1.14 Design Communication

Reporting, Graphs and drawings

Report writing

In a school or college, the portfolio of work is often the document that supports the design work and prototype produced but, in industry, there is often a team working on a product and they document their work and progress in a design report.

Design reports start with a section known as an ‘executive summary’. This is a concise summary of the design itself and the reasons behind it.

The next section is an introduction which describes the problem being tackled.

The third section is known as the conclusion and describes the selected design and any problems overcome during the process. It also evaluates how well the product meets the product design specification criteria and how it was tested.

If it didn’t meet the design criteria in any way, the conclusion will analyse how the design could be modified to make it a success.

Graphs, tables and charts

It is important that you are able to identify the different types of graphs and charts, interpret the data and explain their use.

Bar charts are the simplest way of representing data

Pictographs show data in a way that is easy to understand. They are quick to read and therefore suitable for presentations but are not very accurate in terms of data.

Histograms are similar to bar charts, but the data is shown in ranges. They are useful to show frequency distribution of data and useful in representing research results.

Line graphs or line charts show data changes over time. They are easy to understand and the data can be shown accurately because it is plotted against a scale.

Pie charts show the distribution of data represented by the segments of the circle. This circle represents the total of all data with each segment being a proportion of the whole. They are very easy to understand.

Data tables are used to present data in a table format which you should be familiar with. They are also very useful in your own design project work, particularly for anthropometrics and cutting lists.

Mood boards will be covered in more detail in a later unit but they are useful for communicating a theme or ‘mood’ to a client in the early stages of a project. Unlike specific research resulting in data, these can be a collection of colours, textures and other images to set the overall theme or style of a project.

2D Drwaings

Oblique is the simplest form of 3D drawing as it simply ‘extrudes’ a flat profile and should be avoided at Advanced level as it is far too simplistic. Isometric is a better option but still has a technical and unnatural look to it as all the measurements correspond to those from the design with none of the foreshortening you would see in the real world.

Orthographic projection

Orthographic projection is used to draw the elevations of an object from the front, end and plan (top) views. They are a standard drawing technique for architecture, engineering and product design. Once drawn by hand, they can now be created from a 3D model quickly and easily.

First angle projection is a way of representing a 3D object on a 2D plane in technical drawing. It involves placing the object in front of a plane and projecting its views onto the plane from different angles.

In first-angle projection, the object is placed in the first quadrant, between the viewing plane and the observer. The projected views of the object are then arranged in a specific way on the plane to show different views of the object, such as front view, top view, and side view. This technique is commonly used in engineering and architectural drawings to create accurate representations of objects for manufacturing or construction purposes.

Third angle projection is a method used in technical drawing to create a 2D representation of a 3D object. It involves imagining the object as being enclosed in a transparent box, and projecting the views of the object onto the sides of the box.

In third angle projection, the views of the object are projected onto a plane behind the object, and the observer is assumed to be looking at the object from the opposite direction. This means that the view of the object on the right-hand side of the box is projected onto the left-hand side of the drawing, and vice versa.

The resulting 2D drawing shows the object as if it were viewed from the opposite direction, but with all the dimensions and proportions accurately represented. Third angle projection is commonly used in engineering and architecture to create accurate technical drawings of objects and buildings.

2D Drawing test

Using the 3D object below, produce a first angle orthographic projection to show what it would look like from the front, end and plan (top). All dimensions are in mm.

3D drawings

Perspective drawings give a more realistic view of an object as they take into account the way objects get smaller the further away they are. A simple way of getting perspective is to use one vanishing point (usually in the centre of the page) to create a 1-point perspective. It works better for environments than for drawing product designs.

2-point perspective drawings give a more realistic view of an object as they take into account the way our eyes have a wild field of vision by disappearing at two points in the distance at the two extremes of our visual space (left and right) . They give a more realistic view.

3-point perspective drawings take into account our entire field of vision as objects will also stretch towards the top and bottom of our visual field as well. Attempting to draw with 4 points would result in a ‘fisheye’ effect which can look strange.

Thick and thin lines

A common technique for making concept and product drawings stand out is to use a thicker line to accentuate the shape of the object with thinner lines used for details within the shape.

This technique may also be used with other drawing and rendering techniques.

Prep 39

L39-40-Design-communication.ppsx

design communication

Summary

Graphs, charts and tables are an important communication method and you should be able to produce them, read them and interpret the data found in them.

2D drawings such as orthographic projections are an effective way of sharing information about a part or product to be manufactured

3D sketching is still a viable means of communication and a skill that is still highly sought after in industry.

Marker and pen rendering is an effective way of illustrating an idea or concept without the need for using CAD or making a physical model.

Revision Notes

Where possible in your NEA, use graphs, charts and tables to convey statistical information and data. This will help to reinforce the need for clear communication in your design work.

Your teachers will have taught you the basics of drawing such as oblique and isometric drawing. They may also have introduced 1 and 2-point perspective.

Where possible, draw in a perspective style as this helps to give a sense of realism to your drawing.

Practice marker rendering and other illustration techniques to enhance your drawn work.

Use CAD if you struggle with visualisation and you can always sketch over the rendered image to make your own unique style of illustration.

Do mix media to get the best possible effect and develop your own style of illustration.