1. typeface on materials.

Considerations

-Materials used in the classroom that pupils need to become aware of.

-How can materials be shaped in a interactive engaging way to become a typeface.

-How will the typeface be used and present in a classroom environment.

Concept/Proposition

-To create an engaging typeface that represents materials used from year 7 to year 13.

Mandatory requirements

-Upper and lower case typeface

-A proposed way of how the typeface will be introduced in a classroom and engaged by pupils.

Deliverables

-All developmental work to be submitted to blog and final resolution formatted for portfolio.

Statement of intent

Having only once tried created my own typeface before starting my degree i would like to have another go at doing it. The time before i found it very interesting looking at the technical side, ascenders, descenders etc because i'd never looked at this kind of thing before. However after completing the type module last year i want to take what i know and try to create my own typeface. This time i will not only look into the technical side but also endeavour to make the typeface suitable to the brief, ensuring it works for pupils and has a focus of materials. This means that the typeface will be creative, visually engaging and interesting. When i've created this typeface i will then be using it in posters and publications on materials. So this may fall into another brief i've written concentrating on materials and their uses. These briefs cross over and i think using the typeface i create in this would be useful in demonstrating the different materials.

2. publication on joints, how to connect materials. re-design bitesize revision.

Considerations

-Look at the range of components used to hinge and join materials

-What is best for which material.

-Consider what materials are used in schools and which components are the safiest to be using.

Concept/Proposition

-Designing a way to teach pupils on joints and components in a learning environment.

Mandatory requirements

-a publication of my design

-A digital representation of the publication

Deliverables

-All developmental work to be submitted to blog and final resolution formatted for portfolio.

Statement of intent

As the brief states the product i'll be producing is a publication, whether this will be a booklet/leaflet/a book cover to text book or something similar i'm unsure. What needs considering is how pupils will see it easily and understand it without confusion. Having this design on the inside of their technology folders would be easy to get to instead of having to carry around another book. What needs to be kept in mind is there are plenty of text books already in the world, i don't need to repeat whats been done. The challenge is making the brief easily accessible to pupils without boring them which text books generally do. I may do this in different ways so as ive said it could be printed onto the technology folder which pupils carry with them, and/or could have a digital presence, the desktop background, a screensaver? I think to make this brief understandable to pupils it will be heavily image based, whether this will be done using photography i'm unsure. I feel that vector based images will make the content easier to understand then photos. I may produce the work as a instruction manual guide. All these things need trying and testing and the way i'll test these is on school children. I'll also be looking at existing products that teach children this content.

3. To gain the interest of school children in knowing moral, societal and legal issues within design.

Considerations

-How can such dry subject matters be made interactive and engaging to school children?

-This can be a comlicated topic, analyse it and ensure its simplified for children to understand.

-Consider how it can be engaging, textured design? playful? questioning?

Concept/Proposition

-'Obviously designers have to think about what people want from a product. But consumer demand is a complex matter.

Consumers are influenced by fashion, by public perceptions, by moral attitudes, and by changing lifestyles.

Product designers need to consider all these factors, as well as making sure the product conforms to current laws and standards.'

Mandatory Requirements

-A resolved product from the brief thats tried and tested with children and is proven to be engaging to pupils

Deliverables

-All developmental work to be submitted to blog and final resolution formatted for portfolio.

Statement of intent

This subject is very important and i dont think it should be taken in a light tone. It needs to be formal and to the point yet still keep the reader/child interested. Because the content of this will be fairly dry the design is going to have to be the part of interest. This could be a poster that’s visually very engaging/Some kind of textured publication which is interesting to touch and be interactive with/could be a folding out leaflet that folds out in unique ways. All these ideas will need to be tried and tested to ensure the best result is reached. Or rather then a print based solution i could create a dvd which allows the user to interact with it and will visually look engaging. The research will come from text books and will be dry, i'll have to take this, simplify it and turn it into something engaging. If i take this brief and produce something digital i'll be heavily working in dvd studio pro and after effects. Both i'm aware of and can use to a simple degree, it would be good to be able to take this further and widen my skills.

4. Health and safefy awareness in the production of a product.

Considerations

-This is an important topic and should be taken seriously

-Research into this should be throrough

-How will the design be apparent in a classroom to ensure that pupils are fully aware of saftey measures.

