2014

Design and Technology

Assessment Task 1 Portfolio
By April Beattie

Contents
Exploration of the Need and Evaluation.2 Research and Evaluation of Existing Designs..............................................3 Generation & Evaluation of 2 Ideas with Annotations.....6 Final Design with Dimensions and Materials..8 Case Study13

Exploration of the Need and Evaluation

I am making this item of jewellery for women aged 15-30 to express their personality and style. Women in this age group, have a varied lifestyle. They go to work and/or school, to parties, out to dinner, to important meetings, outings with friends and much more. This is why my necklace has to be versatile, and be able to be worn with any outfit. For my necklace to be versatile, it will be plain and simple but elegant at the same time so that it can be worn every day and go with any outfit. My necklace pendent will be mainly white as it never ages, goes with every colour and can be sophisticated, classy, elegant or simple depending on what it is worn with. Therefore my necklace can be worn to many different occasions, which the average woman attends. My design will consist of a pendent, mainly white in colour and made from polymer clay. From there it will be connected to a fairly short silver chain by a jump ring. The polymer clay pendent may be placed on a silver dish which will be attached to the chain. Either way the necklace will be fairly strong and durable.

Silver chain

Circular White Pendant

Variety of Activities Variety of women

Research and Evaluation of Existing Designs

Below I have created a collage to gather some inspiration in order to design and construct my necklace. It consists of 20 images of necklaces, pendants, colours, shapes and anything that I feel will inspire my design. Below the collage, is the link and a short evaluation to explain why I chose each image and what about it inspires me.

Image 1 Beach

2 Swirl

Link http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhot oDirectLink-g147293-d151022-i51569292Natura_Park_Beach_EcoResort_SpaPunta_Cana_La_Altagracia_Province_Domi nica.html http://www.pinterest.com/lilamant/tiffany -blue-tiffany-co/

Evaluation I chose this image as the colours of the water sky and clouds give me inspiration for my necklace.

I like the colours and pattern used in this pendant. I believe I will be able to make a pendant with similar colours and pattern which is why I think this image will inspire my necklace. 3

3 Table 4 Tiffany Hearts 5 Office 6 Diamond 7 White Shell Pendant 8 Simple 9 Brooke Necklace 10 Bedroom

http://entertainingwomen.blogspot.com.a u/2010/07/black-white-lunch-on-backporch.html http://www.polyvore.com/return_to_tiffa ny_double_heart/thing?id=95777141

I chose this image as it is somewhere that a woman would wear the necklace. The elegance of the table also inspires me. This image has colours that I want and they look good with each other. The silver chain is what I want to use in my necklace. I chose this image as it is somewhere that the necklace could be worn. This image inspires me as the necklace is simple and elegant. I chose this image because the colours, simplicity and chain inspire me. Simple is beautiful. inspiries me as I want to design a simple piece of jewellery that is beautiful. This pendant inspires me because it is simple.

http://wrappeddreams.blogspot.com.au/2 013/09/5-tips-to-keep-yourself-healthy-atwork.html http://www.chelejewelry.com/simplenecklaces/ http://img1.etsystatic.com/042/1/5677451 /il_340x270.505519723_6iqf.jpg http://averysimple.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/12/simple-isbeautiful.png https://img1.etsystatic.com/022/0/728796 5/il_340x270.475758427_g3vc.jpg

11 Glittery White Pendant 12 Aqua Patterned Circle 13 Woman in black shirt 14 Wallpaper https://encryptedtbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTz hHBXT2UML_rtaHXmbtGuEEONJBweWQpBmg 6ttaDOpiL9iusOGMMHU0 15 http://www.bellast.com/image/product/m Silver/white /130616/16''_solid_hollow_circle_pendant circles _necklace_with_925_sterling_silver_plated _copper_31603170_1.jpg 16 http://media.tiffany.com/is/image/Tiffany/ Silver/blue 23410273_930480_ED?$EcomItemL$&defa pendant ultImage=NoImageAvailable&op_usm=2.75 ,1,6 17 Flower http://impressive.net/people/gerald/2002/ 10/07/15-17-28-sm.jpg http://www.scenicreflections.com/files/AQ UA_SKY_Wallpaper_3mlag.jpg

http://www.linenbazaar.com.au/image/cac This image uses the colours white and aqua which he/data/taliaaqua-500x500.jpg inspire my design. It is elegant but not over the top. http://dlp2gfjvaz867.cloudfront.net/produ I chose this image as the shape and colour inspires ct_photos/13104289/White_20glitter_20w me. It is also very simple and beautiful. inter_20pendant_20necklace_2003a_origi nal.jpg http://www.medialabmelbourne.com.au/si This image inspires me purely because of its shape te/wpand colour. content/uploads/2012/04/patchCircle300x300.png http://img0.etsystatic.com/020/0/5747162 A woman is wearing an inspiring simple necklace /il_570xN.478890950_n4cq.jpg with a silver circular pendant. I chose this image as I feel the colours used will be the colours of my design.

