AQA DT Paper 2 Designing and Making Principles

Iterative design

A design process involving repeated cycles of prototyping, testing, and refining to improve a product's functionality and usability

User-centred design (UCD|)

Developing products with the end user fully in mind. Such products are easy to use

Ergonomics

Study of how people interact with products and environments, focusing on comfort, safety, and efficiency

Anthropometrics

Body measurements

Primary investigation

Research carried out first hand (not using the internet/books)

Secondary investigation

Research information that is gathered from the internet/books)

Market research

Used to obtain information on people’s values, needs, wants

Cause of the Arts and Crafts movement

Concern of designers in 1850s that use of machinery and factory-based production created overly-ornate decoration so appreciation of materials used is lost post-industrial revolution

Arts and Crafts movement designers

William Morris, Richard Norman Shaw, C.F.A Voysey

Effects of the industrial revolution

Reduced reliance on craftsmanship and increasing use of machine tools

Key features of the Arts and Crafts movement

Appreciation of material’s natural beauty and hand produced design using craft skills

Key features of Art Nouveau

Emphasis on natural forms and structures

Cause of Art Deco

Discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 led to interest in ancient art

Key features of Art Deco

Simple geometric forms, stepped pyramid structures (ziggurats), sunburst motifs

Origin of Art Deco sunburst motif

End of WW1 caused changing social class systems and beckoned a new age of modern living

Origins of ziggurat of Art Deco

Buildings restricted in 1916 zoning regulation to reduce impact on light visible on the street - required regular ‘setbacks’ as the height of the building increased

Art Deco designers

Clarice Cliff, Eileen Grey, Alvar Aalto, Walter Dorwin Teague

Modernism design schools

Bauhaus, De Stijl

Cause of Modernism

Impact of WW1 on European infrastructure resulted in need to rebuild, giving them the opportunity to modernise

Key features of De Stijl

Basic rectilinear forms, primary colour schemes, asymmetrical

Modernism designers

J.J.P. Oud, Piet Mondrian, Gerrit Rietveld, Robert van’t Hoff

Bauhaus founding

1919 by Walter Gropius in Germany

Teachings of Bauhaus

Appreciation of materials, manufacturing and form, metalwork, furniture architecture, graphics, design true to materials and reduce ornamentation focusing on aesthetic associated with manufacturing process

Key features of Bauhaus

Form follows function (appearance dictated by how it works), embracing the machine age, geometrically pure forms, everyday products for everyday people

Bauhaus designers

Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, Mies Van Der Rohe, Marianne Brandt

Modernism/Bauhaus controversy

Introduction of tubular steel to furniture was a big change from the largely wooden interiors of the time

Bauhaus furnniture design

Tubular steel and bent plywood furniture gives continuous unbroken curves from functional and minimal material

Key features of Streamlining

Flowing curves and smooth exteriors of architecture bisected with chrome detailing

Uses of streamlining design

Car design for aerodynamics, clocks and fridges as a sign of modernity

Streamlining designers

Raymond Loewy, Norman Bel Geddes, Henry Dreyfuss

Cause of Post-Modernism

Rebelled against excessive ornamnetation of design; a counter rebellion against the simplicity of form and purely fuctional nature of Modernism

Memphis design group

1970s and 80s who designed products more as sculptures to be admired comprimising practicality. The used anthropomorphism and zoomorphism

Key features of Memphis design

Bold and colourful playful designs, simplistic juxtapositions of geometric forms, challenging forms that compromised function

Memphis designers

Marc Newson, Danny Lane

Philippe Starck

Post-modern sculptures focusing on aesthetics before function, ‘democratic design’ for the population rather than the elite, enhance experience of user (playful and thought-provoking design), experimentation with modern materials and manufacturing processes

James Dyson

Application of innovative technology to existing products, detailed product analysis to find problems with current designs and revolutionise the way we see functional and essential household items

Margaret Calvert

Graphic designer, developed the Transport font and standard pictograms used on UK road signs, simple and clear communication through easy-to-read font and stylised silhouette

Dieter Rams 10 principles of good design

Innovative, useful, aesthetic, understandable, unobtrusive, honest, longevity, thorough, environmentally friendly, minimal

Charles and Ray Eames

Moulded furniture in plywood and polymers, the Eames house reflected modernism and cubist architecture of De Stijl, worked for USA navy, developed splint legs from laminated plywood forms, application of technology

