Product Design
The product designer is a professional capable of design, analyse, research and determine the physical properties and qualities, as well as the symbolic and communicative values that should characterise their productions.It defines the form, configuration, quality, functioning, value and aesthetic, social and environmental significance of the same. The main areas in which it develops its activity are: Design of containers and packaging, design of footwear, design of toys, design of household appliances, design of furniture for the habitat, design of office furniture, design of urban elements, design of lighting and luminaires, design in the field of the automotive industry, design of tools and accessories, ceramic product design, sanitaryware and faucet design, design for craftsmanship, design for special conditions, textile design, household goods, system design, design management, product development, design, research and development of new concepts, materials, applications and products, research and teaching.
Timetables
Examinations 2024/2025
Study Map
First year
First semester
Basic Design: Shape and Colour I
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
The subject Basic Design. Form and Colour I, introduces students to the field of composition, form and colour, consolidating an important base for their studies. The learning of the different concepts will serve as a link between the rest of the subjects of the first year of the degree and the different disciplines of design.
Basic Projects/I
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
Basic Projects I introduces the student to the field of design and unifies the basic instrumental knowledge to be used throughout the degree. The learning of the different concepts and disciplines will serve as a link between the rest of the subjects of the first degree in design, through the development of theoretical-practical projects for the resolution of pre-existing problems.
Drawing and techniques/I
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
In their training, the contents developed in this subject provide the theoretical and practical concepts necessary to graphically represent the object and its process of creating ideas. It is based on drawing and graphic design as the driving force that generates future ideas. The student will be introduced to the use of different techniques, tools and supports of drawing and graphic representation.
Representation systems/I
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
The course Systems of Representation-I aims to provide students with a basic knowledge of the different existing systems, as they constitute one of the fundamental tools available to the designer to communicate and represent space effectively.
The design student must know how to choose the most appropriate system to represent a specific design, communicating that design with simplicity, clarity and precision.
The themes taught also aim to develop the spatial imagination.
IT resources/I
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
The course provides students with knowledge of the general tools of two-dimensional drawing with CAD applications, as well as the necessary knowledge to be able to make presentations with two-dimensional and three-dimensional descriptions based on the models generated.
Photography
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
The course aims to provide students with the basic knowledge of photographic technique and language to enable them to develop their creative, analytical and critical skills, applicable to the communication processes involved in product design.
Design and Communication
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
This subject deals with the role of design in communication and introduces students to the study of design from the field of linguistic structuralism, visual perception, and the methodology of the design process to the language of the graphic image. It presents models of communication and investigates the concept of the image and its semantic values.
Science applied to design/I
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
This is a theoretical-practical subject aimed at studying and acquiring the mathematical knowledge and basic tools necessary for students to achieve the ability to analyse, model, calculate and solve problems related to the field of geometry and mathematics, establishing relationships with the field of product design.
History of art and design/I
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
The course introduces the concept, sources and evolution of Art, as well as the terminology of the artistic disciplines and the methodologies for their analysis, with special emphasis on current art.
Second semester
Basic design: shape and colour/II
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
The Basic Design II course introduces students to the field of composition, form, colour and three-dimensionality, consolidating an important base for their studies. The learning of the different concepts and disciplines will serve as a link between the rest of the subjects of the first degree in design.
Basic Projects/II
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
The subject Basic Projects II continues with the introduction to the student in the field of design and unifies the basic instrumental knowledge to be used throughout the degree. The learning of the different concepts and disciplines will serve as a link between the rest of the subjects of the first degree in design.
Drawing and techniques/II
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
In their training, the contents developed in this subject provide the theoretical and practical concepts necessary to graphically represent the object and its process of creating ideas.
The starting point is drawing and graphic design as the driving force that generates future ideas. Students will be introduced to the use of different techniques, tools and supports for drawing and graphic representation.
Representation systems/II
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
The course Systems of Representation-II aims for the student to acquire and consolidate the basic knowledge of the different existing systems, as they constitute one of the fundamental tools available to the designer to communicate and represent space effectively.
The design student must know how to choose the most appropriate system to represent a specific design, communicating it with simplicity, clarity and precision.
The themes taught also aim to develop the spatial imagination.
