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Introduction
Why choose this course?
Key features
Work on live projects with industry experts to gain valuable skills and experience. Recent briefs have been set by Sainsbury’s Home, Argos, Sue Pryke Ceramics, Goldsmiths Company, the Leathersellers’ Company and Contemporary British Silversmiths.
Explore a huge range of designing and making opportunities with access to outstanding facilities in our award-winning Vijay Patel Building. We have superb workshops and industry standard equipment including glassblowing, slip casting, potter's wheels, kilns, casting in precious metals, enamelling, digital printing, laser cutting, embroidery machines, looms and lathes.
Professional skills are embedded throughout the course to prepare you for a range of careers within the creative industries, whether that be as a craftsperson, jeweller, ceramicist, textile artist, designer-maker, glass artist, designer, researcher, consultant, curator, buyer, stylist or educator.
You will have the flexibility produce a wide range of objects, including individual artefacts for galleries and to commission, small batches of similar items, limited editions, public installations and designs for industry.
Establish yourself by entering national and international competitions. DMU graduates have won many accolades, including the Goldsmiths’ Precious Metal award, and have exhibited at prestigious events such as New Designers and One Year In.
Learn from highly-experienced academic and technical staff and hear from guest speakers from across the creative industries to help you to determine your future career path.
Benefit from Education 2030, where a simplified ‘block learning’ timetable means you will study one subject at a time and have more time to engage with your learning, receive faster feedback and enjoy a better study-life balance.
Overview
On this hands-on and multi-disciplinary course you will explore both traditional hand skills and emerging technologies while working with a wide range of materials such as hot and cold glass, clay, paper, fine metals, plastics, resin, wood and textiles.
You will select a specialism and determine your own direction according to your interests and aspirations, establishing your personal creative voice. You will have the freedom to explore different processes to create objects for domestic use, interior spaces, exterior spaces or to be worn on the body and these can be hand-held or large-scale pieces, whether that be vessels, tiles, stoneware, glassware, jewellery, tableware or sculptural pieces to name just a few examples.
You will develop an understanding of craft contexts and markets alongside environmental and ethical issues surrounding the practice of craft. Professional and entrepreneurial skills are a key focus of the course and we aim to nurture you to become an industry-ready and adaptable creative professional with a clear sense of your own practice.
Modules
Year 1
Block 1: Craft Skills
The module introduces you to craft materials and processes and will induct you in the practical workshops, these include core material areas for Craft: fine metals, ceramics, glass, plaster and an introduction to subsidiary materials areas in wood, plastics, textiles paper, fibre and digital making. The induction is followed by the introduction to basic craft processes, which typically include hand, machine and digital techniques such as construction, cutting, joining, model and mould making, casting, colouring, printing, forming, surface patination and additive and subtractive techniques across materials. You will begin to develop their awareness of the circular economy, ethical material culture and material waste reduction.
You are introduced to the scarcity and abundance of materials and will begin to consider the impacts of how ethical material choice can make a difference on the changing environment. You will also become aware of the longevity of craft product/artefacts and the potential of reuse or re purposing in response.
Assessment: Materials samples, 60%. Technical logbook, 40%.
Block 2: Design and Make
This module introduces you to the design and making process through your individual response to a brief, technical demonstrations and builds on the basic inductions and craft knowledge gained in the previous module. You will explore and learn the use of basic methods of communication within the design process and experiment with media and approaches to drawing in 2D and 3D. Creative ideas are generated in both studio and craft workshops. Ideas are developed through drawing approaches which include collage, use of colour, surface treatment, texture, mark making, expression, CAD, digital drawing and technical drawing. You will continue to think about materials, reuse, ethical material culture /waste reduction, longevity of craft products and artefacts.
Assessment: Craft making, 80%. Drawing and design portfolio, 20%.
Block 3: Craft Projects
On this module you will explore the relationship between users, objects and environments and the design and making process. Through your individual response to a brief, you will build on the basic design and craft skills knowledge gained in the previous module. You will consider how objects are constructed and how they support different kinds of user interaction in terms of decorative or functional use whilst bearing in mind sustainable material production and sourcing. You will explore and evaluate the existence, meanings and purposes of those objects in relation to the individual to develop and make a series of material prototypes that test your understanding of the user. You will explore the aesthetics and ergonomics of craft objects and become mindful of your audience through detailed observations of everyday use.
