About the course
London has long been recognized internationally as a vibrant and forward-thinking ‘design' capital. As home to many prestigious museums, design and architectural studios, design publishers and critics, the UK Design Council, the 2012 Olympics, and other creative industries, the city offers opportunities for thinking about design like no other.
Launched in 2008, MA Design Writing Criticism was the first of its kind in Europe. The overarching course philosophy is an emphasis on research, process and critical thinking, and allows individual and personal positions to be explored through focused study in one particular area of design writing/criticism. The ambition of this course is to provide a critical space to examine and push forward: the role of writing in the studio, the impact of online discourses in design, the designer's own critical practice, how we interpret design and architectural history, and exploring potential of the materiality of language in visual ways.
Students on the programme bring with them an understanding of professional practices ranging from design/illustration/architectural studios, journalism and design history, teaching and social networking to trend forecasting. This rich and diverse mix of backgrounds, approaches and perspectives has informed the discourse of design writing/criticism, while at the same time the synergies between them has opened up new lines of inquiry.
We consider our journey a collective one where students and tutors engage in productive discourses with professional writers, storytellers, curators, journalists, designers, architects, critics, cultural historians and educators. This virtual space continues to encourage such conversations and to showcase student initiatives.
Course Director
Please note that this site is about and managed by MA DWC students. For any ‘official' information about the course please see the London College of Communication website where you will find up-to-date application forms, fee structures, an FAQ sheet and guidelines for applying. We are recruiting now for an October start.
"It's great to work with students whose enthusiasm is matched by a course which encourages them to continually explore new forms and ideas." – William Shaw, London Design Festival
"Connecting industry and education and championing creative excellence has never been more important. Students from the MA Design Criticism course have played a valuable part in helping us to do this: bringing an intelligent, informed and confident voice to the conversation." – Ruth Credland, D&AD
