The specialty of Illustration and Comics was established in 2002 and became an independent department in 2022, making it one of the earliest institutions in China to focus on illustration, comic art, and picture book creation and research with visual narrative at its core. The Department is committed to cultivating independent youth illustrators and comic artists with a deep understanding of Chinese culture, broad vision, and keen foresight, as well as core creative design experts in related industries.
After 20 years of development, the Department has established a unique "Humanistic Illustration and Comic Art" research and creative direction with characteristics of Eastern visual cultures. The key courses "Picture Book" and "Comic Art" have both been recognized as "double first-class" provincial-level top courses. The professional teaching focuses on the artistic characteristics of visual narrative, actively engaging in exploration and practice in the fields of illustration, comic art, picture books, and related creative areas. This includes the creation of medium to long-form comics with innovative worldviews, creative expression through experimental narratives based on psychology of reading, interdisciplinary integration of visual narrative with the Internet and emerging technologies under the empowerment of digital communications, and pre-production incubation and value transformation of full-process IPs.
In recent years, with a forward-looking pioneering spirit, the Department of Illustration and Comics has been actively leading the integration of industry and education in fields such as illustration, comics, Internet, education, games, and digital media. It has established teaching and practice platforms, such as joint curriculum development with industry partners, and collaborative workshops with publishing houses. With a focus on the "beauty of visual language", the Department has been promoting IP creation and R&D, continuously providing high-quality talents to the creative industry, Internet companies, and universities, thus serving as a driving force for the development of the industry and related creative fields.
