Product Design with a Foundation Year - BA (Hons)

Design Essentials explores fundamental design principles and processes crucial for effective design practice. Through a blend of theoretical understanding and practical application, the module equips you with essential skills in visual expression, communication, and creative design approaches.

You will develop core principles of visual communication, developing both 2D and 3D skills necessary for undertaking design tasks.

Drawing techniques, including orthographic, perspective, and analytical drawing are explored, alongside creative visualisation methods such as mark-making and abstract drawing to stimulate idea generation and representation. Additionally, you will develop CAD skills to produce technical drawings appropriate for manufacturing technologies.

Professional Futures: Communication equips you with the initial skills and knowledge necessary for your future career. The module explores the role of effective communication in the context of your emerging design practice. You will engage with theoretical frameworks and practical exercises to develop your contextual understanding of the subject, recognising their relevance in research, development and communication of key themes and ideas.

A proportion of module content is shared across design disciplines, blending traditional studio sessions activities with the use online resources. This blended approach enhances, engagement and digital literacy.

We have designed this module to be flexible so that assessments incorporate presentations, written assignments, participation in critiques, and reflective exercises to evaluate communication skills, professional development, and understanding of ethical and cultural considerations in design practice.

'Design for Production' introduces core design aspects related to materials, processes, and digital manufacturing. This module explores the relationship between design and production, aiming to provide you with essential knowledge and practical skills for effective design implementation.

Through the module, you will explore the principles of digital design and prototyping techniques. Debate will be encouraged to argue the appropriate selection and application of materials, finishes, production processes and construction/assembly methods within the context of a design project.

You will also examine and design for various digital production technologies such as CNC machining and laser cutting, gaining insights into their applications, advantages and limitations. A variety of materials will be highlighted through the analysis of existing artefacts.

"Design in Context" explores design principles and considerations for designing within various contexts, helping you to develop an awareness of the impact of economies of scale on design thinking. The module will introduce fundamental strategies in designing for different markets and you will explore the relationships between scale, context and implementation.

Digital and analogue studio and workshop-based projects will focus on design approaches from the perspective of a Product Designer, Furniture Designer and Designer Maker. Undertaking specialist ‘scale’ projects will enable you to explore a range of design factors including research requirements, precedent analysis, design issues, costing, product lifecycle, intellectual property, and project management.

The module provides you with an opportunity to consolidate learning throughout Level 4, with an increased emphasis on making and presentation skills, CAD development, research and creative problem-solving.

Design for Industry will guide students through observational and analytical approaches necessary for developing sustainable, inclusive, and ethical design solutions. This module aims to integrate industry specific philosophies and frameworks, building upon core design skills introduced at level 4 of the course. Emphasis will be placed on gaining commercial understanding through the creation of detailed design documentation, including technical drawings, specifications, and project briefs. Manufacturing methods and production techniques will also be explored as significant design constraints within the module.

Students will be encouraged to prioritise the 'needs and requirements' of the person/client/user throughout the design process. Design development frameworks, such as user-centred design, will be introduced to facilitate the creation of products tailored to user preferences and needs. The goal is to design products that seamlessly align with user expectations and enhance user experience.

To achieve this, rigorous testing and observation of user behaviour, emotions, and difficulties will be essential. This iterative testing process allows designers to identify and address any issues or opportunities for improvement in the design. Additionally, students will have opportunities to explore factors contributing to the success of products or furniture pieces in enriching our lives and environments.

‘Professional Futures: Collaboration’ is designed to equip you with the essential skills for success in the diverse and collaborative field of design. With collaboration and communication as central themes, you will learn to navigate interdisciplinary teamwork and understand different design processes, methods and outcomes.

The module provides an opportunity to tackle real-world challenges through a cross-disciplinary collaborative project. This allows you to have a shared and reflective learning experience contributing to a shared task, preparing you for the demands of your future career. You will learn to convey ideas, concepts and project narratives with clarity and impact.

Assessment involves interdisciplinary teamwork to develop a creative project, emphasising communication, creativity, and project outcomes.

This module allows students to focus their studies by conducting self-directed practice, researching a personal area of interest, and creating outcomes that reflect their developing knowledge of three dimensional design. It serves as a guided introduction to the largely self-initiated study they will experience in Level 6.

