Lesson video

Hello and welcome to today's design and technology lesson.

My name is Mrs. Fletcher and I'm here to help you with your learning today.

Today's lesson is called Annotated Net Sketches and it's part of the Shell Structures Packaging unit.

In this lesson we'll be learning a technique that design is used to generate lots and lots of ideas at the start of the design process.

So let's have a look at what we'll be learning about today.

The outcome of today's lesson is I can create a number of sketches to show a range of ideas.

So we'll be looking at that technique that designers use that help you create lots of different ideas very quickly that can be then developed onto a more solid idea later on.

There are some keywords and phrases that we're going to see in today's lesson, so let's have a look at those together before we start.

So first of all, we've got that phrase, rapid sketches.

Can you repeat that after me? Rapid sketches.

Well done, and that just means quick drawings, so it's a special way of saying we're doing a quick drawing.

Then we've got that word generate.

Can you repeat that? Generate.

Well done.

And that just means to make or produce something.

So in this lesson, we are going to be generating some rapid sketches, we are going to be making some quick drawings.

Then we've got the word net.

Can you repeat that? Net.

Well done.

And that's the flat or opened-out shape of a 3D object.

You may be familiar with that from your maths learning.

And then we've got the word annotate.

Can you repeat that? Annotate.

Well done.

And that means to add some written notes to our designs.

Okay, so let's have a look at today's lesson.

So today's lesson's going to be broken down into two parts.

First of all, we're going to look at generating ideas and learning that technique for rapid sketching, and then in the second part of the lesson, we'll look at taking those ideas and developing them further.

So let's get started with that first part of the lesson, generating ideas.

At the start of the design process, designers generate.

So remember that means make or produce lots and lots of different ideas.

They might not use most of the ideas that they come up with at this stage, but trying out some different ways helps them to see what might work best for their design solution.

One way to generate lots of different ideas quickly is to do lots of rapid sketches, and rapid sketches are just very quick drawings to show the different ideas that you've got going on in your head.

And rapid sketches don't need to be neat and finished drawings, that's the good thing about them.

They can be just quick drawings that even maybe only you understand, they don't need to be the finished product.

They can be improved later, so we can add details, make them clearer, really refine them later on.

A quick check then before we move on.

What does that word rapid mean? Does it mean slow? Does it mean draw? Or does it mean quick? Pause the video and have a think.

It can be quite tricky at first to work very quickly to put down lots of ideas, it can be tricky to get them all down on paper, so here's a few tips that might help you do this a little bit easier.

So it's a good idea at first to set yourself a timer and decide what you're going to complete in that time.

So you might think, I'm going to set a timer for 30 seconds and I need to complete three ideas in that time.

So if you set a time and give yourself a target, it can help you to work a little bit quicker.

It's also a good idea to try using different types of pens.

So sometimes it can be easier to draw quickly if you use something like an ink pen or a felt tip pen rather than a pencil, it might get you into a different kind of sketching that is quicker for you.

So everybody will be different, so it's a good idea to try a few different pens and see which ones work best for you.

And then the main thing is not to worry about the details that you're putting into your sketches and not trying to make it look right, not trying to make it look finished.

Don't worry if it doesn't look exactly as you want it to, these are just ideas that you can work on and develop later.

Sometimes good ideas can come unexpectedly, they can come from nowhere, they can even come from mistakes.

So you might be in the middle of doing some rapid sketching, getting lots and lots of ideas on the page, you might do something wrong, but it might give you an idea for something else.

So rapid sketching helps us to try out lots of different ideas that are going on in our head and to make a few mistakes so that we can decide which ones we want to use later, which ones we want to develop further, which ones might help us with our final design.

Before sketching your design ideas, it's really helpful to practise drawing some simple lines and shapes.

So let's think of it a bit like a warm-up, before you do exercise, you need to warm up your muscles.

Before we start sketching ideas, we need to warm up our hands and brains to get into the right zone.

So we're going to do a warm-up task.

Your warm-up task is to set yourself a timer for 30 seconds and then you're going to see how many different shapes, could be 2D, could be 3D, could you draw in that time? And remember, Sofia's reminding us here they don't have to be neat.

