GCSE Textiles Technology

Controlled Assessment Handout

Summer 2011

Tips and hints . . . .

What to do• Be imaginative and innovative• Show creativity, flair and originality• Consider sustainability• Demonstrate high levels of skills• Use a range of tools and technologies

skilfully• Be rigorous and demanding• Show high levels of accuracy and finish• Be commercially viable• Be suitable for the target market• Involve a wide variety of techniques

What NOT so do• Pretend to design but actually copy existing

designs• Choose and copy a commercial and then

pretend to have designed something original• Produce development samples of

techniques e.g. darts and hems, when the commercial pattern tells you the most appropriate technique

• As a class activity produce decorative technique samples that are not relevant to your design

• Make a toile that is actually a practice of the commercial pattern

• Don’t make it clear where a pattern has come from or how it has been developed

• Use a commercial pattern without modifications or showing little originality

Contents to include . . .(page titles)

1. Task Analysis2. Mood Board3. Shop Profile/Customer Profile4. Existing Products/Consumer Survey5. Review of Trip6. The Swinging Sixties/Punk

Research7. Research Analysis/Design

Specification8. Inspiration Sheet9. Initial Design Ideas10. Initial Design Ideas11. Development Planning12. Development:

Shape/Size/Colour/Style13. Development: Techniques14. Development: Techniques

15 Development: Construction16 Development: Construction17 Development: Fabric Choice18 Further Development: Designing

an ethnic and environmentally friendly product

19 Manufacturing Specification20 Planning for Manufacture21 Planning for Manufacture22 Production Record23 Advertising24 Testing and Evaluating25 Testing and Evaluating

Page 1: Task AnalysisWhat should I include? Context Design Brief Time Plan (Gantt Chart) Task Analysis (see across) Keywords Imagery to help ‘set the scene’ Some ‘initial thoughts’ of what the task analysis

page is about A conclusion – say how the thought shower has

helped you. Spider Diagrams you could include:

Theme - Sixties Sixties Icons Sixties fashions

Theme – Punk Punk Fashion Punk Icons

Garments High Street Stores

Task Analysis Research – how/where could you carry out research

that is relevant Target Market – age group and profile of the people

your product must appeal to. Similar products – what existing products are

available? Fabrics/Materials – what fabrics/materials could

be used? Construction – how could the product be

constructed? Techniques – what techniques could you use for

decoration? Components – what components could be used? Processes – What processes might be involved in

making it? Function – what will the product do? Environment – where will the product be used? Safety – How will you ensure the product is safe to

use? Ergonomics – how will the product be designed to

suit the user? Aesthetics –how will the product look/ be styled?

Page 2: Mood Board

What do I need to include? Wide selection of images based on your

theme (swinging sixties or punk) Keywords based on your theme Experimentation with textures/fabrics

(swatches, rubbings etc)

Evaluation of mood board

– What have you focused on in theme?

– What have you found out/achieved from doing it

– Which parts are you going to take further (what has inspired you the most?)

What is a Mood Board?• A mood board is a tool used by designers to

help them get a good idea of what their clients are looking for. 

• Mood boards are basically collages of items such as photographs, sketches, clippings, fabric swatches and colour samples.

Page 3: Shop ProfileThis should be a few short paragraphs describing a

typical store where your product would be sold. ALWAYS USE FULL SENTANCES!

What is the name of the store? Topshop/Primark/Sports Direct for example

How many stores do they have in their chain? Use internet to find out

Is it just based in the UK or is it a worldwide chain? Use internet to find out

What does it sell? Fashion/sports/work wear Clothes, accessories/shoes/jewellery/bags/hats

Does it use in-house designers? Check their website for this information

What current trends do they stock? Check their website for this information

What is the store layout typically like? Are products on shelves/racks Are the shops spacious/too crowded Are all jeans together for example, or are products

arranged by collections? What is the cost of the products they sell?

Are they at the low/middle/high end of price range Why is this?

Who are their main target market? Male or female? Children/young adults for example

Include an image of the shop logo Include a picture of an actual shop Include images of the products they sell

Complete an evaluation of the page (both parts) Explain what you have found out and how

you can use this information

Page 3: Customer ProfileInclude the following statement ‘’Below is the customer profile for the product I

am designing. The profile will help me develop my designs and target my advertising and marketing’’.

Describe your ‘typical’ client. Use the following questions to guide you

Could be done as a list or in paragraphs Describe the type pf person who could be your

typical customer What is the age range of potential customers? Are potential customers likely to be male or female

or does gender not matter? What is the geographical location of potential

customers? Where are they likely to live? What are the most likely occupations of potential

customers? What are the general likes/dislikes of potential

customers? What does a typical customer want from the

product you will design and manufacture? What are the most common design requirements

shared by your potential customers? What factors are your potential customers likely to

consider before purchasing your product? How will potential customers find out about the

product you are selling? Does the cost of your product influence a

customer’s decision to buy from you?

Page 4: Existing Products

What do I need to include?• Copy and complete ‘When researching a

project it is very important to look at existing designs. Often the best ideas are developed from existing designs because they can be improved and lessons learned from earlier mistakes or design faults’.

Using the internet find 4 examples of products similar to what you intend to make.

Copy and complete the table (shown) Use FULL SENTANCES

Complete an evaluation of the page Explain what you have found out and

how you can use this information

Page 4: Survey Include the following statement ‘’ This

questionnaire will help me design my product, because it will tell what my target market wants, and what people are prepared to buy’’

Identify who the target market is, and how many people you asked questions to

Write a list of the questions you asked (approx 6 questions) Think about price, colour choice,

pictures or patterns, fastenings, fabric choices, comfortable or practical and so on. What questions could you ask to help you design your product?

