The course deepens students' awareness of the theoretical, historical, critical and interdisciplinary settings of contemporary ceramic design. Moreover, it extends students' capacity to operate independently in response to the design brief through increasing experience of the complexity and attributes of diverse ceramic materials, their application and processing. It provides the opportunity to extend skill, knowledge and familiarity with the conceptual contexts relevant to the design and production of objects in clay and associated materials. Students develop design solutions from briefs that are academically based and emulate the approaches and problems typical of ceramic design in the professional context. The design proposals address complex contextual issues and the interactions presented by the brief. Students are encouraged to develop a clear design process and apply their skills to appropriate documentation and presentation.