Concept/Proposition

-Pupils safety is of most importance and should be taken seriously as a piece of design.

Mandatory requirements

-Work that is very visual and apparent in classrooms.

-Designs are to be simple and have clarity for all to understand.

Statement of intent

Although this subject matter is of extreme importance in a potentially dangerous classroom with dangerous machinery i feel that this brief would work best in a light hearted way. Not because it isnt important but because i think pupils would engage with it best. Instead of making it dry and to the point i exploit the fact that a lot of saftey rules are purely common sense. I want to make it humerous that for example someone would put their thump over a nail as they hammer it, because clearly you wouldnt. Some points of health and saftey may need to be on a more serious note, i wont know this until i begin my research. Research will be asking teachers what saftey measures are taken in their own classrooms and what they do to instill these into pupils. I think the outcome of this will be a poster thats around the dangerous equipment so its their for children to check when in the classroom. I don't think this brief would work well with a digital outcome, it needs to be around the classroom to reflect on.

Deliverables

-All developmental work to be submitted to blog and final resolution formatted for portfolio.

5. Production systems, so from start to finish how a product is produced. (large poster info graphics/flow chart style)

Considerations

-This has a large content of research material how as a designer can you clarify it, organise it and represent it to read by youths and understood. Not only is it a large amount of material to translate in a designed way but it's also complicated to children so should be translated in a well organised way.

Concept/Proposition

-How can a quantity of information be converted into an engaging piece of design?

Mandatory requirements

-A developed design thats engaging and understandable taking large amounts of information, simplyfing and made to be readable.

Deliverables

-All developmental work to be submitted to blog and final resolution formatted for portfolio.

Statement of intent

This brief will work best as an image based brief. Although i don't think photography would work, it needs to be information graphics, therefore vector based. This brief will be about taking large quantities of research and organising it appropriately that can be understood by children. The outcome will either be a fold out leaflet or a large poster. Although it will be image based there will be type to help explain areas. As this brief is based on a start to finish of a product it may work best as a flow chart style poster which can clearly take the viewer through the stages without being a lump of text. The poster will be in technology classrooms positioned high and easily viewable for all. This way teachers can refer to the poster when teaching the topic to pupils. It may become necessary to make this into a digital resolution so pupils can click through the 'flow chart' rather then flowing it on a poster. Clicking through it could turn out more engaging. This is something that needs testing. Research will be needed to see how children interact better whether they learn from digital or paper based things best.

6. Production techniques, different ways to make your desired product.

Considerations

-Technical subject matter which will need clarifying

-Consider how image can help to simplify content.

-This work may work best as image icons?

Concept/Proposition

-As a designer how can technical information be delivered in a easily communicated way?

Mandatory requirements

-A digital and print based resolution so pupils can engage with the information in which ever way they find easiest

Deliverables

-All developmental work to be submitted to blog and final resolution formatted for portfolio.

Statement of intent

This brief may work best as a set of iconic designs. Making all the different production methods and making them as simple as possible so they become recognizable iconic symbols. Research here would be to look at things such as the highway code, how road signs are simple but understandable. Rather then producing photographic work that i dont think will be as memorable as icons. It's also something different which i havent yet done so if i do it well it'd prove to be a good piece of work for my portfolio. Colours will be simple, red and black are common to the highway code. Rather then red i think i'd use more friendly colours, as red connotes violence, heat, anger, which i don't want this subject matter to be. Its a complex topic so would be hard to simplify to icons but i think if i manage to make it work it'll be an effective piece of work. This would be seen in classrooms above materials and tools to show the potential of the equipment and how it can be used.

7. Industrial practices, how things work in the industry which differ from the classroom

Considerations

-How products are produced in industry is important knowledge to developing pupils in the classroom

-Experience in industry is a great way to developing self practice, how can pupils have this benefit from a classroom?

-Producing a product in a classroom takes time, development and precision, so how does the industry distribute batches

of the same product? what machines are used to save time money and man power?

Concept/Proposition

-Bringing the industry to the classroom

Mandatory requirements

-A poster and/or publication to convey the resolved brief

Deliverables

-All developmental work to be submitted to blog and final resolution formatted for portfolio.

