Cambridge OCR · RQF Level 3
Cambridge OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Diploma in Art and Design
You don’t just earn this. You learn to use it, one-to-one, on your own real work.
- LevelRQF Level 3
- Total credits120
- Guided learning720 hours
- Units in this qualification38
Awarded by Cambridge OCR · on the Ofqual register
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See how this course maps onto your role
Ten quick questions, one per Future Fluency, asked against this qualification rather than a generic one.
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What you’ll learn
What each unit actually teaches you to do
The Cambridge OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Diploma in Art and Design allows learners to develop skills in art and design. It enables development of skills demanded by employers. This qualification is suitable for those seeking further learning or training.
These are the units Cambridge OCR registers against this qualification. It is a catalogue, not a syllabus. Which of them you take depends on the combination the qualification requires, and that is set by the awarding body rather than by us. Every unit here is regulated, and every one you earn is yours to keep.
3D product designReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the specific requirements outlined in a 3D product design brief.
- Develop a range of ideas for a 3D product that effectively addresses a given client brief.
- Use feedback gained from a client to refine and improve 3D product ideas.
- Plan the safe and efficient realisation of the final 3D product.
- Produce a maquette or final 3D product to meet the client brief, evaluating its success against the client’s original requirements.
Art and design illustrationReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the diverse range of work produced by professional illustrators.
- Develop a variety of creative ideas for illustration work, responding effectively to a client brief.
- Present illustration ideas to a client, effectively communicating concepts and incorporating feedback for selection.
- Produce final illustration work to a professional standard, suitable for presentation to a client.
Art and design in contextReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the work of artists or designers within a specific movement, style, period, culture or theme, demonstrating knowledge of key characteristics and influences.
- Develop an idea that is clearly influenced by the work of another artist or designer, showing evidence of research and understanding.
- Produce a final outcome that is demonstrably influenced by the work of another artist or designer, applying relevant techniques and processes.
- Review their final outcome in comparison to the work of the artist or designer that most influenced them, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement.
Branding and corporate designReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles and concepts underpinning corporate branding and design.
- Select and use appropriate media, techniques and equipment for designing corporate branding materials.
- Develop a range of ideas for a corporate logo that effectively addresses a given client brief.
- Present corporate logo ideas to a client, incorporating feedback to refine the designs.
- Produce a final corporate logo design suitable for presentation to a target audience or focus group.
Carving, constructing and modelling 3D artworkReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the processes involved in producing carved, constructed and modelled 3D artwork.
- Develop creative and innovative ideas for carved, constructed and modelled 3D artwork.
- Safely and effectively use carving, construction and modelling production methods to create 3D artwork.
Character design and creationReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the characteristics of characters used in comics, graphic novels, animation, and console games.
- Understand the processes involved in creating and developing compelling characters.
- Develop original ideas for a new character's features and profile, considering their background and motivations.
- Develop a character idea into a series of finished drawings, showcasing different poses and expressions.
- Create a 3D character model, demonstrating proficiency in relevant software and techniques.
Contemporary fine artReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the work of contemporary fine artists, including their concepts, techniques and influences
- Develop ideas for a piece of contemporary fine art work, demonstrating creativity and critical thinking
- Produce a piece of contemporary fine art work, applying acquired skills and knowledge of relevant techniques and materials
- Present a final piece of contemporary fine art work, effectively communicating its concept and execution
Creating 3D art or design workReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the characteristics of 3D art or design work produced by practitioners in a chosen 3D area of interest.
- Develop an original idea for 3D art or design work, selecting and using appropriate materials and processes.
- Produce a final, well-executed piece of 3D art or design work.
Creating animationReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the different types of animation techniques and the processes involved in their production.
- Develop creative ideas for an animation featuring an original character that they have designed.
- Plan the production of an animation using a detailed storyboard, outlining key scenes and actions.
- Create a short animation that effectively features an original character, demonstrating technical and artistic skills.
Design for advertisingReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of advertising visuals and the methods used in their production.
- Develop innovative ideas for advertising visuals in response to a specific client brief.
- Present advertising visual concepts to a client, effectively communicating ideas and incorporating feedback for refinement and approval.
