Bachelor of Arts - Product Design (Honours)

Program Description

Students will realise their creative ideas by developing design skills and in-depth knowledge of materials across areas as diverse as transport, sports equipment, toys, and packaging.

Product Design is the study of the whole design lifecycle – from idea to production. On this course students will study the functional and market-led requirements of product and furniture design, looking at ergonomics, aesthetics, usability and the application of technology.

Specific areas include visual language, branding, user-centred design, computer-aided design (CAD), 3D design and modelling, and design cultures. Students learn about sustainability and examine the development of socially conscious products that, through their technical specification, reduce waste and conserve energy.

Students will study with professionally-active academic staff who are involved in commercial projects with big names such as Google USA, BAA Furniture & Interiors, and Adidas.

Key features

• This course is accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers – this enables graduates to work towards membership.
• Gain professional experience with placement opportunities that have seen students work at prestigious names such as BMW, Hodges & Drake, Lewis Design Associates and Artform International. This industry experience helps graduates boost their employability by helping them to hone the design process, develop good sketching and CAD abilities, and acquire a sensitivity/passion for user experience.
• Strengthen your portfolio by entering national and international competitions. Recently students have won prizes from Seymourpowell, Whitemeadow and the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
• Our successful graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of world-leading companies such as Dyson, Cambridge Consultants and Aston Martin Lagonda.
• 100% of our summer 2017 graduates from this course are in work or further study, (Destination of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE)  2016-17).
• The award-winning Vijay Patel Building provides both the space and the facilities to foster creative thinking, where ideas can develop and flourish for all our art and design course students. We offer superb workshops in wood, metal and plastics including the latest in additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping equipment.
• We provide core workshop materials at no cost, and give cash awards – £150, £200 and £300 in years one, two and three respectively – to support personal materials/printing costs.