This well-established, highly respected degree will equip you with the right skills to secure the career of your dreams within the textiles and surface design industries, across interiors, fashion, gift and related products. You’ll study in an environment with knowledgeable, passionate, skilled, friendly lecturers and technicians with loads of industry experience and will be based in some of the best workshops and studios in the country. You will develop skills and knowledge across print, embroidery, drawing and image making, the design process, research and professional practice. You will work on live briefs with current design companies and can explore work experience with one of our amazing industry contacts.
You’ll work both traditionally and digitally in the first two years and will then develop a personalised graduate portfolio in your 3rd year.
Awards
• Bradford Textile Society Competition 2024 – Winner – Prestigious Textiles Award
• Mr X Stitch Student Embroidery Prize – Winner - Mixed Media Category 2024
• Green Grads 2024 – x2 graduates chosen for in this prestigious national accolade
• Arts Thread/WGSN Global Graduate Design Show 2024 (2x Shortlisted)
• Arts Thread/GUCCI Global Graduate Design Show 2021, 2022 (Shortlisted)
• New Designers The Habitat Future Design Award 2022 (Finalist)
• New Designers Tu Clothing Creative Pattern & Print Award 2022 (Finalist)
• Zealous Amplify Competition 2022
• New Designers Liberty Fabric Studio 2021 (winner)
• Premiére Vision NextGen, Paris 2020 (Finalist)
First Year
• Drawing techniques for textile art and media applications
• Embroidery, embellishment and stitching techniques
• Rug tufting
• Industry structures/career options
• Printed textile techniques
• Screen production and workshop skills
• The design process for surface design
• Design theories and critical analysis
• Making and construction skills for textile products
Year Two
• Commercial links within trade shows and work experience opportunities
• Digital design applications for surface design
• Colour separations for surface design
• Design and Production of a printed length
• Designing and making textile products
• Development of concepts
• Repeat structures
• Professional skills through working with industry on linked assignments
• Professional surface design collections for fashion, gift and interiors
• Research, analysis and exploration skills
Final Year
• A final project
• A portfolio appropriate to your chosen career
• Dissertation
• Exhibition
• Professional, personal marketing and promotional materials
Work is exhibited and sold at trade fairs and exhibitions such as:
• New Designers, London
• The Bowes Museum, London Print Fair
• Design Fair; Indigo Mood Brussels
• Premier Vision, Paris
• MoOd, Brussels
• Bradford Textile Design Competition
• Surtex, New York
Our graduates have gone on to gain successful employment/self-employment in several areas such as:
• Buyer LaModa – previously House of Holland, Secret Sales
• Designer PostFashion (Topshop, Urban Outfitters)
• Tattooist (melissamia_art)
• Home & Print Designer Orla Kiely & former Print Designer, Zandra Rhodes
• Designer and Senior Designers River Island, H&M
• Creative Director & Managing Director Tracey Russell Cards
• Design Director Linea at House of Fraser
• Visual Merchandiser Ikea
• Senior Print Designer Marks & Spencer
• Surface Designer/Creative Director Surfacephilia
• Buyer Debenhams
• Designer Maker Bobbin & Bone
• Owner & Creative Director LillianDaph Interiors
• Designer George at Asda Homeware
• Teaching Primary, Secondary & Further Education
• Lecturer Higher Education
• Designer, Sipsmith Gin
• Designer, Standfast & Barracks
• Designer, Watermelon Creative Studio, Polyflor Ltd
• Design Director, Through The Sea
• Design Consultant, Farrow and Ball
• Trend Consultant – Trend Bible
• Designer, North Cumbria NHS Trust
• Product Developer & Designer, Fair Trade
• Senior Print Designer, Post Fashion
Your portfolio is a visual statement it says a lot about an applicant and their practice. The advice below is not meant to be restrictive but rather offers some simple advice to help you prepare for your interview.
What we like to see
There is no set ‘requirement’ for a portfolio, but it is useful to see some evidence of your drawing/image making (whether that is traditional drawing or
photography or print making) and some evidence of research into the work of other practitioners. You should also be able to talk about your research. The
ability to generate ideas is really important, and you don’t necessarily have to include any ‘textiles’, as long as it is clear that this is where your interests lie. If you want to include evidence of ‘technical/design based skills’ this could be experimental samples, design sheets, or finished products.
Drawing
• Observational drawing of natural and/or man-made subject matters
• Experimental drawing/image making using a range of media and techniques
Sketchbooks
Ideally some sketchbook work showing the journey through a project.
Davinder Madaher
Davinder has been a practicing surface designer for more than 30 years, working in the UK and USA for an impressive range of companies and clients. His work includes Gap, Guess, Liz Clairbourne, Victoria Secrets as well as work on various brands such as Next, Debenhams, Tesco, Sainsburys and Littlewoods to name a few. His designs can be found on both fashion and homeware.
davindermadaher.com
Gillian Arnold
Gillian has a successful surface design business based in the North East. She sells textile products internationally and her business is growing continually. She regularly recruits from our graduates and offers work experience.
gillianarnold.com
Maria Cooper
Maria is the Senior Print Designer at Orla Kiely. After leaving The Northern where she gained her first degree she secured an MA in Printed Textiles from the Royal College of Art and subsequently worked for H&M and Zandra Rhodes.
orlakiely.com
Sarah NixonSarah graduated from The Northern School of Art in 2009, and launched her design career as a designer maker with Blooming Beautiful Designs, then designing within the team at George Home. She recently launched her own design consultancy, Craft Cottage Studio and designs for national and international clients across all aspects of surface design.
@Craft_Cottage_studio.
Sophie Thompson
Sophie has had a dynamic, diverse career working across surface design for interiors and has worked with several high street brands including Romo, John Lewis, Clarke and Clarke and Prestigious textiles. She also lived and worked in India (G.M Syntex) for 3 years up to 2020. She works across hand rendered and digital design applications and is currently employed by Unique Fine Fabrics (based in Canada). Sophie works remotely and liaises with production companies in India and China. Her international experience and breadth of commercial knowledge make her a wonderful addition to the ILG group.
Barker & Stonehouse
Barker and Stonehouse is the UK's largest independent, family-run furniture retailer bringing customers the finest in quality, style, and value since 1946. Charles Barker and Alex Stonehouse opened the very first Barker & Stonehouse store in Stockton, and began, what has since become, a nationwide network of fine furniture and accessory stores.