Product life cycle

Stages a product goes through from its introduction, growth, and maturity to its eventual decline and replacement

Marianne Brandt

Students of Bauhaus school, head of metalwork department, geometrically pure kitchenware products, simplicity of designs ensured longevity and relevance

Socio-economics

How society and the economy interact to create particular circumstances

Rationing

Limitation of the availability of certain goods, usually in response to a shortage created by a war or other crisis

Utility products

Post-WW2 basic products using minimum amounts of material in response to material and energy shortages

Council of Industrial Design (COID)

Post-WW2 British organisation set up to improve design standards and competitiveness

Microelectronics

Miniature electronic devices and systems facilitated by the development of the IC

Sustainable

Something that has the minimum possible impact on the environment and future generations

Ethical

Something considered by society to be morally fair

Fairtrade

A social movement to encourage the ethical treatment of farmers and workers in developing countries

Culture

The combines ways of living developed by a group of people that is passed from generation to generation

Inclusivity

Consideration of the needs of the widest possible range of people

Post-war period

Increase in range of decorative and fashionable products due to impact of targeted design exhibitions, developments in materials, manufacturing and technology, growing influence of ideas from abroad

Advancements in CAD/CAM

Introduction of Cloud-based software and VR have increased the potential for designing and making products with the help of computers

SCAMPER

Used to avoid design fixation - substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put it to another use, eliminate, reverse

Collaborative work

Help develop more innovative products, tackle more challenging designs by using expertise of others

Accredited

Having the qualifications necessary to carry out a function such as awarding certification for conformity

BSI Kitemark and CE mark

Symbols used on products that conform to appropriate standards

Conformity

Reaching appropriate standards to obtain certification

Evaluation

Report on the effectiveness of a design in meeting its specification

Critical analysis

In depth, objective study of a design (or elements of it)

Product recall

Taking products off the market and asking consumers to return them due to faults that must be rectified usually for safety measures

Safe working practices

Methods and guidelines that an employer will use to ensure the safety of employees, visitors and others within the workplace

Risk assessment

A document taking consideration of what might cause harm to people and if reasonable steps are being taken to prevent that harm

One-off production

A product that has been designed and manufactured for a single, specific situation

Batch production

A set number of products are made at one time. To ensure consistency throughout the batch manufacturers use jigs, templates, and CNC machinery

Mass production

Large quantities of the same standard product or component are made

Accuracy

The amount of conformity of a measurement to the required value

Tolerance

The acceptable upper and lower limits of accuracy of a measurement

Datum

A surface or edge used as a reference from which measurements are taken to improve accuracy

Jig

A device used to control the motion of a tool such as a drill relative to a workpiece

Fixture

A robust frame with holding points and clamps to hold product components firmly in place for manufacturing processes such as welding

Template

A rigid shape or pattern used to transfer a design onto a workpiece to ensure consistency

Circular economy

An approach that anticipates and designs for biological and technical ‘nutrients’ to be continuously reused at the same quality, dramatically reducing the dependency on sourcing new materials

Quality Assurance (QA)

Procedures and policies put in place to reduce waste and ensure manufactured products are produced accurately within set tolerances

Scrum

A project management method which focuses on the organisation of workforce teams to reduce the lead time of projects

Total Quality Management (TQM)

A project management system focusing on QA through the full involvement of the workforce in continual improvement

Critical Path Analysis (CPA)

A project management method used to analyse all individual stages within a project and plan the effective and time efficient completion of each element within the desired schedule

Quality Control (QC)

The monitoring, checking, and testing of materials, components, equipment, and products throughout production to ensure they conform to acceptable tolerances

Aims of QA procedures

‘Right first time and every time’

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)

Methods used to check the internal structure of materials often after joining through processes such as welding

British Standards Institute (BSI)

A national organisation formed to devise agreed standard procedures for performing a wide range of tasks

International Standards Organisation (ISO)

A federation of national standards institutions that devise international standards to improve safety, productivity, and reliability

Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)

A directive aimed at preventing hazardous substances from entering the production process in order to prevent damage to human health and the environment

Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)

A mandatory European directive that covers the end of life of electrical and electronic equipment

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

A council that manages a certification system to identify and label timber and timer-based products from sustainable sources