Assessment: Design and artefacts project, 80%. Presentation/ display, 20%.
Block 4: Craft in Context
This module consolidates previous learning to begin to make choices in materials and test contexts. You will research a particular design craft context of your choice and produce a finished artefact, design or product in response. You are encouraged to use digital technologies and/ or traditional craft processes to produce concepts and conclusions for relevant independently defined contexts. With an increasingly independent approach, your project work will demonstrate your individual practice.
The practical content is further underpinned by theoretical content delivered by the Design Cultures department to contextualise current practice within an historical framework. You will consider origins and influences - how traditions develop and evolve in response to social and political contexts - as well as research methods, visual literacy and the skills for academic writing. Typical contextual content will include the birth and later rediscoveries of the Classical tradition, the changing status of makers/craftspeople over place and time, the impact of industrialisation and the division of labour and the relationship between contemporary practice and craft and design movements.
Assessment: Craft project, 50%. Essay, 50%.
Year 2
Block 1: Live Projects
The Design Crafts subject is broad and facilitates a range of approaches to creative practice in the field. A design approach, a process-led approach or an artistic approach. On this module you will interpret and respond to an external brief, taking full account of any drivers that have influence on the design activity included within it. You will experience what it is to be a Designer. Competitions, commissions and commercial ‘live’ briefs will be considered.
You will identify two appropriate briefs and demonstrate an ability to design an artefact or product which fulfils the requirements of the selected brief. You will be able to work collaboratively (in small groups or pairs) or individually.
A series of seminars on market research, design, CAD and visual communication will build confidence in communication skills. Market and trends research will be undertaken and potential methods of production will be explored and identified. Mood boards, Design boards, CAD, sketchbooks, models, maquettes, samples and visualisations will communicate a concept and its development though to a resolved design.
Assessment: Project 1, 50%. Project 2, 50%.
Block 2: Craft Skills 2
As 3D printing or rapid-prototyping has become more accessible it has infiltrated into almost all areas of craft, design and manufacture. From fashion to medicine, 3D modelling and rapid prototyping are used as tools to produce objects which would have otherwise been inconceivable. Individual artists, designers and makers have also been pushing the boundaries within this field and developing ways of employing this technology to further their practice. Exploring a hybrid of hand and digital making will offer you interesting opportunities to be innovative and stand out within a contemporary design craft arena.
This module introduces you to a range of basic processes and practices associated with the digital design, development and rapid proto-typing of three-dimensional artefacts. You will gain an understanding of the role of 3D computer modelling and rapid-prototyping within the design process and explore how this can relate to your own practice, whether that be as: a vehicle to communicate your ideas; a time and cost-efficient means of conveying your ideas to clients; a way to subvert the traditional limits of design craft practice or; as part of the tool making process that could be used for batch production methods or standalone items.
You will design artefacts or products for the market that have integrity and a distinctive design aesthetic. You will develop ideas and concepts that reflect current trends and attempt toanticipate emerging new trends and sustainability issues within the marketplace too.
Assessment: Portfolio of drawing, design and research, 50%. Consolidation, 50%.
Block 3: Craft Cultures
This module engages you with contemporary debates and research in the craft and design. This module is designed to complement the consolidation of material skills by introducing a broad knowledge of historical and contemporary design practice in a wider global context. It develops research methods, vocabulary and the necessary skills to become critically aware and confident in engaging in debate within and beyond the discipline. Key designers, thinkers and writers in the field will be introduced to embed a working knowledge of key concepts in discussions about the discipline, including sustainability, gender and cross-cultural awareness.
Typical content will include contemporary discourse and debate about ethical and sustainable craft practice, globalisation and the role of craft in development, the role of gender in making, mediating and consuming, contemporary curatorial practices, the relationship between design and technology and contemporary craft and design practice.
Assessment: Literature review, 30%. Essay, 70%.
Block 4: Creative Practice
In this module you will take ownership of your personal design direction as an emerging creative practice. Through the exploration and refinement of practical skills and conceptual investigation you will produce refined artefact/s and present them in a professional public exhibition display. You will write your own brief through negotiation with tutors. The brief will consider the materials choice, context and methods of making and sets parameters for the project.
