ECA735 - Assessment One: Curriculum Development - Visual Communication Design 7/8

Resource Review

This learning experience draws on the careers of Roger McLay, Ray Eames and Arne Jacobson to immerse students in the field of object design as part of their Year 8 Visual Communication Design (VCD) coursework. The mid-century furniture that these designers have created informs the way students will engage with the processes involved in industrial designing. This sequence of lessons addresses the Victorian Curriculum for Visual Communication Design provided by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA). The curriculum outlines that “by the end of level 8, students identify and describe how designers use visual communication practices to respond to briefs… experiment and develop their skills in creative, critical and reflective thinking through the use of a design process” (n.d). Throughout learning task, students are required to respond to unseen designs and contribute to oral and written discussion of how the works exemplify design elements and principles and the principles of good design. Students will be immersed in the process of responding to a brief in the early stages of the sequence to understand that they are developing their project according to the specific needs of a client. The sequence focusses on the aesthetic influence of mid-century (1940’s – 1970’s) furniture design and requires students to develop technical skills in isometric drawing and rendering.

The content descriptors for level 7 and 8 in the Victorian Curriculum outline how students should be learning in the methodologies of Visual Communication Design. It states that students should be able to “identify and describe the purpose, intended audience and context in a range of visual communications from different historical, social and cultural contexts” and “explore and apply methods, materials and media… to create and present visual communications” (n.d). The role of the design references Eames, McLay and Jacobson is to bridge the historical factors of design in the mid-century with the needs of the client outlined in the brief that students respond to. Supporting stimulus material, class discussion and written notation in student’s visual diaries are used to engage them in the responding and interpreting bands of the Victorian Curriculum and provide context to the field of object design. This approach reflects the Australian Professional Standards for Teaching (APST) developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). Professional Knowledge Standard 2.2 “Content selection and organisation” describes the way teachers must “organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence” (n.d). The design of this learning experience intends to capture an authentic, though streamlined, immersion into object design practices and a brief history into industrial design and its role in fulfilling the needs of global communities. As such, students are provided with opportunities to learn in targeted aesthetic and technical traditions that provide a launching pad for extended inquiry.  

Curriculum Aligned Learning Experience

 This learning experience is designed for students in the level 7 – 8 band undertaking Visual Communication Design as part of their semester one or two subjects. This sequence of lessons focusses on teaching Year 8 students about the field of object design (industrial design) through a series of guided and independent research tasks, ideation and developmental drawing practices and prototyping methodologies. Students are provided with mid-century design as an influence to provide context to their aesthetic and material decisions and build links between historical and contemporary design practices. This design process is informed by the work of Australian Designer Roger McLay, American Artist and Designer Ray Eames and Danish Architect and Designer Arne Jacobson. Students conduct extended research during the ideation phase of the process to expand their design history knowledge and field of influences.

The structure of this learning experience, as detailed in the sequence and lesson plan, has been designed to cover 3 x 80minute class over 3 weeks; one class per week.

 Sequence Plan (Number of Classes in Unit)

Lesson 1: Introduction to Object Design

Lesson 2: Ideation Drawing and Rendering

Lesson 3: Prototyping

Lesson Plan 1:  Introduction to Object Design

Learning Intentions

To learn about the process involved in object/industrial design

To learn about object designers in the field and understand their design decisions.

To learn about the role of a design brief in object design

Success Criteria

I can use descriptive language to analyse industrial designs.

I can use authentic design research to explore mid-century furniture designs.

I can conduct observational drawings using research references

Learning Activities (Include Time Allotment)

1. Guided Practice: Introduction to Industrial Design: Note Taking | 20 mins
Students take notes from google slides that explore the design elements and principles in the field of object design.  

2. Guided Practice: Responding to Designs & The Brief| Class Brainstorm | 20 mins
Students view and respond to a range of mid-century furniture designers including Roger McLay, Ray Eames and Arne Jacobson.
Students respond to design brief (teacher generated) and work in small groups to generate communication needs, constraints and expectations.

3. Independent Practice: Research and Ideation |20 mins
Students conduct independent research to find inspiration references for the design of a mid-century inspired desk chair.
Students use key prompts ‘Mid Century, 70’s and 80’s Furniture, Retro Interior Design.

4. Guided Practice: Industrial Design Drawing: Demonstration | 20 mins
Students watch a demonstration of how to create isometric object drawings using set squares and isometric grid paper.
Using basic shapes (Squares, Rectangles and Triangles) students draw 3D dimensional blocks that communicate a simple chair design.

Materials
Visual Diary: Worked Example of Design Drawings
Set Squares, Circles, French Curves
Isometric Grid Paper

Lesson Plan 2:  Ideation Drawing and Rendering

Learning Intention

To learn how to use my knowledge of mid-century design to generate a range of ideas for a desk chair design.

Success Criteria

I can use my technical drawing skills to create a range of small ideation drawings.

I can apply use my skills in observational drawing to create a final drawing of a mid-century inspired desk chair.

I can use PMI and SWOT to evaluate my design solutions

Learning Activities (Include Time Allotment)

1.      Guided Practice: Ideation and Development Drawing: Demonstration| 20 mins
Students are introduced to idea of rapid ideation and watch a demonstration of how to layout ideation drawings.

Students watch a demonstration of how to render surface areas with graphite (creating a range of light and dark tones that communicate reflection, surface texture and form.

2.      Independent Practice: Development Drawings |40 mins
Students apply their skills in observational drawing to create refined development drawings of their mid-century inspired desk chair

3.      Guided Practice: Design Evaluation| 20 mins
Students annotate their design drawings using convergent thinking strategies like PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats to evaluate their designs. 

