Online (via Zoom)
Professional
Online
Professional
Course Duration
8 x 2 hour online sessions
2.30 - 4.30pm UK Time
(6:30 to 8:30pm Dubai Time)
(2 days per week)
Next Course Schedule
23rd November
Course Started
New Dates Coming Soon!
Entry Requirements
No previous qualifications required, just an interest in furniture design
Assessment
No exams — Course exercises only,
practice from home
Qualification
Investing in Your Future Certificate accredited by AIM Qualifications + NDA 'Furniture Design' Certificate
Course Summary
Develop Specialised Furniture Design Skills
with the award winning Rock Galpin!
Enrol on this one-month workshop to learn the essential skills used in professional furniture design. This course is ideal for interior design and product design students looking to expand their design skill-set, professional interior designers looking to create custom furniture; or anyone intending to work in or establish a business in furniture design.
This course is taught by the well-known furniture designer Rock Galpin. It takes you through the design journey, from understanding your clients, developing ideas, making and testing models, to sourcing manufacturers and materials. It also touches on Sustainable Design, Circular Economy, User Centric Design, and Experience Design. There are plenty of exercises and hands-on training throughout the course.
Join our intensive short course with live online lessons to learn the skills you need to become a professional furniture designer!
Course Duration
Online Course (via Zoom)
To complete the course, you will need to attend 8 x 2hr live online lessons, scheduled over a 4 week period, with lessons twice a week.
All classes are taught online via Zoom.
Assignments
- Assignments will be set to allow you to practice.
You will have access to additional online learning resources.
What Will I Learn?
Online Course (via Zoom)
You will be trained to be a professional modern furniture designer, taught by an award winning designer. You will be taught the core, essential skills, and the knowledge and process to be a practicing designer with tutor and class feedback; from brief, client, ideation, concept development in 2D and 3D to a final resolved presentation including an appearance model, set for prototyping your design.
Student take-away
A portfolio of your project in presentation boards, sketch models and final scaled model of your design with a specification and technical package.
By the end of this course, you will:
- Have a better understanding of how to interpret clients
- Be able to interpret and work to a brief
- Understand the Design Process
- Be able to create ideas and develop them in 2D
- Know about the manufacturing process and materials
- Have an awareness of sustainability and environmental impact in design
- Know how to create a technical drawing
- Be able to develop your ideas in 3D and test them
- Have model-making skills
- Have a project journey and final design
- Be better able to communicate your designs
About Your Tutor
Rock Galpin
Furniture Designer
The course tutor is award-winning designer and consultant Rock Galpin, with over 30 years of international industry experience in furniture design consulting. He has been teaching short courses for professionals, and Bachelor’s and Master’s level courses in top London UK universities in the subjects of Product Design, Industrial Design, and Furniture Design. Rock has design agencies established in London and Dubai.
Next Available Course
Online lessons run for 2hrs – Tuesdays & Thursdays over 4 consecutive weeks:
November to December Course
Course Started - New Dates Coming Soon!
- November 23rd, 25th, 30th & December 2nd, 7th, 9th, 14th & 16th
-
2.30pm to 4.30pm UK Time (GMT)
(6:30pm to 8:30pm Dubai Time)
What Will I Study?
The course is organised into 8 classes, with 4 assignments and a final project.
Intro to Furniture Design, Research & the Design Process
- Class 1: This unit offers an introduction to professional design practice by an international furniture designer. You will cover some of the history of furniture design and past and present trends.
- Class 2: You will be taught the Design Process and shown techniques to understand your client.
Client Decoding, Designers’ Tools, Ideation, Manufacturing/Materials & Model Making
- Class 3: This unit covers how to analyse a client and create resources to design with, using specific design tools. You will be given a design brief to complete for the course.
- Class 4: This unit covers materials and manufacturing/making processes, and introduces 3D model making skills.
Concept Development & Presentation in 2D, Ergonomics, Scale and Model Making
- Class 5: This class covers presenting your designs to ‘the client’ in 2D. You will learn about ergonomics and scale and be taught the basis for technical drawing (orthographic drawing).
