Design Essay/ Start Log on Open a Word document

Design Essay/ Start1. Log on

2. Open a Word document.

3. Write title at the top – ‘Design Essay’ and the design area you will be writing about – e.g. ‘Shoe Design’ and YOUR NAME.

4. Save your essay as – ‘Design Essay – YOUR NAME’

5. Have the image sheet showing a design in front of you.

6. Have ‘Form and Function of Design’ sheet in front of you.

7. Write introduction – Say which design area you will write about.

e.g. ‘In this essay I will be writing about..’

‘The first design I have looked at is..’ State clearly name of design.

8. Use FORM questions to describe fully what the design looks like.

Give reasons why the way the design looks would attract someone to it. Describe the sort of person who would be attracted to the look of the design.

9. Use FUNCTION questions to describe fully the use of the design. Imagine who would use it and why.

Describe what is good and bad about using the design referring to specific parts of the design.

10. Describe how the use of the design and what it is for has affected the way it looks.

11. Find another design from a different time and repeat steps 7 to 10.

Function – What does it do?

Imagine using the design.

What would be good and bad about using it?

Why would someone pay money for it?

Who will use it ?What will they use it for ?When will they use it ?Where will they use it ?Why will they use it ?How will they use it ?

What problems might happen to the design?

Are there similar designs that do the same job? What makes them better or worse?

How has the design changed over time?

What improvements or problems have happened through the history of the design?

Form – What does it look like?

What does the look of the design remind you of?What is the theme that inspired the design?What colours are used?What is the colour scheme?What qualities do the colours have?How are the colours/shapes/lines/images connected to what the design does?What contrasts are there?What qualities do the materials have?What do the materials look like?What shapes and lines are there?How are the shapes and lines connected to the 3-D Shape?How are the shapes, lines and 3-D forms connected to the design’s function?

How does the design interact with the user?It is comfortable or not? Why?

When was it made?Does it look like it is from a specific period in history?

Design Essay/ Form and Function of Design

• Look at the design and the information given about it. • You can use the questions below to respond to any design. • Get into the way of asking yourself these questions when looking at a design

VS

Designers are always trying to find the perfect balance between a design looking good and working well. Form verses Function!

Critical/Design Studies/Word Bank

FormMaterials Elements Details Properties Range Three-dimensional Connecting Eye-catching

Attention-seeking Developed Created Impact Contemporary Modern New Old-fashioned

Colour Scheme Bold Bright Restrained Contrast Contrasting Clashing Dramatic Style

Design Movement Fashionable Mass-produced Bespoke Hand Made Simple Complicated

Expensive Inexpensive Cheap Rich Encrusted Adorned Restrained Simplified Minimal

Unique Inspired Rich Luxurious Attractive Dangerous Rebellious Edgy Reaction

Textured Loose Tight Draped Rippled Ridged Edge Point Pointed

Natural Nature Man-Made Un-natural Organic Flowing Sinuous S-Shaped Geometric Flat

Sharp Sleek Elegant Sophisticated Elongated Stretched Focus Ripped Assembled

Repeated Vibrant Shiny Metallic Reflective Bright Clean Powerful Neutral Empowering

FunctionFunction Use Using Useful The user The wearer Wearable Wearing Suitable

Ideal Performance Performing Fashionable Inspired Fitted Various Light-weight

Worn Wearing Successful Younger Older Effective Limited Produced Sensitive

Easy Complicated Materials Built Constructed Made Created Produced

Complex Design Movement Modern Contemporary Old Fashioned Retro

time period History of it’s time Age Hand-made Machine-made Moulded Hard wearing Tough

Durable Breakable Delicate Structure Structured Simple Minimal Uncluttered Decorated

Elaborate Busy Over the top Flexible Light weight Heavy Robust Large Small

Cumbersome Comfortable Uncomfortable Breathable Layered Proportions Scale

Critical/Design Studies/Word Bank

Target MarketSuitable Attractive Appealing Style Fashion Performs User Materials Textiles

Combines Textile Graphic Pose Position Male Female Children Elderly

Age group Usable Wearer Design Designer Created Produced Structured Built

Wearable Wearibility Function Work Size Proportions Ergonomics

Time period Modern Contemporary Cutting Edge Old Fashioned Classic

Vintage Inspired Linked to Design Movement History Unique Exclusive Commercial

Wealth Rich Small Large Budget Heavy Light Luxury High end fashion

Market Brand Name Couture Successful Stand out Attention Flexible

Difficult Negative Positive Person Personality Type Celebrity Endorse

Critical/Design Studies/Writing FrameStart or include some of the words and phrases below when writing about designers and designs-

