École supérieure d’art et de communication de Cambrai

L'École supérieure d'art et de communication de Cambrai (ESAC) is a public institution of higher artistic education located in the Nord, under the pedagogical supervision of the ministère de la Culture. It is part of the network of écoles supérieures d'art des Hauts-de-France, which pools certain projects, workshops and resources among institutions in the region.

Modest in size, the school relies on close supervision and sustained studio work. Its teaching is oriented towards the field of communication and graphic design, understood in a broad sense: typography, layout and publishing, printed image and screen printing, visual identity, digital and multimedia creation, as well as sound and video practices. Project-based practice, combined with theoretical courses (history of art, design and media), structures the curriculum.

The school prepares students for the Diplôme national d'art (DNA), a State diploma conferring the grade of licence, obtained after three years including a common propaedeutic year. Admission is by competitive examination and application file, via Parcoursup.

As in other public art schools, the pedagogy relies on teachers who are themselves practising artists, graphic designers or designers, on workshops with outside contributors, internships, and commissioned or exhibition projects.

Its scale and regional roots make it an option worth considering for students seeking a tight-knit working environment, with a strong culture of printed image and visual communication. A visit to the open days remains the best way to assess the studios and the options on offer.