- Produce final advertising visuals that meet the requirements of a client brief and are suitable for publication.
Digital fine artReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the range of digital techniques that are used by fine artists in their digital fine art work.
- Generate creative and innovative ideas for a digital fine art project, considering different approaches and concepts.
- Produce a final piece of digital fine art, demonstrating technical skills and artistic expression.
- Present the final piece of digital fine art effectively, communicating its meaning and artistic merit.
Digital image creationReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the work of digital photographers and/or artists, analysing their techniques and approaches to digital image creation.
- Produce digital images using photography and other technology, demonstrating proficiency in capturing and manipulating digital content.
- Use digital image manipulation software to edit digital images, applying various tools and techniques to enhance and transform images.
- Develop ideas for a digitally manipulated image, in response to a brief or project, demonstrating creativity and problem-solving skills.
- Produce a final digitally manipulated image, in response to a brief or project, demonstrating technical skill and artistic vision.
Exhibiting and presenting artworkReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the characteristics of existing art/design exhibitions, including their purpose, target audience, and curatorial approach.
- Plan an exhibition of art/design work, considering factors such as theme, layout, and logistics.
- Promote an exhibition of art/design work, utilising appropriate marketing strategies and channels.
- Prepare artwork for own exhibition, ensuring it is properly presented and ready for display.
- Take part in own exhibition, engaging with visitors and managing the display.
- Evaluate the exhibition, assessing its success and identifying areas for improvement.
Exploring artists as photographersReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand photography as a medium for artists’ work, considering its historical and contemporary applications.
- Generate ideas for an original project that uses photography as a medium for artwork, demonstrating creativity and conceptual thinking.
- Develop ideas for photographic artwork through the exploration of techniques, processes or materials, experimenting with different approaches to achieve desired effects.
- Produce final photographic artwork for display, demonstrating technical skill and artistic vision.
Exploring ceramicsReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Develop creative and innovative ideas for 3D ceramic work.
- Develop the practical skills needed to create 3D ceramic work, using appropriate materials and tools safely and effectively.
- Produce a final, resolved piece of 3D ceramic work.
Exploring digital photographyReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the operating controls of a digital camera, including settings for aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
- Understand the use of framing and composition when taking digital photographs, applying principles such as rule of thirds and leading lines.
- Understand the use of lighting when taking digital photographs, considering natural and artificial light sources and their effects.
- Use digital editing and manipulation techniques to alter digital photographs, enhancing their visual impact and correcting imperfections.
Exploring film-based photographyReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the operating controls of a film-based camera, including settings for aperture, shutter speed, and focusing.
- Understand the use of framing and composition when taking film-based photographs, applying principles such as rule of thirds and leading lines.
- Understand the effects and use of different lighting sources when taking film-based photographs, considering natural and artificial light and their impact on film.
- Understand experimental darkroom or cameraless photographic techniques, such as photograms and alternative printing processes.
Fashion designReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of fashion design and the diverse roles and responsibilities of fashion designers
- Understand the fashion industry, including trends, markets, and production processes
- Use a range of media, materials, and techniques effectively to produce fashion items, demonstrating technical proficiency and creative expression
- Develop a final fashion design that is tailored to the needs and preferences of an identified target market, considering factors such as age, lifestyle, and budget
Fashion illustrationReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand different fashion illustration styles and influences, including historical and contemporary examples
- Understand the range of media, materials and processes used in fashion illustration
- Use a variety of fashion illustration techniques to develop a personal illustration style
- Select and use appropriate media, materials and processes to create fashion illustrations
- Produce original fashion illustrations that effectively respond to a given client brief
- Use appropriate presentation techniques to effectively present fashion illustrations to a client
Fashion productionReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Present final designs for a fashion item clearly and effectively, using appropriate visual aids and communication techniques
- Experiment with a variety of materials and construction techniques to determine the most suitable options for a specific fashion item
- Apply appropriate construction techniques for a fashion item
- Plan the production process for a designed fashion item, considering factors such as materials, equipment, time, and cost
- Produce a fashion item to a professional standard, ready for exhibition or display, demonstrating attention to detail and quality craftsmanship
Fine art drawingReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of fine art drawing, including its historical and contemporary contexts
- Analyse how and why artists use drawing as a medium for artistic expression
- Develop skills in using a range of drawing techniques, approaches and media
- Develop ideas for a personal fine art drawing project, demonstrating creativity and critical thinking
- Realise a personal fine art drawing project, applying acquired skills and knowledge
- Present a personal fine art drawing project, effectively communicating its concept and execution
Fine art paintingReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of fine art painting, including its historical and contemporary contexts
- Analyse how and why fine art painters work, considering their techniques, styles and influences
- Generate ideas for a final fine art painting, demonstrating creativity and critical thinking
- Produce a final fine art painting, applying acquired skills and knowledge of painting techniques and materials
- Present a final fine art painting, effectively communicating its concept and execution
Fine art printmakingReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand a range of printmaking techniques, processes, and materials used in fine art printmaking.
