BA (Hons) Textile Design course content
Year One
In Year One you will be introduced to the different areas of the textiles industry through
workshop rotations in embroidery, print, weave, knit and multimedia. This will help you
to appreciate and be aware of textile practice, and help you to develop new skills for
employability, such as collaborative working, critical thinking, communication skills and
developing independence.
Year One modules
Textile Design: Principles (100 credits)
This year-long module will introduce you to design fundamentals including:
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visual research;
idea development;
pattern generation and design development;
material awareness;
2D/3D; and
design communication.
You will explore design principles such as:
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colour;
form;
pattern;
composition; and
scale.
And develop practical textile design skills in CAD, Embroidery, Knit, Multi-media, Print
and Weave.
You will develop personal design concepts throughout the year and take part in
collaborative work to help you to develop professional skills, and share ideas and
approaches. You will be encouraged to make links between your work in this module
and your learning in the Design, Culture and Context (DCC) module, giving consideration
to ethical design practices.
This module will form the foundation of all your design work for Years Two and Three.
You will broaden your awareness and experience of textile design practice in order to
help to make informed decisions about a specialist textile route for deeper investigation
in Year Two.
Term One
Week 10 – 12: Studio Practice: Visual Research and Colour
Week 13 – 15: Textile Workshop 1
Week 15: Progress check: assessment
Week 16: Studio Practice: Visual Communication
Weeks 17 - 19: Textile Workshop 2
Week 18: Colour palettes
Week 19: Visual and verbal communication
Weeks 11, 15, 16, 19: academic tutorials
Term Two
Week 24: Studio practice: 2D/3D visualisations
Weeks 25 – 27: Textile Workshop 3
Week 27 – 28: Assessment / Contextual Research week
Week 29 – 31: Textile Workshop 4
Week 32 – 34: Textile Workshop 5
Week 33: Materials Awareness
Week 35: Design, Culture and Content writing week
Weeks 24, 27, 31, 34: academic tutorials
Week 30: one to one feedback tutorials
Term Three
Week 38: Materials Awareness and Design Responsibility week
Week 39: Concept Development
Week 40 – 41: Textile Pathway 1
Week 42 – 44: Textile Pathway 2
Week 45: Presentation, assessment and progression
Weeks 38, 41: academic tutorials
Delivery and assessment
This module is delivered through:
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briefings;
lectures;
studio workshops;
textile demonstrations and workshops;
tutorials; and
study visits.
Peer evaluation and verbal and visual presentations occur at stages through the module
or at the end of projects, and provide an opportunity to reflect and receive feedback on
your work.
It is very important that you attend all the scheduled teaching sessions in this module.
You will have independent learning time when you will be responsible for managing your
workload effectively. This may mean working independently using University facilities,
going to exhibitions / design fairs / shops to extend your contemporary design
awareness, doing visual research or working at home.
Assessment for this module is 100% coursework in the form of a portfolio with
supporting research and development work.
Design, Culture and Context (20 credits)
In this module you will be introduced to the power of images, objects and materials in
visual and material culture. You will see how these elements are central to the way
fashion, textile and knit designers represent, make meaning and communicate.
This module will encourage you, through a series of tasks, to test your research,
presentation and written skills and to be socially and culturally aware when considering
your own environment and design decisions.
Delivery and assessment
This module is delivered through:
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Design, Culture and Context lectures;
ideas days – conference style events where you can choose sessions according to
your interests;
seminars;
tutorials; and
formative presentation events.
Assessment for this module is through coursework. This will take the form of an
individual essay and include team and individual presentations of research proposals.
Year Two
You will develop a deeper understanding of the structure of the textile industry and more
awareness of the roles and responsibilities of your chosen profession. This happens
through professional practice with live projects with industry, and inter-disciplinary team
working skills. Elective projects will help you to extend your understanding of the wider
fashion textiles industry.
You will learn about the international market and explore research methodologies,
technologies, values and ethics to help inform design solutions. You will develop
confidence through presentations to industry, and gain understanding of your strengths
and weaknesses through self-promotion.
Year Two modules
Textile Design: Directions (100 credits)
This year-long module aims to develop more awareness of the practice of design within
the international textile industry.
During the module you will undertake a series of practical studio and textile workshops,
to extend your strategies for:
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concept initiation;
drawing for design and repeat; and
textile development.
You will advance your CAD skills relating to textile industry specialist requirements and
deepen technical and process skills in your selected specialist area of embroidery, print,
weave or knit.
Projects will help you to develop your individual creativity and build design
communication skills needed to work as part of a team.
Throughout the module you will develop a greater appreciation of how broad contextual
research and market knowledge inform design decisions. You will consider important
influencing factors such as how trends arise and are used, technological innovations,
market requirements and design responsibility.
There will be opportunities for professional engagement with industry through live
projects, and the option to take part in an overseas trip to visit an international trade fair.
A range of module events and academic tutorials will help you to start thinking about
your personal career aspirations, and extend your experience through studio visits and
work placements.
During this module you’ll have the opportunity to take electives, where you can
investigate aspects of the fashion and textiles industry according your career aspirations.
These will also enhance your professional skills such as communication and teamworking and take place in Weeks 30 – 31 and 44 – 45.
Elective options include:
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entrepreneurship;
ethical fashion;
fashion forecasting;
interior and lifestyle trends;
journalism;
online portfolio;
styling for fashion;
trend tracking;
visual merchandising; and
visual presentation.
You will also complete three Textile Design projects:
Project One: Textile Process Exploration focuses on the acquisition and development of
technical skills and processes within your chosen specialist area (print, embroidery,
weave, knit). You will gain experience of CAD / CAM in the context of your specialism,
and develop your contextual research.
Week 10: Visual Research
Weeks 10 – 16: CAD (Computer Aided Design)
Weeks 10 & 16: academic tutorials
Weeks 11 – 13: Dye Workshops
Weeks 11 – 16: Technical Block
Weeks 14 – 15: Repeat Workshops
Weeks 14 – 16: Interim Peer Evaluation
Week 16: Verbal Presentations
Project Two: Designing for a Market develops your understanding of trend prediction,
contextual research, design responsibility and designing appropriately for a market. You
will select from a choice of live projects and work in a team to answer a market-led
design brief, presenting your outcomes to external clients.
Week 17: Project Briefing / Trent and Contextual Research
Weeks 17 and 19: Dye Workshops for Weave and Knit
Week 18: Team Concept Development and Visual Research
Week 19: Graduate Career Talks
Weeks 24 – 28: Project Development and Production of Design Collections
Weeks 24 – 28: Team and Area Tutorials
Week 26: Academic Tutorial, CV writing / Covering Letter
Weeks 24 – 27: CAD
Week 29: Live Project Presentations
Week 29: Paris Residential / Premiere Vision International Trade Fair
Project Three: allows you to write your own design brief and extend your design thinking
across traditional textile boundaries. This project has a focus on investigation and risk-
taking, and will allow you to find a personal line of enquiry in preparation for your final
year.
Weeks 32 – 32: Project briefing, minor workshops and presentation workshop
Weeks 32 -33 and 34 – 38: CAD
Week 34: Academic Tutorial, selecting and applying for work experience / covering letter
Week 35: Writing Project Proposal and Visual Research Week
Week 38: Technical Workshop
Week 38 – 41: Project Development and Production of Outcomes
Week 40: Academic Tutorial, work placement review and preparation for Final Year.
Week 42: Module submission and verbal presentations
Delivery and assessment
This module is delivered through:
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




