Industrial Design Analysis

Below are a set of questions that you will be asked during you Design Analysis Test in Term 2. The questions will be on all three design fields (Environmental, Industrial and Communication).

The following headings will go through each of the questions and explain further

• Age: children, teenagers, young professionals, middle aged, elderly.

• Gender: female, male, non-gender specific.

• Socioeconomic status: what level of income does the audience have? Low-paid audience or highly paid professionals? Does the visual communication feature complex language that only a specialist would understand? Is the target audience required to have a specific level of education?

• Location: is the audience primarily city or country residents? Inner-city or suburban dwellers?

• Interests: animal-interest groups, sporting associations, music fans, fashion-conscious consumers, hobbies, etc.

• Cultural and religious background: is the target a specific ethnic culture? Or social groupings, such as large families?

This details the research into similar products, the audience or inspiration for the design.

Context refers to the location or situation where a visual communication will be seen or used.

When students are designing in the fields of industrial or environmental design, further consideration is necessary for context. Our study doesn’t require students to make actual functioning products so it is more likely, that a student will be presenting a depiction of the object to a client. These include technical drawings like 3rd Angle Orthogonal views, Plans and Elevations, isometric, perspective renderings or models. The context for these kinds of presentation formats is the place where they are shown to a client. Therefore, presentations with the purpose of depicting or informing are part of a pitch in architect’s studio, in a builder’s office or apartment display centre.

• To advertise: Advertising may involve marketing or selling a product or event.

• To depict: Depiction may involve representing or portraying a product or company.

• To guide: Guiding may involve advising, assisting or providing directions.

• To identify: Identifying may involve the identification or establishing what something looks like.

• To inform: Informing may involve providing facts or information.

• To promote: Promotion may involve encouraging the target audience to participate.

• To teach: Teaching may involve instructing or demonstrating information.

In our study students are asked to consider factors that shape and influence designs both as we analyse visual communications, looking back deeply into the needs, purposes, contexts, social, cultural and stylistic trends that may have surrounded the development of a new design, and looking to the future by relating our known audience requirements, purposes, contexts and other factors, to the forming of potential solutions and presentations.

In addition to the factors mentioned above, there are more that play important roles in shaping design. These are;

• Aesthetics

• Functional

• The environment

The function of visual communications in this field is supported by;

• Elements and principles of design; how they contribute to the function

• Materials, methods and media; how they contribute to the function

The term functional considerations refer to how a visual communication works. The notion of how something works probably makes sense when we consider industrial design. For example, its easy to understand that a chair or pen, functions respectively – that is, they support a person safely or writes on paper clearly. Similarly environmental design is made to function as well. A house houses a family, a school encloses learning spaces securely and a shopping centre comprises a group of traders in inspirational or themed environs. The functional considerations for each of these visual communications refers to the things that need to be considered in order for the design to function effectively. These items could include the selection and application of appropriate elements and principles of design, materials, methods and media or any other element of construction needing to be used.

Functional considerations required for visual communications influence the way they are designed and made.

The chief environmental consideration is sustainability and the impact on the environment that the production and distribution of visual communications has. Environmental impact is found in preparation of visual communications, print production, and transportation involved in production and distribution.

The products below are manufactured using recycled materials.