3D Design and Craft

Three-dimensional design and craft is a discipline that occupies a rich space between fine art and applied design, concerned with the making of objects that may be functional, decorative, sculptural, or somewhere in between. The field encompasses ceramics, metalwork, jewellery, glass, textiles, furniture, and experimental object-making, and it is rooted in a commitment to the physical properties of materials and the skill of working with them. Three-dimensional design and craft takes seriously both the traditions of making that have sustained these disciplines over centuries and the contemporary contexts, including digital fabrication, sustainable design, and critical craft theory, that are reshaping what it means to make objects today.

At the University of Brighton, the three-year full-time programme includes a sandwich year with a work placement, giving you professional experience in a design or craft context alongside your academic and studio training. You will develop practical skills in one or more three-dimensional disciplines, learning to work with materials in ways that combine technical competence with creative and conceptual ambition. Studio projects challenge you to respond to briefs, to develop your own design thinking, and to engage with the histories and contexts of the forms and materials you are working with.

Critical studies develop your understanding of the theory and history of design and craft, from the Arts and Crafts movement through to contemporary debates about making, sustainability, and the value of the handmade in a digital world.

Graduates from three-dimensional design and craft programmes go on to careers as makers, designers, and creative practitioners in their own right, with many establishing independent studios or practices in ceramics, jewellery, metalwork, or other specialisms. Design roles in product design, set design, and exhibition design draw on the three-dimensional thinking and material knowledge developed in the degree. Teaching craft and design at secondary and further education level is another route.

Museum and gallery collection management, and roles in the heritage and restoration sectors, draw on craft expertise and historical knowledge. Postgraduate study in fine art, design, or craft-related disciplines is available for those who want to develop their practice further.