[this is an example of a word you want to use in your sentence]

The designer has used..The design shows..The layout of the design..The function of the design..The market this design is aimed at is..The target market would be..This design would attract..These [shapes] reflect..These [shapes] remind me of..The qualities the materials have are..This communicates..This gives a sense of..The use of [line] in the design..There is a limited colour scheme of..This contrasts with..The contrasting [shapes] of..The structure of the design..When using this design....this makes the [shape] stand out...this emphasises the [shape]...this is linked to....this can be compared to..

How to write my Design essay1. Decide which Design area I want to write about;

Shoe design Sport Shoe Design Football Boot Design Jewellery Design Music Poster Design

2. Describe what I will write about in my essay. State Design area (e.g. Jewellery), names, companies and titles of

designs.

3. Use ‘Form and Function of Design’ question sheet to describe what the design looks like and what it

does.

4. Describe the target market for the design. Describe in full who would buy and use the design. Give

reasons why I think this referring to specific parts of the design.

5. Repeat 2-4 with another design by the same designer.

6. Compare and contrast these designs.

7. Repeat 2-4 with another designer and designs from a different period of time. It will be easier to write about a totally different

design

8. Repeat 2-4 with another design by the same designer.

9. Compare and contrast the designers and designs from both periods of time.

10. Say which designer is your favourite and why giving reasons.

Target Market/ Who would use the design?Writing about designs is different to writing about artwork because designs should have a function; they should work.

Designs have a job to do, a use, a purpose.

When you are looking at design think about trying it on or using it.

If you don’t think the design is for you, think who it has been designed for.

Who would use this design?

Who would want to use the design and why would they be attracted to it?

Who would pay money to use it?

You must fully describe this person and give reasons why they would use it – Age group, male/female, job, wealth, interests, physical features.

Think what qualities, personality and needs they have.

Describe specific parts or qualities the design has and why this would be good for the person who would use it.

Next, think about parts of the design which the person would not like or make it difficult for them to use.

Think about all the different types of people in the world and what design would suit them -

Standard Grade Design Essay

Fashion and Textile Design

Dress from Autumn/Winter Couture collection.

Metallic finish silk, transparent silk, Synamay

2010

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Quote from Style.com -

Beginning with Erin O’Connor, resplendent in a gold outfit with massively overblown cuffs, painted face, and a huge empress headdress, Galliano worked what he called “the sphinx line: elongated, tight, attenuated.

Dress from Spring/Summer Couture collection.

Metallic finish silk, jewels

2004

Design and quote from Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

‘..an anarchy shirt—distressed to look old, with bleached-out stripes, and appliquéd with badges, flags and slogans: 'Only anarchists are Pretty!,' 'Dangerously close to Love,' 'We are not afraid of Ruins,' 'Chaos,' and a woven label from Chinatown of the portrait of Karl Marx, to which Malcolm added a swastika. This shirt looked as if it belonged to an urban guerilla and Malcolm saw in it the key to a new collection of clothes. All the current themes—rips, zips, slogans, chains–were pressed into service and punk style was born’

Design Area – Unisex shirt Shirt

Materials - Striped brown and white cotton with stenciled and painted slogans, appliquéd patches

Date - 1976

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Harris Tweed/Camouflage Collection

Printed fabric, wool, silk

1995

‘Peacock Dress’

Tulle dress with lace and silk overlay

2010

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‘Highland’ Dress

Lace, silk, deer antlers

2009

Special features include an interior iPod pocket, snap-away powder skirt and a goggle pocket. The outside of this jacket features HellyTech fabric as well as an adjustable hood and pit vents. This jacket also has a relaxed fit to make comfort ideal while riding the hills.

Convergent Snowboarding Jacket

HellyTech Fabric

2008

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Billabong Wolle Men’s Jacket

Designed by pro- rider Wolfgan Nyvelt

2009

•100%-recycled polyester herringbone material • Polar fleece lining • Full-length interior and exterior storm flap • Polar fleece collar with chinguard Cargo pockets • Elastic bungee cord hem

Quote from a fashion website review

These boots are so incredibly cool. A sort of tribute to Michael Jackson. They look like the leather jackets he wore back in the Thriller days. These boots are the Alexander McQueen Peep Toe Ankle Boot and they come in both silver and black and they can be worn with the 'collar' up or snapped down. Personally, I like it snapped down. Check out the skull shaped zipper pull. They have a 4.5 inch heel and a .5 inch platform. $1,159.

