Brands We Work With

We regularly collaborate with leading international companies and cutting edge consultancies on live briefs and projects.

At Northumbria we know that sometimes best way to learn is to actually experience real life working situations.

Live industry projects enable our students to gain valuable experience by working with some of the world's leading international companies and cutting-edge consultancies – both in the private and public sectors. Through these live projects you'll have the time, space and resource to explore your ideas, test concepts and create new ways of thinking and doing in an environment where risk is minimised and the non-conformist thinking and doing is possible. The live projects will also allow you to understand what to expect when working in industry and provide valuable experience of working on real time live briefs.

Northumbria University & Unilever | A Decade of Partnership from Northumbria University on Vimeo.

The following case studies provide a small snapshot of the kind of work we do, what our partners think about us, and provide you with an overview of the projects and experience you will have whilst studying with us.

Unilever

Our students were asked - How can you translate a consumer need into an attractive product proposition? To fully explore this opportunity the brief was left relatively open in order to give our students the space to experiment with various tools and approaches.

Matter and Diageo

Students were asked to investigate consumer relationships with a number of Diageo’s brands. What were the emotional triggers within these brand experience’s that made connections with people and how can we translate theses insights into stimulating and exciting pieces of design.

Black and Blum

Design for Industry BA students from Northumbria University worked on a live brief with Creative Directors from Black & Blum to create innovative new products that perfectly express the Black & Blum brand and have the potential to reach new markets.

Intel

Design for Industry students were set a live project brief by Intel looking at ways to explore how Intel can touch new markets and generate new insights through a human centred approach to product development.

RSPB

Northumbria University and the RSPB have teamed up to ask their undergraduates on the Design for Industry courses to think up new bird box designs with a contemporary edge.

BA and Forpeople

British Airways (BA) and their lead design agency Forpeople worked with students from Northumbria's Design for Industry BA & Multidisciplinary Design Innovation MA to develop concepts for future travel on board their aircrafts.

Nike - 2016 Olympics

Nike put together a team of designers and specialists to support and mentor this project which asked students from Fashion Marketing, Design for Industry and Sports Science courses to "Change the Olympic Experience for the coach, Athlete, Fan or Trainer for the Rio 2016 Olympics".

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Northumbria's School of Design led the universities participation in the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's Disruptive Innovation Festival.

Seven Stories

Seven Stories approached Northumbria's Design for Industry students with a project to with the aim of creating new ways to reach and engage their target audience in reading for pleasure.

Product Design BA (Hons)