Learn graphic design from the best, with LABASAD Barcelona School of Arts and Design's online Masters

Looking for a programme to build upon your existing design skills? Want a structured and academically rigorous programme but with a strong practical element focused on getting you into your dream role? Then LABASAD has something you should definitely check out.

The school's Online Master In Graphic Design And Applied Typography starts in May and is aimed at existing graphic designers who'd like to further their skills and knowledge of the design industry and how to apply typography to different type of projects. A good option for design graduates, then – but note that, unlike a Masters programme in the UK, you don't actually need to have a degree to apply because LABASAD values your professional experience just as much as your academic background. So even if you don't have one, this may still be the programme for you.

The Masters will be split into five modules, with industry-renowned professors and lecturers teaching various skills in typography, brand identity, motion, editorial and digital design. Along the way, you'll learn to develop a project from the initial phase to its completion, covering a variety of disciplines within design and using software including Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects and Figma, all from a typographic base.

Because it's online, you can join live lessons from anywhere, as long as you have an internet connection and a good level of English. You'll also be able to access lesson recordings later and interact with teachers and students via the LABASAD website.

But what's different about this programme, exactly? Well, for starters, the two designers behind it very much know what they're doing.

Mark Bloom, who's based in London, is an award-winning creative director with over 22 years of design experience producing logos and typefaces for brands such as NASA, Virgin, Coca-Cola, Nike, Beats by Dre, Sonos and Eurosport.

His co-director Marina Soto, who's based in Barcelona, is the lead designer at Artofmany Studio and has taught at many respected schools in Barcelona.

And that's just for starters because the pair have recruited an impressive lineup of guest teachers to share their knowledge and expertise with the students. As Mark explains, this approach has been baked in from the start.

Teaching Talent

"When Marina approached me about this programme, I was thinking: how can we make this different to the other online courses out there?" he recalls. "And I immediately thought about bringing in industry-renowned speakers and teachers.

"So we've got people from Area 17, who are one of the most renowned web design studios in the world. I mean, who better to teach web design? Then we've got people like Dimitris Koliadimas, who runs Semiotic Design in Greece: he's going to be teaching editorial design. Marina and I will be teaching brand identity design, which is our specialities. And we've got the motion graphic designer Peter Sunna, aka 2D Pete, who's again, very well known and respected."

And these are just some of the names LABASAD – which already has an outstanding reputation among Spanish-speaking designers – has lined up for the programme.

The first module, Introduction to Graphic Design, will be taken by Matt Lamont, director of Out of Place, Jesse Reed, co-founder of Order, and Blair Thomson, founder of Believe In.

Meanwhile, Tom Hume, associate creative director at Re, will join Mark and Marina, teaching Brand Identity, and Luka Primorac, motion design team lead at Holographik, will team up with 2D Pete for Typography in Motion.

Overall Goal

"The goal is to try and make the students have a very well-rounded knowledge within all graphic design, not just one specific area," Mark explains. "The people coming onto the programme will have already studied graphic design and will be looking to further bolster their skills and learn from the best.

"That's, I think, what differentiates us from other courses," he adds. "Because we're not just looking for students who are still studying but possibly junior graphic designers, or even full graphic designers; anyone who wants to evolve their skills even further, basically."

And they're expecting that many will. Because as Marina puts it: "We're really going to have well-known, renowned experts talk about different subjects and even give feedback to students. So that's something most graphic designers would love to do. I mean, I've been working in design for ten years, and I would love to do that! I'd love to have, for instance, Dimitri's feedback on my projects from the studio. That would be great."

While the programme will be taught entirely in English, both students and teachers will come from all over the globe. "So the programme is shaping up to have a really European flavour," enthuses Marina. "We're going to have teachers in Greece, teachers in London, teachers in Paris, students from all over Europe, and some even from China. It means you're not going to learn British or Spanish design; you're going to learn great design."

You can learn more about the Online Master In Graphic Design And Applied Typography at LABASAD Barcelona School of Arts and Design here.