Materials

Visual Diary: Worked Example of Design Drawings
Set Squares, Circles, French Curves
Isometric Grid Paper
Graphite (H – 6B)

Lesson Plan 3: Prototyping

 Learning Intentions

To use my ideation and development design drawings to create a cardboard prototype of my mid-century inspired desk chair.

 Success Criteria

I can use my development drawings to draw the shapes in my chair design onto flat cardboard.

I can use a scalpel, metal ruler and PVA glue to cut out and construct a 3 Dimensional cardboard prototype

Learning Activities (Include Time Allotment)

1.      Guided Practice: Demonstration of Prototyping| 20 mins
Students watch a demonstration of how to draw the shapes of their chair design onto flat pieces of cardboard, cut them out and glue them together to create small prototypes of their refined chair desk

2.      Independent Practice: Drawing, Cutting, Assembling | 40 mins
Students draw all of the small shapes in their final design onto cardboard, then cut them out using a scalpel. Students assemble their cardboard pieces using PVA glue.

3.      Independent Practice: Reflection |10 mins
Students complete a reflection handout to document the tools, materials and skills used in the entire process of researching, designing,  and assembling their mid-century inspired desk chair design.

4.      Guided Practice: Pack Up, Clean Up| 10 mins
Students clean up their work spaces, place finished design in designated storage areas (ensuring their name is clearly labelled on all work) and discuss their understanding of the skills and knowledge learned as a part of the leave pass.

Materials

Visual Diary: Worked Example of Design Drawings
Set Squares, Circles, French Curves
Isometric Grid Paper
Graphite (H – 6B)
Cardboard, Scalpels, PVA Glue

Engagement and Student Voice

 The third Practice Principle from the Victorian Government’s Amplify Policy describes the way teachers should curate, “opportunities for students to exercise authentic agency in their own learning” (2019, p13). This learning experiences employs student’s funds of knowledge in the art and design areas to bridge individual perspective and skill with an area of need. Students use their understanding of furniture design by reflecting on their use of different chairs that they have used and link the aesthetic and functional properties of mid-century design to cultivate an object that fulfils their needs and the needs of others. This sequence also aligns with the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration, which states “Education...supports young people to realise their potential by providing skills they need to participate in the economy and in society, contributing to every aspect of their wellbeing”. (Education Council, 2019). Students explore social and cultural factors that influence design in the development of their desk chair to establish a tether between design and the user. They draw on personal experience and the lived experiences of others to consider the way design can improve the lives of others, starting with the simple function of seating.

The Department of Education and Training’s (DET) High Impact Teaching Strategies (HITS) outline effective methods of engaging students in the classroom. This learning experience integrates “Strategy 3: Explicit Teaching and Strategy 4: The Worked Example” (2022) to guide students understanding of the industrial design field and the design process more broadly. Stimulus material in the form of google slides will be developed to provide visual references that focus on the influences of Eames, McLay and Jacobsen, the double diamond design process adapted from the VCE Visual Communication Design study design and the design elements and principles.  Explicit Instruction is used during the viewing and responding exercises, whereby students take notes in their visual diary. Group discussion will follow each slide to consolidate understanding. The worked example is used to “reduce a learners’ cognitive load, so skill acquisition can become easier” (DET, 2022). Students will be provided a demonstration of how to conduct ideation drawings in their visual diary, and development drawings including isometric technical drawing and rendering on graph and cartridge paper. These strategies aim to provide unambiguous instruction that equips students with practical skills to conduct technical drawings, whilst advocating for the individual interpretation of design criteria and creation of designed solutions.

Pedagogy

Mckenna claims all Art should “expresses the concerns of the individual self and the concerns of the broader society from which it arises” (2013, p.74). This sentiment extends across the design fields and is imbued in the socio-cultural considerations of this learning experience whereby students become cognisant of their individual capacity to help other people through the creative disciplines in the design field. The sequence of learning invites students to analyse the key factors impacting the needs of users of furniture design and seeks to build empathy that informs Human Centred Design solutions.
De Nobile et al. (2020) outlines three key factors that are essential to a positive learning environment; “Clear expectations, Positive relationships & Emotional support”. The values and practices that De Nobile identifies must be exemplified through the example of teachers, in their stimulus and in their demeanour. Cultivating design solutions requires the example of empathy to bridge practice with principle. In order for students to generate designs that target the needs of their user, it is essential to frame the user from a human (empathetic) perspective. In the research and ideation phase of this task, students draw on Human Centred Design Research methods to gain an understanding of who their client could be. This aims to imbue a sense of social responsibility into the learning experience by asking students to consider themselves as one of many in a global community.

References

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (n.d.). Australian professional standards for teachers. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/standards 

Department of Education and Training (DET) (2022). High impact teaching strategies (HITS).
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/practice/improve/Pages/hits.aspx

De Nobile, J. D., Lyons, G., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2020). Positive learning environments : Creating and maintaining productive classrooms. Cengage.

Education Council. (2019) The Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration.


Jacobsen, A (n.d) Arne Jacobson, Search, https://arnejacobsen.com/

Kirkham, P. (n.d) Ray Eames, Pionerring Women, Kingston University,https://pioneeringwomen.bwaf.org/ray-kaiser-eames/

McKenna, T. (2013). 'Arts education: do the arts really matter'. In T. McKenna, M. Cacciattolo, and M. Vicars (eds) Engaging the disengaged (pp. 73-89). South Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

SGV (State Government of Victoria) (2019) Amplify, Department of Education and Training, Victorian Government

University of New South Wales (UNSW) (2012), Roger McLay, Industrial Design, Design and Art Australia, https://daao.library.unsw.edu.au/bio/version_history/roger-mclay/personal_details/?p=2

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (n.d.). The Arts, Visual Communication Design, https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/the-arts/visual-communication-design/curriculum/f-10