There are no pre-requisites for this module to be added

Design constantly evolves. It never stands still. In the years between you arriving at university and graduating, both the world and the design industry will have gone through significant changes. Priorities and perspectives shift. Crises emerge and are either overcome or acclimatised to. Powers rise and fade in unpredictable ways with unpredictable results. New technologies emerge. Culture adapts and grows. And design is ever-present, shifting, adapting, riding the wave, but also playing a key role in shaping and forming our world. As Anne Marie Willis puts it, we exist within the iterative circle of ‘ontological design’ in which: “we design our world, while our world acts back on us and designs us” (Willis, 2006).In this module, by first examining the history of what design has been, and what it is today, we will look forward: focusing on the possibilities and potentials for what design could / might / should become in the future. What kind of designer will you be in two years, ten years, twenty years time? When you dream of design, what does it look like? Where old design disciplines and job titles are beginning to dissolve, what new jobs, tasks and goals could an emergent design industry seek to accomplish? To explore this, you will plan, manage and deliver your own design research project. Through historical research you will demonstrate a critical understanding of the evolution of professional design activity to the present moment. You will identify challenges within contemporary design activity. Through practical design research you will explore possible futures for design through which these challenges can be addressed. You will present your findings, and your visions and dreams for the future of design through a portfolio of work.

Upon completion of this module you will be able to

LO1: Demonstrate a critical understanding of the historical evolution of professional design activity

LO2: Undertake critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of ideas, concepts, information and issues to identify challenges within contemporary design activity

LO3: Draw on a range of sources to articulate informed perspectives on potential futures for professional design activity

LO4: Critically reflect on your own role and responsibilities as a designer operating within complex evolving social contexts

LO5: Exercise autonomy and initiative in managing and delivering a practical design research project