Saudi Arabia has a fast-growing design industry and has developed into a regional hub for design with major international advertising agencies and design houses as well as local companies having established themselves here and more specifically in Jeddah. These companies are eager to hire local designers. Within the industry there is an ever-growing necessity for Saudi employees due to the country’s active strive towards Saudization, but also because Saudi designers understand local customs, the needs in the market, and how to effectively communicate to a local target audience. Dar Al-Hekma graduates fit this profile. Dar Al-Hekma was the first institution of higher education in Saudi Arabia to start offering an undergraduate degree related to visual communication back in 2002. Many of our graduates are now employed or own their own businesses. Moreover, since 2002 and particularly within the past five years several other universities in the country started offering degrees with a similar focus. This shows that there is a need in this country for visual communication professionals as well as a desire by the Saudi youth for visual communication as a discipline to study.
The Bachelor of Design in Visual Communication at Dar Al-Hekma is the first in Saudi Arabia. The Department of Visual Communication at Dar Al-Hekma University embraces contemporary and traditional design methodologies in practice, teaching, and research. It instills in its graduates the aspiration to advance themselves in education and the professional fields. It seeks to foster an indigenous culture of design, conveying to students the responsibility to shape the future of visual communication in the region and the world. It also prepares students to the job market through real-life life projects and constant collaboration with industry professionals and entrepreneurs. The practical artistic knowledge that graduates of the program gain enables them to be in key positions in the job market.
The department also offers two tracks leading to bachelor’s degrees: namely, a bachelor’s degree in visual communication - graphic design track and a bachelor’s degree in visual communication - motion graphics track. Students have the opportunity to benefit from different types of undergraduate scholarships.
