Furniture and Product Design BA (Hons) engenders a creative, analytical and skilful approach to the designing and making of products and furniture.

Formerly known as '3D Design', this course allows you to join a community of staff and students eager to explore the potential for beauty, usefulness and meaning in contemporary material culture. You will develop both the technical skills required of a designer, and the critical thinking skills necessary to understand design’s role in the social, economic and environmental context of today.

Your Learning Experience

Our creative approach puts three-dimensional prototyping at the heart of the design process. You will be taught how to use the tools and techniques of workshops, computer labs and studio spaces to develop and evaluate designs in three-dimensions. You will gain a sophisticated understanding of how to work with materials, by sensitively incorporating their properties into your work. And you will be challenged to think carefully about the valuable role your furniture and products should play in people’s lives.

The Furniture and Product Design course vision is to create the most able graduates—people who understand both how and why to make things, and are ready to make meaningful contributions to professional design practice.

Why choose Northumbria to study Furniture and Product Design?

Top Department: Northumbria is ranked 6th in the UK for Product Design studies (Guardian University League Table, 2024).

Super Satisfaction: This course has a 90% student satisfaction rate and 93% of students studying Design believed they had chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth (NSS, 2023).

Excellent Careers Prospects: Product Design at Northumbria is ranked 6th in the UK for Graduate Prospects (Guardian University Guide, 2024). This is because 87% of our graduates are in highly skilled employment or further study 15 months after graduation.

Research Power: Art and Design at Northumbria is ranked 4th in the UK for research power (REF, 2021). This is a rise of 6 places compared to 2014.

How will I learn during the Furniture and Product Design degree course?

An inspiring Design curriculum will encourage you to develop a flexible and imaginative approach to problem solving through enquiry and practice-based learning. You will become an active participant, integrating design practice with academic and intellectual skills.

The course makes use of industry standard workshops and studios as places for you to learn, develop and rehearse both the practical and theoretical skill sets required of a professional product/furniture designer. Hands-on learning, rehearsal and exploration of making skills enable you to display evidence of creative thinking whilst understanding the importance of workmanship.

Contextual studies provide the social, cultural, economic and historical background to the subject discipline, developing your knowledge and insight into your own personal practice. A framework of industry facing projects/work provides you with the opportunity to hone specialist design skills, professional qualities, enterprise and entrepreneurial capabilities through real-life scenarios. Students have the opportunity to exhibit their work at national degree shows.  

Who teaches the BA (Hons) Furniture and Product Design course?

Throughout your degree you will work closely with a core team of academic staff, who are all actively involved in design research/practice and deliver a curriculum that is designed to develop the intellectual, and subject-specific skills you need to define your own professional practice. This team is further supported by other specialist disciplinary staff, which ensures our students are supported across all aspects of design learning.

Realising your ideas through making will play a huge part in your design learning experience and you will be supported to do this by a team of dedicated technical staff. This team has significant industrial experience and manufacturing skills across numerous materials and processes including furniture, engineering, fabrication, model making, CAD and digital 3D printing.

The nature of studio and workshop teaching allows individual academic support to be accessed as an inherent part of your learning experience. One to one academic tutorials with an academic member of staff at regular intervals during Level 4 and at key stages and after every project, that make up the larger portfolio based modules of levels 5 and 6 mean there are multiple check-points to monitor and feedback on academic progress. Your Personal Tutor is also available ensure you receive adequate personal and academic support should any matters arise

Where will I learn throughout my degree?

The technical facilities at Northumbria University are excellent. The Furniture & Product Design course is housed in industry-standard studios and workshops with facilities designed to allow a materials led and process driven approach to design practice. Studio and workshop culture promotes intellectual freedom and the development of a creative collaborative community.

You’ll have access to large well-equipped timber and metal workshops, specialist CAD laboratory, CNC machinery and 3D printing as well as several mobile laboratories that deliver IT facilities for creative working. The photographic studio is equipped to industry standards. Everything is supported by skilled technical staff who will help you make the best use of all the facilities that are available.

We use technology to enhance your learning with tools such as the ‘Blackboard’ eLearning Portal and electronic reading lists that will guide your preparation for seminars and independent research. Electronic Submission and Feedback (eSAF) facilitates feedback on your project work, while Turnitin reinforces a critical approach to research and the development of your own ideas.

How will my degree provide me with the skills needed for my career?

This course is a creative platform with a track record in educating a significant number of respected designers. Our vision is to combine skilful and intellectually engaged design and making practices with academic learning to create the most able graduates – ready to make important contributions to their chosen field of professional practice.

You will develop the theoretical and practical skills that are required by professional practices in the creative Industries sector, where our graduates find employment.

Collaborative projects with external organisations allow you to be coached and advised by leading industry professionals. You will be encouraged to build and curate a portfolio of your own creative work, developing your own individual design identity that will enhance your future employability.

You will graduate as a highly employable, industry-ready professional, able to confidently offer solutions to complex and challenging design briefs. You will be able to demonstrate entrepreneurial capabilities and resourcefulness in the application of processes, aesthetics, function and materials.

What kind of career can I have after my studies?

Our graduates go on to forge successful careers as designers and makers across the creative industries sector. We also support entrepreneurial graduates who are keen to set up their own businesses through our Designers in Residence Scheme.

Our many success stories in designing include: David Irwin whose work is produced by Another Country, John Lewis and Design Within Reach. Max Lamb whose work is exhibited and collected throughout the world. Ellen Thomas working at United Visual Artists. Neil Conley voted Elle Decoration Young Designer of the Year 2013. Elliot Brook and Dan Ziglam establishing the leading furniture and interior product Deadgood.