Product Design

UCAS code: W240

Here's what De Montfort University says about its Product Design course.

Product Design is the study of the whole creative design process – from idea to production. On this course you’ll study the aesthetic, human-centered and market-led requirements of product and furniture design to create products that are valued by the end user.

The curriculum balances both creative and technical aspects of contemporary design practices. You will focus on research insights, concept generation, three-dimensional design, product styling, brand definition, user interaction and the manufacturing process. You will also learn about sustainability and develop socially conscious products that reduce waste and conserve energy.

Benefit from the very latest physical and digital facilities in a studio environment that is designed to mimic professional practice. We will nurture you to become an industry-ready graduate who can provide innovative creative solutions to real world challenges.

Key features

• Accredited by the Institution of Engineering Designers for the purposes of fully meeting the academic requirements for Registered Product Designer (RProdDes).

• Bring your ideas to life both digitally and physically with industry standard tools that will enable you to produce digital designs, renders and animations as well as 3D artefacts in plastics, wood and metals.

• Gain professional experience with placement opportunities that have seen students work at prestigious names such as BMW, Hodges & Drake, Lewis Design Associates and Artform International.

• We work with industry to shape our curriculum and you will be taught by professionally-active staff who are involved in projects with global brands, as well as benefit from our in-house design consultancy.

• 90% of students were satisfied overall with the course (National Student Survey, 2022).

• Strengthen your portfolio by entering prestigious competitions and showcasing your work. Our students have recently been recognised in the Design Innovation in Plastics (DIP) competition and have exhibited their projects at New Designers in London.

• The award-winning Vijay Patel Building provides both the space and the facilities for ideas to develop and flourish. We offer superb workshops including the latest in additive manufacturing and rapid prototyping equipment supported by expert technicians.

• Benefit from block teaching, where most students study one subject at a time. A simple timetable will allow you to really engage with your learning, receive regular feedback and assessments, get to know your course mates and enjoy a better study-life balance.

First year Block 1: DMU Designer Block 2: Advanced Product Design Skills Block 3: Design Conception – Thinking and Methods Block 4: Design Delivery

Second year Block 1: DMU Designer 2 Block 2: Advanced Product Design Skills 2 Block 3: Design Communication and Definition Block 4: Design Practice

Third year Block 1: Design Practice 2 Block 2: Design Conception – Personal Project Block 3: Design Development – Personal Project Block 4: Design Delivery – Personal Project

You deserve a positive teaching and learning experience, where you feel part of a supportive and nurturing community. That’s why most students will enjoy an innovative approach to learning using block teaching, where you will study one module at a time. You’ll benefit from regular assessments - rather than lots of exams at the end of the year - and a simple timetable that allows you to engage with your subject and enjoy other aspects of university life such as sports, societies, meeting friends and discovering your new city. By studying with the same peers and tutor for each block, you’ll build friendships and a sense of belonging.

Overview The curriculum is focussed on developing professional practice skills and knowledge for a career in industrial product design for manufacture. You will study a broad range of areas including user-research, design methodologies, ergonomics, aesthetics, drawing, visual communication, interface, materials, manufacturing, technical specification, 2D and 3D CAD, sustainability, additive manufacturing, technology integration, team working and project management. You can determine your own design direction according to your passions and aspirations. We have seen students design a wearable sports tracking device, foldable electric scooter, augmented reality cycling helmet, urban beehive and sensory furniture to name just a few innovative projects.

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, lab sessions, seminars, tutorials, workshops and self-directed study. There is a varied mix of assessment including: portfolios, group presentations, case study analysis, individual exercises, report writing, short form unseen exercises and essay writing.

You are taught by design academics, designers in residence and visiting design consultants with specialist knowledge and skills in product design. All our staff have worked in industry and carry out commercial activity and leading research. Visiting lecturers support week-long projects or run weekly seminars, tutorials or lecture series. Previous visiting lecturers have come from leading companies including Mosley&, Empathic, Redline Studios, Seymourpowell, Out of the Bubble Design and Retail Lab.

Our students have won many major awards in recent years including the prestigious D&AD Award for Product Design and the RSA Student Design Awards.

Contact hours In your first year you will normally attend around 13 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and we expect you to undertake at least 26 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.