Product Design - BA (Hons)

Leeds Beckett University

Building on the skills you learned during year 1, this module develops your independence and critical engagement with professional design contexts. You’ll respond to design briefs, refining your ability to research, develop, test, and realise considered design solutions. Working within a diverse and inclusive studio culture, you’ll strengthen your capacity to give and receive critique while engaging with industry perspectives, contemporary debates, and professional standards. A research-informed approach underpins your practice, as you apply insights from primary and secondary sources to shape your design decisions. You’ll extend your technical and digital skills while producing more resolved outcomes. Critical reflection becomes increasingly important as you evaluate how your work responds to environmental, societal, and ethical challenges and begin to position yourself within wider design communities.

This module supports a more autonomous and professionally focused approach to design practice. Working within broader project frameworks, you’ll define your own design direction and respond to increasingly complex challenges. You’ll manage projects from initial research through development and presentation, integrating experimentation and critical evaluation to refine your outcomes. Greater emphasis is placed on independent decision-making and professional standards. Engagement with live briefs, industry contexts, and work-related learning opportunities will help you understand professional expectations. You’ll also begin developing self-promotional materials, such as a CV and portfolio presence, preparing you for year 3 and future career pathways.

As you enter your final year, this module supports the development of self-negotiated projects that reflect your emerging specialism and professional ambitions. You’ll research, conceptualise, and realise work for defined audiences, demonstrating critical awareness and technical confidence. Through iterative refinement and sustained critical reflection, you’ll strengthen your ability to navigate complexity and make strategic design choices. You’ll evaluate how your practice operates within environmental, societal, cultural, and industry contexts. Communication is key, as you present your ideas clearly across appropriate formats and respond constructively to feedback. The module encourages ownership of your practice while maintaining engagement with external perspectives and professional expectations.

This final module consolidates your learning through the development and completion of a substantial self-directed project. You’ll synthesise research, experimentation, and critical evaluation to produce resolved and coherent design outcomes. You’ll articulate a clear rationale for your work, demonstrating how it responds to professional, cultural, and societal contexts. Your communication skills will support the presentation of a focused portfolio aligned with your intended career direction. The module supports your transition beyond university, encouraging you to refine your professional identity, portfolio, and relevant networks as you prepare for employment, further study, or self-directed practice.

This course offers the opportunity to take a ‘placement’ year – a year of paid employment in industry which will build your skills and experience. This is usually taken between the second and third year of your degree and will extend the length of your course by an additional year. Students who choose the placement route find it helps with both their studies and getting a job after graduation. It can build your confidence, contacts, and of course your CV. Leeds Beckett advertise lots of placement opportunities and provide support in helping you find the right placement for you.