You will collaboratively organise, finance, publicise and professionally present your work at a public exhibition. Alongside costing and pricing your work, you will research E-marketing and be encouraged to look at related websites and blogs in order to understand how to utilise the marketing potential for your exhibition.
You will develop the knowledge and understanding of professional Design Crafts contexts through a series of lectures, seminars and study visits. These will show you the different career pathways open to you and explore relationships with your own emerging practice, ambition and transferable skills acquired. You will also write a creative CV, and compose an enquiry for a placement.
Practical lectures and workshops include portfolio building, creating design boards and other professional presentation methods, digital photography and printing.
Assessment: Craft project, 80%. Presentation/ exhibition, 20%.
Year 3
Blocks 1 and 2: Craft Practice
This practical module runs parallel to the theoretical module ‘Craft Contexts’ in Blocks 1 & 2. Practical, creative ideas are developed with consideration of wider, cultural, political and social issues. In depth research into trends, environments & sustainability, communities and lifestyles supports the development of both practical and design work. You will develop a deeper understanding of the contexts for your practice through the theoretical content delivered by the Design Cultures department delivered alongside this module.
The experience gained from previous live project work is developed to respond in a more personal direction, reflecting your preferred craft materials or craft discipline and to test creative ideas in a more commercial context, mindful of a user and professional requirements. You will produce refined design work for submission to national competitions.
Assessment: Live project, 50%. Investigation, 50%.
Blocks 1 and 2: Craft Connections
You will consolidate your skills of research, organisation, critical analysis and communication in order to develop and agree a self-directed title for a written assignment. You will be able to choose between an extended essay or a personal design statement of 4,000 words. A link between the assignment and studio projects is encouraged to demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between theory and practice.
There are two stages to the assessment for this module: a detailed plan, for which you will receive feedback from the tutor, and the final written assignment. Sessions on time management, planning, record-keeping and presentation take place throughout the module.
Assessment: Essay plan, 20%. Essay, 80%.
Block 3: Design Crafts Projects
This module is designed to encourage you to develop and explore your ideas in depth and to demonstrate your professional skills as a designer maker. This is in preparation for the final personal project. Research and sketchbook work support progress and is utilised in the communication of ideas/ concepts. Prototypes, maquettes and samples will be developed into final pieces, which may not be fully resolved.
By the end of the module you will have documented a deeper knowledge of technical and material aspects in a technical log book. This includes references to other makers appropriate to your craft practice and research into material suppliers and resources. The logbook becomes a valuable resource for you as a Design Craft graduate. You will also write a draft project proposal for the final module.
Assessment: Portfolio of 2D drawing and design, 20%. Craft project, 80%.
Block 4: Personal Projects
This module is the culmination of the studio aspects of the course, where a body of finished work is produced for public exhibition. Your work will exemplify fully developed abilities of concept finalisation and of application of materials and processes which is the coherent realisation and expression of a personal creative direction. The module encourages autonomous activity in making, drawing, presenting, organising and developing images, designs and other outcomes in physical or digital formats, whilst applying knowledge and understanding about the growing issues around the scarcity of particular materials and the longevity of product/artefact and their reuse.
You will undertake in-depth research, including primary research at appropriate sites, to develop knowledge and understanding of the contemporary professional context and location of your work and its public reception. You will design your own marketing materials, including business card, look books/ press packs, a price list, CV and artists statement to accompany the public exhibition of your work.
You will research potential employers, potential stockists such as gallery owners, curators, museums, organisations and companies etc. Lectures will discuss methods of costing and current trends, branding and market research that will inform your practice and enable you to succeed in the marketplace. You will deepen your knowledge of relevant professional networks, self-employment, structures and support agencies. This knowledge, together with identified skills, will be presented through a developing career portfolio.
Assessment: Personal final project, 80%. Exhibition/ presentation of final collection, 20%.
Entry Criteria
ENTRY REQUIRED DOCUMENTS
Home Office Share Code
For EU students only.
IF no Qualification
Please provide CV with at least 2 years of work experience, and employee reference letter.
Entry criteria
Typical entry requirements
We welcome applicants from a range of backgrounds.
