Design for Development MA: Student projects

Student project work

Find out more about the sorts of things our students get involved in, and some of their achievements whilst on the course.

2011-12

View a selection of student project work by Carlos Fierro, Jaidee Kim, Melissa Lacide, Paula Ligo, Fan Sissoko (19MB .pdf).

2011 Intersections 2: Creative Business Summit

The 2010/11 Design for Development MA students attended the two-day Intersections 2 conference at the Eden Project in Cornwall on 2 and 3 March 2011. The conference explored the emerging trends driving business change and new opportunities for design practice including the themes of sustainable design and the environment and social design and collaborative practices. There were 45 experts, mavericks, entrepreneurs and thought leaders who spoke, including the Design for Development MA's course director Anne Chick.

Sustainable Futures Exhibition at Design Museum, London

The Design for Development MA students assisted Gitta Gschwendtner with her initial design ideas for the Design Museum's Sustainable Futures exhibition structural designs. The students hosted an ecodesign principles workshop for her and the Design Museum curatorial team. Anne Chick, course director of the Design for Development MA was on the selection panel that reviewed the exhibition content across areas such as cities, food, materials and citizens.

The Sustainable Futures exhibition ran from 31 March until 5 September 2010 at the Design Museum. It showcased a range of pioneering design and architecture products that explore how design can lead the way in contributing towards a more positive and sustainable future. From the world's first carbon neutral city to a refrigerator which doubles as an aquarium, this exhibition explored a range of products, concepts and projects that address issues of sustainability in their design. Through prototypes, samples, products and film, you can find out more about your impact on the world and how to change it.

London Design Festival

The Design for Development MA Course Show was staged as part of Tent London, a ground-breaking show for forward-thinking design across all disciplines. Tent London is part of the annual London Design Festival. Tent drew a massive 19,000 visitors from 44 different countries. Check out the 2009/10 students work.

Sorrell Foundation project: Building Schools for the Future programme

The Sorrell Foundation invited the 2009/10 cohort to participate in their national Building Schools for the Future programme from April to September 2010. They worked with groups of up to 80 Year 7 and Year 10 young people from across the boroughs of Croydon and Kingston upon Thames and their teachers.

The students organised participatory design workshops, design agency visits, short practical design projects and other events. Some sessions hosted by the University were designed to give participating pupils and young people an insight into university life. They also acted as mentors to the children and eventually qualified as Sorrell Foundation mentors. The students explored ideas with the children around improving the environmental performance of their schools through architecture, procurement and behavioural change.

Greengaged at ICOGRADA World Design Congress, Beijing

Rao Qingfang, as part of her postgraduate major project, organised a week-long workshop (20–28 October 2009) with greengaged on design for sustainable change. The events and final exhibition were part of the Icograda World Design Congress 2009, the British Council's China-UK Creative Entrepreneurs' events and the first Beijing Design Week festivities. Design for Development MA course director, Anne Chick hosted the workshops along with greengaged co-founder Sophie Thomas.

The Greengaged-China objectives were to:

initiate a dialogue on sustainable design between international sustainable design experts and the Chinese design community;
engage the wider design industry in getting involved, becoming informed and sharing expertise and opinions; and
explore how creative entrepreneurs can contribute to a sustainable future.

Greengaged China's workshop attracted 30 delegates from all over China and representing a wide array of design disciplines. The delegates explored sustainable design thinking, its methods and skills through a field trip to one of China's largest printing companies, seminars and studio practice. The exhibition showcased sustainable design thinking alongside engaging stories about the impact of sustainable design from both the UK and China.

YouCanKingston project

In June 2009 many of the Design for Development MA students worked with ThinkPublic (the innovative public service design practice) on a co-design health project called YouCanKingston. The project aimed to work with the community to bring lasting health service benefits to the Cambridge Road Estate (one of the areas most in need in Kingston, where there are striking levels of deprivation and ever-widening levels of health inequalities). Health Launchpad at The Young Foundation was commissioned to undertake a 12-week scoping exercise to uncover the health needs in the estate. Students interviewed numerous stakeholders as well as organising a large co-design event on the estate which had a local fete atmosphere. This project is great live experience for the students to experience, co-designing community engagement first hand and was selected for the Creative Review 2010 Annual. This is a showcase of the world's finest creative work and is selected by a panel of leading design and advertising experts.