At a glance
A practical course where students use design thinking and the design process to create textile-based solutions. Students explore design ideas, develop skills in making, and learn how textiles can be used to solve problems and communicate messages.
This course is a good choice for students who:
- enjoy creative, hands-on making with textiles (like fabric, thread and mixed materials)
- like designing for a purpose and improving ideas through drafts and feedback
- are interested in areas like fashion, costume, styling, textile design or product design
About this course
Design & Textiles focuses on design thinking and the design process to create practical solutions using textiles as the main medium. Students explore design fundamentals, emerging technologies, textile futures, history and culture, sustainability and ethics. Assessment usually includes a mix of design process work (planning and documentation) and finished design solutions (products and prototypes).
Pathways
This course can support pathways into areas such as:
- fashion and costume pathways
- textile and product design pathways
- personal styling and creative industries
- further study or training in design-related fields
Units in this course
Students complete 2 units for a Minor or 4 units for a Major.
Design Aesthetics
This unit is about what makes designs look and feel a certain way, and how design ideas are developed through aesthetics and design theory.
Students will:
- investigate design inspiration (for example culture, history, nature or the built environment) and develop creative concepts
- experiment with textile techniques to create an aesthetic textile product
Design for Purpose
This unit is about designing for an end purpose, using criteria and focusing on the user’s experience.
Students will:
- create a design brief that considers needs, purpose and product performance
- design and create a textile product that meets a purpose and fits the end user
Design for Futures
This unit is about the future of textiles design, with a focus on sustainability and new technologies.
Students will:
- explore future-focused design ideas, including recycling, upcycling or repurposing
- use technologies and design processes to create a textile solution that considers sustainability
Design for Communication
This unit is about how textiles and design can communicate messages and be promoted to an audience.
Students will:
- explore how textiles can communicate heritage, identity and ideas
- design and create a product and develop marketing materials (for example labels, packaging, blogs or a website)