The diploma at the Institute of Design is the final project in the Master programme. The Institute takes a broad approach to the design profession that includes products, services, systems and interactive experiences. The education brings together aesthetics and technology, creativity and design methods, culture and research. The programme has roots in Industrial Design, but today also includes Interaction Design, Service Design and Systems Oriented Design. This is reflected in the width of our students’ diplomas, and the broad range of themes that they address.

The diploma concludes our five-year Master in design and is done in the final semester. The diploma is a self-initiated and self-organised project that takes place over 18 weeks. The students develop and define their own project-descriptions (the diploma programme) in a pre-diploma’ course, in the semester leading up to the diploma. During the diploma project the students have a main supervisor at the Institute, but can also seek additional input and guidance form across AHO and externally. Diplomas are typically done as individual projects, but can also be done in groups.

The diplomas at the Institute of Design are characterised by variety and breadth. The diploma projects are typically initiated and developed by the students, and they are free to explore different themes and formats. These can be creative explorations, product development and theoretical projects, or collaborations with commercial companies, public services or researchprojects. Diplomas can also be discursive design projects that seek to raise questions or challenge societal or cultural issues. Often our diplomas are ‘hybrids’ that bring together different methods and actors, or span across our different design specialisations.

The purpose of the diploma is multi-layered. The students have to bring together what they have learned throughout their education to define and develop their own project. A challenge here is how the project is followed through, how it is developed and how it is executed as a design project. In the scope of the Master, the diploma is a relatively large project that demands that the student is self-driven, organised, structured and creative. At the same time, the diploma is a possibility for the student to explore his or her own identity as a designer, to research topics she or he finds interesting, or to challenge the students acquired skills and methods. The diplomas should therefore be understood holistically as projects where the students get to choose their own themes, approaches and processes, but where the challenge is also about organising and developing the project itself. Defining and developing the scope and plan for the project is done both in the project-description (diploma programme), as well as throughout the process.

It is important to note that in doing a holistic evaluation of the diplomas, the focus should be on the project itself rather than how closely it follows the initial description or diplomaprogramme.

Basic design - Part 1 Design Basics is the first part of the basic course in design. This is a rehearsal and practice-based course that provides a general introduction to the design subject. The course includes - amongst others - an introductory orientation to the design professional. Furthermore, the course describes the different tools and methods used in design practice. In addition the course includes an integrated drawing course that focus on methodological and analytical freehand drawing. The basic course focuses primarily on the design aspects of industrial design profession through individual design assignments and an aesthetic exploration of two-and three-dimensional expressions, including the use of color. Through a series of exercises oriented towards various design processes, the student will explore various specific issues through individual work with drawing and workshop based model building based on different themes and materials, and practice visual communication skills in presentations.

Grunnkurs design - del 2, Design i kontekst er andre del av grunnkurset i design. Dette kurset bygger videre på høstens kurs GK1 Introduksjon til design. Hovedfokus i vårens kurs ligger på inkluderende designprosesser og øving i teknikker og metoder for produktutvikling. Forståelsen for produktutvikling forsterkes gjennom innføring til materialteknologi knyttet til materialvalg og produksjon. Kurset bygger videre på de verktøy og metoder som ble presentert og øvet i GK1. Samtidig gis studentene en større oversikt over faget i kontekst gjennom bransjeinnsikt og innføring til de ulike retningene; interaksjonsdesign, tjenestedesign og systemorientert design. Kurset viderefører introduksjonen til industridesign som designfag, samt orienterer studenten om de øvrige fordypningsretningene interaksjonsdesign, tjenestedesign og systemorientert design. Kurset bygger på de verktøy og metoder som ble presentert og øvet i del 1 av grunnkurset. Kurset inneholder en integrert tegnemodul som øver metodisk og analytisk frihåndstegning, der studenten øves i relevante tegneteknikker for produktutvikling, visualisering og kommunikasjon i design.  Studentene bygger videre på visuell kommunikasjon gjennom utarbeiding av egen Portfolio. Grunnkurset fokuserer primært på de formgivnings-messige sidene av industridesignfaget, gjennom individuell formgivning og en estetisk utforsking, i to- og tredimensjonale uttrykk. Kurset inneholder også en modul i 3D formanalyse og komposisjon med digitale verktøy.  Gjennom et lengre designprosjekt skal studenten få erfaring med å gjennomføre en designprosess i ulike faser frem mot et ferdig utviklet produkt som presenteres gjennom bruk av visuelle kommunikasjons-hjelpemidler i en endelig sluttpresentasjon.

