Product Design with Foundation Year

This course is assessed on 100% coursework.

The curriculum is delivered through a series of projects which will give you the opportunity to develop making and designing skills, conceptual ideas, contextual knowledge and understanding and experience of live industry briefs/ external projects in the public domain.

Studio and workshop culture is core to our courses and you will be encouraged to become part of the art and design community through time spent working in the studios, workshops and labs available to students across the week.

All courses in the School of Art are now available with a professional placement (sandwich year) option. A professional placement provides an opportunity for professional development in the work place and as such, greatly enhances the student’s prospects of finding rewarding and relevant employment at the end of their studies.

Each level of the course has been planned to ensure progressive learning. Entry to Level 4 studies provides an orientation and development of the skills concepts and creative thinking needed for a product designer. It is also designed to develop the fundamental principles of good design including drawing techniques, practical workshop skills, engineering, research skills, Computer Aided Design and Visualisation skills using the latest industry standard design tools. You will study design theory and identify the important role of the designer in a contemporary global society.

Level 5 is designed to further develop your understanding of your discipline with practical opportunities to apply the principles learned in your Level 4. You will be involved in a variety of tutor led and live design projects that you may choose to develop through design, engineering or advanced CAD modelling applications. The contextual aspects of design applied to society, technology, ecology and economics will underpin the development of design journey. It also consolidates the learning process developing the translation from design theory into a creative professional context.

The final year Level 6 provides professional preparation – defining and refining individual creativity and also offers the opportunity to engage with industry clients. Lectures and seminars with professional designers allow you to explore your entrepreneurial aspirations. You will be encouraged to develop transferable skills that will equip you to be flexible and adaptable and to develop your career in a changing global economy. Self-directed projects will allow you to explore the design process in depth. You will also be able to create your own professional digital portfolio of your work enabling you to fulfil your potential and enter the workplace as a product designer.

Why not check out what our students got up to for their final projects at our annual Degree Show 2018