Introduction to Exterior & Interior Design

Early Access!

We are delighted to announce that Early Access is now officially open.

Early Access gives you the opportunity to enroll in Introduction to Exterior & Interior Design before its official release, at a special discounted price available only during this period.

You can begin working through the available course material right away while we continue finalizing and publishing the remaining lessons and resources. Once the Early Access period ends, the course will be released in its complete form and offered at its final price. By enrolling during Early Access, you secure your enrollment at the discounted rate.

Welcome to the Course

Welcome to this course on Exterior & Interior Design!

Yacht design is both a historic and contemporary discipline. While yachts have been designed and built for centuries, the modern yacht design process brings together several areas of expertise, including product and industrial design, interior design, materials, finishes, lighting, ergonomics, technical drawing, CAD development, visual communication, specifications, and project coordination.

This course is intended as an introduction for complete beginners, while also offering useful structure and context for students, designers, or professionals with previous exposure to yacht design or related fields such as naval architecture, industrial design, product design, transportation design, interior design, interior architecture, architecture, or other creative and technical disciplines.

Throughout the course, you will be introduced to the way yacht designers think, develop, communicate, and refine their ideas. You will examine how exterior form and interior space influence one another, how user needs shape design decisions, and how practical considerations such as typology, materials, finishes, lighting, layouts, ergonomics, structure, specifications, cultural aspects, and basic regulatory considerations affect the final design outcome.

The course is designed to guide you through the main stages of an introductory yacht exterior and interior design workflow, from the first ideas and design brief through to layout planning, exterior form development, interior planning, technical drawings, 2D and 3D work, specification schedules, visualization, desktop publishing and final presentation.

Course Overview

This course provides a practical introduction to yacht exterior and interior design, with a particular focus on the connection between a yacht’s exterior form and the experience, atmosphere, and functionality of its interior spaces.

You will begin by examining the context of yacht design, including terminology, learning outcomes, boat and yacht typologies, historical development, design philosophies, cultural aspects, circulation, proportions, shapes, and design principles. You will also examine the role of the brief as a starting point for understanding user needs, design objectives and project constraints.

From there, the course moves into the main stages of design development. You will study layout planning, general arrangement drawings, exterior form development, interior planning, structure, basic hull form creation, ergonomics, material and finish choices, lighting, accessories, and the relationship between design intention and practical execution.

A dedicated materiality section introduces key interior design elements, including fabric, leather, lighting, accessories, stone, mosaic, and ceramic finishes. These topics help students understand how material choices contribute to atmosphere, functionality, durability, detailing, and the overall design language of a yacht interior.

As the course progresses, you will learn how design ideas can be developed from sketches, layouts, and early concepts into two-dimensional and three-dimensional digital work. These outputs are supported by typical yacht design documents and communication tools, including drawings, sections, profiles, specification schedules, design details, visual materials, digital visualizations, and presentation documents.

The course also introduces the collaborative and iterative nature of yacht design. Students will be encouraged to present their ideas, receive feedback, and refine their design decisions, reflecting the review process used in professional design projects involving designers, clients, shipyards, suppliers, and other stakeholders.

By the end of the course, students will have a clearer understanding of what yacht exterior and interior design involves, how a yacht design project can move from early ideas to visual and technical communication, and how design, practical, material, ergonomic, cultural and presentation considerations interact throughout the process.

What You Will Learn

In this course, you will learn how yacht design projects are introduced and developed from the first brief and concept ideas through to drawings, specifications, visualizations, and presentation materials.

You will explore the historical development of yacht design, key design philosophies and principles, proportions, shapes, circulation, and the relationship between exterior design, interior design, and naval architecture. You will also study different boat and yacht typologies, cultural aspects, basic regulatory considerations and the practical constraints that shape a yacht design project.

The course will introduce you to the materiality of yacht interiors, including fabrics, leather, lighting, accessories, stone, mosaic, ceramic finishes, and other elements that contribute to atmosphere, comfort, functionality, and design identity. You will also consider ergonomics, layout planning, interior atmosphere, ambient lighting, finishes, fixtures, and fittings.

You will be guided through the production and interpretation of common yacht design documents, including general arrangement drawings, layouts, sections, profiles, design details, specification schedules, and presentation materials. The course also introduces 2D and 3D work, helping you understand how initial design ideas can be developed into digital drawings and models.

You will also learn about exterior form development, structure and basic hull form creation, gaining an introductory understanding of how yacht form, interior space and practical design considerations are connected.

Finally, you will explore how visual communication supports the design process, including the creation of visuals, basic digital visualization, desktop publishing, and final presentation documents. You will learn how feedback, critique, collaboration, and communication contribute to the development of a professional yacht design project, helping you refine ideas and present them clearly to others.

CAD Software Used in the Course

During the course, the instructor uses Vectorworks, and to a lesser extent Delftship, to demonstrate the development of drawings and digital models, as well as the practical use of CAD software in a yacht design workflow.

The course includes specific lessons on working with Vectorworks for 2D and 3D CAD development. These lessons are intended to help students understand how design ideas can be translated into digital drawings and models.

However, neither Vectorworks nor Delftship is required to take the course. Students may simply follow along with the lessons to understand the design workflow, drawing logic, and modelling process. Alternatively, they may use any other suitable 2D or 3D CAD software they already know or have access to.

Navalapp Members enrolled in one or more Courses may be eligible for free access to Vectorworks, subject to specific conditions. Click here to review the eligibility criteria.

Course Organization

The course is video-based and available on demand, allowing you to learn at your own pace, wherever and whenever it suits you.

It includes video lessons, quizzes, downloadable materials, and access to the course’s private virtual classroom, where you can interact with the instructor and other students.

After completing all lessons, passing the quizzes, and receiving approval for your final assignment, you will receive a Course Certificate.

– Resources:

• Video lessons.
• Subtitles: English, Español, Français, Italiano.
• Downloadable materials.
• Quizzes.
• Final Assignment.
• Virtual Private Classroom.
• Course Certificate.

– Classroom

– Prerequisites:

• No previous yacht exterior or interior design experience is required. This course is suitable for complete beginners, as well as for students, designers, and professionals with previous exposure to yacht design, naval architecture, industrial design, product design, transportation design, interior design, interior architecture, architecture, or related creative and technical fields.

• A general interest in yachts, design, interiors, materials, visual communication, or the design process is recommended. Basic computer skills will be useful for the lessons involving 2D and 3D digital work. Previous experience with CAD, Vectorworks, Delftship, sketching, technical drawing, or design presentation may be helpful, but it is not required.

• The course does not assume prior knowledge of naval architecture, yacht construction, regulations, or professional design practice.

• To enroll in this course, you must have at least a Navalapp “Subscriber” membership (free).