Product and Furniture Design
Product and furniture design is a discipline that takes making seriously, placing the hand and the material at the centre of the design process rather than treating the physical object as merely the output of a digital workflow. At the University of the Arts London, this three-year full-time degree is taught within one of the world's most stimulating design education environments, combining practical skills in fabrication, materials and construction with a critical and investigative approach to what objects are for and how they relate to the people and environments that use them. A sandwich year with work placement gives you direct professional experience in the industry.
You will develop your ability to work with materials including wood, metal, ceramics and plastics, developing hands-on making skills alongside the conceptual and critical thinking that distinguishes a designer who questions convention from one who simply applies received solutions. The design process you develop moves between making and thinking, research and realisation, engaging with the full range of considerations that inform good product and furniture design, including ergonomics, manufacturing processes, sustainability, cultural context and the economics of production. UAL's programme benefits from the extraordinary cultural and creative resources of London and from the institution's network of connections across the design, manufacturing and craft industries.
A typical entry tariff of around 136 points is expected.
Graduates work as product designers, furniture designers, design researchers, makers and design consultants across consumer goods, furniture, interiors, retail design and the wider creative industries. Many graduates also pursue independent practice, making and selling their own work, or move into education, arts administration and design management. Postgraduate study in product design, material culture or design research is a natural further step for those who wish to develop specialist expertise or pursue academic careers.