BA (Hons) Product Design and Craft in Manchester United Kingdom | Manchester Metropolitan University

Our BA (Hons) Product Design and Craft program embraces a hands-on, material-focused methodology that encourages learning through practical creation while fostering individual artistic visions. This curriculum examines our relationship with the physical environment, equipping you to become a creator of meaningful objects that improve everyday experiences. You'll cultivate vital abilities in innovative problem-solving and design methodology, then use these to rethink conventional approaches to both functional products and artisanal creations.
You'll master techniques for crafting items that blend time-honored handcrafting methods with modern digital and mechanical production. Through exploratory making, we help materialize concepts, valuing both the intellectual foundation and physical realization equally. Your projects will engage with various contemporary concerns - from community needs to environmental responsibility - through thoughtful consideration of your designs' purpose, materials, and production methods. This program equips you with strategic, technical, and creative competencies for building a lasting career in design and craft.
Manchester Met's Product Design and Craft program evolves from our acclaimed BA Three Dimensional Design course, which launched notable alumni like designer-architect Thomas Heatherwick, jewelry artist Ruth Tomlinson, and ceramicist Joe Hartley.
These parallel programs examine the purpose behind everyday objects, from sentimental keepsakes to practical tools. By investigating the field's vast creative potential, we recognize that an item's classification as design or craft depends not on its type, but on its creative journey and the influences shaping its development.

The Product Design & Craft specialization emphasizes a creator-centered approach, exploring experimental methods frequently inspired by personal perspectives on societal, political, and ecological concerns in object design.
The Product Design track focuses on human needs, developing solutions that address market opportunities while improving functionality, user satisfaction, and product worth.