BA (Hons) Commercial Surface Design
Course Overview
The University of Bolton's BA (Hons) Commercial Surface Design course is a dynamic undergraduate degree employing the creative disciplines of illustration, surface design, graphics and photography. Throughout the course, theory-informed practice will help you develop a broad portfolio of traditional and digital design skills.We'll introduce you to the varied working practices of studio designers in the industry and guide you as you investigate the range of materials and products surface designers create. Our expert team will support you to experiment with multi-disciplinary materials and techniques. You can take advantage of our print and embellishment facilities for fabric, paper, wood, plastic, metal, glass and ceramics and explore the possibilities and potential of digital embroidery, laser cutting and printing. You'll also benefit from opportunities to work in our specialist workshops, including photographic studios with dark rooms, industry-standard computer suites running the latest design software, and textile and fine print workshops, as well as in our spacious design studios.
This highly creative course is taught by dedicated professionals with extensive experience in research, design, self-promotion, selling and exhibiting. You'll have the chance to showcase your work to international manufacturers and design studios at trade show events, where continuous links with the industry confirm our up-to-date course content. Our graduates can gain impressive studio positions or operate as freelance creatives designing for both national and international companies.
A key focus of the course is on developing your commercial awareness and entrepreneurial skills. These include marketing yourself, exhibiting work nationally and internationally, working in design studios and how to start your own business. We'll support you in planning for a successful career and exploring alternative choices in the wider creative industries. We also aim to help you develop lifelong learning skills so that you can take ownership of your professional development for the future and maximise your potential for success.
By studying for your BA (Hons) Commercial Surface Design degree at the University of Bolton, you can develop essential knowledge and skills in traditional and digital surface design while experiencing life at our supportive, student-focused, multicultural campus.
Highlights
- We'll encourage you to enter national and international competitions. We are proud that many of our students have gained prestigious awards through Première Vision Paris, Heimtextil Frankfurt, New Designers London, TexIntel / Green Grads Eco Stories, I-dott and the International Global Wallcoverings (IGI) Awards.
- Our graduates have progressed to design studios with companies such as Sainsbury's, UK Greetings, Standfast and Barracks (Sanderson Group), Habitat, Graham and Brown Wallcoverings, Clarke and Clarke, Surface Print Ltd., SketchTwenty3 Wallcoverings, Stead McAlpin, J. Rosenthal, Edmund Bell Ltd., Lemon Ribbon, Soochichacha and Hallmark Cards.
- We offer numerous opportunities to visit national and international trade fairs. In recent years, we’ve organised optional study trips to Surtex New York, Indigo Paris, Heimtextil Frankfurt, Surface Design Show, Decorex and New Designers in London. Additional fees are associated with these trips.
- Our dedicated and specialist tutors have industry connections and extensive experience in making, exhibiting and selling surface design work. They are engaged in professional research that feeds directly into the degree's content.
- You'll benefit from the opportunity to work on a major personal project and present it to industry as part of the School of the Arts and Creative Technologies annual Creative Show.
Key Features
- We showcase your work to national and international companies, helping you build professional design and employability skills ready for a career in design.
- In our practical modules, we regularly set up industry-relevant live projects with external organisations and companies. These build your experience in working to industry standards, help you learn the realities of working to design briefs and offer insights into current design practice.
- Our on-campus facilities include airy design studios, industry-standard computer/graphics suites, and workshops for wood, metal, ceramics, fine print, laser cutting, materials, printed textiles, and photography. We offer industry-standard software, including graphic design, illustration, pattern repeat and design for pre-production, large-format scanners, digital print and embroidery equipment, and access to global trend prediction sites.
- Our long-standing reputation in teaching and developing surface design-led subjects means we can attract outstanding visiting speakers from across the commercial design industry. Recent speakers include Lauren Wan (Designer, New York), Rebecca Hempton for Standfast and Barracks, and Simeon Turnbull for Rosebank Fabrics.
- Our proximity to Manchester and extensive links with industry, major galleries and associations in the region mean you’ll be well-placed to take advantage of work placement opportunities.
- We pride ourselves on our small group learning and one-to-one support. Our expert tutors will provide individual attention and guidance, as well as online support through the University’s eLearning system, Moodle.
- By choosing to study with us, you'll have the chance to enjoy Bolton's many shops, bars, restaurants and leisure facilities. Manchester, one of the UK's most multicultural and lively cities, is less than 20 minutes away by train. Not forgetting, the North West of England is renowned for its beautiful countryside, coastline and heritage. This makes Bolton an ideal base from which to explore some of the best cultural and outdoor activities the UK offers.
Entry Requirements
- Any subjects are acceptable at Level 3. Creative subjects are strongly preferred.
- You should also have five GCSEs at grade C or above or grade 4 to 9 (or equivalent), including English.
- You'll be required to attend an interview and provide a portfolio of appropriate work. Your portfolio should demonstrate your skills in a range of relevant creative media and styles.
