Winter Break in the UK:
Design Explorations London

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Program Overview

Contemporary London is a huge metropolis, the largest city in Europe, and is one of the most cosmopolitan and international in the world. It is also an ancient city, dating back to its origins as a Roman settlement. It is a city of neighborhoods, a cluster of boroughs and villages each with distinct character, culture and history. The London metro area is  also a major center for design, with numerous cultural institutions centered around design and architecture, a host of annual international design festivals, a major hub for design offices and design education and a city with a rich and vibrant cultural life from its architecture, museums, theater and  performance venues to its  distinct street culture and contemporary art traditions.
 
This intensive course will take advantage of the rich offerings in and around London and focus specifically on design and its relationship to its cultural environment. Students will visit major art museums, rare book, manuscript and typography libraries, significant architectural sites, practicing design offices and attend small design workshops, tour neighborhoods and explore street art and hidden typographic treasures.
 
Students will record and document their experiences daily, discuss their work in process regularly with their colleagues and faculty, and produce material that will result in a post-trip project in the format of a “zine”, a unique format of publication design. Students will attend pre-departure orientations in which content and subject concentrations and design methodologies will be presented. The final project will be completed and submitted in winter term.

Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:

• Interpret editorial content through image-making and typography
• Present comprehensive design exploration, process and result
• Continue to develop a working methodology and ethic pertinent to any design project

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Academics

Credit/Registration
Students will be registered for VSCM T380 for 3 credits as a part of their winter term course load. Students must leave space for these 3 credits in their schedule or will otherwise be billed for exceeding the 20-credit term maximum.

Instructor
This program will be lead by Mark Willie, Associate Program Director and Teaching Professor in Graphic Design

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Program Calendar

Arrival Date: 12/9/2023
Departure Date: 12/17/2023
*Students may extend their travel independently before or after program dates.

Tentative Itinerary Overview
December 8, 2023 (Friday evening) Departure flight from US

Day 1:
ARRIVAL/ORIENTATION
Check-in with FIE housing
Orientation meeting FIE Classroom
Guided tour Central London
Group dinner

Day 2:
MUSEUMS
Tate Modern
Lunch on own in Borough Market
Tate Britain
Design Museum
Free Evening

Day 3:
DESIGN
V & A Museum
Wolff-Olins Agency
Lunch on own
British Library
Free Evening

Day 4:
BRUTALIST LONDON
Barbican Center Tour
Lunch on own
Goldfinger House (7 Willow Rd) Hampstead
Free Evening

Day 5:
TYPOGRAPHY
St. Brides Rare Book and Manuscript Library
Letterpress Workshop
Lunch on own
Studio Visit: Pentagram
Free Evening

Day 6:
STREET ART/GALLERIES
Shoreditch
Street Art/Hidden Signs Tour
Lunch on own
Gallery Walk
Free Evening

Day 7:
British Museum
Lunch on own
Studio Visit: Johnson Banks
Late Night Museums

Day 8:
Wrap-up meeting FIE Classroom
THE PARKS
Hyde Park/Serpentine Gallery
Chelsea/Brompton Cemetery
Group Dinner

Day 9: Return home

Winter Term Week 2: Zine project submitted for review and presentation

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Program Fee - $2,860

Due 9/30/23 - $500 Advance Payment + $25 application fee
Due 11/1/23 - $2360 Final Payment
*All payments are non-refundable unless declined admission or program cancels for unforeseen reasons.

Included in Program Fee:

• 8 nights accommodation in beautiful South Kensington neighborhood
• 2 group dinners
• All entry fees, museum tours, etc.
• Excursion to Reading/Oxford
• Unlimited public transit pass for London Zones 1 and 2
• On-Call International Medical and Quarantine Insurance

Not Included in Program Fee: (NOTE: these are estimates and depend on students' personal spending choices)

• Round trip airfare to London $1,200
• Passport $140
• Visa (if applicable)
• Airport transfers $50
• Meals $400
• Spending money $200

ICA Financial Aid: Students may request an Adjusted Cost of Attendance by submitting the ICA program fee and estimated out of pocket expenses listed above to Drexel Central (via askdrexel). Doing so could make students’ eligible for additional financial aid.  Students may also be eligible to apply for Drexel's ICA Scholarships.

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More Information

• Visa: American and Canadian citizens do not need to apply for a visa for this program. Students with other nationalities should confirm with the British Embassy website to confirm visa requirements. 
• A recommended flight itinerary will be provided. Students are responsible for booking their own airfare.