Arts in Design

“You can think of creativity as applied imagination.” - Ken Robinson You can think of design as applied creativity. Design is everywhere Combining technical know-how, creativity and an appreciation of style good design can make our use of everyday products, apps and services clear efficient and pleasurable. The great thing about being a designer is that you are never limited because everything we create requires design from a website through to a double decker bus. Think of all the things you use every day, apps, mobile phones, headphones, websites, cars, medical devices and so much more. Design spans everything from physical products, application interfaces, packaging to signage and visual communication. Design as a disciple sits at the intersection of Psychology, Art and Engineering where understanding people’s needs and understanding what is possible are combined creatively to offer new and exciting solutions. Be inspired by product designers like Ross Lovegrove, Dieter Rams, Neri Oxman, Hartmut Esslinger and Monika Mulder. On the course you learn the skills of being a designer, sketching, model making/prototyping, creative problem solving, visual communication and working as part of a team. You will be using programmes like Solidworks, Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design and more. This course was the first of its kind nationally and has 50+ years’ experience in design education. We use studio-based education, a dedicated space where students work together on their designs and learn through making and doing. The student staff ratio is approx. 1:10 which means you get very high contact time with lecturers supporting and guiding you through your design development. Course Structure This is a three-year level 7 degree with the first two years being core, where you learn the skills and processes needed in Design. The course is project focused where you learn through doing. While supported by traditional lectures the majority of your time is working on projects in studio with individual and groups tutorials to guide your designs. It is 100% continuous assessment with no formal written exams. Year 3 offers the opportunity of work placement with exciting design companies or travelling to a European University to study design. The course also has strong links with industry and runs live projects with companies across all 3 years. In the final year of the course, you get to design a range of product, services and visual communication assets which you compile into a high-quality portfolio document to showcase your work.