BA (Hons) Product Design (Full Time)

You’ll learn about the processes involved in taking a product from concept to the marketplace on this exciting and absorbing course. From motorcycles to mobile phones, sunglasses to skateboards, product designers are responsible for creating products which are attractive, desirable and satisfying. The course concentrates on the relationship between products and the people who use them and includes both ergonomic and aesthetic aspects of product design.

&nbsp

Key elements include:

• The product design process, including the generation and communication of creative ideas, through to manufacture and commercial realisation
• A teaching team that is passionate about the subject, bringing a wealth of industrial experience
• A regular guest speaker programme
• International collaborative projects
• Live industry briefs, in partnership with companies such as Ikea and B&Q
• Opportunities for work placement
• Access to advanced manufacturing and state-of-the-art computer/CGI facilities
• Good working relationship between staff and students, with regular tutorial support resulting in high levels of student satisfaction
• A progressive system of learning and assessment, where students gain more confidence and independence as professional designers over time.

External Examiner reports have confirmed that students produce work of a high standard on this course.

Industrial focus

The course has strong links with industry. A Partner Affiliation Network of companies and organisations, including IKEA, B&Q and the NHS provide ‘live’ project briefs and design competitions with work placement opportunities. Industry representatives advise on the content and currency of the course and also provide job hunting and career advice. The course develops the key transferable skills sought by employers, enabling graduates to make a smooth transition to their first job.

|

Course content

Year 1

Six core units:

• Design Skills
• Design Projects – Introduction
• Design Projects – Application
• Commercial Studies
• Technical Studies
• Design in Context (Historical)

Year 2

Four core units and two option units:

• Design Studies
• Design Projects – User Interface
• Design Projects – Manufacturing
• Manufacturing Studies.

Options:

• Design Projects – Industry OR Design Project - Themes
• New Product Development OR Curriculum Plus.

|

Year 3

Four core units:

• Design Projects – Futures
• Design Projects – Integration
• Research Exposition
• Major Project.

|

Why choose Solent?

• A highly relevant course based on current industry demands, and students are taught by industry professionals who maintain up-to-date links.
• Excellent links with employers from a broad section of the industry. All our students have the opportunity to work with companies who are collaborating with us through the Partner Affiliation Network.
• Course focuses on developing communication through drawing and presentation, and techniques to enhance creative thinking, both of which have been identified as desirable skills by employers.
• University investment in the latest advanced manufacturing technologies.
• You’ll have the opportunity to register with our creative agency, Solent Creatives. This is where you’ will be able to work with clients on real-life briefs and develop your industry portfolio.
• We offer international collaborations with universities in Italy, China and Norway, enabling our students to enhance their global overview of the product design industry.

|

Assessment

A mix of practical projects, written assignments, case studies and presentations.

Projects/work experience

Opportunities for involvement in live projects and/or national competitions.

Key career skills

IT, creative thinking, presentation, project management, visual communication, evaluation and problem.

Graduate quote

Chris Butler

Chris now works for Seymour Powell, one of the UK’s leading design consultancies. He specialises in finding relevant user-centred insights to help inform the innovation and design process. This means that he gets to spend a lot of time nosing around people’s houses and lives!

“My projects have taken me from Tokyo to Buenos Aires, India, China and beyond. I am privileged to be able to travel to unlikely destinations to observe and understand how products fit into people’s everyday lives. Then I get to help turn that research into products!

“Solent gave me a solid platform of skills from which to progress. My design training helped develop my eye for user need and how design can solve problems, and marketing enabled me to communicate these benefits to others. The blending of these two disciplines is integral to the work I do today.

“I enjoyed the small class size and opportunity to develop my design skills while understanding the importance of building links between design solutions and practical industry needs. My practical workshop skills also landed me a job in a model-making studio in Sydney, which was great too.”

|

Industry quote

Rob Cooper, Marketing Manager, IKEA Southampton

“Every time we have done something with Southampton Solent University, we’ve always been taken aback by the creativity and professionalism of the final products. There are lots of opportunities to work together in the future and to give real-life experiences.”

International Collaboration

• Shanghai University of Engineering Science (SUES)
• Tsinghua University, China
• Milan Polytechnic University
• Norges Klatreforbund University, Norway.

Partner Affiliation Network

The Partner Affiliation Network is a group of companies aligned to each course area in the School of Design with the purpose of supporting a range of activities to help students engage with employers and gain relevant industrial experience. This is achieved through live project work, design competitions, work placements and guest speaker programmes.

All students studying on this course programme will have the opportunity to work with industry.

See what our prospective students have been doing in partnership with B&Q...|

Key info from UNISTATS