Design Agency - DESG5014

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Module delivery information

Location Term Level1 Credits (ECTS)2 Current Convenor3 2026 to 2027
Canterbury
Summer Term 5 20 (10) Becky Upson checkmark-circle

Overview

You have unique design skills, but how do you prefer to work and what personal and teamwork strengths would you bring to a start-up design agency? 

You will identify your own strengths and talents, form a start-up creative agency with classmates, and pitch for live client brief work. Together you will then formulate solid ‘briefs’ and identify measurable outcomes. Through practical application you will develop an appreciation of the commercial and financial concerns of the creative business sector, and show your work to a public audience.  

By the end of this module, you will have a good idea about what it is like to work in a design studio, what it means to be ‘employable’, understand the changing creative job market, and be well placed to make appropriate careers decisions. More importantly you will have started to develop your professional network.

Details

Contact hours

Workshop / studio 40

Method of assessment

10-minute presentation and presentation document Presentation. Assessment Details: 10-minute pitch plus pitch deck. worth 20%.
10-minute individual presentation and portfolio Project. Assessment Details: To include individual presentation, presentation slide deck, project brief(s), final outcome(s), plus supporting documentation. worth 80%. This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.

Reassessment Method: Like-for-like

Indicative reading

Learning outcomes

On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:? 
Identify the role of freelance and self-employed creatives, agency work and employer expectations, intellectual property, and associated financial considerations. (A4) 
Analyse and adapt to various methods of enquiry and approaches to a brief. Initiate and undertake critical analysis of information towards the proposing of solutions to complex problems. (A6) 
Evaluate their role in a collaborative group, including the wider design community, whilst understanding the component parts of a live design project in the context of the designer as agent for positive change. (C3) 
Describe and communicate ideas, arguments, and analysis to specialist and non-specialist audiences, as a reflection of a current practice relevant to the contemporary creative industries. (A7, B4) 
 Mapped to Course Learning Outcomes: A4, A6, A7, B4, C3

Notes

  1. Credit level 5. Intermediate level module usually taken in Stage 2 of an undergraduate degree.
  2. ECTS credits are recognised throughout the EU and allow you to transfer credit easily from one university to another.
  3. The named convenor is the convenor for the current academic session.
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