Objectives
A successful textile 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 textile industry through the support of leading international contemporary designers and academics. The course aims to embrace a breadth of contemporary textile design practice from process-led development to material technology foci. With an emphasis on application for design, students will be encouraged to design with context in mind, whether for interior furnishing, product or fashion. Through opportunities with 2D or 3D design tools, designers will consider current ethical, sustainable and environmental agendas for textiles production and consumption. The University's location on the edge of the City and the East End provides a dynamic and creative community. Our facilities include specialist studios and extensive workshops in upholstery and soft furnishing. The University also offers Metropolitan Works, which offers access to digital manufacturing, workshops, courses and exhibitions.
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)
-2D Design (optional)
-3D Design (optional)
-Design for Production
-Design Targets
-Visual Communication
-Exploring Practice
-Digital Photography
-Traditional Photography
-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
With the highest concentration of designers and related businesses in the world, our location offers opportunities for students and professionals to showcase cutting-edge design within related industries and venues. Through work placement and live project, you develop design projects that are commercially and creatively relevant for global consumer markets. Typical career destinations include consultant designers, CEOs, in-house designers, bespoke designers within established textile design companies, designers and/or makers of bespoke printed/constructed textiles, production facility managers/consultants, one-off artists, freelance designers for; corporate/interior/domestic/fashion clients, limited/batch/mass production markets within knit, weave, print, textile product, upholstery, soft furnishing, clothing, fashion textiles and fabric innovation.
Attendance and duration
-Full-time: 1 year, two days a week
-Part-time: 2 years, one day a week