IT resources/II
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
The course provides students with knowledge of the general tools of three-dimensional modelling with CAD applications, as well as the necessary knowledge to be able to make presentations of their models.
Basic concepts in rendering, digital image processing and computer graphics are developed.
Three-dimensional analysis
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
The course will deal with concepts and fundamentals in the construction of three-dimensional models, structural models and models. Instrumental techniques and materials for transferring designs to three-dimensional space.
Design, Culture and Society
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
The course delves into the social and cultural aspects of the contemporary world that drove the genesis and development of design.
Applied Design Science/II
ECTS 3
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 3,5
Theoretical-practical subject oriented towards the acquisition and application of knowledge of physics and chemistry in relation to the phenomena of light and the properties of materials, as well as eco-efficiency and sustainability in their application to the field of Product Design.
History of art and design/II
ECTS 3
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 3
The course introduces the concept, sources and evolution of Applied Arts and Design, as well as the terminology of these disciplines and the methodologies for their analysis, with special emphasis on current Art and Design.
Second course
First semester
Audiovisual media
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
Background of the cinematographic image, origin and evolution up to the present day.
Post-production tools and techniques, audiovisual graphics and animation.
Fundamentals of audiovisual language, language, time and narration in different audiovisual media.
Audiovisual organisation and production. Gestation, development and formalisation of projects, from the pre-production phase to post-production.
Aesthetics
ECTS 3
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 3
This subject deals with the study of the different aesthetic concepts and categories throughout history, analysing their relationship with the artistic and design manifestations of each period.
Design management/I
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
Design Management I is an introductory subject in the management processes associated with the profession of designer. It provides the theoretical and practical knowledge, as well as the techniques and tools necessary for understanding the social environment and the legal situation of the profession. In the same way, the course focuses on the contracting tools available to designers, the relationship of the professional with the different administrations and other basic design project management skills. Through the proposal of directed activities, students are introduced to the field of design research and its methodology, and to the writing of academic texts.
Materials and technology/I
ECTS 5
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4,5
To introduce the student to the sensory, physical, chemical and mechanical aspects that govern the behaviour of the materials necessary for product development.
Implement methodologies for a systematisation of the selection of materials and their appropriate application to the design of products or services.
Assess all the methods and mechanisms necessary to develop a product, using the scientific method, and above all the processes of research, development and innovation in materials science and technology.
Identify the technological aspects and technologies suitable for integration in material proposals, as well as innovate new technologies for material processes.
To facilitate the transition from theoretical aspects to practical handling through resources such as the Materioteca (MaterioESDA) and the Materials Research Laboratory, as well as the implementation of real practical proposals in the use of materials.
To introduce students to research and experimentation with materials from a practical theoretical point of view and in collaboration with research institutions and companies.
IT resources applied/I
ECTS 5
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4,5
The course provides students with knowledge of parametric applications for product development. Within the working environment of these applications, two- and three-dimensional design tools, processes for defining complex structures and options for assembling elements, animation of assemblies and process simulation are dealt with.
Projects/I
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
Foundation and theoretical-practical study of product and system design projects. Definition and realisation of projects in the different fields of the speciality according to use, technical, productive, environmental and market factors. Decision, innovation and quality strategies and criteria.
Models and prototypes/I
ECTS 3
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 3,5
The contents developed in this subject provide the student with the theoretical and practical concepts necessary for the construction and three-dimensional representation of the object, in relation to its ideation and verification process by means of models and prototypes.
In this first part of the course, introductory content on modelling, carving, machining and 3D scanning techniques will be developed.
Graphic design applied/I
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
It introduces students to the study of Graphic Design applied to the field of visual perception, the fundamentals of design and the language of the graphic image, as well as the production of visual messages and research into the uses of the image as a source of visual communication.
Second semester
Design Management/II
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
This subject provides theoretical and practical knowledge for the professional practice of Design as an employee. It studies the legislation that regulates the employment relationship and the conflicts that arise from it.
Materials and technology/II
ECTS 5
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4,5
To introduce the student to the sensorial, physical, chemical and mechanical aspects that govern the behaviour of the materials necessary for product development and to the importance of selecting the most suitable materials for a given product, artefact or service design from a methodological point of view.
