These undergraduate programmes are designed for participants looking to enter the design world, and provide a complete education allowing participants to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to pursue a career in the chosen field.
Both furniture and industrial product design overlap with many creative fields including crafts, fashion, art, and interior design. Product designers understand where these areas meet, making use of contemporary influences and appropriate methods in their own creative process, designing luxury furniture, bespoke one-off items, or products for industrial design and commercialisation.
This three year course covers a mix of applied manual, technical and digital design skills (technical drawing, 3D modelling, visualisation and prototype development), combined with a holistic approach in the journey towards design project development; working individually and in teams nurturing and developing creative talent in design processes, methods and final product realisation. Participants learn how to effectively apply research methods to the development of product design proposals. They acquire knowledge of the basic principles of industrial processes and organisation, and gain expertise of material properties learning how to exploit and employ existing or new materials effectively and in innovative ways. Particular attention is given to product sustainability, ergonomics and user awareness, together with preparation in design language and communication, providing a professional approach in the planning, negotiation and presentation of ideas. The history and evolution of product design takes a look at the discipline in different cultural and theoretical contexts, together with a focus on ‘italianness’: Italian craftsmanship, design and style, admired globally in the luxury furniture and product design industries, and showcased at the most important annual event in the international furniture design calendar, the ‘Salone del Mobile’ exhibition in Milano, Italy. Participants research and evaluate past and current trends and design identity, and engage in market research, being able to respond to their own individual style, combined with industry needs, project briefs, brand image strategies, or specific client requests. Creativity and independent thinking is encouraged throughout the course and participants experiment and test their design skills and competences in an industry-driven project in partnership with a leading company, while additional networking opportunities are offered during the final graduation event, showcasing forward-thinking designs for this exciting, challenging and innovative industry. This course forms the base of all three-year product design study pathways. With product design as the core subject, participants select from different pathways to specialise in a chosen area of interest, responding to individual creative flair and passion. This course is also available as a BA (Hons) four-year course (including Sandwich Year Placement).
This programme offers students the opportunity to explore both analogue and digital product design, including homeware, lighting, urban furniture, advanced technology, and luxury design. The programme also includes cultural studies, and individual and group projects guided by tutors and supported by guest speakers, industry mentors, and field trips.
The focus is on collaboration, team building, research, communication, and ethical design practice. The curriculum aims to help students become responsible, global citizens.
The BA (Hons) Product Design programme challenges students to think both creatively and analytically in order to arrive at sophisticated solutions to complex and diverse problems. The programme provides students with the opportunity to explore a wide variety of analogue and digital applications, including homeware, lighting, urban furniture design, advanced technology, and luxury design. Throughout the programme, students engage in individual and group projects guided by subject tutors, industry mentors, guest speakers, and field trips, and are supported by a team of international academics and industry professionals. The focus is on collaboration, team building, research, communication, and ethical and responsible design practice, with a strong emphasis on developing as responsible, global citizens.
The designer's role is to arrive at a product that is a considered compromise between many different and varied fields of study, resulting in conflicting constraints. Product Design is a difficult process that requires dedication, commitment, and attention to both the big picture and details. Well-developed hand/eye/mind co-ordination, spatial awareness, and manual sketching techniques are essential in design practice. Designers need to be able to develop and communicate their ideas rapidly and effectively. The programme develops both analytical and creative abilities and encourages the production of working prototypes to develop realistic designers.
The course also aims to equip students with the skills to utilize CAD technology appropriately and effectively to assist in the design of a product. The programme provides a well-constructed, industry-relevant curriculum that prepares students for the demands of the profession. The key academic elements of research, understanding, analysis, assimilation, creativity, development, and presentation are implicit within the process of product design, making this course an excellent area of study for a first degree.
This programme will equip students with the ability to engage with and respond to the seismic changes happening in the design industry and in the luxury sector specifically. The industry needs people that can help it find solutions rather than perpetuate its problems; it is therefore anticipated that this programme will produce highly employable, forward-looking graduates that will offer new insights that lead change rather than following existing industry practice.