Abstract:

Design education has increasingly incorporated digital tools, online submission systems, and software-based workflows. While these developments have expanded technical possibilities and streamlined production processes, they may also reduce opportunities for students to engage with material experimentation, visible process development, and hands-on creative exploration. When design work is produced primarily through digital means, students may move rapidly toward refined outputs while spending less time engaging with exploratory thinking and iterative making. This shift can also influence how students approach ideation. Rather than generating multiple possibilities and experimenting with alternatives, students may focus prematurely on their first idea, often overlooking the value of exploration and testing in the development of stronger creative outcomes.

This paper reflects on an initiative within a design-focused higher education institution to strengthen the role of craft and material practice in the curriculum. As part of this effort, new studio spaces have been established to encourage students to engage with hands-on experimentation and physical prototyping alongside digital workflows. The spaces include tools for photography, sound recording, VR exploration, three-dimensional printing alongside traditional craft such as cutting mats, craft knives, markers, paints, inks, paper and similar. This is supported by project redesigns that incorporate physical artefacts and process-based exploration.

Drawing on reflective observations from the development of the new studio spaces and the early stages of their implementation, the paper considers how intentionally designed making environments may support experimentation, process visibility, and iterative thinking among design students. Attention is given to how craft-based activities can complement digital tools by encouraging students to externalise ideas, test concepts materially, and engage more deeply with the design process.

By examining the role of studio spaces in contemporary design education, the paper contributes to discussions about how material practices can coexist with digital workflows in higher education. The study highlights how blending craft-based learning with digital design tools may encourage more exploratory, process-oriented approaches to design learning.

Keywords:

Design education, studio spaces, craft practice, material learning, higher education pedagogy.