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Project Example

Formal gown

These pages are meant as a guide for prospective candidates of Design and Technology, they are not prescriptive nor cover the full range of tasks that a candidate would complete to fully satisfy the examination criteria for a Major Design Project. Note that each of these examples has a title, the title for a project should not be fully determined until the needs have been identified. Someone who sets out to design a bridge, may find that a tunnel is a better solution!

Project Proposal and Project Management / 15
Project Development and Realisation / 35
Evaluation / 10

Project Proposal and Project Management / 15

Identification and exploration of the needs

Discuss with my family, friends and several independent garment designers what the possible needs are that the gown should satisfy, list these, prioritise for myself.
Indicate the priority order of these into primary, secondary and tertiary needs.

Areas of Investigation

existing designs
previous practice in the area
fashion houses, magazines
independent fashion designers
patterns, tailoring
materials
tools
techniques and processes
fitness for purpose

Criteria to Evaluate Success

Coming from the needs, these will be able to be assessed by a survey which includes photographs of me wearing the completed gown.
They could include:
- fit
- style
- "stun effect"
- comfort
- ease of manufacture
- ease of care
I would develop a method of measuring each of the above.
Analyse the functional and aesthetic criteria

Selection and use of ideas and resources

Select the best ideas to use from a range.
Select the better resources from those investigated.
Create a database of resources using MicrosoftWorks at school (Keep two backups).
Use this to send letters.
Have separate fields for Selected and Justified
Date the entries
Try to get as many fabric samples as possible to use in testing.

Action, Time and Finance Plans and their application

Use a large calendar on a pin board, use cotton to link each entry to another page with more detail.
Have separate sheets for different stages and use another colour to emphasise evaluation and application.
Show how the design changes by doing sketches across the bottom like a history of the project.
Establish a budget and use a thermometer analogy to see how the money is spent
Have the design stage finished by end of Term two year 12.

Project Development and Realisation / 35

Documentation of research, experimentation and testing of design ideas, materials, tools, techniques and the application of conclusions.

Create calico garments to test fit and style.
Have "target audience" assess prototypes.
Develop skills required in sample form before using on garment.
Seek expert opinion from at least two sources to validate correct construction techniques.
Show by photographs how the evaluation of the prototypes directly affects the developing garment.
Test materials by referring to the evaluation criteria and the needs.
Test prototypes by wearing and adjusting them.

Consideration of design factors relevant to the major design project

Develop an analysis of the range of factors that are involved in the design of a garment.
Brainstorm from existing garments and magazines, materials, properties, usability, mapping and ease of use.

Use of communication and presentation techniques

Use a range of communication media throughout the project eg letter, phone, email.
Create a display for my project, including use of a mannequin and large photographs of the finished garment.
Have video available of the finished garment being worn.

Evidence and application of practical skills to produce a quality project

Develop construction skills to a high level by researching correct techniques early in the project, perhaps taking extra lessons at TAFE.
Create samples as experiments and indicate which technique or process is used in the gown and why.
Have at least two independent experts comment on the quality of the garment besides family and friends.

Evidence of creativity - ideas generation, degree of difference and exploration of existing ideas

Use style acquisition techniques, brainstorming, and mind maps to be creative about garment styles, materials, techniques.
Take examples from various sources and create your own styles.
Use a range of patterns as a source of inspiration.
Be innovative in research techniques, construction and use of materials.

Consideration of the practices in industrial/commercial settings as they relate to the major design project

Do a separate study of the processes, techniques and methods used in the fashion industry to design similar garments.

Evaluation / 10

Record of Evaluation procedures throughout the Design Project and the application of that evaluation

Use a technique of wall charting to record evaluation with a different coloured pen.
Show by experiment and photograph how the evaluation has directly changed the design.

Analysis and Evaluation of Functional and Aesthetic aspects of design

Include this analysis in the Identification of Needs.
Spend some time discussing with others what the functional aspects of a formal gown are.
Try to separate the aesthetic aspects from the functional.
Make this in a table form which could be part of the project display for marking.
Use the criteria developed to create a survey of a large group to evaluate the finished product.
Ask independent experts to assess the aesthetic aspects.
Use the information gathered to make an honest assessment.

Final Evaluation with respect to design criteria and impact on society / environment

By conducting "cradle to grave" life cycle analysis on the materials used, justify their selection and use.
Indicate the social impact of the garment with respect to the concept of a "formal".

Relationship of PSE to the Proposal

Give a summary by referring to the proposal and highlighting where the solution meets the criteria established based upon the evaluative information gathered.