This necklace has silver and white pendants which will inspire my design. It also uses circles.

This pendant inspires me because of the use of silver and blue, its cuteness, simplicity and elegance.

18 Sky

I chose this image as the flower is so beautiful, elegant and simple, which is what I want my necklace to be. The contrast between the blue sky and the white clouds will inspire my necklace. 4

19 Women

http://youngfeministfund.org/wpcontent/uploads/2011/07/group.jpg

20 White Pendent

http://www.fireworkstalk.ca/images/Tiffan y%20Jewellery/Tiffany%20&%20co%20jew ellery%20Gem%20Pendants%20Light%20bl ue%20Necklaces_Canada.jpg

This image reminds me of who I am making my necklace for. It reminds me that it needs to satisfy women aged 15-30 with a variety of tastes and personalities. I chose this image as I like the silver chain and the elegant white pendant.

In conclusion, each of these images were chosen because something about them inspires my design. However I believe my design will be majorly influenced by image 2, image 8 and image 20. Below is an explanation as to why these images are the most inspiring.

Image

Explanation This image will have a major influence on my design because of its colours, shape, pattern, simplicity and elegance. The colours used are what I am planning to use. I am also planning to make a circular shaped pendant like the one shown. I also like the swirl used in this pendant and I believe that I would be able to make this using polymer cay. Finally I believe that this pendant is very simple but elegant which is exactly what I am looking to do with my necklace. This image is more of an inspirational quote rather than an image of jewellery that I like. This quote reminds me to keep it simple. My item of jewellery does not have to be complicated to be beautiful. So my design will be simple, beautiful and elegant.

The pendant shown in this image is once again simple. It has a plain silver chain which is what I am looking to use. It is mainly white which is ever-elegant. It is also a plain shape. This necklace could be worn with almost anything and for any occasion, which is what my exploration of the need of evaluation states.

Summary
From the research above about existing items of jewellery, I know exactly what I want to design and create. I know that my necklace will consist of a plain silver chain and a pendant made from polymer clay. I know that my pendant will be mainly white with some blue also. It will be circular in shape and will be simple and elegant. The necklace will be able to worn with almost anything to almost anywhere. Without the previous research of existing ideas I know I would not have been able to have a clear idea of what I am going to design and construct.

Generation and Evaluation of 2 Ideas with Annotations

Below are my two ideas with their annotations and dimensions. My two ideas are different however have similar aspects including a blue feature attached to a mainly white pendant with a resin coating finish and silver chain.

Silver Chain to add elegance

Hole made using skewer to allow jump ring through

1.5 cm

Jump Ring to connect chain to pendant

Clear resin coating to give nice glossy finish

Idea one is a tear drop shaped pendant, 2.5cm in width and 4cm in length, made using white polymer clay. Attached to the pendant is a butterfly, 1.5cm squared, made using blue and white polymer clay blended by the pasta maker and rolling pin, to make light blue. There is a hole in the top of the pendant made using a skewer to allow the jump ring through. The jump ring connects the pendant to the elegant silver chain. It is completed with a clear resin coating.

4 cm

Blue and white polymer clay blended to make light blue, which is then moulded into a butterfly and attached to the white pendant
White polymer clay moulded into tear drop shape

1.5 cm

2.5 cm

Scale 2:1

Hole made using skewer to allow jump ring through White polymer clay moulded into circle

Silver Chain to add elegance

Jump Ring to connect chain to pendant Clear resin coating to give nice glossy finish

0.5 cm

Blue and white polymer clay blended to make light blue, which is then moulded into a circle ring and attached to the white pendant

Idea two is a circle pendant with a diameter of 2cm. It is made with white polymer clay. There is a light blue ring attached to the white pendant. It is made using blue and white polymer clay blended by the pasta maker and rolling pin, to make light blue. There is a hole in the top of the pendant made using a skewer to allow the jump ring through. The jump ring connects the pendant to the elegant silver chain. A clear resin coating is added to the pendant and before it dries a small diamante is placed in the centre.

1.3 cm

A small diamante will be placed in the middle of the pendant to add detail

2 cm

Scale 2:1

Final Design with Dimensions and Materials

Silver Chain to add elegance Hole made using skewer to allow jump ring through

Jump Ring to connect chain to pendant

White polymer clay moulded into circle

1.5 cm

My final design is a combination of both of my ideas above. It consists of the same light blue butterfly from idea one, which is white and blue polymer clay blended together using the pasta maker and rolling pin and is 1.5cm squared. The butterfly is attached to a white polymer clay circle, with a diameter of 2cm, which is the same as idea two. The pendant has a hole, made using a skewer to allow a jump ring through. The jump ring connects a silver chain to the pendant. It is completed with a clear resin coating to give it a nice shiny finish.