Art and Design Foundation or
112 points from at least 2 A ‘levels
BTEC Extended Diploma DMM
International Baccalaureate: 26+ Points or
T Levels Merit
Plus five GCSEs grades 9-4 including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above.
Pass Access with 30 Level 3 credits at Merit and GCSE English (Language or Literature) at grade 4 or above
We will normally require students to have had a break from full time education before undertaking the Access course.
We also accept the BTEC First Diploma plus two GCSEs including English Language or Literature at grade 4 or above
English language requirements
If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.
English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.
Interview and portfolio
Interview required: Yes
Portfolio required: Yes
Assessment
ASSESSMENT METHODS
1. INTERNAL ENGLISH TEST if you don't have an English accredited certificate
2. Academic Interview
Teaching and assessments
You will learn in regular timetabled practical workshops, inductions, lectures, seminars, group tutorials, one-to-one tutorials, practical and theoretical talks. Each module has a brief that challenges you to respond creatively, enabling you to develop a range of skills which enhance your personal development. By the final year you will propose your own direction of study and final project.
You will receive ongoing feedback in tutorials, seminars, workshops and more formal written feedback. We assess your progress and achievement throughout the course, formally through presentations and the display of coursework. Typically we assess your work in sketchbooks, design sheets, physical objects, maquettes, models and samples, portfolios and log books. We assess a small amount of written work in the form of technical notes, reports and essays. We ask you to evaluate your own achievements and comment on your own progress.
There are opportunities throughout the course for placements in galleries, small workshops, Sainsbury’s, Hand & Lock, and for exchanges, working collaboratively and working on live briefs and with external clients. DMU is involved in the Crafts Council’s Firing Up scheme where you can volunteer to work with clay in local schools.
Our graduates have won many recent awards and prizes including The Enameller’s Guild Bursary, the Embroiderers' Guild Scholar 18-30, The Worshipful Company of Goldsmith’s Precious Metal Bursary, The Creative Business Award and the Silver Award in Craft and Design Magazine’s Selected Maker Awards, The Young Silversmith’s Award.
One of our recent graduates Alice Funge was personally selected by New Designers sponsor Sainsbury’s to show their work alongside a display of the supermarket giant’s own homewares in a prime spot near the entrance of the hall at the Business Design Centre.
The Design Crafts lecturers are all practising designers and makers, from a wide range of arts and crafts disciplines. We are also proud to have numerous visiting speakers which have included cermacists, jewellery designers, sculptors, textile artists, enamellers, furniture and product designers and illustrators.
Contact hours
In your first year you will normally attend around 24 hours of timetabled taught sessions each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 19 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.
Career Opportunities
Artist in Residence
As part of our Artist in Residence programme, selected graduates are provided with a year’s worth of access to DMU’s workshops and academic and technical support after finishing their studies. It provides our graduates with the opportunity for their ideas to grow within a creative environment, with support from access to facilities that would rarely be available to new graduates.
For Parneet Pahwa, securing a spot as an Artist in Residence was “the greatest opportunity after graduating.”
DMU Global
Our innovative international experience programme DMU Global aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons, helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world. Through DMU Global, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK-based activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.
Students on this course have previously undertaken DMU Global trips to New York, where they visited arts organisation UrbanGlass, as well as benefited from a design-centred experience in Copenhagen and a trip to Berlin to understand how their art practice sits within an international context.
Graduate careers
Our graduates can gain the skills to go on to careers in a variety of areas such as craftsperson, jeweller, ceramicist, textile artist, designer-maker, glass artist, designer, researcher, consultant, curator, buyer, stylist and educator.
Previous graduates have set up their own craft workshops, secured roles in design studios with brands including Sainsbury’s and Next, worked in the craft industry with leading ceramicists such as Sue Pryke and Hannah Tounsend, as well as collaborated with organisations including the National Trust.
This course gives you the option to enhance and build your professional skills to progress within your chosen career, through a placement year. Our dedicated team offers a range of careers resources and opportunities so you can start planning your future. Previous students have secured placements at deVOL Kitchens and Henry Holland.
Find out how Design Crafts graduate Ellie Barton secured a job with luxury interior design brand deVOL.
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