Design Development

An idea for a sign is illustrated above. The idea is that we would start with a piece of resistant material, e.g. wood, metal or plastic, we would cut up the material and rearrange the pieces into an original design.

The design shown above is still only a "hazy impression" of what could be, because there are lots of things about the design that are still uncertain, e.g.

  • the type of material that we would start with
  • the shape of the pieces that would be cut from the original
  • the size of the pieces that would be cut from the original
  • how parts of the sign could be fixed together
  • the finishes that will be applied to parts of the sign
  • whether the sign will be fixed to a wall, hang from the ceiling, stand on the floor or a piece of furniture, etc
  • the features that will make it safe to use
  • the features that will ensure that it will be robust enough for constant use

These are some of the details that need to be considered and made clear in your design work. There will be others.

What you have to do

  • Use notes and sketches to illustrate ideas for a sign that is composed of one piece of material that has been cut into pieces and the pieces have been rearranged into an original design.
  • Develop the design so that all problems are solved and you have a design that could be made. Your design must have sufficient detail and information on it for someone to be able to make the sign without needing extra information from you.

You may use notes and sketches to record your ideas as they develop but your final design must be drawn to scale using orthographic projection. 

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This design exercises is part of our KS3 Design and Technology software.

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