”
Candy Hutton, Graphic Designer 2024 Participant
“Being in a collaborative learning environment with seasoned educators and peers from all around the world made me think critically about my practice. Everyone was able to bring something to the table. The best part – everyone enjoys what they do!”
Leong Yi Zhen, Graphic Designer and Illustrator 2024 Participant
“The course is an excellent way to develop a more in-depth understanding of the creative potential of editorial design and has given me the confidence to design and publish my own magazine”
Mary Hemingway, Senior Graphic Designer 2024 Participant
“The Editorial Design course is absolutely amazing. You do so much within a short space of time and touch on so many different things. The tutors let you take the brief and interpret it in your own way.”
Anisa Momen, Freelance Graphic Designer 2023 participant: Editorial Design online short course
“This course was not only teaching design, it was a conception tutoring. This course taught me how to create my own publication and I have clear goal to make it from concept to delivery.”
Yinliang Xu, Creative Lead 2023 participant: Editorial Design online short course
“Valuable opportunity to push, experiment, and receive critiques from luminaries in the field.”
Ying Lin Audrey Yick, Placement Junior Designer 2023 participant: Editorial Design online short course
“A fantastic course, led by some of the most talented designers in the industry. You’ll feel 100% part of the group and completely immersed within the editorial design world.”
Luke Meeks, Graphic Designer 2022 participant: Editorial Design online short course
“Studying Editorial Design at the RCA helped me tap into a practice within graphic design that I now see myself taking seriously both personally and professionally. Learning within a space that encourages exploration helped me build a toolbox and a portfolio for my practice.”
Natalia Ramirez, Graphic Designer 2022 participant: Editorial Design online short course
“In the free-for-all information jungle, clarity has never been more important. This short course aims to provide some simple guidelines to improving the way information is presented in both digital and analogue formats.”
Adrian Shaughnessy Visiting Lecturer, Visual Communication
“You will learn from the best in the field, meet people from all over the world, develop critical thinking and your own skills further. We’ve made the most of our time –- the course is intensive indeed but I’ve enjoyed every minute.”
Victoria Evans Freelance Art Director
“If you want to be in a place that you feel that art is happening, that creation is happening, being here at the Royal College of Art is the place to be.”
Felipe Leon Creative Director

Course leader

Designer, writer, publisher and RCA visiting tutor

View full profile

Course leader

Astrid is an award-winning creative director specialised in editorial design. Prior to running her own design studio, she was a partner at Pentagram and co-founder of the design agency Atlas. She is a member of Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) and President of the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD).

View full profile