briefings;
lectures;
seminars;
studio workshops;
textile demonstrations and workshops;
tutorials; and
study visits.
Peer evaluation and verbal and visual presentations occur at stages through the module
or at the end of projects, and provide an opportunity to reflect and receive feedback on
your work.
Assessment for this module is 100% coursework. This will include sketchbooks, design
development, presented and resolved projects, supporting research files, technical,
contextual, and personal development planning and a reflective learning journal.
Design, Culture and Context 2 (20 credits)
This module builds on the knowledge and skills you will have gained in Year One.
In the first half of the year you’ll focus on how the commercial context affects design and
culture. You’ll consider the crucial role played by design in the creation of desire in a
trend-driven consumer culture, in an era of mass production and consumption. This will
include consideration of key cultural issues motivating producers and consumers, such as
the search for identity, authenticity and the need for responsibility and sustainability to
make design a force for positive change.
In the second half of the year you will focus on creating negotiated individual briefs in
preparation for your final year project, with the choice of lectures, seminars and an inhouse symposium design to stimulate thinking about current cultural issues and
developments in design, visual and material culture.
Delivery and assessment
This module is delivered through:
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



Design, Culture and Context lectures;
ideas days – conference style events where you can choose sessions according to
your interests;
seminars;
tutorials; and
formative presentation events.
Assessment for this module is through coursework. This will take the form of an
individual research project and poster presentation.
Final year
You will focus on individual development through independent learning. This will include
a series of professional lectures alongside specialised careers advice which includes
preparation for employment and recruitment agencies. You will also be supported in
developing self-promotional skills for when you graduate, such as websites and blogs.
You will have the opportunity to take part in a number of national and international
competitions, live projects and collaborations. This helps to make sure that your work
represents your current strengths and shows a directional personal identity to creative
inquiry, use of technologies and an appreciation for social and sustainable issues. This
also ensures that you will be in a competitive position to take advantage of employment
opportunities when you graduate.
Final Year module
Negotiated Textile Design Portfolio and Research Projects (120
credits)
This module is viewed as a set of learning experiences that supports your personal
journey. The development of your negotiated projects should be guided by your
aspirations for your future career.
The focus of these projects will be to develop work which shows your personal interest
and strengths. You will also be encouraged to get involved with external competitions,
trade fairs, industry-linked and live projects.
Your individual research project will connect with the Design, Culture and Context
module from Year Two. You will have the opportunity to explore an aspect of design or
the wider cultural and historical context in depth, developing research questions and
carrying out research to explore answers to those questions. You will be able to choose
how you present this research and how it is weighted against your Negotiated Textile
Design Portfolio.
This work will develop your level of skills in analysis, communication, presentation and
independent thinking. It will also help you to develop a professional level of
understanding of the wider context for your design work.
Delivery and assessment
This module is delivered through:
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



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briefings;
lectures;
seminars;
studio workshops;
tutorials; and
study visits.
Peer evaluation and verbal and visual presentations occur at stages through the module
or at the end of projects, and provide an opportunity to reflect and receive feedback on
your work.
Negotiated Textile Design Portfolio, either 80% or 65%
Regardless of the weighting you choose, you will be assessed through coursework.
Hand-in requirements include:
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personal design brief;
visual research;
design development;
resolved design projects;
contextual research;
contextual synopsis;
technical file;
learning journal;
CV; and
digital record of work.
Research Projects, either 20% or 35%
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20% - You will complete a dissertation of 6,000 words.
35% - You will complete a project of 10,500 words in total, including a 6,000
word dissertation and 4,500 words for other outcomes.