Undergraduate

Design at Goldsmiths

98% of Goldsmiths
Design graduates
secure a design-related
job in their first year
after graduation

Key features
*******

Our interdisciplinary approach

gives you experience of areas
like graphics, furniture, product,
interaction, and multimedia design
We challenge you to create design
that questions the society we live in
Recent placements include
Pentagram, OMA (Rem Koolhaas)
and Heatherwick Studios
We receive the very highest
National Student Survey
teaching scores nationally

2 www.gold.ac.uk/design

Why study design at Goldsmiths

At Goldsmiths were not interested in just producing
design. Were interested in defining it. We see design
as a discipline with a dual impact: forecasting the
future and reflecting the world now.
Its an influence we take seriously. Design is at work
tracing every moment of life but it also has the
power to transform it. Were interested in drawing on
the creative and cultural diversity thats unique to
Goldsmiths, so were always looking over the fence at
a range of other disciplines using the history of
everything that influences design as a way to
understand the context in which its produced.
Were multi-, inter- and trans-disciplinary.
As a design student here youll be looking at
everything outside of design as a way to
interpret what its about. So our single
undergraduate degree deliberately moves
away from specialisms and set topics towards
a live curriculum. This means you can cultivate
an adaptable 21st-century practice by
exploring all aspects of design and developing
an awareness of designs impact on the
socio-cultural landscape.
Were experimental. Were hooked on ideas
and nothings off limits. This means youll have
the chance to try things out within a
supportive environment, but youll also learn
to maintain control over your process so you
can justify every material and decision made.
Were out in the world. From awkward space
in cities to energy reduction, were conducting
research in a whole range of settings, but
were also award-winning creative practitioners
and our practice is often informed by yours.
Come and shape your creative identity within
a design department where were working as
one studio with infinite scope.
Visit www.gold.ac.uk/ug/design for full details of our degree 3

*******
Watch our film at
vimeo.com/
goldsmiths/design

Typical GCE A-level offer:

BBB or equivalent.
Additional requirements:
We accept applications from
students that demonstrate
post-16 study in art and design
(a Foundation course, BTec
or NVQ Level 3 in Design
is usually required) or GCE
A-levels with a strong art
and design portfolio. We also
welcome applications from
mature students without
formal qualifications who have
relevant work experience or
design work, and also from
students without A-levels
in Art and Design, but have
an interest in a future career
in the creative industries

4 www.gold.ac.uk/design

(this may include students

with strong A-levels in the
humanities and sciences).
After submitting your
application you will be
contacted if you have been
selected for interview.
We will be interviewing
throughout the autumn
and winter, so please apply
as early as possible.
At interview, we ask you to
bring a hard copy of your
portfolio, which should include
a selection (about 12 pieces) of
your most creative work. Your
portfolio should represent a
variety of art and/or design
approaches and outcomes,
and we encourage you to

choose work from a range

of interests outside of your
studies.
If you are an international or
EU student who is unable to
attend an interview in person,
we may offer a telephone/
online interview. Prior to this
you will be asked to submit an
electronic portfolio, which
should be 12-20 items that
represent a variety of your
design work and approaches.
Again, please include work
that reflects the broad
spectrum of your creativity.
If your first language is not
English, please check our
website for English language
requirements.

The degree
BA (Hons) Design
3 years full-time, with professional placement during Year 2
www.gold.ac.uk/ug/ba-design

The three-year degree is structured around

five different courses. These courses support and
complement one another within each year of study,
and as you progress through the years they are
designed to build a coherent set of experiences.
Studio Practice: This course is where
the majority of the practical, project-based
work is delivered, discussed and assessed.
Studio Practice is delivered through a series
of unique structured briefs in Years 1
and 2, and progresses into Year 3
with the development of a studentled major project and exhibition.

Methods and Processes: In Year 1 this

course equips you with a set of tools for
designing, looking at research methods
and ways to generate and record
ideas. In Year 2 the course prepares
you for workplace environments,
introducing aspects of professional
presentation and communication.

Contextual Studies: Contextual Studies

provides the theoretical core of the
BA Design. All students attend lectures
on a wide range of design-related issues,
ranging from ethics and sustainability,
to semiotics and psychology. In the final
year this course supports the writing of
the Context Report (dissertation).