So we don't have to worry about how they look, you're just trying to get as many different shapes however you want, using whatever type of pen you want, or even using a whiteboard and whiteboard pen, as many as you can in 30 seconds.

Pause the video while you can complete that warm-up and come back when you're done.

Welcome back, how did you get on? Hopefully you've warmed up your hands and your brain's ready to do some rapid sketching.

So just like if we were going to do some exercise and we'd warm up our muscles, that's what we've done, ready for some sketching.

Quick check before we move on then.

Why is rapid sketching useful to designers? Is it what Aisha is saying that it adds lots of details to one idea that's ready to make? Is it what Alex is saying that it's a quick way to generate lots of ideas to see what will work? Or is it what Sofia is saying that it's a quick way to make a finished, final design? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back, what did you think? Who did you agree with? Well done if you said Alex.

So exactly, Alex is right.

It's a quick way to generate lots and lots of different ideas to see what will work.

It's not finished and it's not ready to move on to the final stage, it's just a lots and lots of different ideas.

Well done if you got that right.

Time for a task, then, in this first part of the lesson.

So your task is to generate lots and lots of different ideas for how to package biscuits.

So you're going to be thinking about different ways that biscuits can be packaged.

To do that, you're going to set yourself a timer like we did in the warm-up and that can be 30 seconds, or if that seems a bit too tricky, then you could use one minute instead.

You are going to set the timer and then you're going to work on one idea until the timer runs out.

You can draw more than one view of your packaging, so you could do the packaging from the front, from the side, from the back, you could draw the different shapes of the different sides, you could try and draw it in 3D if you are able to do that, but just concentrate on one idea at a time.

Once you've finished the idea, you're going to reset the timer for 30 seconds or one minute, whichever you are more comfortable with, and work on a new idea.

And you're going to try and sketch a different shape or a different style of packaging.

So try and make it different to the first one that you did.

You can use some similar ideas from the first one, but try and change something, maybe change the opening, change the shape, the size, something like that.

Once you've done that, you're going to repeat that until you've got six different ideas.

So you'll reset the timer six times and work on six different ideas and try to make each one at least slightly different from the other ones that you've done.

We don't want to repeat the same idea lots and lots of times.

Remember, it's rapid sketching, so don't worry about how it looks, just try and get your ideas down on paper using any type of pen that you want and we can develop them later.

So we're just trying to get the ideas onto paper.

Pause the video while you think and have a go at this task and then come back when you're done.

Welcome back, how did you get on? Well, Aisha has had a go at the rapid sketching and she's managed to generate six different ideas to package biscuits.

So you can see that she's had a go at trying to make each one slightly different.

She's used some ideas more than once, but she's developed them and change them to get some different ideas in each box.

Well done if you managed to complete that task as well.

So it's time to move on to the second part of the lesson now.

So this is where we're going to look at taking those rapid sketches and those initial ideas and developing them into more finished design ideas.

So now that you've generated lots of ideas, you can choose the ones that you like best and you can choose to develop those further.

Your final design could be a combination of a few of those different ideas that you've had.

So here Aisha has been looking at those six ideas she had in the first part of the lesson.

And she's thinking that she likes the shape of the package she drew in box number one, her first idea, but she wants it to open and close a bit like the package that she drew in box number two, her second idea.

So she's going to think about combining those two ideas to develop into a new idea.

And that's the point of the rapid sketching, is that you can take those ideas and start to develop them into a new idea.

Now, packaging is often designed and made using a net, and that's the flat shape that folds to create a 3D shape.

So here's an example of a net.

So you can see all of the sides opened out into a flat shape that can be folded later.

In order to turn our design ideas, our sketches, into a net, we need to think about its 3D shape, so the shape it will be when it is made.

Now, you may not have drawn your ideas in 3D and that's fine, but we need to start thinking about it as a 3D shape.

So let's imagine that the packaging we're going to design is this triangular prism.

We need to think about the faces that that shape has to help us build the net.

