Design
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The Department of Design represents a unique combination of knowledge and skills including interdisciplinary design, design futures, eco-design and design education in schools. Our programmes address both the understanding and the practice of design in the educational, social, technological, and economic development of people, environments and communities.
The Department has a suite of general manufacturing workshops for modelling and making, in a broad range of rigid, flexible and mouldable materials (including a laser cutter and a starch modeller). There is a dedicated computing suite enabling 2D, 3D, media, multimedia and CAD/CAM design works. All students also have studio space.
Practice-based courses: if you are applying for a practice course in Design, you must include with your application appropriate documentation showing your current art or design work (including sketchbooks). We advise you to send a digital portfolio that could consist of the following: Powerpoint slides, photographs, DVDs and CDs, in both Mac and PC formats. Mark your work clearly with your full name, full postal address, a contact telephone number, and an indication of the size and media of each piece. We also recommend you to include notes to clarify the content of your work as well as any other information you think might be relevant. Please ensure that you pack everything securely, as Goldsmiths cannot accept responsibility for the loss or damage of any work submitted with your application.
| Undergraduate Year | Description |
|---|---|
|
Year 1 |
a course for which you do not need any previous experience |
| Year 2 |
assumes that you have had some experience |
| Year 3 |
assumes a specialist knowledge of the |
Course Groupings
Design A
(16 credits, Autumn)
This set of courses includes: Design Practice 1 (8 credits), Methods and Processes 1 (4 credits), and Design Context (4 credits). Design Context is a set of two lecture series from the Autumn term options; see the Autumn term course descriptions, below, for more detail.
Design B
(16 credits, Spring)
Prerequisite: completing ‘Design A’ first is preferable
This set of courses includes Design Practice 1 (8 credits), Methods and Processes (4 credits), and Design Context (4 credits). Design Context is a set of two lecture series from the Spring term; see the Spring term course descriptions, below, for more detail.
Combined Design A and Design B
(16+16 credits, Autumn and Spring)
Design B builds on the skills developed in Design A. We would encourage you to do both, but if you only pick one set, it is preferable to select Design A.
Individual courses
Design Practice 1
(8 credits, Autumn; 8 credits, Spring; )
Design Practice is a studio-based activity. You will need to want to work conceptually in a variety of media. Your work will focus on developing your creative processes, which can be applied to many areas of design. The course helps students from different areas – including graphic communication, three-dimensional and interaction design – appreciate other disciplines as well as developing their own thinking. The projects invite you to question current notions of design and to develop new levels of problem solving, idea generation and realisation. You will produce a broad-based conceptual portfolio in which you present the scope as well as the depth of your thinking.
Methods and Processes
(4 credits, Autumn)
This is a series of practical and reflective sessions in the studio and workshop, available only to those students who opt for full term sets of courses in Design. Sessions cover areas including drawing and sketching in the design process, research methods for designers, modelling ideas in paper and card, and the study of creative methods and processes. There is also a set of practical workshops that develop your skills to use in design, from working in our workshop to using design software. These workshops vary depending on current requirements.
Autumn Term
Design Context (Autumn) 1
(4 credits, Autumn)
This is a set of two lecture series:
Design and Meaning (Part 1)
In the Autumn term you study Context and Psychology, which examines ideas of the self and develops issues of cognitive and creative development whilst exploring concepts of the individual. Through a series of lectures and practical exercises you are encouraged to explore the ways in which semiotics can play a critical role in your work.
Ecology and Design
This course draws from a wide range of disciplines to provide insights into the complex and far-reaching environmental and social implications of design decisions. It places this work in the context of the industrial economy and emerging ideas related to sustainable design. Various critiques of current development paths are examined, and alternatives discussed. Concepts of eco design are explored in detail and you are encouraged to find new ways of working which consider the environment and the ability of present and future generations to meet their material needs.
Design Context (Autumn) 2
(4 credits, Autumn)
This is a set of two lecture series:
Society and Culture
You focus on what is meant by ‘society and culture’. The concepts of society, culture and technology will be developed through the study of ‘Robots, Superheroes and Science Fiction’.
Material Culture
This course introduces you to the idea of design activity in relation to everyday culture. It demonstrates how design is fundamentally connected to the social and political context within which it operates, rather than being an autonomous sphere of activity. The course concentrates on a branch of anthropology that has become known as the study of ‘material culture’. It comes from an understanding of design that draws upon a number of interconnected academic disciplines, including sociology, philosophy, linguistics, psychology, and anthropology.
Spring term
Design Context (Spring) 1
(4 credits, Spring)
This is a set of two lecture series:
Histories and Theories
This course provides a thematic outline of the development of design from the 19th to 21st centuries. You study the history of design in terms of its changing principles, foundations, ideas and context for design. You consider the major theories that have been advanced in order to explain the development of design practice.
Design and Meaning (Part 2)
In this course you study semiotics and examine a number of formal elements and structures that influence the grammar of visual design and the nature of material culture. Through a series of lectures and practical exercises you are encouraged to explore the ways in which semiotics can play a critical role in your work.
Design Context (Spring) 2
(2 credits, Spring)
Ethics and Sustainability
This lecture series will ask why the ethical stances of designers, the moral features of the design process, and the value-laden nature of various objects and images, are important in design. The course uses a number of critical perspectives to investigate the complex nature of these stances and features, and it examines how they feed into practice. Though a series of lectures and practical exercises you will be encouraged to explore the ways in which your personal ethical beliefs play a critical role in your work. This course also explores how design can contribute to sustainable development. It examines in detail a range of core sustainable design principles based on current research and practice.
Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London, SE14 6NW, UK
Telephone: + 44 (0)20 7919 7171
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