This module aims to increase understanding of the relationship between design research and practice, as well as enhance students’ ability to evaluate and contextualise design within broader fields. It is also designed to improve communication skills to articulate design processes and outcomes to a professional standard and develop confidence in exploring design techniques, materials, and processes. Our students will achieve this through guided independent personal study, demonstrating increasing knowledge of both academic and industry-based design practice.

Students will explore contemporary design issues such as environmental concerns, sustainability, technological advancements, new production methods, cultural diversity and inclusive design. They will formulate research questions or identify opportunities related to their own practice, underpinning their design project.

This module provides an opportunity for you to apply your knowledge and skills to an external, professional brief. The brief will be ‘real’, set in negotiation with an external client/agency/community, or it may be a simulation, inspired by a typical professional scenario you might experience in a work situation. The brief will enable you to apply your discipline-specific skills broadly, collaborating with your fellow students and, where relevant, across disciplines and with other stakeholders. Your project should consider sustainability and address relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals as a key aspect of contemporary creative industries work.

The module provides an opportunity for you to engage in a responsive, imaginative, and professional manner with an aspect of your subject area, which contributes to the development of employability skills within the supportive infrastructure of the University. You will be supported to approach the project with curiosity, openness, critical thinking and innovation as well as making use of your discipline-specific skills.

Creative careers often lead individuals on unexpected journeys, traversing diverse paths. Recognizing and seizing opportunities becomes pivotal in shaping a fulfilling portfolio career—one that harnesses your creative abilities while sustaining your livelihood. Whether you’re crafting artistic artifacts, performing, providing services, or offering consultancy, the art of promoting and pitching ideas lies at the heart of an independent, entrepreneurial journey.

In this module, we delve into the essential facets of an entrepreneurial career. Whether you see yourself as a designer-maker, actor, musician, illustrator, artist, writer, filmmaker or a blend of any number of roles within a portfolio career, we’ll equip you with the tools to articulate your experiences and work confidently. Expect surprises along the way—opportunities that may reveal themselves unexpectedly!

Central to this experience is a 70-hour work placement, which you can complete either in a concentrated block or spread out over the duration of the module. During this placement, you’ll have the opportunity to develop your professional attributes and subject-specific skills.

To align closely with real-world job market conditions, you should expect to prepare a current and relevant CV, attend interviews, conduct research to source your own placement.

Support will be available from academic staff and the ADM Careers+ service to help you in securing your placement. It’s important to note that your placement must be approved by your tutor no later than the final week of teaching in December. If you’re unable to find a suitable placement by then or if your placement falls through, you’ll be transferred to an alternative module.

Professional Futures: Presentation provides final-year students with essential skills and strategies for navigating the design industry. With a focus on ‘presentation’ and employability, the module provides you with guidance on refining your skills, whilst preparing you for the next stage of your design journey.

Emphasising career evaluation and identifying personal strengths through reflective practice, you will gain insight into your career goals and aspirations. Portfolio development will also guide you in creating impactful presentations of your work. Building on this foundation, you will examine the development of advanced presentation skills, essential for effectively communicating design concepts and ideas to diverse audiences.

You will explore strategies for enhancing your employability within the design industry. From self promotion techniques to professional networking strategies, you will gain insights into how to effectively market yourself and establish valuable connections within the design community.

The purpose of this module is to enable you to undertake an in-depth and theoretically informed research project, exploring an area that is of personal interest to you. It is important that we can support you appropriately, so you will be guided towards choosing a research topic which is relevant to your discipline. The outcome of this module will take the form of a research report documenting your findings. This report is intended to serve as a foundation for a subsequent design development project.

This module offers you the opportunity to develop and deliver a significant self-directed design project, building upon the research conclusions from the previous module ‘Major Research Project’ (Discover & Define). With guidance from academic staff, you will undertake a comprehensive design journey from initial concept to final execution, showcasing the 2D and 3D skills acquired throughout the course.

While independence is expected, tutorial support is tailored to your chosen topic and ensures that guidance and support align with specific project needs. Group tutorials and critiques will offer additional assistance.

Weekly studio-based updates are required throughout the module, in which you will discuss your concepts/development and general progress. We encourage interaction and constructive feedback among peers to facilitate collaborative learning, enrich design discourse and support a community of practice.