Design courses

About 3d Designer Maker in Staffordshire University

Our BA (Hons) 3D Designer Maker programme will give you the chance to design and make your ideas through a broad range of materials with an exciting emphasis on experimentation in making innovative objects through industrial processes with high levels of craftsmanship, giving you the chance to become a more informed contemporary maker.

If you have a passion for designing and making contemporary interior products, such as furniture and lighting, ceramics and jewellery, this is the course for you.

This course will not only enable you to DESIGN innovative objects but also MAKE your ideas through taught skills gaining high levels in craftsmanship.

The strength of this distinctive course is reflected in the achievements of our former students including:

• Valentine Clays Award for Excellence 1st 2nd & 3rd Prize second consecutive year running 2019 & 2018
• 5 Keith Brymer Jones Award’s for ‘Promising Young Designer’ 2019
• Best Stand Award - New Designers 2018
• Denby Highly Commended Award – New Designers 2018
• Potclays Awards for Outstanding Excellence 2019 & 2018
• Duchess China Award
• British Ceramics Biennial Show Highlite – One to Watch 2018
• Winner of the Caroline Gardner placement at the National Student Stationery Design Competition
• Multiple winners of the Franz Rising Star Project scholarships 2019 & 2018

Learn the essential skills needed to survive in the ‘real world’ by undertaking live, external client-led briefs with the likes of Marks & Spencer Homeware, SCP, Sainsbury’s Home, KMF, Royal Doulton and Wedgwood to prepare you for a career as an independent designer maker or a designer in industry.

You’ll get to experience a breadth of materials and highly crafted skills through our 3D wood, metal and ceramics workshops, before specialising in interior products, jewellery, ceramics or digital craft.

You could also use your skills to set up your own businesses as a designer maker. Many of our self-employed graduates have been featured in nationally recognised magazines such as Crafts, Elle Decoration and Craftsman Magazine. Others have gained employment with The Crafts Council, Marks and Spencer Homeware, Sainsbury’s Home and Wedgwood.

This course enables you to explore ideas through a range of taught craft practice and design processes. There's a strong emphasis on experimentation with materials and contemporary approaches to making innovative objects. There is also an opportunity to gain a substantial work placement with companies such as Wedgwood and Royal Doulton not just in the area of ceramics.

Our Award Winning creative team of professional makers and technicians will support you throughout. You'll gain practical knowledge and a repertoire of skills, developing your understanding of the designers’ essential toolkit as well as contemporary techniques and processes which reflect current trends and practices in an ever-changing world of the designer maker. Workshops cover:

• Wood – traditional wood working machines as well as CNC machining
• Ceramics – industry leading ceramic facilities; throwing, hand building, slip casting, jigger jolly, glaze labs and kiln rooms
• Resin, plastics and fibreglass facilities
• Fine Metal, Heavy Metal & Precision Metal
• Digital Imaging Skills (to work software packages such as Rhino, Photoshop, Illustrator

As well as access to our £1.3 million Smart Zone where you can access laser cutters, 3D printing in clay and metal, 3D scanning and VR.

Our 3D Designer Maker degree allows you to specialise in: Ceramics, Interior Products such as Furniture or Lighting, Contemporary Jewellery/Wearables or Digital Craft.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: BA (Hons) 3D Designer Maker

Entry requirements

To apply for an undergraduate (bachelors) degree you need one of the following qualifications:

• Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) / Standard 12/ XII with a minimum score of 65% overall

• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma with 28 points overall
• Successful completion of a relevant International Foundation Year from a recognised UK Institution
• For A-Level requirements, please see the ‘entry requirements’ section on the relevant course page

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