Design
Design is one of the most pervasive and consequential human activities, shaping virtually everything in the built and made world from the smartphone in your pocket to the chair you sit on, the signage on the street, and the interface through which you read this text. As a discipline, it is concerned with how things are conceived, made, and experienced, and it draws on visual thinking, problem-solving, materials knowledge, and an understanding of the people who will use, see, or inhabit the things designers make. Studying design formally develops the ability to move between analytical and creative thinking and to make decisions about form, function, and communication with deliberate intent.
The Open University offers its design degree part-time by distance learning, which reflects its commitment to making higher education available to people who cannot study full-time or who live far from a campus university. Distance learning design education has developed considerably in recent years, with digital tools making it possible to engage with visual and creative content online in ways that were not previously possible. You will work through the programme online, engaging with course materials and with an academic community at a pace and schedule that suits your circumstances.
You will study design history, design theory, and design practice, developing your understanding of how design operates across product design, graphic design, interaction design, and environmental design, among other fields. You will engage with the social, cultural, and environmental dimensions of design, developing an understanding of how design decisions affect people and the world.
Graduates of design programmes move into careers as practising designers across many specialisms, including product design, graphic design, UX and interaction design, interior and environmental design, design management, and design education. The analytical and creative skills the degree develops are also valued in many professional roles beyond conventional design practice.