MA Designer Maker

University of the Arts London

MA Designer Maker at Camber well College of Arts aims to take the lead in re-asserting the position of craft and making in the contexts of contemporary design discourse, society and humanity.

In the last 10-15 years craft and making activities have been attracting more attention in the design industry and beyond. Engaging fully with the broadening and diversifying debates around making, the course reflects the notable shift in the discipline’s focus towards ethical and environmental issues. These may manifest in the development of new materials, or reconfiguration of existing systems and resources, while others address diversity, ecology, inclusivity and empowerment of individuals.

Students on the course typically come from craft, product, furniture design and architecture backgrounds.

What to expect

• To develop a project from proposal to final exhibition
• To explore new and existing materials and processes
• To be part of an inter-disciplinary and inter-cultural cohort where multiple perspectives and diversities are actively taken on board as a rich resource for learning
• A transdisciplinary learning environment in which the MA Designer Maker students are part of a community of Design School postgraduate students who share the same teaching and learning spaces
• Seminars and discussions that cover a wide range of subjects. These include material culture studies, anthropology, philosophy, sustainability, consumerism, museum studies, psychology and literature
• To engage with contemporary debates in applied arts, design and object-based art
• To explore human-object relationships and the meaning of making
• A lecture programme
• To produce a wide range of works during the course and for the final show. Work has included lighting, ceramics, furniture, jeweler and small-scale sculpture installations
• To keep a reflective journal in a blog format which as an ongoing documentation of your practice and learning process throughout the course
• The opportunity to access the ILEA collection housed at Camber well College of Arts, working with the UAL Archives and Special Collections curator

Our MA Designer Maker graduates leave with the skills and knowledge to have careers as practitioners, creative industry professionals, curators, freelance designers, workshop leaders and teachers, as well as the potential to progress to PhD study.