Design Crafts BA (Hons)

Course modules

First year

• Workshop Materials and Processes
• Drawing and Model making
• Design Cultures 1
• Professional Practice and Personal Development Planning
• Craft in Context

Second year

• Craft Materials and Processes
• Design: Live Projects
• Design Cultures 2
• Professional Practice
• Negotiated Project

Third year

• Craft Skills - Consolidation
• Personal Project
• Design Cultures: Extended Essay
• Professional Debut

Teaching and assessments

Structure

You will learn in regular timetabled practical workshops, inductions, lectures, seminars, group tutorials, one-to-one tutorials, practical and theoretical talks. Each module has a brief that challenges you to respond creatively, enabling you to develop a range of skills which enhance your personal development. By the final year you will propose your own direction of study and final project.

You will receive ongoing feedback in tutorials, seminars, workshops and more formal written feedback. We assess your progress and achievement throughout the course, formally through presentations and the display of coursework. Typically we assess your work in sketchbooks, design sheets, physical objects, maquettes, models and samples, portfolios and log books. We assess a small amount of written work in the form of technical notes, reports and essays. We ask you to evaluate your own achievements and comment on your own progress. ‘Formative’ assessment is a review of your progress during the module. ‘Summative’ assessment is the final, formal assessment of your achievement reached by the end of the module.

There are opportunities throughout the course for placements in galleries, small workshops, Sainsbury’s, Hand & Lock, and for exchanges, working collaboratively and working on live briefs and with external clients.

DMU is involved in the Crafts Council’s Firing Up scheme where you can volunteer to work with clay in local schools. Many of our students assess their suitability for teaching during a school or college placement and go on to do a postgraduate teaching course. (PGCE)

Students also take part in practical craft workshops; for example as a second-year student Megan Strickson assisted with short courses at the famous West Dean College.

Our graduates have won many recent awards and prizes including The Enameller’s Guild Bursary, the Embroiderers' Guild Scholar 18-30, The Worshipful Company of Goldsmith’s Precious Metal Bursary, The Creative Business Award and the Silver Award in Craft and Design Magazine’s Selected Maker Awards, The Young Silversmith’s Award.

One of our recent graduates Alice Funge was personally selected by New Designers sponsor Sainsbury’s to show their work alongside a display of the supermarket giant’s own homewares in a prime spot near the entrance of the hall at the Business Design Centre.

We are also proud to have numerous visiting speakers such as:

• Katie Almond: Ceramics (Alumni)
• Richard McVetis: Textiles / Embroidery (London)
• Tina Lilienthal: Global Jewellery Design Practice (London)
• Tim Carson: London based, sculptural and performance jewellery practice
• Hannah Tounsend: Alumni, Ceramics BCB ‘Fresh’ winner
• Karina Thompson: Textile Artist, Birmingham- based
• Lee Brothwick: Textile / mixed media Maker, London-based
• Kim Norrie: Textiles – designer-maker (London based)
• John Grayson: Enameller, West Midlands
• Dan Schofield: Furniture and Product designer- London
• Jane Askey: Artist and Illustrator – approaching galleries
• Dayle Green: Education officer at The Harley Gallery, Workshop
• Alkesh Parmar: Sustainability / Designer- Alumni/ RCA, London
• Jonathan keep: 3d printing / ceramics
• Rachel Dormor: setting up and running a workshop/ceramic studio Practice – Cambridge
• Sue Pryke: ceramics, Leicestershire-based

Contact hours

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, tutorials, seminars, group work and self-directed study. Assessment is through coursework (presentations, essays and reports) Your precise timetable will depend on the optional modules you choose to take, however, in your first year you will normally attend around 24 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 19 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.

Visiting lecturers programme

Overview

The Design Crafts lecturers are all practising designers and makers, from a wide range of arts and crafts disciplines. Our visiting lecture programme gives you the opportunity to engage with current practice and extend your expertise into niche Design Crafts areas.