- Class 6: In this class, we will discuss the ongoing development of your designs, view your materials, decide composition, colours and manufacturing processes; and with your concepts, you will develop your designs holistically in 3D scale.
Design Completion, Communication Prep, and Final Presentation
- Class 7: This class covers the final development of your design to scale, including materials, manufacturing process specification and finalising design detailing, ready to present to the client. It also covers communication planning for your final presentation.
- Class 8: The final class involves the presentation of your course project, showing where your exciting design has come from and why it makes perfect sense for your client.
Week 1
Intro to Furniture Design, Research & the Design Process
- Class 1: This unit offers an introduction to professional design practice by an international furniture designer. You will cover some of the history of furniture design and past and present trends.
- Class 2: You will be taught the Design Process and shown techniques to understand your client.
Week 2
Client Decoding, Designers’ Tools, Ideation, Manufacturing/Materials & Model Making
- Class 3: This unit covers how to analyse a client and create resources to design with, using specific design tools. You will be given a design brief to complete for the course.
- Class 4: This unit covers materials and manufacturing/making processes, and introduces 3D model making skills.
Week 3
Concept Development & Presentation in 2D, Ergonomics, Scale and Model Making
- Class 5: This class covers presenting your designs to ‘the client’ in 2D. You will learn about ergonomics and scale and be taught the basis for technical drawing (orthographic drawing).
- Class 6: In this class, we will discuss the ongoing development of your designs, view your materials, decide composition, colours and manufacturing processes; and with your concepts, you will develop your designs holistically in 3D scale.
Week 4
Design Completion, Communication Prep, and Final Presentation
- Class 7: This class covers the final development of your design to scale, including materials, manufacturing process specification and finalising design detailing, ready to present to the client. It also covers communication planning for your final presentation.
- Class 8: The final class involves the presentation of your course project, showing where your exciting design has come from and why it makes perfect sense for your client.
Student Gallery
A sample of work completed by our talented furniture design students.
Accreditation
As with all NDA courses this short course is accredited. On successful completion of this course, you will receive the Investing in Your Future Award certificate accredited by AIM Qualifications and the NDA Furniture Design Short Course certificate.
What Will I Need To Study?
Alongside a computer, an internet connection and downloaded Zoom software (free), there are some essential and recommended design equipment and materials required, which can be sourced through most large stationery shops.
Equipment & Tools
- Sketch Book A4 or A5
- A3 Layout Pad
- Fine-line Pens
- Set of Pencils 2H - 6B
- Digital Camera (phone or other)
- Standard 300mm Ruler
- Set Square & Compass
- Scalpel & Cutting Mat
- Pliers with Cutting Edge
- Set of Coloured Pencils (optional)
- French Curves (optional)
- Brass Fasteners (optional)
- Art Markers (3 tones of greys + colours), A3 Bleed-proof Layout Pad & Lighter Fluid (optional dependant on software skills)
Model Making Materials
- White Card (easy to fold, stiff enough to maintain shape)
- 3 & 5mm White or Black Foam Board (foamex)
- Sellotape & Double Sided Tape (approx 20mm)
- Glue & Display Mount (spray glue)
- Aluminium/Bendable Rod (approx 4mm) & Wire (approx 1mm)
- Expanded Aluminium Mesh (model making shop/builders merchant)
- Cotton Wool, Fabrics, Needle & Thread
- Styrofoam, Insulation Material (blue or grey) (model making shop/builders merchant) (optional)
Computer Software Skills
(Not essential to complete course)
- Adobe Creative Suite Skills (or similar)
- 2D Software Skills (e.g. AutoCAD)
- 3D CAD Modelling Skills (e.g. SketchUp)
What Our Students Say...
Course Fees
*All fees in US dollars.
Get In Touch
Please contact us if you have any questions or need help enrolling online. One of our tutor team will be happy to assist.
Email us direct, leave us a message or request a call-back later.