Illustration
This Master of Arts degree course is structured to build on existing technical skills in drawing and painting.
Numerous workshops and labs will enable you to learn practical techniques, contextualised by theoretical modules including history of art, fashion and design, theory of fashion, philosophy, aesthetics, cultural theory, art and design research, rhetoric, poetics and creative writing.
Good reasons to study Illustration at HAW Hamburg
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HAW Hamburg‘s Department of Design offers students an up-to-the-minute, interdisciplinary higher education with a broad range of modules available. Its currently 37 professors and 74 freelance lecturers teach Master’s students in the disciplines of fashion, costume, textile and communication design, illustration, photography, graphic printing, art history and clothing technology. Our graduates are rounded professional personalities ready to tackle the cultural, societal and technical challenges of our time and find aesthetically and technologically innovative, business-compatible and environmentally sustainable solutions.
The right course for you?
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If you’d like to join us on this course, you should be able to identify communication and design challenges and meet them with a high level of skill. We’re looking for talents whose Bachelor or Diplom thesis (or equivalent piece of work) stood out from the crowd – in a good way. Ideally, you’ll be a team player who’s prepared to take on responsible roles.
Course content and structure
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This degree course explores key questions relating to the aesthetics of a variety of design subdisciplines and to future possibilities for interdisciplinary interconnections. It analyses art and design in their sociocultural contexts and examines their societal relevance in our day. Visual communication and modes of thinking, the new technologies driving today’s various communications platforms, interactive design formats and innovative design solutions of outstanding aestietic quality are at the heart of the work you will do.
The course has three branches, Communication Design, Illustration, and Fashion, Costume and Textile Product Design, each of which has its own separate curriculum consisting of seminars, projects and group presentations. The modules fall into four groups: artistic concept creation, theory, Master’s project, and Master’s forum. The focal areas particular to each branch enable you to specialise or to work across disciplines.
Focal areas in the Illustration branch are as follows:
• Fiction (novels, graphic novels, comics, children’s books)
• Non-fiction (reportage, infographics, scientific, academic and media illustration)
Admission requirements
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The following documents are required as part of your application to take a test of artistic aptitude for a Master's degree in the Department of Design:
- A copy of your Bachelor or Diplom certificate for a design degree or a similar artistic/creative degree. Alternatively, applicants can submit a letter from their university confirming that they will successfully complete their Bachelor thesis or Diplom exam in the semester in which they are applying.
- An explanation of which minor and which specialisations the applicant wants to take the test for. For the minor in 'Communication Design' applicants can list more than one specialisation.
- A portfolio of artistic/creative and conceptional work which illustrates the applicant's design skills in an appropriate and convincing way. If one of the works submitted has been produced by more than one person, this must be made clear.
- A written and signed statement confirming authorship of the work samples submitted.
- A brief letter of intent outlining your own goals for the Master's degree course, in the form of either a project outline for an artistic/design project or a description of the skills you aim to acquire.
The following documents are required as part of your application for a study place:
- A copy of your Bachelor or Diplom certificate
- Verification that you have passed the test of artistic aptitude
- International applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency in the German language via a recognised language test, which should be one of the following: Goethe Institute C1, TestDaF 4, telc C1 Hochschule, DSH2, Deutsches Sprachdiplom issued by the KMK (Kultusministerkonferenz), or Kleines or Großes Sprachdiplom issued by the Goethe Institute.
- Preliminary review documentation (Vorprüfungsdokumentation) from uni assist for international students
Application process
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Please note that you need to pass an artistic aptitude test in order to be admitted to this degree course. This involves the submission of a portfolio and takes place each spring. Additional information about the process, deadlines and registration (in German).
The letter informing you that you have passed the aptitude test is not a letter of admission for winter semester!
You can only apply for a study place once you have passed the artistic aptitude test. Applications are accepted from 1 June–15 July: Applying for a Master's degree course
Questions about applications, admissions and degree courses
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Applications and admissions:
HAW Master's Degree Course Admissions Office
Stiftstrasse 69, 20099 Hamburg (Berliner Tor Campus)
Tel.: + 49.40.428 75-9898
master-application (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de
The Information Point is open at the following times:
Monday–Thursday: 10:00 am–1:00 pm
Friday: closed
In-person office hours:
Thursday: 2:00 pm–4:00 pm
Telephone office hours:
Monday and Tuesday: 9:00 am–10:00 am
For general queries about degree courses:
Student Counselling Team (Zentrale Studienberatung)
Stiftstrasse 69, 1st floor, room 122
20099 Hamburg
T +49 40 42875 9110
Contact form
Office hours
Contact person for applicants with disabilities or chronic health conditions:
Meike Butenob/Dieter Röh
Stiftstraße 69, Haus 3, room 37
Tel. +49.40.428 75-7220
inklusion (at) haw-hamburg (dot) de
Contact the department
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Specifically subject-related queries:
Prof. Alexandra Kardinar
alexandra.kardinar(@)haw-hamburg.de
