Create, Experiment, Build, Question and Learn.
I am a specialist Product and Graphic Design Teacher, specialising in the Iterative process of designing, prototyping and evaluating. With a particular focus on entrepreneurship and making, rooted in real-world contexts and challenges.
My mission is to plan and deliver creative, fun and engaging lessons for KS3, 4 and 5, ages 11-18.
Create, Experiment, Build, Question and Learn.
I am a specialist Product and Graphic Design Teacher, specialising in the Iterative process of designing, prototyping and evaluating. With a particular focus on entrepreneurship and making, rooted in real-world contexts and challenges.
My mission is to plan and deliver creative, fun and engaging lessons for KS3, 4 and 5, ages 11-18.
In this lesson, students are introduced to fossil fuels and their impact on the environment through global warming in line with GCSE assessment criteria for Design and Technology. The lesson consists of videos, class discussions, a writing task and finally a design task.
Starter activity
Preparatory theory task
Class discussion/questioning and videos
Design (consolidation) Task
If you enjoyed this lesson, please see the other lessons in this or other Product Design series/SOW (where the full iterative design process is covered). In this unit, pupils will gain an understanding into the importance of sustainability and applied practical Science in Product Design.
In this creative, though theoretical lesson, students are introduced to/or consolidate their knowledge of Access FM. Students are given a series of Ikea lamps (though this could be easily changed to other products), which they must analyse using the ACCESS FM criteria. Students then consolidate their analysis into a short presentation through group-work, in a ‘dragons den style’ format.
Introduction to ACCESS FM
Preparatory Task
Consolidation Task
Presentation
Peer assessment (vote)
If you enjoyed this lesson, please see the other lessons in this or other Product Design series/SOW (where the full iterative design process is covered). In this unit, pupils will gain an understanding into what is product design and the creative process of a designer, from initial ideas, final isometric sketching, writing a specification and model making (prototyping).
Students love being creative with this hands-on project and it is a great introduction into graphic design, branding and how to evaluate a product for KS3 with strong cross-curricular links. Homework tasks are also included.
In this project students are set a brief; to create a desk tidy for WHSmith yet this could be ammended to suit a diferent brief.
Branding
Logos
Packaging
Packaging symbols
Sketching techniques (2-point, isometric)
Evaluating with CAFE QUE
Project requires Card, vacuum formed acrylic (optional)
This lesson is an excellent, accessible introduction into wood theory or KS3, 4 or 5. It is essential that design technology and/or product design students know this as part of their theory, ready for assessments.
The lesson covers hardwoods, softwoods and manufactured boards, wood examples and their respective properties and manufacturing (felled, formed and finished) through various activities. Included is also a video on plywood production, worksheets and home learning tasks.
This is a collection of KS3 graphic design lessons that do not require the use of specialist equipment or computers. Allowing the work to be set remotely or to be taught in non-specialist classrooms.
A series of Graphic design lessons, where students are introduced to graphic design, typography and advertising. Projects include:
Brand Yourself
Students design their own logo to brand themselves.
Typography
Students learn about personification in advertising and design their own typography and then posters in the style of the illustrator; Paul Thurlby.
Typography Project:
1
Students are introduced to graphic design, personification and anthropomorphism through various questioning activities and a Pixar based exercise. Students learn how brands use personifciation effectively in advertising (M & M’s and Kellogg’s) before creating their own Pixa research page, demonstrating an understanding of the key words learnt; in a visual way.
2
In this second lesson, students are introduced to graphic design and typography through various questioning activities and videos. They are introduced to the illustrator (Paul Thurlby) and shown how he personifies type for commercial gain; through products and advertising. This then leads to students creating their own artist research page, demonstrating an understanding of the key words learnt; in a visual way.
3
In this third lesson, students are tasked with personifying a letter, so that collectively the class can create a personified typeface. This typeface will then be used in later lessons to form the text for a piece of ‘positive advertising’.
4
In this fourth lesson, students are tasked with personifying type to form the text for a piece of ‘positive advertising’. This is in response to an industry style, client brief by the NHS for their ‘Change 4 Life’ campaign. This lesson could be extended over several lessons.
5
In this fifth lesson, students are tasked with designing a promotional piggy bank. This is in response to an industry style, client brief by Halifax encouraging people save with them. This lesson could be extended over several lessons.
This scheme was designed for KS3 but could also be used with KS4 students.
Logo Design Project:
1
Students are introduced to logo design, their importance/significance, colour psychology, and the design process as a whole. Student then begin to sketch out their initial ideas for their own logo. Lesson consists of starter> class discussions> colour psychology (sorting) task> main task> plenary.
2
Students peer feedback on each others initial ideas and then continue to develop the design for their own logo. Lesson consists of starter> class discussions> peer feedback> main task> plenary.
If you enjoyed this lesson, please see the other lessons of my ‘Brand Yourself’ graphics scheme. This scheme was designed for KS3 but could also be used with KS4 students.
In this lesson, students explore the various needs, wants, interests etc of a target market and how designs can use this information to influence their design decisions, then are given a specific target market to explore through a creative exercise. They then consolidate this information to present their findings to the rest of the class. This lesson can be used for KS3, 4 or 5 in a variety of lessons around the ideas of user-centred design and entrepreneurship.
The only materials required are large sheets of paper and marker pens. Also included are 2 students examples.
In this conceptual project, students are given a brief and apply their learning through the design and presentation of an artifact. Students love the challenge of speculating on the future and forming their concepts around a narrative. There have been some fascinating outcomes as students relish the creative freedom.
Speculative design is designing from a critical, political and/or ethical perspective in the form of an artifact from the near or distant future. There are several reasons why we might use speculative design:
To question and critique.
Raise awareness.
Start conversations.
Provoke, amuse or annoy.
The word ‘artifact’ is deliberate as the outcomes does not need to be a physical product. The outcome can be in the form of any 2D, 3D or digital ‘artifact(s)’. For example it could be a guide, a map, packaging etc. Trying to make the future artifact as believable as possible through storytelling.
Project structure:
What is speculative design?
Mind-map tasks
Case study
Imagining the world in 2067 in regards to society, housing, resources, economy, politics, technology, health and environment
Critique Sessions
Prototyping of artifact
Final presentation
The project can help students develop their rapid prototyping, storytelling, critiquing and presenting skills. It has been delivered to both college and university students.
Pupils’ love being creative with this project. Lessons are differentiated with strong cross-curricular (Literacy, Geography, Science) links, whilst requiring very little resources (only paper and product examples). Also Included are diffirenciated resources and student/teacher examples.
In this first lesson, students will be introduced to the iterative product design process. They will be briefly introduced to ‘what makes a good design?’ through Jonny Ive and Dieter Rams’ 10 principles of good design. This leads to a group ‘ranking task’ where they must rank and discuss varying design examples of a hair dryer product.
They will conduct a piece of product analysis using the ACCESS FM system; through group tasks, individual tasks and class-discussions. Leading to a piece of problem analysis to help find a justified improvement or gap in the market place for their own product.
Lesson consists of ranking activity> class discussions>prep task> main task(s). Lesson could be extended over several lessons.
If you enjoyed this lesson, please see the other lessons in my Product Design series/SOW (where the full iterative design process is covered). In this unit, pupils will gain an understanding into what is product design and the creative process of a designer, from existing research/analysis, writing a specification, initial ideas, isometric drawing and CAD modelling.
