Toi me Te Hoahoa
Art and Design
Design skills are essential for New Zealand's economic and cultural future. Our Art and Design programmes will give you the skills you need to build a career in this exciting and diverse field.
Studying here will see you in good company. Our students regularly win national awards and the acknowledgement of colleagues in the industry.
We have Art and Design facilities at our Christchurch City and Timaru campuses.
Along with valuable work experience and intern opportunities, our relationships with industry mean we can respond quickly to marketplace demands. This ensures you graduate with exactly the skills employers tell us they need. Ara graduates are popular with employers because they have a reputation for being highly skilled, industry-ready and keen to contribute their creative energy and ideas from day one.
Our Art and Design facilities are exceptional and we’ve developed impressive, purpose-built environments to enhance your learning.
As an Art and Design student you’ll have access to advanced digital and multimedia technologies in our Mac studios which feature the full Creative Suite from Adobe and the latest Cinema 4D design programme. The Bachelor of Design (Motion Design) is the only degree programme in New Zealand to be using Cinema 4D for modelling, animating, lighting, texturing and rendering.
We have dedicated print facilities for traditional media like woodblock, intaglio, silkscreen and fabric printing, along with digital machines for market-standard printing of large-scale posters, banners and vinyl cut.
Our workrooms are well stocked with specialist tools and equipment for creating fashion garments, art and sculpture. You can book photo shoots within our main studio which features a cyc, full lighting kit and backdrops, or in one of two smaller studios.
There's a range of programmes to feed your creativity and develop your talent including Art and Design, Fashion Technology and Design and Photography.
Related programmes & courses
Introduction to Patternmaking
Learn essential basic patternmaking techniques.
Junior Arts & Design Hands on Taster (Timaru)
Get tips for showing off your creative talents
Art & Design Enrolment Advice
Get tips for showing off your creative talents
Senior Arts & Design Hands on Taster (Timaru)
Get tips for showing off your creative talents
Construction & Engineering Taster
Experience a day of interactive activities relating to construction & engineering and see if one of these areas is the career for you.
New Zealand Certificate in Digital Media and Design
Gain foundational digital experience for employment or further studies in the creative industries.
New Zealand Certificate in Fashion
Learn the skills needed to meet fashion industry expectations and explore your design aspirations.
Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication Design)
Hone your creative talents to become a versatile design professional.
Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Practice
Take your professional creative career to a new level.
Master of Creative Practice
Gain a qualification that recognises you as a leader in creative practice.