Study Details: MA 15 months full-time
Emergent design acts as a key concept within MA Graphic Design Communication. The course introduces you to the key debates, inquiries and methodologies related to emergent design. Through briefs and research activities you’ll allow your design work to form by using the concept of emergence. You’ll explore the role it plays in discovery, adaptability to unexpected change and erratic ways of testing. This will enable you to develop into a versatile practitioner who is able to respond to complex design challenges.
The course highlights ideas produced in reaction to the complex changes and challenges we are facing in the world today. We believe our goal as designers is to seek better and unimagined relationships between matter, space, systems, technologies and beliefs, while guided by diverse perspectives.
The course begins by focusing on 3 research themes associated with emergent design to help build your design knowledge and skills:
1) Proximities and encounters – how do we respond creatively to interactions, transitions and encounters experienced by different audiences and communities?
2) Mobilising the studio – how do we develop social design practices with and for communities?
3) Materiality and the post-real – how can we creatively and critically explore materiality in its hybrid forms and the impact this has on lived experience?
What to expect:
Entry to this course will also be determined by the quality of your application, looking primarily at your portfolio of work and your personal statement.
APEL - Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning
Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:
For fees and funding information, please see website
Many graduates are employed in interdisciplinary design studios and as senior designers in graphic and communication design companies. Graduates have also founded their own design studios working across digital environments and physical spaces as well as specialist publishing and new forms of graphic content.
Unit 1: Exploring emergent design contexts and practices
Unit 1 introduces you to contemporary debates and inquiries within graphic design communication. These will help you make connections between your interests and communities of design practice.
You’ll take design inspiration from a seminar and lecture series. You’ll build upon your interests through collaborative research tasks with your course peer group.
Briefs will outline guidance and requirements for experimentation and building a design process. You’ll learn to develop ideas in response to critical positions and perspectives connected to a research inquiry.
There will be an opportunity to stage and test prototypes of your project work at an in-course event. The feedback you receive from this will help develop your final practical outcomes.
Unit 2: Developing a design framework – critical and practical
A framework is a structured approach for understanding, planning and responding within a given context. It aims to help the designer decide upon relevant design methodologies. You’ll learn about the role of a design framework.
You’ll have the opportunity to present your knowledge of design frameworks at a public facing event. You'll generate a portfolio of demonstrating your practice-based approach during this unit. The individual project (major project) component you begin in this unit will extend into unit 3.
Unit 3: Situating design practices
Building on your previous research and practice as part of your major project, this final unit has 2 distinct purposes.
Firstly, to situate project outcomes in relation to your chosen context and audience. This might be a geographical location, an activist group, community, or network of practitioners.
Secondly, to establish how your designs will engage your audience in participatory ways.
Through this final stage of the major project, you will:
Note: 120 Credits must be passed before the final unit is undertaken.
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