Assess all the methods and mechanisms necessary to develop a product using the scientific method and above all the research, development and innovation processes of materials science and technology.
Identify the technological aspects and technologies suitable for integration in material proposals, as well as innovate new technologies for material processes.
Facilitate the transition from theoretical aspects to practical handling through resources such as the Materioteca, as well as the realisation of practical proposals in the use of materials.
The subject presents a continuity with the one taught in the first semester (Materials and Technology I), so the blocks referring to materials are dealt with from a classical classification. In the second semester, emphasis continues to be placed on the need to apply methodologies for the selection of materials, on their adaptation to design projects and to the methodologies of design.
With the previous experience acquired by the students in the first semester, materiality is approached from a much more practical perspective, applied to real projects in collaboration with external agents.
Applied IT resources/II
ECTS 5
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4,5
The course provides knowledge of advanced techniques for product modelling and the communication of its characteristics. It deepens the concepts and lines of work dealt with in the previous subjects of Computer Media, as well as the interrelation between the different computer applications developed so far.
Projects/II
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
Foundation and theoretical-practical study of product and system design projects. Definition and realisation of projects in the different fields of the speciality according to use, technical, productive, environmental and market factors. Decision, innovation and quality strategies and criteria.
Models and prototypes/II
ECTS 3
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 3,5
The contents developed in this subject provide the student with the theoretical and practical concepts necessary for the construction and three-dimensional representation of the object, in relation to its ideation and verification process by means of models and prototypes.
In this second part of the course, the contents of introduction to rapid prototyping, making moulds and reproductions, final prototype and design validations will be developed.
History of product design/I
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
This subject deals with the study of objects and product design from the origins to the Industrial Revolution, analysing their relationship with the artistic manifestations of each period.
Applied Graphic Design/II
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
This subject deals with the role of graphic design in product design communication. It provides basic tools of applied graphic design so that students can present their work, communicate with other professionals to project the promotion of a product and prepare graphic models applied to products.
New materials
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
This course introduces students to new materials and analyses how their properties can be used to design innovative products from a material point of view. To this end, the suitability of new materials is analysed from a multidisciplinary point of view: influence on design, research and experimentation, manufacturing processes, product quality, profitability, and environmental impact.
Third year
First semester
Production processes/I
ECTS 5
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4,5
This subject develops the production processes that take place in industry to materialise different types of products, focusing on the importance of design for technically and economically viable manufacture, passing through the methods of processing, shaping and finishing, and ending with the different tests used to ensure the quality of the final product.
Bionics and mechanical systems/I
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
The subject introduces students specialising in product design to the multidisciplinary field of bionics, both in terms of its conception of creative methodology and its transdisciplinary nature.
It is therefore a question of making an initial approach from a theoretical-practical point of view of the beginnings that gave birth to the field of study, with the most relevant milestones in the historical, techno-scientific and social sphere and its disciplines of origin, cybernetics, biology, etc.
On the other hand, and given the interest it arouses in different fields of design, the different research methodologies that arise from the observation and study of individual systems and natural ecosystems will be analysed.
With this approach it is intended that the student constitutes a referential base for its application to the design of products and artefacts taking into account the three fundamental aspects of the discipline, form, function and aesthetics. In order to achieve an adequate understanding and use of the methodology, it is necessary to implement teaching and learning processes taking nature as a fundamental resource in the improvement of creative processes, taking research towards natural models to adapt them to our field of training. At the same time, students must be introduced to one of the fields with the greatest future in the development of complex products and systems, which also allows a multitude of problems to be solved, taking into consideration the social sphere.
At the same time and as a complement, mechanical systems in human technical and technological developments will be analysed, as well as the interactions with mechanical systems in the natural world and the way in which this can be used to innovate. To this end, it is necessary to provide students with an initial grounding in the physical and mechanical aspects involved in these systems.
History of product design/II
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
This subject deals with the study of product design in the period from the Industrial Revolution to the end of the 20th century.
Packaging/I
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
The course develops students' ability to carry out packaging projects according to the functions of this type of product. It aims to guide the student in proposing the most suitable packaging for the product to be contained, both in terms of shape and graphics.
