Although students and staff in CA&D work in an enormous number of ways – photography, film, video, text, paint, sound, wood-block type, print and all manner of software – you could say that ideas are our main medium, and that visual intelligence, thoughtfulness and playfulness are the real tools of our trade. Long past are the days when the role of a professional communication artist or designer was limited to the confines of a single discipline or linear career-path – what’s required now is a palette of skills and personal qualities: the ability to be well-versed in a wide range of technical skills and of thinking-through-making backed by rigorous self-criticism; an informed awareness of context and audience; the ability to work collaboratively as well as independently; and so on. Above all, the artist and designer of today should carry with them an idealistic commitment to improve whichever field of the cultural environment they choose to work in. With the accent on individual development within a vibrant and supportive working community, the RCA teaches the parts that other universities cannot reach.