Craft design is a broad field that encompasses various specialisations. The top 10 specialisations in craft design, along with a brief description of each, are as follows:
Ceramics: Ceramics involves the creation of objects from clay or other ceramic materials. It includes techniques such as hand-building, wheel throwing, glazing, and firing to produce functional or decorative pottery, sculptures, and tiles.
Jewellery Design: Jewellery design focuses on creating unique and artistic pieces of adornment. It involves working with precious metals, gemstones, and other materials to design and craft rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other wearable accessories.
Textile Design: Textile design involves creating patterns and designs for fabrics used in various applications, such as clothing, home furnishings, and interior design. It includes techniques like weaving, printing, dyeing, and embroidery.
Woodworking: Woodworking specialises in creating objects and structures using wood as the primary material. It encompasses various techniques, such as carving, joinery, marquetry, and woodturning, to craft furniture, cabinetry, sculptures, and decorative items.
Glass Art: Glass art involves working with glass as a medium to create artistic objects. It includes techniques like glassblowing, kiln forming, stained glass, and fusing to produce sculptures, vessels, stained glass windows, and decorative glassware.
Metalwork: Metalwork focuses on the manipulation and shaping of metals to create functional and decorative objects. It encompasses techniques such as blacksmithing, forging, welding, and casting to craft jewellery, sculptures, furniture, and architectural elements.
Leatherwork: Leatherwork involves working with leather to create various products, such as bags, wallets, belts, footwear, and accessories. It includes techniques like cutting, stitching, tooling, and dyeing to produce durable and aesthetically pleasing leather goods.
Paper and Book Arts: Paper and book arts specialise in creating artistic and functional objects using paper as the primary material. It includes techniques such as papermaking, bookbinding, paper cutting, origami, and paper sculpture to produce books, journals, pop-up cards, and decorative paper art.
Metal Clay Art: Metal clay art combines traditional metalworking techniques with a malleable metal clay material. Artists mould and shape the clay-like substance, which is then fired to create solid metal objects, such as jewellery pieces and small sculptures.
Fibre Art: Fibre art involves creating artworks using natural or synthetic fibres and textiles. It encompasses techniques like weaving, knitting, crochet, felting, and embroidery to produce wall hangings, sculptures, wearables, and installations.
These specialisations offer unique avenues for creative expression and require a combination of technical skills, artistic vision, and craftsmanship. Artists and designers often choose one or more specialisations based on their interests, materials they prefer working with, and the desired outcomes of their creative process.