Emnet Design, Samtid og historie gir en bred kunnskap om design – og kunsthistorie i relasjon til vår samtid. Grunnleggende spørsmål som hva design er, og har vært blir grundig drøftet. Emnet innledes med en kortfattet innføring i kunsthistorien fra antikken frem til og med romantikken. Deretter vil fokus flyttes over til et mer designhistorisk og teoretisk fokus. Emnet favner en dyptgående gjennomgang av viktige designhistoriske epoker, perspektiver, strømninger og episoder fra fremveksten av moderne design på slutten av 1800-tallet til popdesign og postmodernisme på 1980 og 90-tallet, fortsatt med et sideblikk til kunstens verden. Emnet favner både forelesninger av fast kursansvarlig, og gjesteforelesninger. Dette for at studentene skal komme i berøring med mange ulike innfallsvinkler og stemmer.

The course gives students an introduction to the field of interaction design. Interaction design is about designing how we use and experience technology. Interaction designers develop digital products and interfaces, such as mobile apps, games, online services and social media. The field is closely connected to digital developments in society, and is an increasingly important part of the work of designers. The course provides an introduction to digital materials and design methods used to create experiences and expressions through technology. Traditional design materials like wood and plastic are used in the design of interactive products, but also technical materials and tools such as electronics, user data and programming.

The course focuses on products at the intersection between the physical and the digital, and thereby builds on practical and aesthetic skills acquired in previous courses. In addition to providing an introduction to interaction design, the course also addresses the relationship between culture, design, communication and technology. We ask: How can design shape our digital lives? How can design be used to understand and interpret technology creatively, and thereby create good user experiences and aesthetic expressions?

The course provides broad knowledge of design and art history in relation to the present. Fundamental questions about what design is and has been will be discussed thoroughly. The course starts with an introduction to topics in art and design history, from ancient times until Romanticism. The focus then shifts to a review of important eras, perspectives, movements and episodes in design history, from the Arts and Crafts movement and the emergence of modern design in the late 1800s, to pop design and postmodernism in the 1980s and 1990s, still with an eye on the world of art. The course concludes with a contemporary review of how design history has developed from the turn of the millennium until today, focusing on the media and information revolution. The course will deal in depth with topics such as fair trade and sustainable design. The course does not aim to be exhaustive, but will focus on a complex set of aesthetic, philosophical and political motivations that have shaped art and design from industrialism until today.

Industridesigneren jobber innenfor flere kontekster; med bedrifter, deltar i konkurranser, som entreprenører og i forskningsteam. Industridesign i kontekst utforsker disse mulighetene gjennom raske moduler på tre uker. Alle har fysiske produkter som sluttleveranse, men prosess og hensikt er forskjellig. Samtidig søkes det å gi innsikt i de forskjellige produksjonsprosessene som er tilgjengelig i dag. Formgiving og oppøvelse av estetiske ferdigheter er sentralt i alle modulene.

Kurset gir en grunnleggende introduksjon til designteori i dag. Design settes inn i større kontekster, hvor designs tverrfaglige problemstillinger blir diskutert og satt i sammenheng med studentenes erfaringer og behov som designere.

Kurset gir innsikt i teoretiske og metodiske tilnærminger relevante for designfaget gjennom foredrag og diskusjoner, samt praktiske og skriftlige oppgaver. Gjesteforelesere som er utøvende designere, samt designteoretikere, inviteres for å engasjere og vise studentene mangfoldet i teoriutøvelse og relevans. Foredragene vil ta studentene gjennom designarbeider, metoder og strategier for å anvende teori i sitt eget virke som designere. Oppgaver blir om mulig relatert til studioarbeidet, som løper samtidig.

Kurset vil gi et designteoretisk grunnlag med fokus på hovedtemaene: teori for design, artikulasjon, semiotikk, estetikk, etikk og ansvar, inkludering og bærekraft. Hvert tema vil gi informerte utgangspunkter til videre studie i et variert og ekspansivt designfagfelt. Debatter inviterer og utfordrer studentene til selvstendig refleksjon om designfaget utover studiopraksis.