Professional Practice: All students undertake

a Professional Placement between Years
2 and 3. This course encourages you to
develop a more professional approach to
your own work, and to generate valuable
contacts for future employment.

Technical Studies: A series of technical

workshops, delivered to first and second
years, covering a broad base of skills.
You encounter traditional 3D materials
and technologies, and advanced
computer-aided design and manufacturing.
Technical workshops also cover image
production, manipulation and film
making, as well as fundamental aspects
of typography and graphic layout.

Visit www.gold.ac.uk/ug/design for full details of our degree 5

*******
Staff
Our staff are practitioners and theorists from a wide
range of backgrounds, all of whom are actively engaged
at the forefront of design research and innovation.
Individual staff interests are diverse and experimental;
our work is published and exhibited internationally,
and recognised through lots of professional awards.

The Department of Design has three

Research Units working across the fields
of Interaction, Innovation and Education
and staff are also involved in a variety
of collaborations, within Goldsmiths
and spanning multiple institutions.
Staff research interests provide invaluable
access to external expertise, and these
form an important resource for students as
they begin to define their individual design
aspirations. Our research insights and
knowledge continually shape our teaching,
ensuring a curriculum that is driven by the
most current and challenging developments
in design theory, technology and practice.

6 www.gold.ac.uk/ug/design

Current BA Design staff include

Edd Bagenal
Richard Brett
David Cameron
Martin Conreen
Charlotte Grinling
Toby Hadden
Sean Hall
Rosario Hurtado
Nadine Jarvis
Tobie Kerridge
Onkar Kular

Jimmy Loizeau
Laura Potter
Pete Rogers
Juliet Sprake
Mathilda Tham
Tuur Van Balen
Martin Vowles
Michael Waller
Matt Ward
Andrew Weatherhead
Alex Wilkie

Facilities and environment

Students have their own dedicated studios, and
their own personal workspace. Our lively eclectic
mix of students creates a vibrant studio culture,
where working alongside your peers is far more
beneficial than working at home alone.

This is something that we place great

emphasis on at Goldsmiths many graduates
enter professional life as part of a team,
in a shared studio, and learning to work
in such an environment is a fundamental
part of contemporary design education.
The Department of Design workshops
contain cutting-edge digital equipment,
including rapid-prototyping and laser
cutting facilities. We can support practical
work using most materials, including wood,
metal, plastic, ceramic and textiles. Our
dedicated computing suites are constantly
updated to offer the latest digital software.
Some classes take place across the
College campus in new facilities, which are
purpose built for hosting lectures, seminars
and specialist computing sessions. The
Department runs its own series of open
lectures called Design Means and you
are are also able to access regular Collegewide lectures, seminars and events.
London provides a rich backdrop and
resource for anyone studying art and design,
being home to some of the most important
galleries and museums in the world. The
city is a creative hub for new and emerging
design practice, and each year the London
Design Festival plays host to the worlds
most exciting design talent. Goldsmiths
is ideally placed for any student who is
interested in the past and future of design.

Visit www.gold.ac.uk/ug/design for full details of our degree 7

Beyond university
*******
The degree has extremely good links with the world
outside academia, and you have opportunities to
engage in professional environments throughout
your taught programme. In Year 2, all students
take part in a Live Project, and in recent years
these have been developed with prestigious
partners such as BERG, The National Maritime
Museum, Kin Design, Nokia and Imagination.
Students undertake a placement between
Years 2 and 3, with most working at two
or three different companies. These
placements are secured with a wide range
of external businesses, from established
names like Pentagram, OMA (Rem
Koolhaas) and Heatherwick Studios, to
new and emerging ventures, small-scale
enterprises and with solo designer-makers.
The majority of our graduates gain
employment in design or a design-related
field within six months of completing their
studies. BA Design students have gone on
to work for large companies and agencies,
as well as for smaller collaborative studios,
and many have emerged as self-employed
designers and design consultants. Each year
a few students decide to start collaborative
businesses, and new graduates are regularly
employed by our previous graduates.
Some of our students continue to Masters
level degrees (MAs). For those who wish to
pursue their education further at Goldsmiths,
the Department of Design has a number
of postgraduate programmes, as well as
opportunities to study towards research
degrees (MPhil and PhD). Our graduates have
also gone on to further study at many other
universities in the UK and around the world.