- The quality of the portfolio/interview is the primary basis on which applicants are selected; therefore, special consideration will be given to applicants without the above qualifications who have a strong portfolio. Relevant work or voluntary experience will also be considered. In these cases, we may ask applicants to undertake additional assessments to determine their suitability for the course.
- If English isn’t your first language, you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.
Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.
Career Opportunities
Our BA (Hons) Commercial Surface Design degree course is designed to develop your practical skills and equip you to be a successful designer. As a graduate of this programme, you'll possess key skills such as creative ability, project management, IT and technical skills, working independently, and commercial awareness. You'll also be able to critically evaluate and interpret materials and research designs, apply future trend predictions, and communicate with clients, manufacturing staff, buyers, and retailers.
The opportunity to visit design studios and manufacturers, galleries and museums, as well as surface design trade fairs in the UK, Europe, and the USA, will broaden your understanding of commercial practice. Links with industry, including enterprise activities, professional exhibitions, live projects, national design competitions, and optional work placements, will enhance your learning experience.
What can I do with this qualification?
Postgraduate study provides the opportunity to develop and experiment with ideas and techniques and extend personal expertise into related areas. The job market is competitive, so you may find that taking a master’s degree or professional short course helps give you the edge, particularly when combined with relevant work experience. Our MA (Specialist Title) via Creative Practice enables you to develop your portfolio further, enhancing your CV.
Alternative career options
Graduates can use the qualification as a stepping-stone into various other careers. Some of these roles may require relevant experience and/or postgraduate study. Some possibilities include:
- Multi-disciplinary Designer
- Creative Artworker
- Interior Furnishings Designer
- Graphic Packaging Designer
- Stationery and Gift-wrap Designer
- Greetings Card Designer and Illustrator
- Homeware Designer
- Surface Pattern Designer
- Wallpaper Designer
- Textile Designer
- Fashion-Graphic Print Designer
- Digital Artist / Designer
- Materials Designer
- Colourist
- Trend Forecaster
- Academic – Teacher or Lecturer
- Technician
- Buyer and Merchandiser
- Visual Merchandising
Fees & Funding
Home/EU Fees
| Year of study | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Year | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | 2027/28 | 2028/29 | |
| 2025-26 | £9,535 | £9,535 | £9,535 | - | £28,605 |
| 2026-27 | - | ||||
International Fees
| Year of study | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Year | 2025/26 | 2026/27 | 2027/28 | 2028/29 | |
| 2025-26 | £17,500 | £17,500 | £17,500 | - | £52,500 |
| 2026-27 | - | ||||
Bursaries
Important note regarding tuition fees: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for 'Home' fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for 'Home' fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance for EU students web page on www.gov.uk for information.
The fees for a student's course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.
How to apply
Home Applicants
Course application details are unavailable at present
International Applicants
Course application details are unavailable at present
Partner Organisation Applicants
Course application details are unavailable at present
Teaching & Assessment
We use a blended approach to teaching and learning, so you’ll have face-to-face sessions and participate in online learning. Studio and computer suite-based activities are important features of the course, alongside lectures, seminars and practical-based workshops in print and surface treatments. We encourage you to participate in visits to galleries and museums, attend presentations by our visiting speakers, and go on location for drawing and visual research. You’ll also engage in self-directed study, with support from a range of staff, including technicians and library/learning resources staff.
Module briefs include a wide range of commercially based design projects, live briefs, competitions and commissions, and self-initiated projects. In addition, there are opportunities for collaborative project briefs that involve working with students from other areas of the creative and digital arts. Historical and contextual studies, as well as the latest trends and industry directions, underpin practical knowledge and provide sources of inspiration. Sharing ideas and practices across disciplines helps you gain a broader understanding of surface design in the wider creative and global art and design-based industries.
You’ll have formative assessments to help you learn and develop your knowledge and skills, as well as summative assessments on which you are graded. You’ll receive individual help and advice on your work in one-to-one tutorials. Peer reviews, where you present your work to a small group of fellow students for their comments, also provide helpful feedback.
Formal assessment is by coursework. This may involve you presenting your portfolio of drawings/design work, material sampling or practical outcomes, along with a supporting sketchbook of developmental ideas, technical note files, and a written research journal. It can also take the form of essays, reports, verbal presentations, assignments, projects and other written work.
Modules
The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.
- Creative Industries Contexts
- Introduction to Design Practice
- Printmaking for Creative Practice
- Surface Design Principles and Processes
- Creative Careers
- Surface Design: Digital and Print
- Professional Studio Practice: Concept, Design, Realisation
- Incubate
- Innovate
- Professional Practice and Self Promotion
- Advanced Commercial Surface Design
- Major Project
Assessment methods
| Level | Assessment method |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Coursework 48% Practical exams 52% |
| Level 2 | Coursework 50% Practical exams 50% |
| Level 3 | Coursework 58% Practical exams 42% |
Learning Activities
| Level | Activity |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Guided independent study 66% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 34% |
| Level 2 | Guided independent study 66% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 34% |
| Level 3 | Guided independent study 68% Scheduled learning and teaching activities 32% |
The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.