Peep toe ankle boot

Leather

2009

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Armadillo/python Platform Shoe

Leather, animal print, wood

2009

Height - 13 inches

‘Headliner’ platform shoe

Leather, laser print, metallic coated

2011

Height – 10cm

£400

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‘Pearl’ wedge sandal

Inlaid leather, wood

2011

Height – 12 cm

£475

Jimmy Choo


Sport Shoe Design

NIKE Oregon Waffle Track and Field Trainer1973£15• Lightweight material – rubber, polyester and cotton. • Eye-catching colour scheme. • Waffle sole developed for flexibility and lightness.

This was one of the first shoes Nike made.

The Designer used the shape of his wife’s iron as inspiration for the form of the shoe’s sole suitable for athletes.

Design Essay/ Sport Shoe design

PUMA AMQ Ribcage TrainerCollaboration between Alexander McQueen and PUMA2009£250• Upper blends canvas, gradient leather and plastic rib cage overlay • Cushioned midsole for comfort and support • 3D treaded rubber outsole for traction

“In this collaboration between PUMA and British couture demigod Alexander McQueen, the human rib cage, tendons and veins served as the design inspiration.” PUMA Website

The shoe features an intricate mesh work that resembles a network of tendons on the foot.

Design Essay/ Sport Shoe design


Football Boot Design

History‘King Henry VIII’s football boots were listed within the Great Wardrobe of 1526, a shopping list of the day. They were made by his personal shoemaker Cornelius Johnson in 1525, at a cost of 4 shillings, the equivalent of £100 in today’s money. Little is known about them, as there is no surviving example, but the royal football boots are known to have been made of strong leather, ankle high and heavier than the normal shoe of the day.’

Footyboots.com

Examples of the first studded football boots – Materials - Pig Skin leather, steel studs and toecap, thick cotton laces, Hand-Made and stitched. Weight – 2kg Date - 1880

Design Essay/ Football boot design

Nike Mercurial Vapor III football boot

Materials – Plastic, Synthetic, breathable leather, carbon fibre

Weight – 200g

Price – £135

Date - 2009

Design Essay/ Football boot design

Function

Performance: Extremely light (less than 200g), due to its Teijin synthetic upper and the light weight carbon fibre heel. This makes for a speedy results and a good close feel of the ball. The sole of the football boot consists of a moulded design, ideal for firm ground. The studs are angled differently, with different lengths which gives optimum traction for quick acceleration and change of direction.

Comfort: The synthetic ‘NikeSkin’ is very forgiving on the foot and moulds to the contours of the individual. The breathable, cushioned internal heel cup offers heel support and reduces movement.

Players: Thierry Henry, Adriano and Ronaldo wore this design at the World Cup 2010


Jewellery DesignArt Nouveau and Contemporary designers

Title – Dragonfly woman corsage ornament

Type of Jewellery – Corsage/Brooch

Designer - René Lalique

Materials - gold, moonstones, and diamonds

Date – 1897

Length – 25 cm

Design Movement – Art Nouveau (New Art)

Function; Wearing a corsage

Design Essay/Jewellery design

This design has lots of qualities which make it look typical of a design belonging to the Art Nouveau design Movement.

A design movement is a group of designer’s whose work or ideas behind the work had something in common.

This could be to do with -

• What the designs looked like, how they were made or what they were used for

• What inspired the designers

• What was happening in the world at the time

• What had been designed in the past and what the designers wanted to change.

http://www.nga.gov/education/tchan_1.shtm

So what makes designs LOOK Art Nouveau?

Investigation – • Nature/Organic forms• Flowers, Plants• Natural Lines• Shapes and Colours• Exotic animals• The Female body• Long flowing hair

Development – • Stretching, flowing, elegant Lines and Shapes. • Simplified details, • S-Shapes and curves. • Elongated and sinous

Materials – • Expensive and exotic. • Gold and Diamonds• Precious jewels and stones• Hard Woods from exotic places; Mahogany, Teek• Glass

Colour Schemes – Natural colours; Sage Green, olive green, Mustard yellow, peacock blue, WoodMuted coloursSecondary Colours; Greens and Purples, Violets, LilacPeacock Tail FeathersAll White

Target Market – Rich, sophisticated women. Women who have a special occasion or event to attend and be seen at. People interested in new, exciting and romantic designs.

http://www.nga.gov/education/tchan_1.shtm

Contemporary


Farrah Al-Dujaili

http://farrahal-dujaili.blogspot.com/

Yu Ping Un

http://yuxilin.blogspot.com/

Miriam Rowehttp://miriamrowe.wordpress.com/artist-statement/

Click on one of the links above to see examples of designer’s work.

