What Does "Making" Mean in Art and Design Study?
Making, in an art and design context, means learning through hands-on creative practice — working with materials, tools, and processes to produce objects, images, or experiences — and it sits alongside reading, writing, and critical thinking rather than replacing them. Arts University Plymouth describes itself as home to a "cross-disciplinary community of makers and thinkers for whom making is as important as reading and writing." If you want to study making formally, the practical path is to find a course that centres on studio practice, check what facilities and workshops support it, then apply or visit to try it yourself.
Making as a practice, not a single medium
The word "making" is deliberately broad. It is not one subject like ceramics or printmaking; it is the shared activity across them. In a cross-disciplinary art school, a fashion student, a fine art student, and a design student are all "makers" because they all learn by producing work and iterating on it.
That framing matters for two reasons:
- Skills transfer. Techniques learned in one material — measuring, joining, finishing, testing — carry into others.
- Thinking is embedded in doing. Critique, research, and writing inform the work, but the work itself is the primary site of learning.
So when a course says it centres on making, expect studio time, project briefs, and physical or digital output, not just lectures and essays.
What facilities support making
Making needs space and equipment. Arts University Plymouth states it was ranked 1st in the South West for facilities at the Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2026 (and 13th in the UK), and 1st in the South West for student support in the same awards. It also reports 6th in the UK for student satisfaction in the Complete University Guide 2027.
When you evaluate any art and design programme for its making provision, check for:
| What to look for | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Dedicated studios per discipline | Space to leave work in progress |
| Workshops (e.g. wood, metal, print, digital fabrication) | Access to processes outside your main medium |
| Specialist equipment and technicians | Support to use tools safely and well |
| Open-access or bookable facilities | Freedom to make outside timetabled sessions |
| Cross-disciplinary access | Ability to combine materials and methods |
The specific facilities available vary by institution and course, so confirm them directly with the school rather than assuming.
How to find a course that centres on making
- Start from the course list. Look for programmes in fine art, design, craft, fashion, or media where studio practice is a stated core, not an add-on.
- Read the module structure. Modules named around studio practice, workshops, or project work indicate making is central.
- Check the facilities page or prospectus. Match the workshops and equipment to the medium you want to work in.
- Ask about contact hours in studios and workshops. This tells you how much guided making time you get.
- Look at student work. Exhibited or published student projects show what making actually looks like at that school.
Practical steps to apply or visit
Arts University Plymouth lists several routes on its site:
- Find Your Course — browse the programme list to identify a making-focused course.
- Get Your Prospectus — request the prospectus for detailed course and facilities information.
- Open Days — the site advertises an on-campus Open Day on Saturday 26 September, where you can tour facilities, view accommodation, and speak to staff.
- Clearing — the site states "Clearing is now open," with entry for September 2026 studies, and notes the university was named Arts University of the Year 2027 in the Daily Mail University Guide.
To verify any of this for your own situation — current course availability, entry requirements, fees, and dates — use the university's own course pages and contact the admissions team, since these details change and are not fully specified in the source material.
A concrete example of "making" as study
Suppose you are drawn to combining textiles with digital fabrication. A making-centred programme would let you:
- Learn hand and machine textile techniques in a workshop.
- Access digital tools (laser cutting, 3D printing) to extend those techniques.
- Develop a project brief, produce prototypes, critique them, and refine.
- Document the process in writing alongside the finished work.
That combination — material skill, cross-disciplinary tools, and reflective critique — is what "making" means in an art-school context, and it is the thing to look for when choosing where to study.