Course detail

Design Practice

FaVU-2DPAcad. year: 2026/2027

The course is based on sharing how ways of making and knowing are performed through diverse design practices. Together with invited practitioners and academics we will discuss how we practice making and knowing in design, and how our process of working is performed. The discussion will be complemented by lecture and study inputs, such as curated readings, reviewing design projects in relation to selected topics and invited guest. The thematic focus of the course will change throughout semester. The focus on design as a mode of self‑reflective and process‑oriented practice, one that continually adopts a position in relation to the changing conditions of the project remains at the centre of each meeting.

 

Language of instruction

English

Number of ECTS credits

3

Assignment to study programme types

Bachelor's, Master's

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

M.Sc. Denisa Kollarová

Department

Department of Design (KDE)

Offered to foreign students

Of all faculties

Entry knowledge

Previous experience with the theory of design or visual culture is not required.

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

A credit is awarded on a basis of active participation in classes (2 permitted unexcused absences): readiness to enter discussions, studying relevant literature etc.

Aims

The aim of the course is to encourage reflection of the design practice by framing design as thinking‑in‑action and as an iterative, situated process, while critically examining its limits, responsibilities, and the disillusions surrounding problem‑solving claims.

Completion of the course will support students to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue and to critically position their design practice in relation to current challenges of their field.

 

Study aids

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Not applicable.

Recommended reading

Devet, A., 2022. Disarming Design from Palestine: An interview with Annelys Devet. Art Libraries Journal, 47(3), pp.75-81. https://www.academia.edu/103557185/Disarming_Design_Between_semantic_intentional_and_subjective_meaning?rhid=39419178613&swp=rr-rw-wc-122534916&nav_from=d75826fd-260c-4388-bc0a-1ec2ca25308a (EN)
DiSalvo, C., 2009. Design and the Construction of Publics. Design issues, 25(1), pp.48-63. (EN)
DiSalvo, C. 2015. Adversarial design. Mit Press, 2015. https://www.academia.edu/122534916/_Pro_agonist_Adversarial_Design_Excerpts_by_Carl_DiSalvo (EN)
Easterling, K., 2021. Medium design: Knowing how to work on the world. Verso Books. (EN)
Goodspeed, E., 2025. The Good, the Bad, and the Iffy: is there such a thing as an ethical designer?. It's Nice That. https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/is-there-such-thing-as-an-ethical-designer-creative-industry-280825 (EN)
Ingold, T., 2013. Design and Anthropology. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. (EN)
Kaiser, A. & Stephany, R. 2021. Glossary for Undisciplined Design. Leipzig: Spector Books. (EN)
Lorusso, S., 2023. What design can't do: essays on design and disillusion. (No Title). (EN)
Lury, C. (2021) Problem Spaces. How and Why Methodology Matters. Cambridge: Polity Press. https://doi.org/10.51428/tsr.wmub8031 (EN)
Papanek, V. (1973) Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change. New York: Bantam Books. (EN)
Polanyi, M., 2005. Tacit knowing. Knowledge, 2, pp.101-114. (EN)
Sennett, R., 2008. The craftsman. Yale university press. (EN)
Schön, D.A., 2017. The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Routledge. (EN)
Toppins, A., 2020. Can We Teach Graphic Design History Without the Cult of Hero Worship?. Aiga. Eye on Design. https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/can-we-teach-graphic-design-history-without-the-cult-of-hero-worship/ (EN)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme DES_M Master's 1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory-optional
    1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory-optional
    1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory-optional
    1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory-optional
  • Programme FAAD Master's 2 year of study, summer semester, elective
  • Programme ZST-NBIP Master's 1 year of study, summer semester, elective
  • Programme ZST-NX Master's 1 year of study, summer semester, elective
  • Programme ZST-BX Bachelor's 1 year of study, summer semester, elective

Type of course unit

 

Seminar

26 hours, compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

M.Sc. Denisa Kollarová

Syllabus

The syllabus – the exact composition and format of individual seminars – is specified before the beginning of each semester in which the course is taught, and is based on the current focus and definition of the main thematic blocks. The seminar will address following questions:

What are the limits of design, and how do they become visible in practice?

How does tacit knowledge shape design judgment and expertise?

How can uncertainty and failure inform design decisions?

How can design avoid becoming a tool of simplification or instrumentalization?

How does design participate in constructing publics rather than addressing them?

What does it mean to take an ethical position through design practice?

What is the role of craft in contemporary design practice?

How do we articulate our design practice in relation to contemporary challenges?

 

Regular individual preparation for activities in the semester

50 hours, optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

M.Sc. Denisa Kollarová