1.5 cm

Clear resin coating to give nice glossy finish

2 cm
8

Blue and white polymer clay blended to make light blue, which is then moulded into a butterfly and attached to the white pendant.

Scale 2:1

Case Study
Section 1 Design process
1. Read Evaluating success. List the financial and personal rewards that Dinosaur Designs' partners can enjoy because of their company's success.

Dinosaur Designs partners talk about the many rewards of designing and building successful and popular items. These rewards include their personal fulfilment and joy of working with their best friends, producing beautiful items which are appreciated by others, the financial rewards of running their own successful business, Designing and sculpting their own jewellery, putting the item on the shelf and people buying and loving it and when something they have worked hard to design and create an item for charity and it gets auctioned off. Designing and producing successful items brings many rewards.
2. Look at the Dinosaur Designs' career path. What things indicate the company's success and popularity?

There are many things that indicate the companys success. These include that they all studied at the University of NSW: College of Fine Arts and completed a Bachelor of Visual Arts, majoring in drawing and painting. They began selling their items at Paddington Markets, completed degrees in Professional Art Studies. In 1987 just 4 years after leaving university, they opened their own studio and selling through retail outlets. They continued to grow, participating in fashion events and exhibitions around the world and opening their own stores. They became more and more of a hit, opening a bigger outlet, expanding their range and exporting their items overseas. More recently they opened a store in NY and worked with Louis Vuitton to design a chess set that was auctioned for cancer. Along with all these reasons and the fact that they have known each other for so long and all are as passionate as each other about designing indicate the success and popularity of the company.
3. Develop a flow chart of a design process undertaken by the team at Dinosaur Designs.
Research: The designers begin the process by researching. They find the internet helpful to research different tools, materials and techniques that can be done with the resin. Finalising: When the piece is sets it is rough and needs work. They drill, sand and finish the item by hand. It is completed after it is polished and handfinished with moisturiser. Development of Ideas: From their research they develop ideas by brainstorming, drawing in sketch books, etc. When they have finalised their ideas they make models of their ideas out of plasticine. Construction: When they are happy with their design they begin to make latex moulds of it. They then cast the resin into the mould. They individually mix colour into clear resin for each piece. They find what colourways are available by making 48 square beads.

4. Dinosaur Designs uses specialist designers for some aspects of their work, for example, architects and graphic designers. Compare the design process used to design Dinosaur Designs' jewellery and that used by the product designer Angelo Kotsis. What are the similarities Similarities Differences - Both designers use - The Dinosaurs processes to creating a new product are models and/or mainly carried out by hand whereas Angelos process is prototypes of their mainly carried out through technology. ideas to be sure they - Dinosaurs follow more of a strict process; however are happy with it Angelo does more brainstorming and discussing with before construction. other designers. 5. The Dinosaur Designs team are passionate about their work. They use a particular language to communicate their process of design, for example, hand-felt and finessing. Select these words and in the context of the passage, discuss what the designer means by them.

Language developing

sculpturally

hand-felt

finessing

Meaning Stephen explains the importance of a sketchbook for developing ideas for designs. He tells us that ideas often just pop into their heads so they are always carrying sketchbooks and pencils to quickly sketch it down before they forget it. Louise tells us how after they develop ideas they will work sculpturally and use wood, plasticine, plastic or wax to make a prototype and get an idea of what the actual item will look like. Louise talks about their design process and tells us how their items are very handfelt, meaning that unlike normal plastic being hard; they like to bring the human touch back into designs. Stephen talks about the skills of each team member and tells us that the girls have a great ability finessing products meaning that the girls are great at improving and refining ideas and designs.

Section 2 Factors influencing design

6. Visit the Gallery of work. Touch, feel and look are important to Dinosaur Designs. Look at three images and describe them in terms of the elements of design, such as line, colour and texture. Image Description This image is a cabinet filled with Dinosaur Designs' products. The Ottoman is covered in Dinosaur Designs fabric.

The contents of the shelf have a variety of shapes and colours. The items use curved and straight lines, and the use of red, greens and blues give the audience a sense of relaxation and home. The ottoman uses straight lines and blues.

10

These are Dinosaur Designs' glass products. The glass products are of fiery colours and have curved and straight lines. The texture is consistently shiny.

This image is Dinosaur Designs Plastique installation for Melbourne Fashion Week This plastique installation uses vibrant colours and curved lines. The shapes used are mainly circle. It gives a childish, happy feel.

