Design West - Ireland

June 15 - 28

Design West is an international summer design school located in the beautiful village of Letterfrack in Connemara, on the west coast of Ireland. For two weeks, participants will work with leading international designers from renowned studios across Europe and the US, including SVA BFA Design and BFA Advertising Chair Gail Anderson; Associate co-founders and SVA BFA Design faculty Brankica Harvey and Ken Deegan; the program leader, Conor Clarke from Design Factory in Dublin; and others, and immerse themselves in a journey of discovery, reflection, adventure and making. For Marcus McDonagh, a student who attended in 2023, having such direct input from prominent faculty was invaluable in building confidence in creating work driven by personal interests and passions. “[It showed me] that we don’t just have to be doing graphic design work for clients; that I can try my own thing for a while.” His remarks were echoed by Deegan, who added that even for experienced designers, the program promotes an internal shift, reminding you that “there’s your own practice that’s important to do—to find time to layer in that same self-exploratory work.” For more, read our 2023 report on the Design West Destinations trip to Ireland.

Features

The short-term travel-based programs are designed to recharge participants’ creative passions. We look at six upcoming trips to spots around the globe.