Projects/III
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
Projects III aims to develop products with the specific conditions of each project. This is supported by methodological tools that will allow new needs and opportunities to be detected, so that the product is defined more specifically in the form of technical specifications to generate concepts and make an ideal development of the chosen proposal.
Ergonomics/I
ECTS 3
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 3,5
This subject develops the necessary knowledge on ergonomics applicable to specific product design projects. It details the importance of adapting the product and the environment to the user/s as well as the methodology to be followed for the analysis of the man-machine system.
IT resources applied to project communication/I
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
The course aims for the student to learn different computer graphics techniques of modelling and three-dimensional representation necessary for the product designer, both in the ideation phase and in the communication of the project. They will develop modelling techniques, application of materials, lighting and rendering, using the Cinema 4D programme.
Product Design Management/I
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
This course provides theoretical and practical knowledge for the creation and implementation of a business model. It introduces the techniques and tools needed to start an entrepreneurial idea: legal forms, social security and self-employed, commercial contracts and introduction to business management.
Second semester
Production processes/II
ECTS 5
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4,5
This subject develops the production processes that take place in industry to materialise different types of products, making the student aware of the crucial importance of design for technically and economically viable manufacture, passing through the methods of processing, shaping and finishing, and ending with the different tests used to ensure the quality of the final product.
The suitability of the different production processes in each case is analysed from a multidisciplinary point of view (manufacturing techniques, product quality, profitability, quality assurance, ease of implementation of improvements in the different phases of the process, environmental impact...), paying special attention to the planning of continuous research strategies and the implementation of sustainable environmental solutions.
Bionics and mechanical systems/II
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
The subject is conceived as a complementary extension of the subject that is included in the curriculum in the first semester.
At some points they are developed at greater length, and with the introduction of more complex perspectives by addressing more contemporary and current methodologies that bridge the transdisciplinary relationships between the biological field and design, always from a creative perspective and approach.
On the other hand, and in this same sense and due to the points in common with some of these methodologies and approaches, and the current problems that can be a contribution in the search for more sustainable solutions, design approaches are introduced that transcend the purely commercial, such as: Speculative Design, Critical Design, Fiction, Narrative Design, etc.
This type of approach allows the student to confront other design variables that do not remain purely economic, but also connects with biological aspects.
Finally, and briefly, and as an extension to the origin of the discipline itself, the connections between Robotics and Bionics are addressed, as branches of the same disciplinary tree and through the connection that points to mechanical systems and the exploration of materiality in these fields.
Latest trends in product design
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
A subject that deals with the analysis of current product design based on the latest trends.
of the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century.
Packaging/II
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
The subject explores in depth the development of specific packaging projects. Special emphasis is placed on the sustainability of these types of products as they are indispensable elements in the marketing of products. The subject also deals with trends in this area.
Projects/IV
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
Projects IV aims to develop products with the specific conditions of each project. This is supported by methodological tools that will enable new needs and opportunities to be detected, so that the product is defined more specifically in the form of technical specifications to generate concepts and make an ideal development of the chosen proposal.
Ergonomics/II
ECTS 3
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 3,5
This subject continues to develop the necessary knowledge of ergonomics applicable to specific product design projects. It deals with the development of products according to the needs of the user, also considering users with special needs as well as the cognitive loads of the user in their interaction with the products.
IT resources applied to project communication/II
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
By means of the knowledge acquired in this subject, the student will be able to correctly layout and present any type of document in printed or interactive media. Specific aspects of the product designer's profession will be taken into account and special attention will be paid to current codes in visual communication.
Product Design Management/II
ECTS 2
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 2,5
The course provides students with the knowledge, techniques and tools necessary to understand essential aspects of intellectual and industrial property protection relevant to the sector, as well as issues related to quality management, product certification and homologation, certification and standardisation agencies, and technical regulations applicable to product design.
Fourth year
First semester
Interdisciplinary projects
ECTS 8
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 6,5
This subject follows the line of the projects I, II, III and IV subjects taken in previous years. The aim is to give a global vision of product design, with special interest in innovation and the interdisciplinary nature of design projection.
