SAMPLE COURSE OUTLINE
DESIGN
GENERAL YEAR 11
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2014/19023v4
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Sample course outline
Design – General Year 11
Unit 1 and Unit 2
Unit 1 – Design fundamentals
Week
Key teaching points
Overview of Unit, including structure of the course, timelines, expectations and assessment
requirements
Introduction to design fundamentals – What is design?
Meet a designer live or on YouTube; what do they do?
Draw a series of cartoons showing a designer doing what they do
Explore codes and conventions that will help best communicate the designer’s work
Post on the class share drive, blog or virtual class
Begin to keep a journal of design language. Collect and define first words for illustrated design
glossary. (Commence Task 1)
Term 1
1–5
Identify the design process – research, investigation, ideation, design development, and
evaluation.
Explore the characteristics of the elements and principles of design in a variety of exercises
 Make a pair of card dice. Represent an element on each side. Do the same with selected
principles. Throw a mini design task
 Draw an iconic designer object in detail, turn it into a simple closed shape, cut several
copies of the shape out of coloured paper (use a pair of complementary colours) and
arrange to make patterns. Annotate using correct design language
 Make a collage of fabric swatches that represent all of the elements. Photocopy in colour
the page and illustrate a number of principles. Annotate, identifying the various elements
and principles
 In pairs, collect colour swatches from magazines; collect a colour. Come together to create
a group colour wheel, label it and scan it for the design glossary
 Who has the most versions of their colour? Debate the controversial categorisation
 Play games with colour swatches e.g. warm and cool divide
Task 2: In class response (Due Week 5 Term 1)
Describe and explain the dominant design elements and principles in a selected image.
Unpacking the design process
Introduction to and application of a design process, including basic documentation of each of
the following stages: research and/or investigation, ideation, development, refinement,
production and reflection
6–7
Introduce research/investigation
 Use brainstorming as a tool to begin this stage of the design process
 Identify the features of a good brainstorm. Use examples from the internet
 Brainstorm body adornment
 Explore the notion of body adornment as a form of communication: personal and social
 Who wears what? Identification of stakeholders
Representation and stereotype and how they relate to the design brief
 Explore stereotypes – introduce the concept of audience/consumer
 Where are the students coming from? Push them to expand their realm of experience and
understanding – perhaps look at body adornment in another culture – Asian or Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander peoples
Introduction to copyright and personal responsibilities, acknowledging the source of the images
Sample course outline | Design| General Year 11
2
Week
Key teaching points
Action design and problem solving
Introduction to materials and their application to the design brief
Use recycled card and other materials to create instant body adornment (set restraints and
limitations according to the ability of the group)
Record the results and discussion, including reflection of solutions and design problems
 creativity and originality
 introduction to basic concepts of semiotics relevant to the design context by discussing
simple notions of form and function
 durability, wearability
 possible audience
 introduction to basic communication models relevant to design – introduce Shannon and
Weaver – sender (encoding), signal (transmission), noise, receiver (decoding) to evaluate
simple solutions and who might wear the body adornments
 potential for future designs and the possibility of using sustainable materials
Review illustrated design glossary (Task 1) so far. Check words to be defined
Clarify definitions as a class. Scan or photograph examples to illustrate
Introduction to the production processes, methods, skills and techniques
Draw from life shells and other natural objects
Analyse the shape, patterning, textures
Find objects from which to make a simple plaster mould
Teach a suitable method for mould making and casting process
Explore the process and begin to manage it – creating several repeated pieces
8–10
Introduce Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) concepts relevant to production process
Begin to document the process using a story board layout
Do the same process for small man-made objects e.g. plastic animals
Alternatively collect post industrial waste i.e. man-made materials where there are multiples of
(see REmida). Consider materials and their application to the design brief
Continue to explore the elements and principles of design
Task 1: Illustrated design glossary (Due Week 9 Term 1)
Compile glossary digitally using student’s generated illustrations of the elements and principles
of design and other terminology from the syllabus
Introduce the brief for Task 3
Developing a portfolio to showcase student’s control and manipulation of design skills. Prepare
for presentation, at the end of the unit, the best results of exercises and the design process
Term 2
1–2
Review tasks so far and earmark possible pages/3D objects for portfolio
Select fonts and stylistic design elements and principles that will unify portfolio
Rework and develop aspects of the task
Revise ideation and design development techniques
Introduction to creation of diagrams, layouts, plans and design drawings
Outline and apply the visual development process, from thumbnails through to development
roughs, with basic annotation to possible designs
Select the most effective design and develop a design page; include some selected original
drawing from life
Develop new pages where necessary
Consider effective layout and drawing style and create appropriate diagrams, layouts, and
drawings to enhance pages to be included in portfolio
Task 4: Vignette creation – formats of presentation (Due Week 2 Term 2)
Sample course outline | Design | General Year 11
3
Week
3–5
Key teaching points
Depending on the quality of the work so far, and if not too much reworking is required; there
may be time to introduce another relevant production process to experiment with.