- Develop ideas for a final series of fine art prints in response to a project or brief, demonstrating creativity and critical thinking.
- Produce a final series of fine art prints in response to a project or brief, demonstrating technical proficiency and artistic vision.
- Present the final series of fine art prints effectively, communicating their artistic merit and conceptual basis.
Fine art textilesReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand how artists use textile media, materials, techniques, and processes to produce fine art textiles work.
- Generate ideas for a piece of fine art textiles in response to a project or brief, demonstrating creativity and innovation.
- Produce a piece of fine art textile work in response to a project or brief, demonstrating technical skills and artistic expression.
- Present the final piece of fine art textiles effectively, communicating its artistic merit and conceptual basis.
How artists and designers use 2D materials, techniques and processesReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the 2D work of other artists or designers, demonstrating knowledge of different styles, techniques and approaches.
- Understand a range of 2D media, materials and techniques, including their properties and potential applications.
- Understand the influence of other artists and/or designers on their own 2D work, recognising sources of inspiration and adaptation.
- Safely produce 2D work using appropriate media, materials and techniques, demonstrating competence and attention to detail.
How artists and designers use 3D materials, techniques and processesReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the 3D work of other artists or designers, demonstrating knowledge of different styles, techniques and approaches.
- Understand a range of 3D media, materials and techniques, including their properties and potential applications.
- Understand the influence of 3D artists and/or designers on their own 3D work, recognising sources of inspiration and adaptation.
- Safely produce 3D work using appropriate media, materials and techniques, demonstrating competence and attention to detail.
Landscape photographyReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the work of a range of landscape photographers, analysing their styles, techniques, and approaches to capturing landscapes.
- Develop ideas for landscape photographic images, in response to a client brief, demonstrating creativity and understanding of client requirements.
- Present ideas and initial landscape photographs to a client for feedback and selection, communicating effectively and responding to client input.
- Produce final landscape photographic images, in response to a client brief, demonstrating technical skill and artistic vision.
- Present final landscape photographic images in a format suitable to the requirements of the client brief, ensuring that the images are delivered in a professional and appropriate manner.
Motion graphicsReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of motion graphics and their applications in various contexts.
- Operate the necessary hardware and software to create motion graphics effectively.
- Understand the specific requirements outlined in a motion graphics client brief.
- Develop creative ideas for a motion graphic in direct response to a client's brief.
- Produce a final, polished motion graphic that fulfils the requirements of a client brief.
Planning an artist's or designer's studioReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the requirements for a range of art and/or design studio types, considering factors such as space, lighting, and ventilation.
- Plan an artist’s or designer’s studio layout, optimising workflow and functionality.
- Understand the equipment and consumables needed for an artist’s or designer’s studio, considering budget and specific artistic practices.
- Present a final design proposal for an artist’s or designer’s studio, incorporating relevant details and justifications.
Planning, researching and developing ideas for a specialist art or design briefReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the client’s requirements as clearly stated in their brief or project specification, identifying key objectives and constraints.
- Understand how other artists and/or designers have responded to similar briefs or projects, analysing their approaches and outcomes.
- Generate and develop a range of ideas in response to a client’s brief or project, exploring different concepts and possibilities.
- Present ideas to a client for feedback in response to their brief or project, communicating concepts effectively and professionally.
- Use client feedback gained to choose and refine a final idea, adapting the concept to meet the client's needs and expectations.