So we need to think about what shape the sides are, what shape the front, the back, the bottom, the top will be in order to create that net.

Quick check before we move on then.

What does a net show? Does it show a flat view of a 3D shape? Does it show a 3D view of a flat shape? Or does it show the side view of a 3D shape? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back, what did you think? Well done if you said it shows you a flat view of what will be a 3D shape.

Well done if you got that right.

Okay, so there is a way we can make this a little bit easier.

By cutting each shape of the faces of our 3D shape out of paper and arranging them on a table, we can see what the net will look like.

So let's imagine a packaging idea is a pyramid shape.

I need to think about the faces of that 3D shape.

So a pyramid has, if it's a square-based pyramid, it would have four triangular faces and it would have a square base.

So if I cut each one of those shapes out of paper and arrange them flat like this and stick them together, I can see what the net for my packaging is going to look like.

So this is a shape I'm going to have to make out of my material that I'm going to use in order to make my packaging.

So that's the net for that 3D shape.

If you were going to do packaging that was more like a cube shape, then you need to think about the faces that a cube has.

So a cube has six square faces.

So if I cut six square faces out of paper, I could then arrange them like this to show what the net would look like.

And by sticking them together I've got a quick net that I can draw later on.

There's some more shapes that we could think about.

So if my packaging was more like this triangular prism, then if I think about the faces, I've got two triangular faces and I've got three rectangular faces.

So if I cut those out of paper, lay them flat like this, making sure they are in the right position to fold into the 3D shape, stick them together, I can see the net in a quick and easy way.

Again, for this long cuboid shape, a cuboid can have two square ends, this one has got two square ends and it's got four rectangular faces.

So if I was to cut out two squares and four rectangles and arrange them like this, then I can see the net for that cuboid shape.

So this is a very easy way to see that net.

Each part of your packaging must be made separately, though.

So if in one of your design ideas you had packaging that had two parts, so like this one is a sleeve and a tray that slides out from the sleeve, each of those two parts, the sleeve and the tray, must have its own nets and must be made separately.

So first we look at the tray, which is made from a square base and then four rectangle shapes that make the sides of that packaging.

And then we would look at the sleeve which is made from two larger square shapes, which are the top and bottom of the sleeve, and two rectangle shapes which form the sides of the sleeve.

So we're looking at each part separately there to build two separate nets.

Once we've got the nets and we've got all the shapes that we need, we need to think about adding tabs.

Now, when packaging is folded into its 3D shape, each of those sides need to be joined together so that it will stay in place and it will stay in that 3D shape.

That's where we need to add tabs.

Now, tabs are extra pieces of material that we can use to attach the sides.

And the tabs can be added to the net so that we can see where they're going to be needed.

So here you can see we've got some tabs on the triangular pieces, which will join them up to the rectangular pieces, and we've got a long one across the top which will join those three rectangular pieces together.

So where those pieces meet when it's folded is where it's going to need a tab.

Now, by folding your paper cutouts into place, so trying to create the 3D shape that they are supposed to make, will help you see which sides will need to be joined and that will help us add the tabs to our net.

So we can see here if I folded this triangular prism into place, roughly into place, I can see that those two rectangular pieces will need to be joined at the top.

So to do that, I need to add a tab to the rectangular pieces on my net.

I can also see that the two sides of the triangle on one side of my packaging will need to be joined to the rectangles, so I'm going to need a tab on each side of that triangle in order to join them there.

And the same on the other side.

So the two edges of this triangle are going to need to be joined to that main rectangular section, so I'm going to need a tab on each side of there.

So this helps us to see where those tabs need to be added onto the net.

Then we come to annotating our design.

So remember that word annotating means to add some written notes to something.

So annotating means adding written notes to your design to explain how the product will be made.

So it's more details that we need to that we can't necessarily draw, we need to add them on with writing.

The notes might include information about individual sections.

So it might tell us whether it's the front or the back or the side, it could tell us about what size it's going to be, or it could tell us how that section is going to be joined.

So that we might need to fold it to join it, we might need to glue it or tape it to join it, it will give us information about that as well.

