Design

Design isn’t just a way of making and doing; it’s a way of understanding and engaging with the world.

Why study BA Design at Goldsmiths

• BA Design at Goldsmiths seeks not only to understand what design is but what it might become. By equally valuing and nurturing both creative practice and critical conceptual exploration, the course aims to empower designers to challenge pre-existing conditions and propose new possibilities, design that not only works to solve, but also aspires to ask questions and generate new understanding.

• The programme challenges traditional notions of design by rejecting conventional disciplinary boundaries. In your work, you will be encouraged to explore and work across design mediums.

• You’ll have access to dedicated studio spaces in all three years of the programme, and industry-standard workshops (labs), with the latest in various forms of fabrication technology and material experimentation.

• You’ll work on live briefs set by real companies and organisations. These projects allow you to develop your ideas and present to design professionals, gaining valuable experience and insight.

• In your second year, you’ll have the chance to do a placement. Past placement hosts have included Selfridges, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Disegno, Dentsu, V&A, Molinare, Bompass & Parr, Design Council UK, and NTS Radio.

• We seek to empower students to define their own creative path. Our Design graduates can be found working and practicing at the intersection of innovation and culture, in both established creative roles as well as in fields beyond the traditional boundaries of design practice.

• Our alumni have worked for global brands, founded successful studios, while others have developed their practice through prestigious residency programmes. Find out more about BA Design graduate careers.

• The success of our graduates is widely recognised in awards including New Designer of the Year, the Christine Risley Textile Award, RSA Design Directions, and NESTA’s Creative Pioneer Programme. Significant achievements reflecting the impact of our alumni include a BAFTA for Best Short Animation and a Pulitzer Prize nomination.

Year 1
Your first year is made up of:

Studio Practice - Studio projects are formulated to allow you to develop your own ways of thinking. You will be challenged to push your ideas, and given space and support to develop an understanding of artefact, user, site and situation. Studio Practice is where the majority of practical, project-based work is delivered, discussed and assessed.

Contextual Studies - provides the theoretical core of the programme.
In your first year you study:
Histories and Theories
Design and Meaning
Philosophy and Design

Methods and Processes - Concentrating on the techniques and processes in research, modelling and drawing, this module equips you with a set of tools for designing, looking at research methods and ways to generate and record ideas.

Technical Studies - These workshops focus on specific areas within the discipline. They'll give both a critical and technical introduction into areas such as making, still image, graphic communication and textiles.

Year 2
Your second year is made up of:
Studio Practice - You'll explore ways that the contemporary designer can negotiate a changing social, cultural, ecological and political terrain. You'll be encouraged to adopt a personal, ethical and ideological stance in tackling projects concerning the social, cultural, environmental and political domain.

In the spring term, you'll work on ‘industry-based projects’, the briefings for which come from the commercial sector. These projects allow you to present to design professionals, gaining valuable experience and insight. The projects are set by a broad range of design professional and commercial sectors.

Contextual Studies:
Society and Culture
Material Culture
Design Politics and Ethics

Methods and Processes – Professional Practice
This module asks you to engage in design as a professional practice and prepares you for workplace environments. You will engage in collaborative workshops, receive advice from industry experts on how to communicate your work, and hear from a diverse range of BA Design alumni as they talk you through their career journeys.

By exploring the breadth of the design industry, helping you articulate your developing practice, and supporting you in building your professional network, this module prepares you for the Summer Term Placement Module.

Technical Studies - These sessions cover a range of skills, which build upon the previous year. We offer workshops such as interactive design, moving image, electronics, object manufacture, rapid prototyping/CAD and graphic communication.

Professional Practice - During the summer term, you are expected to secure and undertake a placement of at least six weeks. At the beginning of Year 3, you will be assessed on a presentation based on your work placement.

Year 3
Your final year is made up of:
Studio Practice - During this module, you will lead a self-directed, studio based project shaped by your interests and unique design direction. Alongside your Studio Lead Tutors, you will be supported throughout the year by a dedicated Studio Practice Mentor who will work with you to shape your learning and development.

The final stages of Year 3 are oriented around the presentation of your project. The course culminates in the Degree Show, a public exhibition where, together with your cohort, you build critical skills in teamwork, organisation, exhibition design and networking, all vital for your future career.

Contextual Report - Parallel to your studio work, you will produce a 7,000 word Contextual Report supported by a dedicated Contextual Studies Mentor. This written piece establishes the theoretical framework for your studio project and takes the form of a designed and printed publication.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

You’ll be assessed by a variety of methods, depending on your module choices. These include coursework, examinations, group work and projects.