This programme allows graduates to simultaneously receive a Higher School of Economics diploma and an international MBA degree. Educational plan is aimed at training top specialists in the field of creative industries and allows students to quickly immerse themselves in the profession of designer and art director, form a high-quality portfolio and simultaneously gain expertise in the field of project promotion and management, working with teachers and curators of leading universities in an online format from any city in the world.
Although all classes are held remotely, most classes have a synchronous format, that is, the teacher works with students in real time and in constant dialogue, monitoring progress and commenting on each project, which brings online classes as close as possible to classroom ones.
In the process, students not only gain practical design skills in graphic design, interactive environment design, branding, typography, infographics, packaging design and multi-page publications, but also experience intensive work in a remote format, as well as develop systemic, conceptual thinking and general visual culture, which forms the competencies of a top-level art director. The MBA educational track simultaneously allows you to gain all the necessary knowledge to create, manage and promote an effective business in the field of creative industries.
Thus, as a result of the training, graduates of the program receive a bachelor's degree from the Higher School of Economics, an international MBA diploma, a portfolio of high-quality projects in the field of design and art direction, advanced knowledge in marketing and management.
Art director is the head of a creative direction, department or studio responsible for the visual concept and implementation of projects in various fields — from publishing houses and advertising agencies to IT companies and cultural institutions. He manages a team of specialists (designers, copywriters, photographers, videographers, etc.), develops ideas and controls the process of completing tasks. The main responsibilities of an art director include creating concepts, selecting performers and negotiating with clients. The art director must have creative skills, knowledge of design programs and managerial competencies.
Art director is a key figure in creative and managing processes in various business areas. Its main areas of activity include:
However, the career prospects of graduates of the program are not limited to a high position in a corporation or studio. With an exhaustive skill set, you can create a new product, open your own business or launch a promising startup in any of the creative industries.
The discipline "Creative design"
Students start with a small corporate identity project, then create two series of posters — font and graphic, then move on to work on designing a space and a multi-page publication, and in the IV module of the first year they create a full-fledged large corporate identity.
MBA Track: Management in Art & Design
Students are introduced to the basics of Management, economics, marketing and finance, as well as receive soft skills, including project management, resource management and leadership.
The discipline "Design Technologies"
First-year students master all the computer programs they need: vector and raster graphics tools, software for layout of multipage publications, video editing and processing, as well as other tools relevant to a specific profile.
The discipline "History and Theory of Art and Design"
Students receive a powerful theoretical base by studying the main epochs of the formation of painting, sculpture, architecture from rock carvings to paintings by French post-Impressionists and Art Nouveau style, and also take a course on contemporary art of the XX-XXI centuries.
Sophomores continue to develop in their work with branding.
The discipline "Creative design"
Students create a consumer brand and a line of packaging for it, while getting acquainted with the technological features of packaging production from various materials and exploring the possibilities of using the form factor, a combination of font solutions and illustrations in packaging design. Students also conduct visual research, linking the project theme of the previous modules with the function of a cultural institution: museum, theater, festival, etc., and develop a brand of a real or invented cultural institution.
MBA Track: Management in Art & Design
Students are introduced to the basics of Management, economics, marketing and finance, as well as receive soft skills, including project management, resource management and leadership.
The discipline "Design Technologies"
Students study web publishing, mobile application design, and the basics of typography.
Discipline "History and theory of design"
Students choose two of the most interesting theoretical courses out of more than 20 possible ones for their educational trajectory.
Discipline "Creative design"
Students create complex projects in the field of branding: a calendar, an accidental font, and also carry out and defend the project according to the real briefings of the customer.
MBA Track: Management in Art & Design
Students are introduced to the basics of Management, economics, marketing and finance, as well as receive soft skills, including project management, resource management and leadership.
Variable disciplines
During the third year, students can choose variable disciplines to try their hand at a new, non-core direction of design, fashion or contemporary art. The variable disciplines are the author's courses of the teachers of the HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOL. By choosing one of disciplines, the student gets the opportunity to work under the guidance of well-known design practitioners who teach at the School, gaining unique knowledge and additional competencies that are not included in the standard curriculum of the training profile.
HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL has launched more than 30 variations, some of which are held online with the involvement of teachers from other campuses of the School of Design and invited specialists.
View the entire line of current variations.
The discipline "History and Theory of Design"
Students choose two of the most interesting subjects from the block for each half-year: from the history of advertising tools and fashion theory to the history of video games and modern photography and the history of the medium.
Fourth—year students are working on a thesis, which should become an independent comprehensive project - not only aggregating all the competencies and knowledge gained during their studies, but also noticeable to the industry.
MBA Track: Management in Art & Design
Students are introduced to the basics of Management, economics, marketing and finance, as well as receive soft skills, including project management, resource management and leadership.
The exclusivity of the educational program lies in the parallel development of design thinking, constant work on your own professional design portfolio under the guidance of the curator of the group, improvement of managerial and marketing skill sets, and most importantly, decision-making skills within the framework of close to real conditions.
Parallel acquisition of business education while studying for a bachelor's degree program with an MBA diploma.
At the end of each training module, students defend their projects in front of a committee of teachers and fellow students — this helps to develop skills in public defense of their ideas. Defenses are held 4 times a year simultaneously on all campuses of HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL: in order to maintain a consistently high quality of education, we form exam boards from teachers from different campuses, connecting them online.
To view and evaluate projects,HSE ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL has created a digital student portfolio, where all the works of each student are stored. Portfolio is an open system, it is transparent to everyone: for applicants, students, teachers, and external users. Thus, it is not only an assessment tool and a selection of the first professional results, but also a platform for students to meet with potential employers and customers.
Although all pairs are held remotely, most of them have a synchronous format, that is, the teacher works with students in real time and in constant dialogue, monitoring progress and commenting on each project. This allows you to maintain the university atmosphere and build communication between students. Groups are formed depending on the time zone so that it is convenient for all students to attend classes.
Immediately after admission, students are divided into small groups — no more than 24 people. Almost all classes are held in such teams, only theoretical lectures remain streamed.
Each group has a curator who performs the functions of an art director: conducts classes in the classroom or workshop, explains the basics of the profession to students, sets tasks, discusses ways to solve them, directs and helps, is in constant contact with his group.
Work on the project begins from the very first lesson. Students receive a task and the process begins: everyone discusses their project with a curator, suggests ideas, builds a concept, in parallel, in classes on design technologies, students study tools, computer programs with which they can turn their ideas into a specific product, and in classes of the MBA track, they learn how to assemble and manage teams for effective work and promote own projects. Thus, having received the same task at the beginning of the module, at the end each student shows his own conceptually and technically developed project, unlike the projects of his classmates.
The project approach is supported by the case method, a technology typically used in business education, which is based on the analysis of specific situations and cases from real practice, during which students develop skills that allow them to solve similar tasks within the framework of future working circumstances.
All classes are held in English. This not only allows students from different countries and cultures to join groups, but also to master professional vocabulary in the fields of design, marketing and management.
The profession of an art director combines a wide range of professional competencies and allows you to choose one or more of the possible creative directions and take a high position in an international company, a design studio, a promising startup or open your own business - regardless of which direction your interests lie: design, media, cinema, media. The range of professional skills will allow you to find yourself in any of the creative industries.
You will study on a schedule in real time face to face with your teacher. All project disciplines are taught in real-time contact mode, and are not given pre-recorded lectures. We specially assemble groups depending on the time zone of the students' residence, so that everyone is comfortable.
All our teachers are active practitioners with extensive professional experience and a portfolio of completed projects. Design is a practical design discipline, and it can be taught most effectively by people who are themselves inside the creative industry.
The ability to draw is not a necessary skill for admission to the program. The teaching methodology and the program are designed in such a way that you master all the necessary basic creative skills and the main genres of communication design.
The creative industries market today is a cross—border opportunity. Many designers work remotely with customers from all over the world, launch projects and startups, gathering international teams. The acquired knowledge and skills, as well as the accumulated portfolio of completed projects, will allow you to achieve high results anywhere in the world.