Making Meaning: An Introduction to Designing Objects

Overview

Understanding the breadth of the object design field, its many sub-disciplines and specialisms.
Understanding the political connotations of designed objects and how designers express a position through their work.
Understanding the working contexts of designers - how designers work in the world and what the different models of practice entail.

Syllabus

Courses under this program:
Course 1: Making Meaning: An Introduction to Designing Objects, Part I
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Part 1 of Making Meaning: An Introduction to Designing Objects provides an overview of the theories and practices object designers are engaged in today, and how designers use signs, style and utility to generate substance. It also examines the design process in detail, revealing models to help us make sense of its complexity. Starting by illustrating the breadth of the field, the course goes on to explore the power relations and semiotic structures which lie behind object making. It covers how…

Course 2: Making Meaning: An Introduction to Designing Objects, Part II
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Part 2 of Making Meaning: An Introduction to Designing Objects focuses on how design can be progressive, through exploring radical ideas, futuristic aesthetics and by embracing social responsibility. It also looks at the realities of design practice through the eyes of experts in the field. The course begins by showing designers that have done work that is new, and breaks with the conventions of the field. It continues with an examination of how objects capture a sense of “now” by referencing…