DESIGN INSPIRATION

THE FIRST AND SECOND PAGE

The "Design Inspiration" section is the first section of the Textiles Portfolio. It includes two A3 pages OR four A4 pages with:

Detailed images or samples (WITH LABELS) of your design inspiration.
Information that explains your use of the design inspirations.

You should have at least four different sources of inspiration.

They EACH need to be reflected in your final design.

See this example from a past major project. This student decided to set out her two pages with a mood board/collage and written paragraph discussion.

Your written work can be presented in tables or paragraphs.

There are three headings for the written discussion:

Relationship of Design Inspiration to the Focus Area
Creative/Innovative design ideas developed from design inspiration
Historical/Cultural/Contemporary factors relating to design inspiration

There is no right or wrong way to present this section. Students have also decided to arrange their writing over the two pages and use the design inspiration images as borders. It is completely up to you and what you prefer.

MOOD BOARDS

Designers communicate their ideas in lots of different ways.

Mood boards or story boards is one way we can show others (such as your design team) the intentions and themes for projects.

Mood boards include graphical (images) and written (text) means of communication to ensure that the idea is being presented clearly.

In an industry context, verbal (spoken) communication may also occur such as in meetings and presentations.

Your mood board will include a collection of images, textile material samples and key word labels that inspire your project.

Images can come from magazines, photos or the internet and apps such as Pinterest.

Textile materials include fibres/yarns/fabrics, lace, braiding, and other motifs.

EFFECTIVE MOOD BOARDS...

In order to create an effective mood board you must consider:

Colour scheme – should be in line with the intended design colour scheme. The images need to reflect this.
Orientation – portrait or landscape?
Layout – layering of images. Grids are boring!! Editing or cutting some images so that they are not just squares/rectangles.
Text – the mood board has no heading. For labels, consider the font type and size as well as the idea conveyed by the words used.
Blank space – sometimes having intentional blank space can allow the eyes to focus and absorb the idea better.
Image selection – convey the idea without over cluttering or overwhelming. Don’t include two images that convey the same thing, select the best one.
Content – include a variety, not just textiles. Consider food, architecture, interior design, product design, paint swatches, household items, nature, landscapes, the list goes on...
Focal Point - Make sure your mood board has a focal point so your eye can be drawn into one spot and then move around the mood board
Balance - Your mood board should be well balanced. Balance should include colour, texture, and size and can be achieved by placement of your images.
Mediums – Use a combination of elements to complete your moodboard. Start creating it electronically. Then add physical objects once it’s printed such as samples of fabric, yarn, trims, lace, buttons, magazine cut-outs, etc. and add hand drawn or hand painted elements.

WRITTEN DISCUSSION

INTRODUCTION PARAGRAPH

Write about what you are making, the focus area it fits into & why, and the sources of inspiration for the design.

Eg. For my Pyjamas Textiles Project I have constructed a … (pair of long, winter flannelette pyjama pants). It fits into the … (Apparel) focus area as it can/is ... (be comfortably worn by a person as everyday wear) and has been designed to (keep the wearer warm during sleeping or relaxing at home during the colder months).

Relevance of design inspiration to focus area

Explain the link of inspiration to focus area – why it is suitable? How does it fit into the focus area?

Consider factors such as:

End use
Care of item (dry cleaning or machine washable)
Properties of the fabric (durable, delicate, comfortable, etc.)
Design Features
Functionality

(3-5 sentences for each inspiration)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Example - ‘Under the Sea’ features such as the different types of shells, starfish and coral are a suitable source of inspiration for the Costume focus area as the shapes, colours and textures of each feature can be recreated in an interesting and visually appealing manner. They can be created using a variety of fabric decoration techniques such Suffolk puffs, heat distortion, appliqué, beading and freehand machine embroidery. They create a costume for a specific purpose, in this case a fancy dress costume or garment suitable for a formal event or display/exhibition with an ‘Under the Sea’ theme. The coral feature around the upper bodice and neckline has also been inspired by ‘Under the sea’ as many of these coral lie on the ocean bed.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Creative and/or innovative design ideas developed from inspiration

Explain the decoration methods/techniques used to create the inspiration and how they were implemented and justify why they were appropriate.

Discuss whether inspiration is creative or innovative and why? Eg. Butterflies – created by appliqued satin fabrics to create body and wings to (link to inspiration).

Creativity is using your imagination or original ideas to create something. It can be shown through:

Pattern alteration
Creation of pattern pieces
Using traditional techniques for contemporary purposes
Incorporation of manufacturing/decorative techniques
Choice of specialised fabrics
Use of elements and principles of design
Portrayal of a story

Innovation is using an original idea to create something new, bold, daring, different, unusual or unprecedented. It is a new idea or a new way of doing things. It can be shown through:

Rearranging, reorganising, restructuring, transforming
Repurposing items
Using recycled items
Sustainable methods
Experimenting with new technology
Creating new materials
Applying existing ideas or techniques to new applications

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Example - The creatures that live ‘Under the sea’ are a creative design idea as they have been communicated to the viewer on the dress using a variety of fabric decoration techniques. The different types of coral displayed on the dress are made from Suffolk puffs, wireform, shirring and heat distortion to creatively show the many types of coral that live under the sea. The starfish were produced using shrinking sheet fabric that was stitched and then heat distorted to create the desired appearance.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Historical/cultural/contemporary factors relating to design inspiration

Analyse when/how the historical, cultural and contemporary factor has been used in society, explaining the link to the item. Justify how the inspiration is being used in your MTP and why.

Identify and explain factors that might have influenced your design's features (colours, fabrics, motifs, patterns, etc). You can make reference to one particular designer/artist/architect/creative and explain how their work has influenced your design.

1. Choose a theme

2. Find a fashion designer/architect/artist/product designer/etc who has used the same inspiration in their work

3. State the specific elements and principles of design that they have used to show this inspiration.

4. Relate this to which elements and principles you will use in your project to show this inspiration.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Example - ‘Under the Sea’ are historical factors relating to design inspiration, as they have existed in nature for thousands of years. The seaweed, coral and starfish have been created using contemporary fabric decorative techniques such as heat distortion, wireform and freehand machine embroidery. Historical decoration technique of appliqué has also been used to decorate the creatures. Corals have existed in history for over 500 million years, starting off simple but in response, changing to the coral reefs we know today. I have used contemporary design features to show the many different ways coral has developed over the millions of years. The different techniques incorporated to create the coral include heat distortion of polyester fabric and wireform between layers of fabric to create a shape that can be manipulated into different positions. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is home to the world’s largest coral reef, with thousands of species of coral being found there. This huge ecosystem influences numerous contemporary pieces, including films and books, as well as textile designers, which I have used as an influence for the different shaped corals on the bodice as seen through the appliqued shapes and heat distorted fabrics representing coral.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

EXAMPLE OF WRITTEN DISCUSSIONS

Page updated

Report abuse