Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Taylor, and I'm so pleased you can join me here today for our lesson.

Our lesson is "Sketch modelling: communal areas," and this is part of the "Iterative design: Student Living" unit.

The outcome: I can model design ideas for a piece of student storage using card, foam, and other materials.

There are three keywords.

Sketching, quick, freehand drawing of ideas or concepts, often as a rough outline.

Function, which is the purpose of a product.

Modelling, the process of creating physical or digital representations of design ideas to visualise and test them.

There are two parts to the lesson today, sketching to communicate design ideas and modelling to communicate design ideas.

Let's begin with sketching to communicate design ideas.

Sketching is often the first way in which a designer starts their creative process.

Sketching is quick, freehand drawing of ideas or concepts, often done as a rough outline of an idea.

Here we can see a page of example sketches.

Sketching has many benefits as part of the creative process.

The benefits of sketching include it allows for quick idea exploration and visualisation.

It encourages creativity without the designer being limited.

It helps to communicate and share ideas with a design team or clients.

And it avoids money being spent on prototypes before working the idea out.

Here we have a check for understanding.

How is sketching cost-effective? Is it A, it requires expensive software and tools, or B, it increases the time needed for final design decisions, or C, it avoids money being spent on prototypes.

Pause the video and have a go.

Wonderful, let's check.

That's right, it's C.

It avoids money being spent on prototypes.

Well done.

A page of initial sketches act as a visual exploration of the design brief.

Sketching works best when it is quick, with more focus on the ideas themselves rather than the quality or detail of the drawings.

Sometimes when sketching, you might be inspired by a stimulus, or you might be inspired by the function of the product.

The function of the product is the purpose of the product.

Alex shares his design brief, "Design a storage solution for kitchen utensils and cutlery.

The product needs to help save space and must be efficient to use.

The solution must appeal to university-aged students and be able to be manufactured at an affordable price for students." What is the function of the product Alex is designing? Talk to the person next to you and discuss this.

Fantastic.

Let's have a look at what Alex thinks.

Storage for kitchen utensils and cutlery, save space and efficient to use, and affordable.

Alex has looked at the intended functions of the product to help generate initial design sketches.

He thought about storage for kitchen utensils and cutlery, saving space and being efficient to use, and also being affordable.

Here are three of his initial design sketches.

He added annotation and arrows to explain each one.

We can see here that this one has dividers to separate the cutlery.

It also has a folding handle.

And the mesh basket is suitable for drying and storing cutlery.

The next idea has different size compartments and hooks.

It would be fixed to the wall above the counter.

And the third idea on this page has a clear window to see the contents, different size pockets for different size utensils, and it hangs on a door or a wall.

Alex did a second page of initial design sketches.

This idea is a portable fabric roll.

The pockets and detachable straps hold the cutlery and different sized utensils.

This one is a wooden box with a carry handle and one big space for all the utensils to go in.

Here we can see an example that reuses glass jars.

It has a carry handle and a wire frame.

Let's have another check for understanding.

Which of these could be functions of a TV stand or unit? Is it A, to cost under 100 pounds, B, to store TV controllers, C, to hold the TV, or D, to be made out of timber only? Pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic, let's check.

That's right, it's both B and C.

To store the TV controllers and to hold the TV could be functions of the TV stand or the TV unit.

Well done.

To generate initial design sketches, the following success criteria can be used: a range of varied ideas, quick sketches, annotation and arrows to explain the ideas, ideas are explored without concern for a bad idea.

Alex's sketches have considered the functions that he listed.

For example, storage for kitchen utensils and cutlery.

We can see in this idea that there's plenty of storage.

Saving space and efficient to use.

The idea which is fixed to the wall above the counter would both save space and be efficient to use as all the cutlery and utensils would be to hand.

And affordable.

This idea uses cost-effective materials.

We now move to task A.

Sketch an A4 page of different design ideas for your design brief, thinking about the function of your product.

Use the success criteria to help you generate your sketches.

A range of varied ideas, quick sketches, annotation and arrows help to explain the ideas, and ideas are explored without concern for a bad idea.

