Do I need design experience before starting a marketing degree, and what preparation would help if I have none?
You generally do not need prior design experience to start a marketing degree. Marketing may include creative work, but it also covers areas such as consumer behaviour, research, strategy, communication and data. If you have no design background, review basic design and branding principles, practise using presentation or simple graphic tools, analyse advertisements, and build writing, research and digital skills.
Key points
- Check the course description for any practical or creative modules and their recommended preparation.
- Create small projects, such as analysing a campaign or designing a simple mock advertisement, to develop confidence.
- Strengthen communication, critical thinking, basic numeracy and software skills, which can support marketing study.
Things to check
- Entry requirements and the amount of design work vary by university, course and country, so consult the official course information.
- A portfolio may be requested for some specialised marketing or design-related courses, but this is not a general requirement for all marketing degrees.