Design courses teach the theory and application of the design of products, services and environments. In many cases design courses are closely linked with craftsmanship, where students learn not just how to create innovative designs but also how to produce these in at least a prototype scenario. Design has become an element involved in many different areas, some of which we'll discuss in more detail.As in most areas,
design education often takes a more general form in a first degree at the bachelor or undergraduate level. Continuing education moves on to specialize students where for example a
fashion design student can move on to a master degree in shoe design and manufacture or a student of interior design can specialize in the design of private or official environments.
Design / Fashion and Craftsmanship education can be found all over the world. There are lots of prestigious names to choose from - differing depending on what area of design you are most interested in. Always make sure to choose the one that suits you best when it comes to everything from location to course specializations offered and possible future prospects.
The following denominations of
design/fashion/craftsmanship are only a selection of some of the most popular areas. Have a look in our list of schools and educations for an even more options.
Graphic Design
Graphic design can refer to many different artistic and professional disciplines focusing on visual communication and presentation.
Graphic design educations teach students how to combine symbols , images and words to convey an idea or a message in the visual form. A graphic designer may use a number of different methods involving typography, visual arts and page layout to produce their final product. Today graphic designers create a very large part of their work with the help of different computer programs.
Graphic designers work within magazines, advertising, product packaging and web design to name just a few areas. Titles vary but responsibilities often overlap. Some common professions include graphic designer, art director, creative director and production artist. Specialist skills include illustration, photography or interactive design.
Fashion and Costume Design
Fashion design is the applied art, which deals with the design and production of clothing and lifestyle accessories. Fashion design is not to be equated with
costume design, which largely deals with clothing predating 1858 when the first "fashion" label was created. While Fashion design produces products with an innate obsolescence of one or two seasons, costume design of today mainly produces historic or other costumes for the theatre or film and TV production.
Fashion and costume design programs both generally last 3 years where some fashion degrees include a year of working in the fashion industry to gain experience. After the first degree students in both areas face rough competition on the job market and have the option of continuing their education to specialize in a particular area. Fashion students can for example specialize in something like shoe design or design for the mass market.
Career possibilities in the area of costume design are usually found within theatre, film and TV production. Another area of employment is that of museums in order to correctly depict, restore and maintain historic collections.
Career options for fashion designers are a little broader. Many designers are self employed creating designs for individual clients while others work for large fashion houses or apparel manufacturer's creating garments and accessories for the mass market. Many of the large name brands employ a team of individual designers working under the direction of a designer director - jobs that are all highly desired among fashion designers world wide.
Industrial Design
Industrial design is a cross between engineering and art. Students of industrial design study both function and form, together with the connection between the product and user. Much of their work goes into not only the aesthetically pleasing but also focus on usability and consumer interaction and expectations.
Industrial designers are found working side by side with engineers and marketers in all kinds of industries from designing cars - both interior and exterior, to user electronic products such as mobile phones or mp3 players.
