Design is a discipline of study that prepares students for entry to a range of different areas of the design profession, including: graphic design, media design, film, television production and post-production, illustration, publications, interiors, theatre, exhibitions, display, festivals and furnishings, ceramics, textiles, jewellery and object design.

At UNSW Art & Design, there are seven major areas of study within the discipline of Design: ceramics, graphics media, interactive media, jewellery, object design, spatial design and textiles.

Animation and Visual Effects: Students in the Animation and Visual Effects stream create media art by employing 3D and traditional animation, motion capture, conceptual animation and digital compositing. They produce media works driven by animation and visual effects including short animation, digital film based works, motion design, video installations, data visualization, digital content and experimental cross media. With knowledge of these media practices students will become critical practitioners, preparing them for careers in the creative industries and a broad range of artistic practices.

Ceramics: Students in the Ceramics Stream design and create ceramic artworks, custom-made artefacts, and commercial products for the table, interior and built environment. Students undertake investigations in clay modelling, hand and wheel forming methods, surface treatment, glazing and firing technologies, as well as slip casting, press moulding processes, and printed surface treatment. Students are also introduced to digital 3D technologies. Ceramics students will develop as creators and designers able to work across a wide range of art and design fields.

Digital Media: Students in the Digital Media stream create media art utilising sound, moving and still images. They work in traditional and cross media forms such as short film, photomedia, audiovisual composition, video art, soundscape and media installation. They create work for the gallery, the screen, and virtual and public spaces. By gaining literacy in electronic media, students become informed authors and critics in contemporary media, preparing them for careers in a wide range of artistic practices.

Graphics Media: Students in the Graphics Media stream focus on visual communication and the expanding field of communication design for print, screen and interactives. They are encouraged to explore the conceptual and technical skills of graphics media as used in boutique brand agencies, corporate design studios, advertising agencies, freelance consultancies, and publishing companies, preparing them for careers in graphic and communication design, across many industries and practices.

Interactive Media: Students in the Interactive Media stream explore the creation of rich electronically mediated experiences that operate at a human scale. They explore how interactivity can be utilized to enhance the experience of a work, and how technology can be put into service to create dynamic and responsive environments and objects. Students will work with sensing technologies for controlling audio, visual and/or mechatronic systems, allowing the development of original interactive art and design works, using off-the-shelf components/systems.

Jewellery: Students in the Jewellery stream design and produce wearable objects and small-scale interior objects. They use conceptual and practical knowledge of materials, techniques and processes to inform their design and production of Jewellery and other small objects. By developing skills in a range of diverse outcomes including ‘one-off’ pieces and small-scale production design, students are prepared for a range of careers as jewellers, designers and artists.

Object Design: Students in the Object Design stream design and prototype functional three-dimensional objects. They use a conceptual and narrative-driven approach to the design of contemporary products such as furniture and lighting for domestic, commercial and other contexts. By undertaking ethical design development, and testing of designs against stringent social/environmental criteria students ensure that designed objects prioritise an equitable and sustainable future.

Spatial Design: Students in the Spatial Design stream learn the elements of spatial organisation and practice informing the design of physical and virtual environments, including domestic, retail and commercial interiors, exhibition installations and projects that engage with urban environments including public exterior spaces. They develop skills in spatial design thinking, drawing, modelling and communication in spatial practice areas such as small building design, interior design, urban design, exhibition design and 2D and 3D architectural visualisation.

Textiles: Students in the Textiles stream create innovative and contemporary designs for textiles. They work with traditional and experimental materials and new technologies. Students in this studio understand contexts for designing; how to develop innovative concepts; the narrative role textiles play in reflecting and documenting contemporary society; and the social, sustainable, re-use and environmental issues associated with textiles practice.


Studying Design at UNSW

UNSW Art & Design offers the following undergraduate programs in Design.