The course is an introduction to service design and brand identity, focusing on experience design. In the course of the semester, the students will develop a brand in a relevant topic defined at the start of the semester. The students shall develop a design solution in response to the assignment. The goal is to develop their own brand concept, and to communicate values and identity in a new brand through experience, service and touchpoints as a product and/or interaction and visual identity. Emphasis is placed on the process and methods, and the process shall be documented in a written report at the end of the semester.

The course builds on Design Theory 1 and concerns how knowledge of design is used in research. The course provides a basis for understanding what design research can be today and how it is relevant to design practice.

The course provides a basis for using theoretical and methodological approaches that are relevant to the design discipline today. Interdisciplinary issues are addressed through practical workshops with design practitioners and theorists in order to motivate the students and encourage them to be independent in relation to the diversity of theoretical perspectives. The course underpins and develops a critical approach to the students’ studio practice and their position as designers over and above their practice. The students will develop a critical and nuanced understanding of design through workshops on criticism and communication, ethics and culture.

The course aims to get students to relate to a complex design practice through exercises in ethics and history, aesthetics and method, communication and cooperation. The design discipline is often practised in close cooperation with other disciplines that build on other theories, priorities and principles. The goal of the course is to strengthen design students’ ability to reflect on and communicate their own practice and discipline.

Systemorientert design baserer designprosess og designutvikling på systemtenkning.

Systemtenkning er helhetstenkning og å forstå hvordan elementer i en helhet opptrer i forhold til hverandre. Studentene lærer å søke en dypere forståelse av problemstilling, å utfolde designoppgavens kompleksitet og å forstå årsak og virkning av designforslagene.

Kurset ”Introduksjon til Systemorientert design & teamarbeid” (14. januar – 2. Mars 2019) skal utvikle studentenes evne til mestre fremtidig designfaglig praksis med vekt på forholdet mellom designer, designteam, oppdragsgiver og samfunn. En viktig målsetning er å se sin egen design-praksis i en helhet som inkluderer større systemer og prosesser. Kurset omhandler Systemorientert design og teamarbeid.

Birger Sevaldson vil undervise i Systemorientert designmetodikk, og Andreas Wettre vil undervise i metoder for teamarbeid.

Studentene skal arbeide i tverrfaglige team med en felles designoppgave for en ekstern partner, det blir fokus på samarbeid og kontekst. Hver gruppe skal ha deltagere fra alle tre spesialiseringer. Samtidig som teamet skal samkjøres og utvikle et helhetlig prosjekt skal enkeltstudentene ha ansvar for sitt spesialfelt. Det søkes samarbeid med andre eksterne profesjoner. Samarbeidspartner våren 2019 er Semcon Devotek ved Baard Røsvik og tema for designoppgaven er autonomi.

Kurset er en 2 uker intensiv modul som introduserer metoder for å planlegge, gjennomføre og rapportere innsikt fra felt studier, som en del av en designprosess. Felt studie i kurset skjer ombord et skip, hvor forskjellige arbeidere og arbeidsplasser er observert og analysert av studentene. Kurset bygger på resultater fra forskningsprosjektene UBC og ONSITE og innfører "Model for Design-Driven Field Research". Studentene vil lære hvordan man effektivt og forsvarlig kan tilegne seg og dokumentere kunnskap om bruk, brukere og brukssted ved å besøke arbeidsplasser i feltet. Det vil være fokus på hvordan man planlegger feltstudier, valg og bruk av metoder i praksis, analyse av data, dokumentasjon og deling av funn. Kurset vil i tillegg belyse feltstudienes rolle i en design prosess. Kurset legger vekt på å la studenten tilegne seg praktisk erfaring ved å gjennomføre en realistisk studie i løpet av kurset.

Emnet "Design Fordypning" skal utvikle studentenes evne til å mestre fremtidig designfaglig praksis med vekt på forholdet mellom designer, oppdragsgiver samfunn. En viktig målsetning er å se sin egen design-praksis i en helhet som inkluderer større systemer og prosesser. Emnet er rettet mot faglig spesialisering og profesjonalisering.

Studentene samarbeider med en ekstern organisasjon/bedrift og kan fordype seg i Industri-, Interaksjons- og/eller Tjenestedesign. Det vil også være mulig å utforme prosjekter som går på tvers av retningene, alt etter hvilke bedrifter det samarbeides med. Prosjektene kjøres i tett kontakt med designere i bedrifter, og studentene møter den profesjonelle design-hverdagen gjennom disse.

