3D Design BA(Hons)

Why study BA(Hons) 3D Design at University College Falmouth?

BA(Hons) 3D Design course leaflet (1.67 MB)

Based on two central themes - Sustainability and Community - BA(Hons) 3D Design at Falmouth encourages you to design new products that not only inspire and empower people, but which also reduce our impact on the environment.

Design is the key to sustainable living. We want you to design innovative products that consider the environment and the role of the designer in the community. It's about exploring environmental, economic and social issues and their relationship to design so that your designs reflect human needs today and in the future.

Our aim is to feed your imagination, whether by inviting high-profile designers to talk to you about their work or exhibiting at events like the Milan Furniture Fair, it's about opening your eyes to the possibilities of 3D design and the difference you can make to the world.

Studying 3D Design at Falmouth will also put you at the heart of a thriving, forward-looking creative community, with ample opportunity to collaborate with students from other disciplines including spatial design, garden design, interior design and textile design.

What will I get out of the course?

At Falmouth, you'll master 3D design processes from conception to production by developing your research, drawing, computer and making skills.

You'll work on live projects with local and national organisations, which encourage you to develop your business and enterprise ideas. Career planning and business skills will prepare you for the professional world of design as a designer-maker or product designer.

You'll also undertake a range of projects focusing on interior product design; furniture design; lighting design; jewellery design and portable object design; toy, leisure and sports product design; and design for sustainability, need, education and health.

Tell me more about the BA(Hons) 3D Design course

"THE COURSE WAS REALLY EXCITING BECAUSE WE WERE CONSTANTLY ENCOURAGED TO PUSH CONVENTIONAL LIMITS. THAT HAS DEFINED WHERE WE ARE TODAY." Charlie Whinney, BA(Hons) 3D Design graduate and co-founder of sixixis (as featured in Vogue, Design Week and The Guardian) now running Charlie Whinney Associates

By choosing to study BA(Hons) 3D Design at Falmouth you will:

• Benefit from being taught by friendly and approachable staff who are experienced design professionals.
• Develop many practical and creative skills, as well as having lectures and seminars in social, historical and theoretical design that will equip you with a full understanding of how 3D design has developed over recent decades.
• Learn all about user-centred design and the strategies that put people at the centre of the design process.
• Be encouraged to develop business and enterprise ideas, with the opportunity to apply for enterprise grants and our Incubatee Scheme upon graduation.
• Work on a variety of live projects with local and national organisations and private companies, for example the Barncrest Worktops Challenge, which has previously been won by Falmouth 3D Design students.
• Be based in our inspirational Design Centre, home to an array of world-class facilities, allowing you to experiment creatively with a range of materials and processes.
• Be taught through a series of lectures, demonstrations, field trips, professional experience and focus groups, seminars and tutorials.

Projects

University College Falmouth is working closely with the Design Council on Design of the Times (DOTT) Cornwall; a programme where professional designers work. with stakeholders and communities to tackle social, economic and environmental issues from the bottom up.

Our students and graduates get the chance to work alongside senior design professionals on DOTT projects as part of internships and work placements.

In addition, BA(Hons) 3D Design students - along with Falmouth's Spatial Design and Garden Design students - recently staged an exhibition in Falmouth to showcase work engaging with topical issues from the spaces and places within Cornwall's towns and landscape.

Visiting lecturers

Recent guest lecturers have included Indonesian designer, Singgih S Kartono, whose wooden radio won the Brit Insurance Design Awards 2009. Singgih gave a lecture about his inspirational product, renewable resources and sustainable local industry.

Professorial lecture series

Falmouth's Professorial lecture series aims to produce an engaging and challenging public programme that stimulates the intellectual curiosity of our staff, students and alumni, our research collaborators, our industry partners, our local communities and other supporters.

Recent lectures relevant to students in the School of Design include Edward Barber, founding partner of BarberOsgerby. Edward and his partner, Jay Osgerby, were recently named Royal Designers for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts and their work is in permanent collections at the Design Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Since forming their company in 1996, Barber and Osgerby have collaborated on designing products and furniture as BarberOsgerby and architectural projects for clients such as Stella McCartney as Universal Design Studio.

A video of Edward's lecture can be viewed online here

Facilities

Our Design Centre and Learning Resource Centres include:

• The latest tools for designing, prototyping and making
• Purpose-built studios and specialist workshops
• Industry-standard CNC milling machine
• Rapid prototyping equipment for high precision work
• CNC laser cutter
• CNC router
• Precision casting equipment
• 100,000 books and 17,000 TV and Film titles

Course outline

Level 1

Material World & Design Issues

• Design & Making Processes
• Histories & Theories
• Sustainable Design
• CAD/CAM & Presentation

Level 2

Audience & Community: Design

• Futures
• User-Centred Design
• Identity & Difference
• Web Communication & Promotion
• Design Specialism
• Cultural Theory & Methodologies
• Business of Design

Level 3

Design Practice

• Design Projects
• Dissertation
• Professional Practice - Career Focus

Answers and advice about the course

If you have any queries about the course please visit our HelpMe Forum

HelpMe Forum: 3D Design BA(Hons)

For further information about BA(Hons) 3D Design at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 214354

Open Design: UCF for design tutors

Friday 12 November 2010

At our first Open Design event in February, Heads of Department and Pathway Leaders from Foundation level courses around the UK spent the day with design staff and students at University College Falmouth, learning more about our facilities and courses.

Click here for more information and to register for the next Open Design event

Career opportunities

Our graduates find employment in design studios, in product, toy, lighting and furniture design, sustainable design, consultancy, computer 3D visualisation or as self-employed designer-makers. Further options include teaching and postgraduate study.

Recent graduate Stacey Dix is now working as sustainable product and toy designer at Hamleys.

Course entry requirements

A minimum of 220 UCAS points, equivalent Level 3 qualifications or relevant experience. You may be required to submit some work to help us decide who to interview. Successful applicants are generally those with the strongest portfolios, demonstrating experimentation, technical ability and understanding of the art and design process.

For further information about BA(Hons) 3D Design at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 214354

Interview dates and selection process

Interviews will commence in March.

The interview will include a group tour of facilities and course talk, followed by an individual review of portfolio. Applicants will be asked to bring a portfolio including sketches, photos, and models with a focus on design and 3D work.

Location: Tremough Campus

Related courses

• Contemporary Crafts BA(Hons)
• Digital Animation BA(Hons)
• Garden Design BA(Hons)
• Spatial Design BA(Hons)