8 www.gold.ac.uk/design

Graduate insights
Livia (graduated 2010)
When I decided to enrol at university, the
BA Design at Goldsmiths was the only course
I applied to. Im a naturally good maker;
I love getting my hands dirty and working on
the materiality of an object. Three years on,
the Foundry is still my favourite place, but
Im a good all-rounder now. Im much more
analytical and aware of my responsibilities as
a designer, but at the same time the course
has enhanced my individuality. People here
share a very open vision of what design is.

Justas (graduated 2012)

Theres a lot of space for personal intervention
and individualism. The tutors are professionals
who do a lot of practical stuff out there behind
the university walls, which is really valuable for
our learning here. Studying here you feel like you
are sitting next to someone who is going to invent
something that will revolutionise the world.
Jane (graduated 2010)
I came to Goldsmiths for the Design course
itself: being in a vibrant city like London was
just a bonus. I dont think there is anywhere else
that offers such a dynamic, interdisciplinary and
radical programme. Through engaging with
photography, film, casting, design history and the
study of culture (and much more) the course has
developed my practical skills and understanding
but ultimately it is about exploration and
generating a personal understanding of what
design is and where you position your individual
practice. Design is the ultimate communication
tool it is a device aimed at change. I have
loved studying here and I think that Im more
passionate about my subject than ever.

Edward (graduated 2012)

The programme pushes you further than
you have ever been pushed before and I
think that is really valuable, because you
come out stronger at the end. Its social and
ethical stance is also extremely unique. A lot
of designers dont consider these elements,
so to experience that for three years puts
you in good step when you graduate.
Neil (graduated 2008)
The BA Design was perfect for me in the
sense that it was wonderfully interdisciplinary.
At Goldsmiths it was clear to me that you
are not necessarily a product designer or
a furniture designer but pursuing particular
ambitions and certain fields and they teach
you the processes and thinking behind
design. This helps to steer you towards what
it actually is that you are interested in.

Visit www.gold.ac.uk/ug/design for full details of our degree 9

Some questions
*******
The Goldsmiths BA Degree is called
Design: what does this actually mean?
At Goldsmiths we have an approach to
teaching design that is different from most
other universities. Our undergraduate
programme is called Design because it
is inclusive and expansive, and this is how
we believe design should be understood.
Why dont you offer specialist degrees
such as Graphic, Product, Interaction,
Furniture, Interior or Fashion Design?
The design world has changed a great deal
over the past 20 years. In the past, design
professionals worked mainly within one
particular field, such as graphic design,
interior design, jewellery design etc. In
contemporary professional contexts
however, there are an increasing number
of opportunities for designers who have
flexible, transferable skills: designers
who can think and work using 2D and 3D
materials, methods and technologies.
At Goldsmiths we are not anti-specialism:
we offer a coherent and progressive
undergraduate design programme
that allows you the freedom to decide
which specialist skills might be relevant
to your individual design aspirations.

10 www.gold.ac.uk/design

Does that mean I wont graduate

with specialist knowledge, ie can
I become a graphic designer?
Our graduates all leave with detailed
specialist design knowledge, but it is up
to them to decide what this might include.
During the final year some students do
focus in areas such as product, graphic or
furniture design, but some choose to work
more broadly across a range of different
design disciplines. Rather than define a
specialist curriculum from the outset, we
offer a series of technical and practical
support activities and encourage project
work in a range of relevant design-based
media. This allows you the choice of how
and where you might specialise over
the course of your three years of study.
Goldsmiths design students are supported
in developing their own specific interests
and objectives, which we believe can (and
should) evolve as they progress through
the degree, and understand more about
the type of designer they want to be.

We are involved in
placements and projects
with organisations such
as: TalkTalk, Microsoft
Research, BBC Interaction,
BT Labs.

Contact us

www.facebook.com/GoldsmithsDesign

To find out more about us, go

to www.gold.ac.uk/design
or email design@gold.ac.uk

@designdotgold

Student insight
Natasha
To be able to go to a prestigious
university like Goldsmiths is great.
Being able to study in an urban
environment and being around great,
friendly people is making my
university experience better
than I could ever have
imagined.

2013. Printed on 100% recycled paper

See www.gold.ac.uk/ug/design
for full details of the
degree. If you need more
information, please email
course-info@gold.ac.uk