Portrait photographyReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the photographic techniques and processes used by professional portrait photographers, including lighting, composition, and posing.
- Understand the contexts in which professional portrait photographers work, such as studio, location, and event photography.
- Understand the genres in which professional portrait photographers work, such as fashion, beauty, and family portraits.
- Use photographic techniques and processes to produce a variety of photographic portraits, demonstrating technical proficiency and creative expression.
- Work within a specific context or genre to produce photographic portraits that meet the requirements of the chosen context or genre.
Presenting, displaying, promoting and selling artworkReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the use of different display and presentation spaces for artwork.
- Organise and successfully achieve an exhibition or display of artwork.
- Understand how art or design work is presented, promoted, managed, and sold in a professional context.
- Produce personal promotional material to showcase artwork and skills.
- Understand how to select and organise work effectively for an interview portfolio.
Realising an outcome for a specialist art or design briefReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Develop one final chosen idea that is most suited to the requirements of a brief or project, elaborating on the concept and planning its execution.
- Present a final proposal to a client for feedback and approval, clearly outlining the intended outcome and its alignment with the brief.
- Produce a final outcome that meets the requirements of a client brief or project, demonstrating technical skill and creative flair.
- Evaluate the success of the final outcome against the original brief or project specification, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and areas for future improvement.
Spatial designReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the specific requirements outlined in a given spatial design brief
- Understand how various designers have previously responded to similar spatial design briefs, analysing their approaches and outcomes
- Develop initial ideas and concepts for a spatial design, considering functionality, aesthetics, and user experience
- Present developed ideas for a spatial design effectively, using appropriate visual and verbal communication techniques
- Produce final 2D visualisations (e.g., drawings, renderings) of a spatial design, accurately representing its features and dimensions
- Produce appropriate 3D scale model work to complement the 2D visualisations, providing a tangible representation of the spatial design
Textile designReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles and elements of textile design, including colour, texture, pattern, and structure
- Use a variety of textile media, materials, techniques, and processes effectively to produce textile samples, demonstrating technical skills and creative exploration
- Design and produce their own textile work safely and responsibly, adhering to relevant health and safety guidelines
- Design and produce textile work in response to a specific brief or project, demonstrating the ability to meet design requirements and objectives
- Present the final textile sample produced in a professional and visually appealing manner, showcasing its design features and technical qualities
Understanding sculptureReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the principles of sculpture, including its historical and contemporary contexts
- Analyse how and why sculptors work, considering their techniques, styles and influences
- Develop ideas for a sculpture, demonstrating creativity and critical thinking
- Safely investigate suitable materials, techniques, processes and equipment for creating sculpture
- Produce a final piece of sculpture for presentation, applying acquired skills and knowledge of sculptural techniques and materials
Up-cycling fashion productsReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the environmental and social effects of recycling and sustainability within the fashion industry
- Understand a range of construction and making techniques that are suitable for fashion products, including both traditional and innovative methods
- Develop creative and innovative ideas for an up-cycled garment or fashion accessory, considering the potential of existing materials and resources
- Plan the construction process for an up-cycled garment or fashion accessory, considering factors such as materials, techniques, and time
- Produce a final up-cycled garment or fashion accessory to a high standard, ready for presentation, demonstrating creativity, technical skill, and attention to detail
Using digital technology in graphic designReal unit · Cambridge OCR
What you'll be able to do
- Understand the use of text and image in graphic design products, analysing how they work together to communicate messages effectively.
- Use a range of digital graphic design software and hardware, demonstrating proficiency in using industry-standard tools.
- Develop ideas for a digital graphic design outcome, in response to a brief, demonstrating creativity and understanding of client requirements.
- Produce a final digital graphic design outcome, in response to a brief, demonstrating technical skill and artistic vision.
The honest bit
You’ve started things before
Most courses were built for a room full of people who aren’t you. A cohort moves on whether or not your week allowed it, and by the third week the thing you’re behind on becomes the reason you stop opening it.
There’s no cohort here, and no timetable to fall behind. Before anything starts, Zavmo asks when you’re sharpest and how long you can realistically sit down for, then builds the sessions around those answers. A bad fortnight changes your pace. It doesn’t put you behind.