Pause the video, and good luck.

Fantastic, let's have a look at some of the answers you may have come up with.

Compare your page of sketches to the success criteria.

Alex says that his initial design sketches have a range of varied ideas, they were quick sketches, he has used annotation and arrows to explain those ideas, and his ideas are explored without concern for a bad idea.

Well done.

We now move to the second part of the lesson today, modelling to communicate design ideas.

Design ideas can also be modelled.

Modelling is the process of creating physical or digital representations of design ideas to visualise and test them.

Using modelling to communicate design ideas has some benefits over sketching.

The benefits of modelling include it helps to understand scale, proportion, and form in 3D, it encourages you to think through possible manufacturing and materials as well as practical limitations, it's easier for clients or team members to understand, and it can help you to understand ergonomics or user interaction better.

Here we have a check for understanding.

What can 3D modelling show about your design that's harder to understand from a sketch? Is it A, scale, B, colour, C, proportion, or D, cost? Pause the video and have a go.

Fantastic, let's check.

That's right, it's A, scale, and C, proportion.

Well done.

You can model in a variety of materials, such as paper, corrugated card, MDF, felt, coloured card, and foam board, which is usually white in colour.

You can model using a variety of joining methods, such as split pins, masking tape, thread, sticky tape, glue gun, or a glue stick.

And you can model with a variety of tools, such as a craft knife, a tenon saw, a cutting mat, a needle, a safety rule, or scissors.

It's important to note here that the craft knife must always be used with a safety rule and cutting mat, and the tenon saw should be used with a bench hook.

Here we have a check for understanding.

Which of the below shows an example of a tool that could be used when modelling? Pause the video.

Great, let's check.

That's right, it's a craft knife.

Well done.

Modelling does not need to be a product with a high-quality finish, but instead should focus on being explorative, just like sketching.

For example, using something as simple as paper and split pins can help to work out how a mechanism on a product would work.

Paper plus split pins equals a model mechanism, as we can see here.

One of Alex's sketches can be modelled to help him understand if it could function in the way that he intended.

We're going to use corrugated cardboard as this is sustainable, low in cost, and is a strong material to withstand the 3D nature of his product.

What tools and joining methods could be used to make Alex's model? Talk to the person next to you, and have a think.

Wonderful.

This is Alex's sketch that is going to be modelled.

The main unit is made first.

A net is drawn on a piece of corrugated cardboard using a pencil and a ruler.

Depending on the thickness of the card, the net is cut out using either a retractable craft knife with a cutting mat and safety rule, or a pair of scissors.

The folds in the cardboard are scored with the scissors held carefully against the safety rule to ensure a neat fold.

The net can be joined using masking tape or a hot glue gun.

The model allows Alex to correct mistakes.

What mistakes are there on the 3D model? Talk to the person next to you, and have a think.

Wonderful.

Alex thinks the proportions are incorrect as there is only room for two utensil compartments.

We now move to task B, and there are two parts to this.

Choose one of your designs from your sketches and model it.

And then part 2, evaluate your model to explain what you found out from modelling in 3D and how you altered your design based on this.

Pause the video and have a go.

Fabulous, let's have a look at some of the answers you may have come up with.

Here is Alex's model and his original sketch.

And he says, "From modelling, I realised that proportion of the main unit wasn't correct as there was only room for two utensil compartments.

Also, the compartments are open, and some smaller items such as teaspoons could fall down and be really difficult to retrieve." Well done.

We now have a summary of our learning today.

Sketching is often the first way in which a designer starts their creative process.

Sketching is a quick, freehand drawing of ideas or concepts, often done as a rough outline of an idea.

Sketching works best when it is quick, with more concern given to the ideas themselves rather than the quality or detail of the drawings.

Sometimes when sketching, you might be inspired by a stimulus, or you might be inspired by the function of the product.

Modelling is the process of creating physical or digital representations of design ideas to visualise and test them.

Modelling helps to understand scale, proportion, and form in 3D.

I'm really pleased you could join me today for our lesson.

Well done, and thank you.