MA Contemporary Designer Maker
Masters degree: Contemporary Designer Maker

This exciting new MA provides an opportunity for individuals to develop design ideas through an intimate knowledge of materials and making processes. Materials and craft skills are not seen as an end in themselves. Through experimentation, research and innovation, process and content are considered as interdependent and mutually enriching within a global context. You may be interested in challenging established methods or wish to explore the opportunities that cutting edge technology makes available.

The MA programme draws on the expertise of the Contemporary Designer Maker subject team, particularly in the supervision of the MA Projects, visiting lecturers and professionals within the designer maker field. All staff are actively involved as designers, makers and researchers.

Aims of the programme:

To meet a need for practitioners to work with others to reflect upon their contemporary practice.
To provide an environment that promotes passion and a culture for designing and making excellence.
To present a framework that fosters and encourages personal development and research.

Programme structure
The programme follows four core modules that underpin and provide a foundation for the major project. A series of lectures, seminars, and tutorials are scheduled to enable opportunities to develop both specific intuitive design skills alongside a more generic creative awareness. Workshops are available everyday where students are encouraged to develop, refine and prototype ideas that demonstrate design rigor and assignment outputs.

Defining Direction Through Practice (30 credits)
Through the investigation of current debates, contemporary culture, a negotiated studio project and seminars, individuals will identify, formulate and position their own designer maker practice. The module includes discussion and debate concerning the role of the designer maker in society and the contribution that their artefacts make to contemporary culture.

Design Thinking (30 credits)
This module explores contemporary critical contexts of Applied Design Research, with an emphasis on the way Design is described, shaped and influenced. This will include the examination of artefacts and products as well as their broader, social, cultural, economic and technical implications, such as consumption and sustainability with the process of design.

Multiples and The Maker (30 credits)
This module investigates the potential & opportunities of batch/multiple production associated with designer maker/craft practice. It explores how makers might consider producing multiples or 'families' of objects and develop a body of work with these issues as a primary focus.

External Contexts (30 Credits)
Based on a negotiated studio project, this module focuses on issues around external contexts and increased development of your professional practice and profile. This may include the design of products/artefacts for an exhibition, a work placement or site-specific work.

Major Project (60 credits)
This independent study module provides the opportunity to develop an MA project or a combined project and dissertation. The practice-based project encourages innovation in addition to refinement of practice and skills and will result in a body of work on a selected topic, which will be underpinned by relevant research, analysis, critical reflection and professional preparation.

We are looking for highly motivated graduates and practitioners to develop research ideas, individual pathways and philosophies through study and knowledge directly related to processes and materials. The programme provides the opportunity to engage in critical Contemporary Designer Maker issues and discussions with staff and other students. The programme will establish a vibrant focus for studies at postgraduate level and contribute to foster high standards of debate, practice and making.


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Contact Polly Macpherson, School of Architecture & Design, Faculty of Arts, University of Plymouth, Roland Levinsky Building, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1752 585 171
Email: plmacpherson@plymouth.ac.uk






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Updated 27 Jun 2008
Copyright Roy Tam 2006-8