ABOUT THE COURSE
Got a passion for creative design? Not quite ready to undertake a full honours degree? Solent University’s Design Foundation Programme is perfectly suited to students who may not be from an art- design- or fashion-related background or whose qualifications do not meet the admissions requirements of their chosen course. 
To help get you up to speed, this one-year foundation course provides all the creative, technical and study skills needed for entry onto a degree-level art, design or fashion course. Upon completion, you will be able to progress onto a range of art-, design- and fashion- related courses here at Solent.
The course begins with a five-week group project. This enables students to mix with like-minded peers and helps them to settle in quickly. This project also helps students to decide which area they might like to follow at a later stage.
The following ten weeks are spent introducing students to the world of art, design and fashion. This includes design history, vocabulary, methods and academic foundation. This ten-week block will also give students the opportunity to learn and apply two-dimensional and three-dimensional visualisation techniques, giving them the tools required to conduct their final project.
This final project takes place in the last fifteen weeks of the course and is based around the specific discipline that the student will go on to study. The project will be supported by tuition in visual presentation techniques, enabling students to communicate their concepts, development processes and final proposals. Students will also receive instruction in verbal communication and presentation techniques, increasing their confidence in pitching design ideas.
FACILITIES
Foundation students will use the studio space and modelling workshops utilised by the courses onto which they may progress. The modelling workshops offer a range of machinery such as circular saws, bandsaws, lathes, sanders and pillar drills. There is also a three station paint spray installation and a state-of-the-art laser cutter.
In addition, for occasional and specialised project-related applications, workshops offering fibreglass construction and advanced manufacturing equipment are situated close to the design studio. These facilities offer 3D prototyping at an additional but subsidised cost.
Students work in teams, building interpersonal skills that will serve them well in further studies and throughout their career. They will study a carefully designed curriculum which introduces students to the world of creative design.
YOUR FUTURE
BA (Hons) Product Design focuses on finding creative solutions to human problems, students discover how to take a product all the way from concept to the marketplace. The course prepares graduates for roles in design consultancy, design engineering, interior design/space planning, exhibition design, special effects model-making, graphics/packaging/point-of-sale design, product marketing and research. Graduates of the BA (Hons) Product Design programme have gone on to find roles at organisations including Bright Innovations, Fitch, ALH Systems, Alfa Display and Design, and Celsus.
BA (Hons) Interior Design brings together creative and practical skills and covers both commercial and residential interior design. Blending aesthetics and innovation, students will develop practical experience working on a variety of spaces, from hotels, restaurants and night clubs to offices, leisure facilities and even super yacht interiors. Interior design graduates have found employment as interior designers, architectural interior designers, design coordinators and CAD Designers at companies such as Jigsaw, John Lewis, Lakesmere, Artillery Architects and Walt Disney.
BA (Hons) Interior Design Decoration provides students with the ability to create, style and deliver concepts relating to consumer lifestyle and the growing desire to personalise interiors in a fashionable and comfortable way. This course serves as suitable preparation for careers in interior design, interior styling, editorial styling, set design, visual merchandising, show home consultation, textile/wallpaper design and much more. Successful interior design decoration graduates have established careers  working for high profile companies including Bo Concept, Bulthaup, Claydon Reeves Yachts, Pattern Textiles, Fortnum and Masons, Dulux, and Farrow and Ball.
BA (Hons) Graphic Design encourages students to explore a range of professional techniques and develop their own unique visual style. Students will create visual products for a range of printed and digital mediums, and explore academic theories and visual culture in the context of contemporary graphic design. Graphic design students are encouraged to submit their best work to design competitions, securing valuable exposure. Recent graduates have found roles at companies including Adjust Your Set, Imagine Publishing, David Newman Design, Tweaq Media, Gary Frost, Manchester City Football Club, House of Fisher, Esquire, Halldale Group and The Graphic Design House.
BA (Hons) Fashion provides students with in-depth knowledge of the fashion industry, from garment design, pattern design and production to concept development, trend forecasting and fashion marketing. Students are encouraged to experiment and explore new techniques to help develop their creativity and individuality. Graduates have gone on to roles at a wide range of companies including Fat Face, Nougat, Ariella Fashions, Zara, ASOS, Ted Baker and Next.
INDUSTRY LINKS
Students may have the chance to undertake live projects in the ‘Degree-related Project’ unit. The courses onto which the Foundation students are expected to progress have an excellent record of industry engagement. For example: The BA (Hons) Interior Design course runs live projects supplied by its employer partners. Projects have been conducted for Wetherspoon’s - restaurant and bar refurbishment; HGP Architects – hotels and spas; Itchen College – reception redesign; and Adam Architects – boutique hotels.
The BA (Hons) Interior Design Decoration course has an extensive range of live projects at all levels. These include kitchen projects with Bulthaup and show rooms for Linden Show Homes at L4, commercial spatial design projects with Southampton City Council and surface design for Blendworth Interiors at L5, and styling projects for The Clothes Show at L6. Students also have the opportunity to showcase their final work at New Designers, The Business Design Centre, London.
The BA (Hons) Product Design course has comprehensive industry links and has established a ‘Partner Affiliation Network’- a group of companies who support a range of activities including live project work, design competitions, work placements.  Recent live projects have been conducted for B&Q and Ikea.  Product design's guest speaker programme allows students from all years, including foundation students, to contextualise their studies through the provision of ‘real-world’ examples. Hearing from guest speakers can open up career horizons, enabling students to appreciate the wide variety of occupations that are available to them.
The BA (Hons) Fashion course enables students to get involved with retail activities at Re:So, Solent’s student-run store. Re:So sells a unique mix of fashion, accessories, publications, furniture and art – all with an emphasis on developing student retail, enterprise and employability skills.
The BA (Hons) Graphic Design course provide students with the chance to pitch for paid work with commercial clients through Solent's in-house, student-run agency, Solent Creatives – past Solent Creative clients include Bear Grylls, Southampton Airport and Southampton City Council.
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