Emnet inneholder en videreføring av undervisningen innen Industri-, Interaksjons- og/eller Tjenestedesign. Her er fokuset på profesjonalisering og samarbeid med bedrifter eller organisasjoner.

Studentene forventes å fordype seg i en eller flere av de tre hovedretningene Interaksjons-, Industri- og Tjeneste-design. Emnet har som formål både å modne enkeltstudentenes valgte spesialisering og design-praksis, og å trene evnen til å jobbe med partner-bedrifter eller -organisasjoner. I emnet er det forventet at studentene viderefører det de har lært i tidligere emne, og viser evne til å sette dette sammen på relevante måter.

The PreDip course aims to help students to develop a solid launch pad for their diploma projects, one that will allow them to start their design/research process from a knowledgeable and critical position and with a clear plan.

The choice of theme is primarily in the hands of each student, and the direction in which this subject is to take is mainly the result of consultations between each student and their supervisor, the institute leader, and the course staff.

The course is organized in two main phases. The first phase focus both on the individual student’s own skills and interests and the choice of the actual theme of the project. This first phase will be presented and assessed at a midterm-presentation (after app. 1 month). The second phase deals with designing the actual project with a feasible project proposal as its main and final delivery.

At AHO ex.phil. until now has been taught at the end of the study program (course code GK6EXPHIL). This pilot project (GK1EXPHIL) intends to try out how ex.phil. can be fitted in at the beginning of the program, which the Institute of Form, Theory and History (FTH) has been responsible for since 2007. The first part of the pilot was conducted in the autumn of 2013. The second part of the pilot is carried out in autumn 2014. The purpose of moving ex.phil. to the beginning of the study program is twofold: (1) Firstly, the meaning of ex.phil. as better fulfilled, since the intention of the ex.phil. is to prepare new students for studies at universities and colleges. (2) In order to better meet the overall intent of the ex.phil. course, management by FTH wanted to tie the ex.phil. course closer to the main objective of teaching the first year, namely that of improving the ability for complex problem solving, and the first year students' other educational lessons and instructions, such as three-dimensional computer-aided design, subscription and presentation conventions and model engineering. Thus, the intention of the pilot is to make ex.phil. a part of the comprehensive set of methods and tools for idea and project that the students are to acquire during the first year and which lays the foundation for their further progression. The ex-phil. course provides an introduction to the general questions of what we perceive as real (ontology), what we mean by knowledge (epistemology) and how we understand "the human condition" (anthropology) in the Western tradition. These issues are lit from different angles, through a systematic introduction to philosophy, the philosophy and history of science, and through an introduction to selected topics in the philosophy of science, ethics and aesthetics. The connection between the systematic (synchronic), the historical (diachronic) and thematic (specific) approach to these general questions are handled within a culture philosophical framework. Within this framework, in which philosophical anthropology, practice theory and learning theory are central, students will receive an introduction to central philosophical issues from Greek antiquity to the present day. The emphasis will be on showing how philosophical thinking consists of a systematic reflection on fundamental questions without definitee answers, so that philosophy can be seen as a continuing discussion where answers are given, but where questions and arguments are of a greater importance. By gaining insight into this ongoing discussion, students develop the ability to reflect upon fundamental questions and beliefs that has had - and have - a decisive impact on what we perceive as different areas of reality. It is about how science and technology, art and aesthetics, ethics and politics, economy and society, religion and beliefs, constitute what we belive to be true. At the overarching level, students will thus be able to reflect on the historical and conceptual assumptions of the dominant ways of thinking in Western culture. As such, the ex.phil. course safeguards not only important aspects of the education of first year students, but also contribute to preparing them for their role as future professionals.

Drawing on material spanning from extracts from novels, poems, journalism and criticism to art works, films, buildings or exhibitions, the small writing exercises is about pinning down details and fragments in which a wider world of architecture and design might be mirrored. We look at the way in which architecture and design is evoked and depicted within different literary, historical and artistic contexts. The students will learn to zoom in on particular details, and give precise descriptions of spaces, buildings and objects as presented in different media and genres. The writing exercises aims at cultivating genre sensitivity and help the student to identify the way in which architectural form and design appears outside architectural discourse.