London Is Your Studio: UAL ’25 Begins

Here’s a warm note for our 2025 design students—especially those stepping into UAL’s Foundation and BA programs. Desizn Circle International is bursting with pride. You’ve earned your place, and now London becomes your studio.

At UAL, learning is a lived experience. The city itself is your extended classroom—the Tube map turns into a network of galleries, markets, and archives. Saturdays can mean sketching at the V&A, material hunting at art shops in Holborn, or people-watching at Portobello before a late studio session. Expect grey skies and sudden sun, coffee-fueled mornings, and evenings where critiques spill into café conversations.

Foundation is your year to explore—test materials, try pathways, and discover your voice without the pressure of being “finished.” You’ll move from experiments to reflection, from messy process walls to clear intentions. BA sharpens that voice: tighter briefs, deeper research, bolder iteration, and critiques that ask “why” as much as “how.” Workshops, libraries, print rooms, and digital labs are there to be used—often, the students who grow fastest are the ones who ask, book, try, and repeat.

Your first week will feel electric. You’ll collect your ID, tour studios, meet tutors, learn workshop safety, and receive a short “warm-up” brief. Don’t worry about perfection—bring curiosity. Introduce yourself to classmates, pin up your tests, label everything, and start documenting process from day one. A sketchbook in your bag, a charged phone for quick references, and an open mind will take you far.

Most of all, remember: you’re not alone. Your Desizn Circle International mentors are just a message away—for feedback on a draft, a nudge before a crit, or simply to celebrate a win. Build your rhythm, be generous with peers, and treat London like the giant laboratory it is. We are incredibly proud of you—go make, question, learn, and lead.