A quick check, then, before we move on.

What does that word annotate mean? Is it cutting out shapes? Is it drawing ideas? Or is it adding notes? Pause the video and have a think.

Welcome back, what did you think? Well done if you said it's adding notes.

So annotating is adding notes to our designs.

Well done if you got that right.

So time for the second task in this lesson then.

So you are going to choose your final design idea from your sketches.

So from those rapid sketches that we did in the first part of the lesson, you're going to choose which one you want to develop.

Now, remember it can be a combination of a couple of ideas like Aisha did.

You could choose one part of one to combine with another part of another one.

You may already have just one idea that you like, so you're going to choose which one you want to develop.

Then you're going to think about the 3D shape that that idea will need to be.

And you're going to use paper to draw and cut out the 2D shapes that will make that 3D shape.

So you're thinking about the faces of your 3D shape and cutting them out of paper.

You're going to arrange those pieces of paper into a net flat on the table, thinking about which edges will join together, where they need to sit, and you're going to take the shapes together to make the net of your 3D model.

So you've got the paper pieces attached together that if you were to fold into shape would make the 3D shape that you want your packaging to be.

Pause the video while you have a go at this task and come back when you're done.

Welcome back, how did you get on? Well, hopefully you've got your paper net in front of you now, ready for the second part of your task.

So you're going to use those paper pieces that you've just completed to help you draw the net for your packaging design.

So remember, you're going to look at those pieces that you've laid out in paper and copy those shapes and positions onto paper.

So you can see here those three rectangles and two triangles that I stuck together with paper.

I've drawn exactly the same thing for my net, three rectangles and two triangles, onto paper, and that's the net for my packaging.

Once you've done that, you can fold up those pieces of paper from the first task and that will help you to see where to put the tabs and you're going to draw those onto your net as well.

So you can see I've added there those tabs onto the side pieces, those triangles, and that tab to join those rectangles as well.

So you can work out where yours need to be by folding up that paper template from the first task.

Pause the video while you complete those tasks and come back when you're done.

Welcome back, how did you get on? Hopefully now you've got a net drawn on paper that shows the shapes and the tabs that you're going to need to make your 3D packaging.

Now time for the final part of this task.

You're going to annotate your net drawing now, so you're going to add some written notes.

So you need to include some details on your paper drawing of the shapes of each face that you've used to build that packaging.

You're going to make some notes about the position, so whether it's the front of the packaging, the back of the packaging, the bottom, the lid, and then you're going to add some information about the tabs.

So some of the tabs may just need to be folded so that you can open it and close it and some of them might need to be glued or taped together in order to hold the box or packaging into place.

So you need to label which ones will be glued or stuck and which ones will be left open in order to get access into the packaging.

Pause the video while you annotate your design and come back when you're done.

Welcome back, how did you get on? Well, Aisha has been having a go at using the paper template to help her to draw and annotate her final design.

So she chose that triangular prism shape for her packaging, she made the pieces using paper, so the three rectangles that she needed and the two triangles, and she drew that, then, into a net, onto paper, and then she added the tabs that she would need.

She's also added the information about which ones will be glued and which shapes and positions the faces of that net will be in the final packaging.

She's also telling us there that she chose the triangular prism shape for her packaging and the template helped her to see the shapes that she would need.

So she can see why this process can help us to get our ideas from our quick drawings into a finished, final drawing ready to make into a final product.

Well, we've come to the end of the lesson now.

Well done for completing those tasks and learning a little bit about annotated net sketches and rapid sketching that designers use to generate lots of different ideas.

So we've learned that designers use those rapid sketches to generate lots of ideas at a time.

We know that packaging solutions, so the ideas we have for packaging, can come through rapid sketching.

And we also learned that a net can be used to show our final design for sustainable packaging.

We also have been learning how to annotate our designs, and annotating our final designs provides that extra information that we will need when it comes to construction, so the making of our packaging.

Thank you for joining me for this lesson today.

I hope you enjoyed learning about annotated net sketches and I hope to see you again in another lesson.

Goodbye for now.