The Design Process

Figure 1. A design process for the Industrial Technology Timber Major Project

What is Design? Basically it is planning. Any article that is to be made must first be designed and planning has to be undertaken. This is true for the simplest objects through to the most complex. We need to go through a design process if we are designing a new button or a new aircraft or supertanker. In this section, we will be looking at various aspects of design but from the Industrial Technology Timber perspective.

Design might involve designing something completely new or it could involve the modification of an existing design so suit a particular need or circumstance. It is important to remember that humans have been designing in timber for thousands of years, so it is likely that it has already been designed and you need to find an already existing design and modify it for your own particular tastes and circumstances

From the Brief to the Statement of Intent

As a senior student, you are either preparing for (Prelim) or working on your Major Project (HSC). A critical factor in your success (or failure!) will be the extent to which you engage with and document your design process. This is your situation. There are many different design processes but they all share common features. The one outlined above is suitable for the design of a piece of furniture, a relevant project for this course. The first step is to develop a "Brief". Essentially by enrolling in this course, the brief that you have been given is "Through the HSC course, you will design and construct a project from timber, by the due date". That is your overriding brief, however, you will develop this into a more detailed document. This becomes your Statement of intent in your portfolio

Statement of intent

This is a specific and detailed statement of what is to be achieved, where and how it is to be done and why you have decided on this particular project.
You should include who will use the project how will it work and what will it be used for on completion.
Specify the parameters (or limits) if any, of the design (eg. size, weight, cost, transportability function, aesthetics and the goals you expect to achieve on completion of the project eg. be able to use it at home or sell it for profit or eventually market it).
The statement of intent provides the foundation for subsequent research and planning, indicating what is contained in the folio and provides information on where the project is heading.

More information about how to write and examples of quality Statements of intent can be found here

Function and Aesthetics

When designing in timber, as with most other design situations, there are two main aspects to a design:

Function which means how the design will work or perform its intended job
Aesthetics which is how the design looks or its appearance.

All designs are a combination of the two - in varying ratios. A design can have a very high percentage of functionality, but very little aesthetics. For example, an oil rig is positioned in the ocean for a purpose and is certainly not there to look pretty!

On the other hand, a painting or a sculpture has a design with very high aesthetic qualities and is appreciated for these values.

The majority of designs. however, have a mix of the two aspects, for example, a car with its performance (get you from point a to point b) and good looks.

Research or Investigation

Materials - Timber

This is the most obvious and significant area for research and it is important to consider a wide range of factors before making final selections. The most important factors include:

Utility and fitness for purpose - is the item to go indoors or outdoors? Is the timber that is to be used appropriate for resisting the weather? Teak (oily), treated pine and Western red cedar (resists decay and insects) are fine for outdoor use; almost any timber is good inside a dwelling.
Cost - a senior student has the problem of selecting and paying for the timber they want to use in their major work. There are several aspects to consider regarding this, which are then placed in a prioritised order before they are shortlisted. A spreadsheet or table can be made up of the shortlist, for comparison purposes. The following eight items might be a possible order of priority:

Colour and appearance of the wood (Aesthetics)
Availability
Cost
Method of conversion (for grain and matching) (Fig. 2)
Working characteristics (hard to plane, wavy grain etc.)
Density (its weight)
Available sizes (without joining)
Manufactured boards (backs, bases and large areas)

Figure 2. Radial cut or quarter sawn on the left - note straight grain, easier to match when widening and more stable. On the right is tangential cut - interesting grain pattern, harder to match boards for widening and more prone to cupping; also more readily available than radial cut

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