Bachelor of Design (Product)

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Bachelor of Design (Product)

Product designers work at the interface between art and technology. Their job is to design and develop functional, visually appealing, commercially viable products for people. This can be literally anything: furniture, home appliances, sports shoes, cellphones or even toothbrushes. This human-user centred approach to design encourages original and innovative thinking and practice, as designers seek to combine form and function for a wide range of products and commodities.

This hands-on, exciting degree, based in one of New Zealand's leading design institutions, prepares you to apply technologies creatively and responsibly, in designs that balance the needs of the user, industry and commerce, with those of society and the environment.

What will you study?
The course shares common design core subjects with Otago Polytechnic's other design degrees, in Fashion, Communication and Interiors. It also places a strong emphasis on actually making things, and in your final year you will be able to design two major projects - addressing real design needs or opportunities which will be exhibited in the graduate exhibition in November.
Courses in this programme

Subjects
- Design communication
- Drawing
- Design, culture and context
- Materials technology and production
- Professional practice
- 3-dimensional form analysis
- Computer-aided design
- Physical model construction
- Ergonomics
- Design - Function analysis
- Design research methodology
- Product design studio

Electives
Electives are common across all degrees and may include the following subjects:
- Photography
- Furniture
- Animation
- Creative writing
- Illustration
- CAD CAM
- Rapid prototyping
- Exhibition design
- Marketing
- Packaging
- Jewellery
- Footwear
- Costume
- Life drawing
- Print-making
- Film and sound
- Electives from Schools of Art, Information Technology and Electrotechnology or Management

What are the entry requirements?
To enter this programme, you will need to have 42 NCEA credits at level 3, or an equivalent qualification.

Alternatively you may apply to enter the programme if you successfully complete the Certificate in Creative Studies. It may also be possible to gain provisional entry into this programme. Decisions on provisional entry are made at the discretion of the Head of Department.

All applicants will need to submit a portfolio and may be required to attend an interview. Please contact Otago Polytechnic's Department of Design for more information.

What bridging options are there?
The Certificate in Creative Studies is aimed at those who do not meet the required entry requirements for the Bachelor of Design programmes, but who are keen to pursue a career in this field.

After this what further studies can you do?
Your next step could be to enter the Master of Product Design Enterprise, offering you an outstanding opportunity to see your designs contribute in a real-life industry situation. Alternatively, you'll be eligible to apply for graduate teacher training programmes, leading to employment as a secondary teacher in design.

What are the job opportunities like?
Graduates of this programme are qualified and well prepared to take up career opportunities within a range of product manufacturing industries or product design consultancies. The opportunities here really are endless. For just about any object you can think of, there is someone manufacturing it, and someone with a vested interest in improving its design. There is also a growing trend for manufacturers and other organisations to employ industrial designers in new fields, including the entertainment and advertising industries, or as design consultants to public authorities, social service departments and corporations, CAD operators, interaction designers, model-makers, sports and softgoods designers, researchers and entrepreneurial developers.