Use ‘Form and Function of Design’ question sheet to describe what the design looks like and what it does.

If link does not work; copy and paste whole link into web browser bar on the internet.

Contemporary


Miriam Rowe

Rowe was inspired by old wallpaper she saw in her Granny’s house from the late 1800’s.

The Designer investigated the visual qualities of the wallpaper; pattern, colour, detail, texture, shape and line.

The Designer then developed these qualities into a brooch design.


Graphic DesignMusic Posters through recent history

Design Essay/ Graphic design - Posters

Title – ‘Mister Tambourine Man’ Homage to Bob Dylan

Function – Poster promoting Bob Dylan’s single ‘Mister Tambourine Man. Printed in the seventh issue of the controversial ‘OZ magazine’.

Graphic Designer – Martin Sharp

Materials/Process – Collage, Screenprint

Date - October 1967


Title – ‘The Yardbirds at the Filmore Auditorium’

Function – Poster promoting concert of Psychedelic music, The Yardbirds at the Filmore Auditorium in San Francisco in 1967

Graphic Designer – Bonnie MacLean

Materials/Process – Silkscreen print

Date - 1967

Title – The Who at Filmore East, New York’

Function – Poster promoting ‘The Who’ concert

Graphic Designer – Helen Hersh.

Materials/Process – Silkscreen Print

Date - 1968

Title – ‘Dylan’

Function – Poster promoting a new Bob Dylan Album. A copy of the poster was included with the album.

Graphic Designer – Milton Glazer

Materials/Process – Screen Print

Date - 1967


This silhouette cut-out by Marcel Duchamp was in the back of my mind when I created the Dylan poster.

In addition to the Duchamp silhouette, the other significant graphic element in this piece is the quality, shape, and color of the hair.

In some ways these elements were influenced by my interest in Islamic painting.

This particular piece is probably the most familiar of my works, if only for the fact that nearly six million were produced for enclosure in a Dylan album. One day a French photographer visited the studio and told the following story: He was on assignment traveling up the Amazon and stopped in a village of about one hundred Indians. He entered a hut and, as his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness, he saw the Dylan poster on the wall. He never was able to find out how it got there.

Title – ‘Anarchy In The U.K.’

Function – Poster promoting punk band ‘The Sex Pistols’ British tour

Graphic Designer – Jamie Reid

Materials/Process – Photocopied Collage, Ink

Date - 1977


Title – ‘Anarchy In The U.K.’

Function – Poster promoting punk band ‘The Sex Pistols’ British tour

Graphic Designer – Jamie Reid


Date - 1977



Title – ‘The Factory’ Promotional Poster

Function – Poster promoting new music venue ‘The Factory and gigs

Graphic Designer – Peter Saville


Date - 1978

The factory club nights were held in a bar which was in the middle of an industrial estate.

At the time many factories in this area of Moss Side, Manchester were closing down.

Peter Saville was asked to create a poster promoting this new club night for new bands who were inspired by the punk movement.

Design Essay/Graphic Design

Title – St.Anger

Design Area – Graphic Design/CD cover

Designer/Design House – Pushead/ Brian Schroeder

Materials – Silkscreen Print

Dimensions – 12 x 12 cm

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Title – Glastonbury Music Festival Promotional Poster

Function – Poster promoting outdoor music festival

Graphic Designer – Peter Saville

Materials/Process – CAD illustration, C-type print

Date - 2007

Responding to Design/ Product Design/ Car Design

Model – Morris Mini Minor, 2 door saloon

Designer/Comapany – Alec Issigonis (Greek - British), MG Rover

Date - 1959

Dimensions –

Length -

Height -

Width -

Responding to Design/ Product Design/ Car Design

Model - UP!

Designer/Comapany – Volkswagen

Dimensions - more space than any other car of a similar length (3.45 metres) and width (1.63 metres).The up! features space for four adults as well as two cargo areas – one in the nose and one just above the rear-mounted engine.

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Design Essay/ Start Log on Open a Word document