And you only pay once you start learning. Searching and planning are free, and you can cancel any time — so the cost of finding out is an afternoon, not a year.
Your passport
Every credit is a stamp you keep
Level 3 credits are regulated. They don’t vanish when a subscription ends or a website closes. They travel to any employer, and Zavmo keeps the map of what you’ve earned and what’s next.
Each stamp is a real unit registered against this qualification.
Who’d teach you this

The Evidence Evaluator
Assessor
Helps you show what you can actually do, gathering the evidence that proves it as you learn.
Meet all twelve tutorsWhere this connects
Where these credits take you
A qualification is never a dead end here. See the jobs its credits open, the national occupational standards its units map to, and the future skills they quietly build.
Where this can lead
Marketing Illustrator
Your journey as a Marketing Illustrator at Zavmo isn't just about drawing pretty pictures; it's about growing as a creative professional, making a tangible impact on our brand, and building a career that's as dynamic and engaging as your artwork. We're excited to see where you take it.
See the whole journey →Showing 6 roles, drawn from 33 job records mapped to this qualification.
Skills it covers
What the job actually needs. These are the standards the units are built against, in the words employers and awarding bodies already use for the work itself.
How you’ll actually learn this
One-to-one, on your own real work
A qualification is usually something done to you: sit the class, sit the exam, hope it sticks. Here it’s the opposite. You learn it one-to-one with a companion, on your own real work, and you keep going until you can use it, not just recall it.
Applied to your work in any of these jobs
This unit covers understanding 3D product design briefs, including requirements and constraints. Learners will develop and refine product ideas using client feedback, plan safe production, and produce a maquette or final 3D product meeting the brief.
- Remember
- Understand
- Apply
- Analyse
- Evaluate
- Create
Built for Cambridge OCR Level 3 Cambridge Technical Diploma in Art and Design
38 units in this credential, in the order it lists them, awarded by Cambridge OCR.
- 3D product design
- Art and design illustration
- Art and design in context
- Branding and corporate design
- Carving, constructing and modelling 3D artwork
- Character design and creation
and 32 more in the full unit list below.
One to one, not one to many
No two people run this the same way
A course is written once and handed to everyone. This is assembled around you, and keeps changing as it learns you. Five things it reads, and what each one changes.
- Your actual work Every unit is taught against a live piece of your own work, not a worked example from a textbook.
- What you already know The first conversation finds your starting point, so you skip what you can already do and spend the time on what you cannot.
- The conditions you learn under Not a learning-styles quiz. The evidence does not support those. The dimensions the research does back, read once and used to shape the plan.
- How far you got last time It picks up mid-thought. The tutor knows what you said, what you struggled with, and what it asked you to try.
- Which tutor suits the moment Twelve of them, each for a different kind of thinking. The one who walks you through a first idea is not the one who stress-tests it.
See how you learn, free. Eight questions, no sign-up. A directional taster; the diagnostic inside Zavmo goes deeper and keeps adapting.
Why it sticks
Most courses stop at remembering
There’s a well-known ladder of how deeply you learn something, called Bloom’s Taxonomy. Most courses get you up the first two rungs: you remember some facts, you pass a test, you forget it. Real skill lives at the top. Judging, deciding, creating. And this isn’t a generic ladder: every rung has a named Zavmo tutor who walks you up it.
- 6CreateThe Creative Catalyst
- 5EvaluateThe Evidence Evaluator
- 4AnalyseThe Analyst
- 3ApplyThe Coach
- 2UnderstandThe Connector
- 1RememberThe Builder
Where most courses leave you Where Zavmo takes you
The value
Why the companion is worth £70 a month
You’re not paying for the units. They’re regulated, and the same wherever you earn them. You’re paying for the one thing that decides whether you actually get there: a companion that makes them stick, on your real work.
That is one-to-one on this qualification, every day, on the work you already do, for £70 a month. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it. Billed monthly, cancel any time and billing stops.
Earned on your own work, taught to the top.
Everything you just read, learned one-to-one on the job you already do. Your first module is free, so you can see the teaching before you pay for any of it.
Build my plan, freeNo card. See how this qualification maps onto your role and meet the tutors who’d teach it, free. The learning begins when you subscribe. It’s £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.