BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design (3+0)

  Institution: KBU International College

BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design (3+0)

This is a 3 year course that aims to produce designers able to meet the changing and evolving needs of the design profession in the 21st Century. The course is designed to provide you with a professional and creative approach to all aspects of furniture and product design. Teaching and learning is primarily studio based with a number of supporting lectures, seminars and tutorials. There is also access to workshops for model making and computer suites for the development of computer-aided design (CAD) skills. You will typically undertake a combination of projects with associated tutorials, as well as written and presentation based assignments. All of this work contributes to the development of your subject knowledge and understanding.

Career Opportunities

Furniture designer-makers, product designers, industrial designers, production developers, marketers, business managers, computer-aided designers in interior design, architectural, design practices and manufacturing organisations.
Intake: January and August
YEAR 1
Design Practise: Furniture & Product Design 1

This module aims to develop your design activity skills and promote communication as a tool to support your design processes.
The Furniture & Product Design Projects element is distinctive by employing the following design practices to principally furniture focused projects: Design at full scale; Design and prototyping with the definitive material of manufacture; Design, selection and evaluation of materials/detailing and prototyping.
The Design Communication element will involve a number of techniques including computer aided design (CAD), hand drawing skills (such as sketching and rendering), modelling, verbal, electronic and written presentations.
The Materials and Technology element of this module will develop your awareness of material properties and production processes and will further your understanding of manufacturing’s relationship with design.
Design Studies 1

The module covers three major themes:
Debates: The activity covers design classics; political, economic, social and technological trends [PEST]; the industrial revolution and evolution; history of technology in furniture, industrial and product design; innovation and invention and key concepts in design.
Design Specification: This is an independent project in which you will explore through reading, designing and writing.
Research Article: A research led activity to reflect on your thoughts about design and your role and philosophy as a designer, by studying and researching; Media design, stage and film.
YEAR 2
Design Practise: Furniture & Product Design 2

This module consists of three elements; Furniture and Product Design Projects, Professional Practice and CAD & Communication. The module as a whole is flexible and responds to changing commercial and manufacturing demands within the design community; design competitions and/or industry based projects, which will offer you practice in dealing with briefs, clients, and commercial needs whilst also developing your knowledge of issues as diverse as design for manufacture through to homeware design and entrepreneurship. The Professional Practice and CAD & Communication elements [2 and 3] will help you to develop and utilise skills to produce sketches, renderings, models, test rigs, prototypes, simulations and virtual solutions directed towards industry. The module will also consider issues associated with professional practice such as intellectual property rights. As you move toward the end of the second year you will prepare, construct and evaluate a professional portfolio and CV.
Design Studies 2

This module covers three major themes:-
Research, analyse and evaluate the wider issues of design covering; aspects of psychology, emerging technologies, global perspectives, aesthetics, conography, historical perspectives, art, craft, creativity etc., ethics and morals of design, philosophies of design, political, economic, social and technological trends, [PEST] Investigate the process of design; Ergonomics and human factors, Interaction/service/ inclusive design and Intellectual property.
Analyse Design in practice relating to issues such as; selling yourself and your ideas, how commercial design practices operate and approach design, business imperatives in design including the influence of governance, consumerism and customisation, and entrepreneurship and the business of design in national and global context
YEAR 3
Furniture & Product Design Projects 3

The process of learning at this level will be a personal one and tutors will encourage you maximise your potential and to create a portfolio of your work you can take forward to employment. A distinctive feature of this module and the year is a learning agreement, which will focus your thoughts and plans for what you intend to learn, develop and produce during the module. The aims of this module are therefore to promote the application of your skills, knowledge and understanding of design methodologies to the creative realisation of products; and to understand your own practice in a professional context.
Critical Theory

The module gives you the opportunity to explore a subject of your personal interest and choice and to research and to present findings on a range of topical, relevant subjects of significance. You may write a dissertation on a subject of your choice/ a conference type paper and supporting presentation, or, a conceptual project with a substantial written justification.
MQA Compulsory Subjects*
Bahasa Kebangsaan A/B
Pengajian Islam/ Pendidikan Moral
Pengajian Malaysia

*All local students are required to take 3 MQA compulsory subjects that include Bahasa Kebangsaan A, Malaysian Studies, and Islamic Studies (for Muslims) or Moral Education (for non-Muslims). Malaysian students are required to pass all these 3 subjects to qualify for their awards. MQA Compulsory Subjects are optional for all International Students.

Source: KBU International College