Aims and Fit of Module

The module introduces students to a variety of business and professional activities related to the practices of industrial design and articulates the value of design from a design management perspective. Students are made aware of the changing role and responsibilities of an industrial designer in different economies and cultural contexts. Due to the dynamic nature of the Industrial Design profession, as well as advances and availability of prototyping technologies, crowdfunding initiatives and innovative ways of distributing products or services, the module emphasizes the diverse opportunities for students designers to engage in entrepreneurial activities. They are taught about design consultancies, in-house design departments, and freelancer designer. Students learn about career pathways, how to prepare and present themselves for professional exposure and how to prepare a portfolio.

Learning outcomes

A. Demonstrate understanding of the structure of the design profession and its business and commercial value.

B. Demonstrate project management skills related to planning, budgeting, coordination, design brief writing and communicating with clients.

C. Indicate potential career pathways or design practice positions.

D. Integrate concepts from design and related disciplines in order to formulate a design project proposal and present the final work in the format of a portfolio.

E. Outline entrepreneurial activities including market identification, ideas development, business model generation, concept presentation in order to formulate a viable business plan.

Method of teaching and learning

Classroom lectures and tutorials; Company visits; Case studies; Guest lectures from practitioners and industry experts; Project-based learning