Unit 12 - Working to 3D Design Crafts Briefs

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Introduction
This unit explores working in 3D design crafts. 3D design involves the fine art side of the design and production of objects, so you'll focus more on the aesthetic appeal of your product than its function. Obviously in some areas, such as ceramics, there is a cross over between craft and function; a vase, which you designed to incorporate your feelings about colour, texture and shape, will still have a practical function and should be capable of holding flowers.

To complete this unit, you'll need to research, explore and develop 3D design craft ideas, experiment and create design ideas from your research findings, show how these ideas can be realised, and evaluate both your working methods and your final product.

You can work in any area of 3D design crafts such as ceramics, jewellery, sculpture, textiles, or glass, etc. You could even combine several areas such as ceramics and glass. The important thing is that the medium you choose is important to you.

Carrying out your research
To get ideas for your product, you'll carry out research from both primary and secondary resources.

• Primary sources include anything that you respond directly to such as things you see in museums and galleries, things that are visual/tactile, or anything within the built or natural environment.
• Secondary sources are other people's responses, so they could include images, clippings, buildings, photographs, books, work of others, poetry, music, etc.

You can collect and record your primary and secondary source information by:

• making sketches and drawings
• taking photographs and collecting ready-made resources such as postcard and leaflets
• making notes, photocopies or tape recordings from interviews with people
• using internet sources, video, CD-Rom, books, magazines and journals.

Try this

• Look at books such as these to learn more about the history or design techniques and processes.
• Feill C and P — Designing the 21st Century (Taschen, 2001)
• Mills J — Encyclopaedia of Sculptural Techniques (BT Batsford, 2003)
• Willacy D M — Craft & Design in Wood (Nelson Thornas, 1987)
• Think about the area of 3D design craft that you want to work in and draft out a research plan. For example, if you're going to design a piece of jewellery, what do you need to know about:
• the history of jewellery design
• contemporary trends in jewellery design
• materials
• techniques?

Where will you find out about these subjects? Make a list of primary sources (e.g. jewellery that you can look at or touch in museums, galleries, shops, etc.) Then make a list of secondary sources such as books, internet sites, interviews with practising jewellers, etc., that you could access.
Write yourself a brief for 3D design craft. Your brief should explain:

• what you want to achieve in aesthetic terms
• the functionality of your piece (i.e. what it will be used for)
• what your piece expresses about your thoughts, emotions, feelings, taste, etc.

Exploring and developing your ideas
You will use your research material to develop and create designs. Formal elements and design principles are used as the building blocks of all design techniques and you'll explore how these can be used to create design ideas. As you experiment with materials and the formal elements and design principles, you should record how your ideas develop by making notes, drawings and samples, etc.

Try this

• Make notes about the design principles that underpin your own design idea. For example, you could think about what materials you can/cannot use together, the ways that colours can be blended and made permanent in a design, or the way in which the uses to which a piece will be put will influence its design, shape, materials and texture.

Using 3D materials and techniques
At this stage you'll explore and experiment with different materials to communicate your design ideas, and think about construction techniques and processes. Materials may be non-resistant, such as plaster, clay, card, paper, lightweight wood, string, soft wire, plastic sheet, fabrics, etc, or resistant such as metals, wood, wood-based products, rigid plastics, glass, etc.

The techniques and processes will relate to your choice of materials.

• For clay you could use techniques such as hand building, modelling, throwing, press-moulding, slip casting and decorating, and processes such as preparing clay, hand building, throwing, decorating and glazing.
• For textiles you could use techniques such as embroidering, felting, weaving, knitting, printing, dying, and processes such as preparing of fabrics, pressing, creating a loom, applying decoration, creating objects from textiles, finishing.
• For wood you could use techniques such as cutting, preparing, joining, construction, piecing, turning, shaping and finishing, and processes such as selecting the type of wood most suitable for the intended purpose, making a cutting list, planning, cutting, shaping, joining, sanding, sanding and finishing.
• For light metals you could use techniques such as cutting, preparing, joining, constructing, piecing, filing, turning, shaping, braising, soldering, beating, polishing, finishing, applying surface decoration and textures, and processes such as measuring and marking out, cutting out the basic shape, forming (annealing as necessary), joining to other forms, applying surface decoration, such as enamelling or soldering, braided, cleaning, polishing and finishing.
• For plastics you could use techniques such as cutting, line bending, forming and moulding, joining, constructing, piecing, shaping and finishing, and processes such as planning, measuring and marking out, cutting drilling, creating and finishing.

When you're working with materials, health and safety is a crucial part of workshop practice. You need to eliminate risk to yourself and others, think and work safely within a studio environment and following the regulations for handling substances (like adhesives and paint sprays) that could be harmful to your health.

Try this

• Describe in note form the techniques and processes you'll use in making your 3D design item.
• Produce samples and maquettes to explore how different materials and techniques will influence your finished product.
• Write a brief health and safety guide that you could give to someone else who is working in your medium. This should include information about:
• fire prevention
• handling hazardous substances
• using machinery
• dressing for and acting sensibly in the studio
• Think about what constructions you will need to display you finished work such as cabinets, plinths, etc. How will you make these? What materials will you need?

Recording and evaluating
You will record, analyse, modify, adapt and refine your ideas for your work and working processes. What do you consider to be your successes – and when do you think you could have made improvements? Document your thoughts and findings using drawings, photographs, maquettes or video (depending on the type or scale of work) particularly in relation to:

• your working processes
• the selection of materials and techniques
• the suitability of function, form, quality and aesthetics.

Try this
Prepare a short presentation for the other students in your group to illustrate the way that you approached your piece. Use PowerPoint or other forms of visual display to accompany your talk. Explain:

• the thinking behind your design
• the influences on its appearance (aesthetics)
• how it works (its functionality)
• the materials you used
• the techniques and processes you used
• the ways in which you would work differently if you were starting the piece again.

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