Product Design Management/III
ECTS 4
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 4
The course provides theoretical and practical knowledge, as well as the techniques and tools necessary to acquire the appropriate capacity for analysis, evaluation and verification of the economic and productive viability of business ideas based on criteria of innovation, business management and market demand. It also focuses on the study of the legal framework that regulates professional activity and occupational health and safety.
Digital fabrication workshop (optional)
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
In recent years, digital fabrication has become a fundamental tool in the field of design. Its application in the elaboration of models and prototypes for the development of projects has meant a revolution that goes beyond technology, generating new dynamics in the design and production processes. The course introduces students to the techniques needed to handle digital fabrication tools and the complementary techniques for their application in different areas of Product Design (models, prototypes, ephemeral installations, three-dimensional graphics, packaging...). To do this we will analyse the technologies of digital fabrication, 3D printing, 3D scanning... and their complementary techniques such as the manufacture of moulds for the reproduction of design pieces and the techniques of assembling different materials.
Slow design and sustainability (optional)
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
The new environmental culture drives design professionals to complement functional, aesthetic, economic and ergonomic criteria with criteria that incorporate an ecological background.
Design joins the Slow Movement as a consequence of a globalised world at the service of commercialisation, planned obsolescence and the environmental crisis. A decelerating proposal with a conscious attitude that rethinks individual and collective behaviour. Every day there are more and more design studios that, overwhelmed by the anxiety and stress generated by the current rhythms of production and client demands, decide to join this movement and embrace design from a more satisfactory, committed and slower point of view. Trends such as craft, do it yourself, sustainable design, social, local or upcycling... all fit within Slow Design.
Students will acquire knowledge that will enable them to develop a design methodology from an environmental perspective, which integrates tools and strategies for environmental assessment, impact reduction and the generation of alternative concepts, which are committed to innovation, environmental improvement and are based on the best and most appropriate use of materials, processes and energies, as well as on the appropriate elimination of the waste generated.
It is intended that the act of designing with a conscience will lead projects towards the field of sustainable design, seeking to rethink them from the prism of environmental awareness.
UX/UI interface design (elective)
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
The course offers an introduction to web design based on the use of HTML5 and CSS3, and its adaptation to new formats (tablets and mobiles), as well as the basics of user interface design and the bases for creating an appropriate user experience that is coherent with the objectives to be met, as previously defined by the designer and/or the client.
Design of accessories (optional)
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
Theoretical-practical subject. It will try to promote creativity and innovation in projects and the optimal resolution of the design process of footwear and accessories collections, through different projects in which the student practically covers the different aspects that make up the accessories and make prototypes as a final result.
Object production workshop (optional)
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
The aim of this subject is to work on object design from its first configuration, so as to establish the design process of ensembles, from the initial requirements phases to the presentation and final solution. To this end, a series of small projects will be carried out as the common thread of all the subjects dealt with.
Generative design with Grasshopper (optional)
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
The course introduces students to the Grasshopper working environment. This is an algorithmic modelling tool, included in Rhinoceros, specifically used to design and edit complex shapes through the parameterisation of their main characteristics, which allows multiple final solutions to be explored.
Second semester
Parametric modelling. Advanced techniques (optional)
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
This subject explores the different modules of parametric modelling applications in depth. It provides students with a broad vision of the possibilities they offer for the complete technical development of a project (designing parts, composing assemblies, simulating functions through digital prototypes, communicating technically and graphically).
Experimental furniture (optional)
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
The subject explores the development of specific furniture projects in which the student's involvement tends towards the interdisciplinary and favours experimental training through familiarisation with a different way of learning based on manipulation and active methodologies to produce innovative results.
Packaging structure and design (optional)
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
Through this course and the introduction of the ARTIOS-CAD software, the student will enter the professional world of structural design by applying constructive and communicative techniques of product design, processes of integration of structural design and surface graphics with production files.
Public speaking: presentation and defence of a final design degree project (optional)
ECTS 6
WEEKLY TEACHING HOURS 5
This subject aims to provide students with techniques and experience in verbal skills to enable them to transmit their ideas, projects and work to the final recipient of the same; expressing themselves in the most correct and persuasive way, using audiovisual and technical means to strengthen their presentation.