Objectives
A successful furniture designer needs creative ingenuity, design world knowledge and confident technical skills. This intensive taught course helps design professionals and graduates to deepen skills and experience within the furniture industry, through the support of leading international contemporary designers and academics. This course provides access to highly skilled technical staff and traditional knowledge to develop innovative new models for contemporary, industrial and bespoke furniture design and production. Students benefit from the University's Furniture Works, a furniture manufacturing and business resource centre set up to support furniture designer-makers, which holds an acclaimed annual show. The University's established links with industry provide excellent career opportunities for graduates. Outstanding facilities, specialist expertise, related business activities (Digital Manufacturing Centre, Metropolitan Works, Design Nation) and internationally-renowned academics support you throughout the course.
Course description
Course structure
The course includes seven core modules, live project work and design report development. Modules include:
-Design Research into Practice
-Digital Forming (optional)
-3D Design (optional)
-Design for Production
-Visual Communication
-Exploring Practice
-Major Project
Assessment
You are supported through a 'laboratory' model of learning; developing innovative design, conceptual thinking, professional understanding and aesthetic sensitivity. You present design work and reports for assessment and exhibition throughout the course.
Career opportunities
Recent studies show that globally, the growth of creative and cultural industries is more than twice the rate of the world economy. Our location in the City/East End provides a dynamic community supporting the highest concentration of designers and related businesses in the world, with opportunities to showcase cutting-edge design. Through work placement and live projects, you develop design projects that are relevant for global consumer markets. Typical careers include consultant designers, CEOs, in-house designers for manufacturing companies, bespoke designers within established furniture design companies, designers/makers of bespoke furniture, production facility managers/consultants, freelancedesigners for; corporate/domestic clients, or limited/batch/mass production markets.
Attendance and duration
Full-time: 1 year, two days a week
Part-time: 2 years, one day a week