Program Overview

Perfectly positioned by the creative heart of East London's Shoreditch, you’ll find our School of Art, Architecture and Design the ideal location to study contemporary product and furniture design. You’ll receive a world-class introduction to all aspects of the industry, equipping you with the skills and networks needed for employment, self-employment or further postgraduate study.

The teaching team for this undergraduate design course is made up of experienced educators and internationally recognised designers (read about them below), whose work with leading design brands and galleries can be found in the permanent collections of the UK Crafts Council, Design Museum Holon, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Gewerbemuseum in Switzerland, amongst others.

Driven by curiosity and a can-do attitude, you’ll become a competent maker, opinionated thinker and a flexible designer with a set of industry-relevant skills and experiences. This in turn will empower you to find your own voice in the expanding and evolving product and furniture design world.

Inspired by the vibrant energy of our London home and the university’s one-hundred-year heritage, we embrace the collision of past, present and future – from digital 3D fabrication to traditional craft – to help you learn a rigorous design approach that is deeply connected to material, making and process, all informed by empathy for the end user, insightful observation and sound ethical choices.

Your impressive roster of tutors will be made up internationally recognised product and furniture designers, who together offer a dynamic practice-based learning culture that will encourage the exploration and discovery of your own interests and approaches through both experimentation and trial and error. What’s more, this all takes place in our realistic studio environment.

You’ll develop your practical skills during first year briefs that focus on specific materials and processes (including, wood, ceramics, metal and digital fabrication), equipping you with the know-how needed to make use of the extensive workshops for the remainder of the course. In your second and final years you’ll gain experience of working on live project briefs for major brands, with partners including 1882, SCP, Lodes Lighting and Brompton.

Teaching on our Furniture and Product Design BA comprises a mix of one-to-one tutorials, group crits, seminars and student presentations, which create a supportive framework within which you will become comfortable presenting and objectively discussing your own work.

We have strong links with local and international design communities, and you will visit local design studios, galleries, retailers, journalists and curators, benefitting from opportunities to nurture your own professional networks.