Design Proposals

How long have I got for this section? Due in: To be confirmed
How many marks is this bit worth? 12
How many pages should it occupy? 4/5

This is an important section of your project because it is here that you sketch out your ideas that will form the basis of your design and then choose the best of these to develop. You will show your final design by the end of this section.

A useful starting point is to do a mood board as you did for your Year 9 Soft Furnishings / Accessories project. This shows industrial practice and is a useful tool for inspiration.

Range of Ideas – 4 marks

In theory it is easy. Keeping the brief and specification in mind, all you have to do is to sketch a number of different ways of solving the problem. You can do this by considering the whole project or by looking at individual parts. The key to this section is variety and flexibility of thinking. The more varied your ideas are the more marks you will earn – it is as simple as that.

• Start by doing a number of quick thumbnail sketches to show a variety of ideas, approx 6 ideas
• Use figure templates as guides for fashion projects
• Develop 2 or 3 designs in more detail. Try photocopying the basic outline a few times or scan a copy using the computer to generate quick alternative detail
• Use a fine black pen to highlight important details
• Create depth by using flesh-toned graphic pens / pencils to fit the body shape
• Use enlarged drawings to show decorative or construction details
• Use annotation to explain each idea and to comment on how well it meets the criteria of your specification. Hand written notes are better than word processed
• You can add fabric swatches / colours / yarn samples to bring your ideas to life
• Use pencil crayons / water colours / water colour pencils to add colour
• Scan your final idea into the computer and try out different colourways
• Show back views of garments in development
• Show front, back and side views of final design

Evaluation of Design Ideas – 4 marks

When you have a good variety of ideas you will need to review them against some aspects of the specification, e.g. can the design be completed within 15 hours?, can it be made within the budget?

Choose the idea that stands out, or choose the best parts from a range of ideas, to suit your specification. By the end of this section, you should have clearly shown the design that you have developed as your final design.

You must fully evaluate your final design against most points in the specification. You may need to ask your target market’s opinion of your design at this stage to assess whether design meets specification.

Communication Techniques – 4 marks

Though we are not looking for little works of art, your sketches should be clear and, where appropriate, shown in 3D. You are required to present your designs using a combination of text (written annotations / labels), graphics and ICT techniques including CAD. Only if you use all of these can you achieve the top mark.

Checklist for Design proposals

• Initial designs annotated and evaluated
• Developments annotated and evaluated
• Final design fully evaluated against specification
• Some use of CAD – some evidence that you have used it, perhaps scan your idea and try different colourways, perhaps a repeating design
• Approx 6 initial designs
• Approx 2-3 developments
• Notes at side of drawings
• Final design – front, back, details, fastenings, etc.
• To gain full marks for communication of ideas you must colour some, annotate and evaluate all your work