Statement of intent

This brief may work best as a digital resolution. There is a lot of content to cover and i think it would be too difficult to make it seen on a classroom wall. Therefore i think a series of idents showing different elements of industry would be a good way to introduce this topic to school children. This would be packaged as a DVD. The DVD would be accessible in the classroom for kids to play on computers or for the teacher to run through almost as a power point. It will show the relationships between classroom work and how in the industry work would be mass produced. This brief wil require a lot of secondary research into production in the industry. This brief will push my DVD studio pro skills and my after effect skills. I feel im weak in these areas so it'll be good to develop myself. It'll also be good for me to practice storyboarding and understanding how motion works in time as well as how designs visually look.

8. components used in connecting materials.

Considerations

-Connecting 2 bits of wood together isnt as simple as just using a screw, what kind of screw?

Countersunk? Roundhead? Machine screw? Awareness of using the right screw, nail, adhesive is extremely

important in making sure the product produced is efficient and safe.

Concept/Proposition

-Hammer and nail is a common way to connect wood to wood but is it the most appropriate?

Mandatory requirements

-A resolved design which simplifies the brief and clearly educates pupils on the subject

Deliverables

-All developmental work to be submitted to blog and final resolution formatted for portfolio.

Statement of intent

A catalogue styled booklet may work efficiently in guiding readers into what component is good for what. I would be able to catagorise the research into headings such as, nails/screws/adhesives etc. Then simply guide through showing and explaining what each does. This would be simple and efficient graphic design which i enjoy doing. Using a readable typeface that is approachable on view. I think this would work better then having over larged posters and cramming all the information into it. I think having a publication will allow space on the page allowing the design to work better. The catalogue will be in classrooms for pupils to reference and learn from, this way teachers can refer pupils to this rather then having to deal with everyone that has questions on what kind of nails they should be using.

9. Materials and their uses.

Considerations

-Different materials have different qualities, strong/flexible/light/heavy etc. The materials needed for a product will depend on

what qualities the product needs, making this subject highly important.

-There is a lot of materials with many different properties, how can children access this information easily without confusion?

Concept/Proposition

-Why are toys made from plastic? Why are fences made from wood? Materials all have their different qualities, pupils

need to be aware of these.

Mandatory requirements

-Type based design thats dealt with information to make it clear and presentable.

Deliverables

-All developmental work to be submitted to blog and final resolution formatted for portfolio.

Statement of intent

This brief will be taken in a lighthearted fun way. I'll be making it photo based. I think the product will be a catalogue style. Like argos catalogues have houseware/technology etc this catalogue may have, woods/plastics. The pages will photographically represent the material and its quality. For example if one of the materials is strong then it may show someone frustrated hitting it with a hammer. If a material is weak then it may show someone using it as a hammer or something requiring strength. This way the product will be comical and amusing to children and will hopefully help them to learn the properties of materials. The catalogue will be situated in classrooms for pupils to look through whenever they need to. I don't think a digital representation of this will be necessary as materials will be used in the classroom not on computers. There will be plenty of primary research in the way of photos and playing with materials to see myself what their qualities are.

10.Steps in analysing a product and producing a specification.

Considerations

-What is the function and purpose of a product?

-What are the different parts of the product and how do they work together?

-How does the product use shape, form, colour, texture and decoration?

-What materials are used to make the product?

All these points need considering, when analysing a product, how can this be designed to help

children understand these points?

Concept/Proposition

-Successful product design depends on asking the right questions about the proposed product's function, purpose, shape, form, colour and texture.

Product designers need to be able to analyse existing products, and be aware of new technologies and consumer demand for the new product.

Mandatory requirements

-A step by step guide to a specification, clearly showin the points needed in the analysis.

Deliverables

-All developmental work to be submitted to blog and final resolution formatted for portfolio.

Statement of intent

I could take this brief and develop an information graphic design but as one of my other brief is concentrating on this i don't want to repeat it. Instead I think i'll produce a step by step guide booklet as to how to analyse a product. This will simply break down the requirements and show the viewer clearly page by page how to produce a good specification.This will be accessable in class rooms and teachers will be able to go through this with students to ensure they understand it fully. Research will come from schools asking teachers how they teach this topic. Also from revision guides aimed at students. The booklet will be colour coded to help break down the elements of a specification. I will research into existing learning materials for children that help break down complicated topics to bite size chunks. A good place to start would be bitesize revision guides. It would also be good to talk to teachers to see how they break down difficult subjects to help teach children.