School of Design

Design is a cultural, social, political and economic activity that responds creatively to its context, location in time, connections, and people.

NCAD continues to play a critical role in the development of new talent and research that is helping establish Ireland as a creative, cultural and technological centre of design excellence. Design contributes over €20 billion to the Irish economy, and with Ireland projected to need 70,000 designers by 2030, the talent emerging from NCAD has never been more strategically important.

At NCAD we seek to nurture, empower and enable our design students to become agents of change. The diverse range of creative work on display demonstrates how this generation of designers is putting that belief into practice, championing design as a social, political and ecological tool that fosters positive change and helps imagine the futures we need.

The School of Design at NCAD offers the most comprehensive range of design education on the island of Ireland, our students study within and beyond graphic design, fashion, illustration, interaction design, jewellery, medical device design, moving image design, product design, service design, sustainable & circular design and textile & surface design. Our innovative Studio+ year further prepares our BA students for industry by immersing them in real-world work environments locally and internationally. Together, these experiences create a research-led studio culture that thrives on new ideas, ways of doing things and new areas of expertise.

The calibre of our undergraduate and postgraduate students continues to be globally recognised, with the college ranked 1st in Ireland, 16th in Europe and 53rd in the World in Art & Design in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026. Our students have further distinguished themselves on the national and international stage. During Milan Design Week, we showcased work at the international INTERDEPENDENCE exhibition, alongside leading design universities worldwide, while our soon-to-be graduates have already claimed awards at the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD), Young Lions at Cannes, the River Island Fashion Design Award and the Brown Thomas Award.

The staff team and I are immensely proud to introduce the next generation of NCAD educated designers and changemakers.

Professor Alex Milton
Head of the School of Design