PRODUCT DESIGN

A-LEVEL

Preparation Booklet
Mr Rowberry
 Introduction To A level Product Design
On this course you learn to be creative and how to think around a problem. You will use practical skills, theoretical knowledge and confidence that will help you to succeed in a number of
careers. Especially those in the creative industries. You will investigate historical, social, cultural, environmental and economic influences on design and technology, whilst enjoying opportunities
to put their learning in to practice by producing prototypes of their choice.

You will gain a real understanding of what it means to be a designer, alongside the knowledge and skills sought by higher education and employers. The skills learnt on this course are widely
transferable to other industries.

As the name suggests, the main focus of the coursework is on the design of a variety of products. You will have the opportunity to work with a large range of materials and processes in order
to produce your manufactured artefacts. In the first year you will produce a number of scale models and working prototypes. In the second year you will produce one major project with a full
sized, working product as the outcome. It is very much like it is at GCSE but more in-depth and more available time to produce your work.

Product Design is equally rewarding and challenging. It is intended to follow on from Design Technology GCSE courses such as Product Design, Resistant Materials and Graphic Products and
aims to teach the design process. The course is particularly useful to those wishing to go on to careers such as product design, architecture, automotive design, jewelry design, packaging design
and some engineering courses.
 Sketching Practice: 3 Quick Methods
Complete the practice sketching methods in the space provided. You should also practice applying less pressure on the pencil. Do not worry about colour or
shading at this point. You do not need to prove in the exam or to the moderator that you know these methods, BUT… they are great techniques that will help
you communicate your ideas in a far better and professional way…The moderator IS looking for this. The first drawings we do can be scruffy but still need to
be legible/understandable. They are your unrefined thoughts quickly saved on to paper! Nothing more.

Look at the example first at the back of this booklet, then have a go yourself.

Single Point perspective Sketching Isometric Sketching

 Initial Ideas:
Once you have got your ideas down on page in a rough format, we now need to turn them into something we can use to present to a potential client. Essentially we
are redrawing them neater but theses design should visually give the viewer more information about the product. They should have annotations with them too. We
are still not producing works of art but instead explaining/showing our idea in a visual way so someone else can completely understand your idea.

When producing your initial ideas pages YOU should be confident in your idea, you may not know exactly how it will work or be made, that comes later, you should,
however believe that your idea could help to solve the brief.

Have a go at drawing one of your rough ISOMETRIC sketches from the previous page NEATER. Look at the example at the back of this booklet to help you find a
style.
Developing your ideas:
You have now presented your ideas to your client and they have chosen 2 of your initial designs. You now need to start figuring out all the SPECIFICS of your
idea and this will require you to change many aspects of the original design. This could be height, thickness, smoothness, colour, texture, intended material,
addition of parts or subtraction of different parts. There are so many things you could change to try and improve it.

Below is an very rough sketch of a product. I would like you to develop it and change it into a much better looking product. There is a visual example at the
back of this booklet.
 Technical drawing: Orthographic Projection
So…You sketched your rough, initial thoughts down. Then refined them to show your client and developed them into a realistic and feasible product. The designing
stage is almost over. You would at this point model your design to see what they look like in 3D but this cant really be done at home. Once you are happy with your
models and have worked out a few details you would then produce your manufacturing specification. Within the manufacturing specification it MUST have a detailed
technical drawing. We do this in 2D (flat) as an Orthographic Projection.

Complete an Orthographic Projection of the 3D objects shown. There is an example and explanation in the back of this booklet.
Use the next page to complete this section.

Link up the correct isometric drawing with the

orthographic projection. Write the corresponding
number next to the correct letter.
In the space provided draw these as identically as you can. Take your time and use any of the example
help sheets at the back.
The Design Process & Product Life Cycle
• This course is NOT just about designing and making, Sure, it is the biggest and best part but we also need to learn the theory in preparation for
the exam at the end in the summer. You will need to use the internet resources below to complete the next few tasks. They are not difficult and
you may already know the answers…BUT… can you answer them in an A level standard? In the yellow box draw the product life cycle and
explain what happens at each stage.

• Watch the following video and answer the questions on this page.

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWy4UgbzCBU

What are the 4Ps of design? give a brief description of each one.

Why do we test a product as an idea before it is prototyped?

Why do we test/get user feedback after we have prototyped?

 10 Principles of Good Design:
Dieter Rams
Dieter Rams is like the God Father of product design. His theories and rules have
been followed by so many current designers o ensure that their products sell and
are wanted in high demand. Take the IPhone for example, The inspiration for the •
IPhone can be seen as almost a direct copy of Dieter Rams original design for a
Braun Calculator. Dieter Rams believes that all design should be understandable
and easy to use. Look at the pictures below. What do you think. Circle in a marker, •
all the things you think make his designs understandable and easy to use.
•
In the space provided, write down Dieter Rams 10 Principles
of good design. Use the internet to help you find them.
•

•
EXAMPLE TECHNIQUES: Single Point Perspective
EXAMPLE TECHNIQUES: Isometric
EXAMPLE TECHNIQUES: Isometric

I always use the grid paper underneath to make quick sketches as it gives good accuracy and is quick and easy to do.
When you are sketching it shouldn’t be perfect but it should be understandable.
EXAMPLE TECHNIQUES: Refining Your Ideas

Rough sketches

It doesn’t matter what your style for

refining/initial ideas is. The simple rule is
to select the best of the rough sketches
and then draw them again, neater with
more explanations and colour.

More refined initial ideas

EXAMPLE TECHNIQUES: Developing Your Ideas

As you can see from the images

when you develop an idea you are
doing a few things. You are getting
rid of any flaws, changing parts of it
to look/function better and showing
how it might work using hands and
arrows.
EXAMPLE TECHNIQUES: Orthographic Projection

An orthographic drawing, sometimes called a working drawing, is

usually the last drawing produced by a designer. It normally has three
accurate views of a product, a front view, side view and plan view.
Dimensions (measurements) are also drawn on each view, ensuring
the manufacturer can make the product to the precise size and the
designers requirements. A parts list is also included. This has the
precise measurements for every part of the product and includes
details such as materials and finish.

Designers often use remote manufacturing, in an attempt to keep

costs low. Designers also produce working drawings so that
prototypes can be manufactured, and then tested. This leads to
improvements being made to the product. Working drawings are
usually produced using CAD, although skilled designers still draw
them be hand, at least in the early stage of the designing process.
Designers find sketching in orthographic projection very useful.

Information found on a working drawing / orthographic drawing:

All necessary views required for manufacturing.

All the necessary measurements (called dimensions).
A standard format for working drawings.
A parts list which includes all the information needed to make each
part of the product.
EXAMPLE TECHNIQUES: Product Life Cycle