Consider how to present portfolio if it includes 2D and 3D pieces
Examination
weeks
6–7
2 hour extended workshop session to select and assemble Unit 1 portfolio
Task 3 (Due Week 7 Term 2)
Unit 2 – Personal design
Week
Key teaching points
Overview of Unit 2 and assessment requirements
Distribution and interpretation of the design brief
Identify constraints and purpose
 If body adornment is a form of communication, discuss its purpose, both social and
personal
 Consider this when exploring audience and stereotypes
 Begin to set personal qualifications to the overall brief
 Consider its place in the design process
 Clarify terms and design language used
 Discuss simple concepts related to semiotics of wearing jewellery or body adornments
Colour theory
Colour meanings and their application in design, with reference to exercises from Unit 1
Colour choices in design development, and document them in design portfolio
Introduce a relevant communication model
Investigation of audience/consumer/wearer as stakeholder in the framework of the Berlo model
of communication
Term 2
8–10
Discuss representation and stereotype and how they relate to the design brief
Introduce the digital template for the My Design Process PowerPoint
Commence Task 6 (Due at the end of the unit)
Consider the codes and conventions of communicating their design process in a PowerPoint
form
Introduction to and application of design process
Basic documentation of each of the following stages: research and/or investigation, ideation,
development, refinement, production and reflection
Introduction to basic concepts of semiotics relevant to the design context
Apply the elements of design when putting together pages of portfolio
Begin to consider budget and timing constraints and possible target audience
Refer back to brainstorm from Semester 1
Revise exercises completed last semester as a model to initiate inspiration for original design
solutions to the brief
Review copyright and personal responsibilities
Identify further research required to meet the brief; perhaps product information, trends, styles
and conventions
Sample course outline | Design | General Year 11
4
Week
Key teaching points
Employ the visual development process from thumbnails through to development roughs with
basic annotation
Employ appropriate elements and unifying design principles and apply them effectively in
design: balance, contrast, emphasis, repetition, movement, rhythm, scale and proportion, unity,
variety, pattern, volume harmony when developing designs – use correct terms when
annotating designs
Document some initial ideas using thumbnails, collage and brief concise annotations
Control and manipulation of design skills
Consider use of fonts in design of pages of portfolio
Use the PowerPoint template to map out a work plan for each stage of the design process
Initiate the idea of ongoing evaluation at all stages of the design process
Development of production processes, methods, skills and techniques relevant to the defined
context. Formats of presentation for design solutions
Students select a production process experimented with in Semester 1 and explore it further to
see if it matches initial design ideas, development of production processes, methods, skills and
techniques relevant to the defined context
Selection of materials and their application to the design brief
Term 3
1–4
Work with the production process to develop technique and make test samples
Evaluate and make changes
Introduce layout and design drawing, including diagrams and plans
Create 1 or 2 pages of designs that show the evolution of the final design from inception to final
product
Creation of diagrams, layouts and plans
Visually show change and annotate key reasons for decisions
Draw final product in 3D, using sample pieces as models
Develop the best examples from the response to the design process and prepare them for
PowerPoint
Time plan for production
Task5: Portfolio for Unit 2: Design work for final product (Due Week 4 Term 3)
5–8
Studio production time for development of prototype(s)
Ongoing evaluation of prototype against the brief and the functional criteria identified in earlier
design planning.
Monitoring of work practices and OSH compliance
Students photo document the production process used to make the prototype. (Use in design
process PowerPoint)
Evaluation of personal design process in terms of appropriateness of design, target audience,
and design brief
9–10
Evaluation of design development choices and alternative options
Reflection of solutions to design problems
Evaluation of final design solution in relation to design brief, target audience, and introducing
sustainability
Apply the Shannon & Weaver Model of communication as an evaluation tool
Collate material for design process PowerPoint (Task 8)
Sample course outline | Design | General Year 11
5
Week
Key teaching points
Task 6: Prepare a simple questionnaire to collect feedback on final product
Would you buy it? Would you wear it? How much would you pay for it?
Collate feedback and suggest how it might change the product
Submit findings in PowerPoint
Respond to feedback and evaluation process
Complete prototype pieces
Task 7: Prototype set of personal jewellery (Due Week 1 Term 4)
Task 8: Make a simple PowerPoint explaining the design process and showcasing the product
(Due Week 10 Term 3)
Term 4
1–4
Examination
weeks
5–6
Plan display formats of presentation for design solutions
Work within the given space
Locate and arrange display – dummies, pin boards and other display paraphernalia
Make display elements if time allows
Task 9: Display final 3D prototype(s) with support design material
(Due Week 4 Term 4)
Respond to feedback on product
Students invite others to see their work in a mini expo and receive feedback
Sample course outline | Design | General Year 11