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.
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 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.
Full KS3 Project Bundle which can cover the entire of KS3 Product Design, representing a significant saving over buying individually.
In these outstanding, creative scheme of work, students are tasked with designing and making a product in line with a specific brief. With practical, written and theory work closely related to the new 1-9 GCSE Design Technology Specification and the NEA.
It covers the entire iterative (non-linear) design process as well as relatable theory. The SOW can be adapted to be taught at KS3 or KS4.
Full KS3 Product Design Project Bundle consisting of:
STEM (Science, Technology Engineering & Maths) Project
Desk tidy Project
Iterative Ergonomics Water Bottle Project
Iterative Storage Unit Ikea Project
Architecture Project
Iterative contemporary furniture Project
Biomimicry Espresso Cup Project
Theory lessons covering:
Ergonomics & Anthropometrics
Packaging
Evaluating
Sustainability and energy stores
Target Market
Technology Push & Market Pull
Plastics
Woods Theory
For more information about each lesson/project, please click on each relevant individual resource.
These units/projects have been designed for a term (12-14 weeks) or half-term (6-8 weeks) though each can be extended or condensed by modifying the design process and portfolio accordingly.
NEA Assessment Objective Bible AO Product Design Technology
Invaluable, measurable assessment Objective advice/guidance for students, which can also be used as explicit success criteria for portfolios. Students can reflect on their own work and highlight areas that they need to address.
All I ask, is that you please review this free resource in return. Thank you.
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.
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.
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)
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).
This product design (design and technology) lesson introduces students to market pull and technology push as well as planned obsolescence, in line with assessment criteria for design technology specification criteria.
Lesson consists of a starter, class discussion, relatable examples, videos (contextulisation), main activity and a homework design activity (consolidation activity).
If you enjoyed this lesson, please see other product design theory lessons in my shop, that are all linked to Design Technology theory exam assessment criteria.
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.
A visual starter for Product Design where students demonstrate their understanding of key words and/or it can be used to gauge prior understanding in the subject. Students can effectively differentiate and choose their own task or extension. Included is the original .ai file so that the resource can be adapted for different products/materials/key words etc.
If you enjoyed this free resource, please kindly leave a review/rating.
Pupils’ love being creative with this hands-on project. Students are tasked with creating a mini prototype piece of flat-pack furniture for a furniture manufacturer. I have used Cardboard and envelopes (to personify flat-pack packaging) with a craft knife and tape or glue gun but this project but it could be adapted for other materials such as HIPS or wood. Also Included are differentiated resources and student/teacher examples.
In this first lesson, students are introduced to the benefits of flat pack furniture in logistics and manufacturing through class discussions and group tasks. They they create their own piece of furniture that can be disassembled and placed flat inside an envelope. There is also an extension task where they can draw ‘wordless’ instructions for another student to try to assemble there design.
Introduction to SOW
Class discussion/group tasks on flat pack furniture
Modelling
Optional extension
Activities should be spread over 2/3 lessons
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 clay model making (prototyping).
