Our academic team are all practising professionals in the field of design and you’ll benefit from their long-established network of visiting artists and designers. Throughout your studies, you’ll be introduced to potential employers through live briefs and sponsored projects, where you will meet leading industry names and pitch designs for commercial production.
The university’s range of undergraduate courses are designed in close consultation with an Industry Liaison Group – including luxury interior furnishings group Harlequin, recognised for their outstanding design, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of wall coverings, furnishing fabrics and whose sub-brands include Zoffany, Sanderson, Morris & Co., Harlequin and Scion.
Real-world experiences through guest lecturers, design competitions and work placements also play a vital role in keeping you connected to cutting-edge trends and techniques and you will make invaluable contacts – preparing you for success beyond graduation. In recent times, students specialising in printed textiles and surface pattern at the university have worked with Mercedes-Benz smart cars to design and launch new body panel decals, with the winning design team’s work officially manufactured. We also enjoy close links with Wrag Wrap, Zandra Rhodes, Brume, Clarks, and more.
Between Year 1 and 2 of your studies, you’ll gain the opportunity to take a work placement with a well-known brand or design studio, and later in your second year you’ll visit some of the most important design events in Europe, such as Heimtextil in Frankfurt, Première Vision and Maison & Objet in Paris. We encourage students to combine international trips with a study tour event as well as the possibility of exhibiting your work at a major international design shows, such as the prestigious London Design Fair.
Our strong international connections also allow our students to undertake a semester of study with one of our partner institutions within Europe and North America, and in turn, we welcome overseas students from those institutions to join us in our design studios, creating an exciting cultural exchange.
