Product Design

Three years full-time. Students with a suitable placement may opt to take a year's secondment (tick sandwich model).

The course has been successful at a national level, for example, the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), D&AD competitions and international awards at the New Designers exhibition, Business Design Centre, London.

The programme has a dedicated course team which maintains an ethos of dealing with students on an individual basis within a studio environment.

Students can enjoy membership of the Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) and on graduation are eligible to work towards full professional membership.

We believe that creative and original design is built on the marriage of visual and technical considerations. These factors are not delivered in a modular, isolated way, but developed and nurtured through studio-based, practical problem-solving activities.

Students in their final stage develop solutions for the minor design project in term one; this is typically against the RSA international competition briefs. The remainder of the stage is focused on the final major project, where they are able to negotiate and structure an individual major design project that enables them to present a final exhibition and portfolio of work. Selected students will also exhibit their designs at a London venue, typically this is the New Designers exhibition at the Business Design Centre, London.

Stage one

Provides an introduction to professional product design practice, including taught sessions on CAD, model making, design drawing and communication, consolidated by short appropriate projects supported by technical, commercial and social issues.

Stage two

Provides a professional development of design skills and knowledge primarily through project work. This may include professional projects from local, national or international companies.

Stage three

Provides an opportunity for students to follow a self-focused design project, following completion of a minor design project which usually is the RSA international competition. Selected students are invited to display their designs at a London exhibition.

• Students explore 3D solutions
• Traditional and rapid prototyping technologies available

• 3D Experimental Design
• 3D Modelling and Manufacture
• Colour in Design
• Contextual Studies
• Design Project
• Materials and Processes
• Professional Practice
• Visual Studies

Assessment is a mixture of studio-based design projects (continual assessment), plus written assignments.

In stage three both the minor design project and the final major project are exhibition based.

There is a wide range of career opportunities within the broad field of design. Recent graduates have successfully gained employment as product designers and as exhibition and graphic professionals.

Graduating students have also chosen to gain higher qualifications through Knowledge Transfer Schemes, which place an individual at the centre of a creative hub within an organisation, forging links between academic and business expertise.