7. Dinosaur Designs manufactures all their resin pieces in their own studio. What kinds of Occupational Health & Safety practices might they have to consider for employees working in a studio or workshop environment? www.workcover.com.au

As employers, the designers have to provide a safe and healthy working environment, safe systems of work, machinery and equipment in a safe condition, adequate facilities, adequate information and training.

Section 3 Roles of designers

8. The Dinosaur Designs team received training in the visual arts as well as professional art studies. Suggest an alternative career path that might give you the skills necessary for designing objects and/or jewellery. You might like to visit http://www.myfuture.edu.au

To receive the necessary skills for being a designer of objects and jewellery I could complete the following: A diploma of Jewellery and object design An advanced diploma of Jewellery and object design An advanced Diploma of Engineering Technology A bachelor of design A certificate II in Jewellery Manufacture An associate Degree in Design

9. Jewellery design is a design specialisation of the area of study: Products. What other design specialisations does Dinosaur Designs work in?

Dinosaur Designs specialises in jewellery but that is not all. They are also well known for their home ware products including a variety of sculptures, vases and kitchen tools such as bowls and ladles.

11

10. List some of the reasons people wear jewellery. Describe your favourite piece of jewellery and the reasons it is important to you.

There are many reasons as to why People wear jewellery, including expressing themselves, to dress up or finish an outfit, because it has special meaning (wedding or engagement ring), for fashion purposes, because it makes them feel good or to express their religious or cultural beliefs. My favourite pieces of jewellery are my Thomas Sabo earrings. They are circular sterling silver studs with Thomas Sabo engraved around the edge and Cubic Zirconia stones in the middle. They are my favourite because I can wear them every day. I can wear them around the house or out to dinner or work. They are so simple yet elegant and can be worn with anything.
11. Identify the contribution Dinosaur Designs makes to the improvement of everyday life.

Dinosaur Designs allow people to express themselves through their range of jewellery, making them happy. Their range of home wares also allows customers to accessorise their homes the way they want. Dinosaur Designs also create objects that they auction of. The money made, is given to charity, making the lives of those less fortunate a little bit easier to live.

Section 4 Generating ideas

12. Identify some of the methods used by Dinosaur Designs to generate creative ideas.

Everyday items and activities such as a bus ticket can give clues or even trigger an idea. They are also inspired by art, history, paintings, sculptures and nature. The ideas that pop into their heads usually drift out as quickly as they drift in, so they all carry a pencil and a sketchbook so they can quickly jot down the ideas they have so they dont forget them.

Section 5 Selects, analyses, presents and applies research

13. Experimenting and testing of design ideas was important for the development of Dinosaur Designs' first innovative products for Paddington markets. Describe the experimentation and testing that was carried out.

In their early days, when they developed products for Paddington Markets, Louise, Liane and Stephen were not very experienced. Most of their Fridays were spent in their parents kitchen painting t-shirts and making jewellery for the following Saturday morning at the markets. After two years of this they realised that jewellery was the most popular item of theirs. So from the experimentation results that Jewellery was what the customers were most interested in the changed their products to be more popular at the markets. Dinosaur Designs were able to take their ideas, test them with customers change them and make them more popular. From there they turned into a successful business.

12

14. Dinosaur Designs are influenced to a certain extent by current trends. What sources of information would be particularly useful for jewellery designers?

There are many sources that are useful to jewellery designers. These include: Fashion magazines Television shows Fashion exhibitions Internet sites Media in general

Section 6 Mixed material technologies

15. If you were to design a small pendant how could it be mass produced? Research the different ways in which you could produce multiple copies of this object.

If only a small range was needed to be produced, then the employer could hire some people to create multiples of the item. Otherwise they could send their item to a company who mass produce copies of the pendant.
16. For the small pendant, research how it can be finished. How does it affect the visual appeal of the object?

My small pendant would firstly be cleaned to remove any dirt, small particles or any residue left on it from production. Then I would polish the pendant and add a clear lacquer. The cleaning will allow the lacquer to properly stick to the pendant. The lacquer will give the pendant a nice shiny and glossy finish. The finishing of the pendant will increase the value of the pendant and will make it more ascetically pleasing for customers.
17. Research other products made from polyester resin, e.g. bathroom vanities, bathtubs, canoes, surfboards. Compare the characteristics of these products with the characteristics of Dinosaur Designs' products.

Products such as bathroom vanities, bathtubs, canoes and surfboards are all made from polyester resin. Each of these are used in or hold water, suggesting that polyester resin is waterproof. They are also made from a commonly used polyester resin. However, the Dinosaur Designers developed their own specific type of resin. They received help from experts to create the best formula possible. They received help from chemists who made improvements such as increasing the ability of the resin to deal with impact. Dinosaur Designs products use this specific type of resin which is stronger and waterproof rather than the more common type used in the products above.

13