Write as many possible choices for your questions

Draw a bar chart, pictogram, table or graph of results for each question in excel. If you choose to draw a pictogram, use pictures that represent the theme.

Write a summary of your findings at the bottom of the page. This should clearly say what you have learnt from the answers to the questionnaire.

Product Image Shop Description

Price Value for

money

Page 5: Educational Visit

• Introduction:– Where did you go?– Why did you go there?– Include dates, times etc

• Main Content:– Summary of the visit in the

form of a diary or a summary of what you did there

• Conclusion:– How has the visit been

beneficial?– How will it help you with your

project?

• What other things could you include?– Ticket– Pass– Photos– Any leaflets or advertising

from venue– Programme of events– Notes of an interview with a

person

Page 6: Theme ResearchPage 6: Research into Theme:• Use this page to research into your

theme• This could be . . .

– Icons of the sixties– Sixties fashion– Swinging sixties– Events of the sixties– Icons of punk– Punk fashion– Punk timeline– Punk music

Complete an evaluation of the page Explain what you have found out

and how you can use this information

• What other things could you include?

– Photos– Imagery– Keywords– Timeline

Page 7: Research Analysis• Copy and complete the following table• USE FULL SENTANCES!!!

Page 7: Design Specification Copy this statement out – ‘Having carried several

types of research I am ready to start designing, before I do this I need to decide on criteria for my designs to meet. I am going to take these criteria firstly from brief as this was the task I was set, so these are things my designs must be. I will then look at what I found out from doing my research and the things my target market want in a product, as it is vital that my product appeals to its intended market so it sells. Finally I will look at things I could include in my designs either to make them more original or meet with my own views’.

• A design specification is a list of criteria which my design ideas are to be based on. I have broken it

down into 3 areas:

Must Criteria (choose 4/5 things from your brief or initial research which must be included in your designs)

Should Criteria (Choose 3/4 things from your research which you want to include in you designs i.e colours, style of product, easy care, cost etc)

Could Criteria (Identify 2/3 things that you would like your designs to include i.e. use natural fabrics, be recyclable, use specific technique or element in design)

Think about purpose, target market, theme, performance, environmental issues, safety, quality, techniques, time and life expectancy

Research What did I do?

What did I find out?

How did it help me?

Mood Board Visual aid

Shop Profile

Customer Profile

Existing Products

Say that it must be commercially viable

Survey

Educational Visit

Theme Research

Page 8: Inspiration Sheet • Use your mood board and your

research to fill a page with sketches, doodles, drawings that are reflective of your them

• This will help you with your designs and developments

• An example is shown • Tips

– You could do it all in pencil and draw attention to certain parts using a little colour

– You could just colour the main part, or the one which inspired you the most

Page 9: Initial Design Ideas • Do 6 design ideas on this page that ALL meet the specification They should be coloured and labelled in detail with written explanation of what idea is

i.e shirt made from 100% cotton, with cad print of graffiti appliquéd on front and beadwork detail to neck ad hem line. Think about the following . . . What do you think of the design? What do you think of the colour scheme? How much will it cost to produce? Is the design safe? Will you buy it? Will you find it useful? Does your idea answer the design

problem? Is it designed ergonomically? Will it suit the target market that it is

designed for? What materials will be used in it’s

manufacture? Why?

Use BLOWOUTS to show detail

Page 10: Initial Design Ideas Complete 2 more design ideas on this page

in the same way you did the last 6. Compare each idea against the

specification the table shown Give each idea a tick or a cross to show

whether or not it meets each criteria Total up ticks for each idea This will indicate which ideas are the

strongest ones

Add keywords to your page, such as innovative, imaginative, colourful, bold, fashion – anything that springs to mind that reflects your ideas/the theme/is inspirational

Evaluation of ideas– Say which design was your target

markets favourite, which meets specification the best and which 1 you prefer and why. Then say that you are going to take design forward and develop it in 4/5 ways to improve design.

Idea 1 Idea 2 Idea 3 Idea 4 Idea 5 Idea 6 Idea 7 Idea 8

Must 1

Must 2

Must 3

Must 4

Must 5

Sh 1

Sh 2

Sh 3

Sh 4

Cd 1

Cd 2

Cd 3

Total

Page 11: Development Planning

What needs developing?

Why? What do I need to find out?

What work do I need to do?

Materials

Shape

Size

Fastenings

Techniques and pattern

Colour and texture

Components

Construction

Health and safety

Environment

•Draw a spider diagram for each of the following areas and add as many ‘legs’ as you can

•Materials

•Shape

•Size

•Fastenings

•Techniques

•Colour

•Texture

•Components

•Construction

•Health and safety

•Environment

•Copy and complete the table

•USE FULL SENTANCES

Complete an evaluation of the pageExplain what you have found out and how you can use this information

Page 12: Development of shape, size, colour and style

Select your best idea carefully. You may decide that selecting

aspects from many designs and putting them together as one idea is better than choosing one idea

Draw your selected idea in the centre of the page – pencil drawing with accurate details sketched on

Identify up to 6 or 7 improvements. Include headings such as Health and Safety, cost, shape / colour, Industrial manufacture, materials, and other improvements that only apply to your project

For each heading, do a spider diagram or short paragraph exaplaining how you intend to make improvements

Include sketches to help visualise what you are talking about.

Developments can be done using CAD, or hand drawings

They must be coloured and labelled in detail with written explanation of design idea next to each one.

Evaluation of Developments Evaluate your developments stating

what you have learnt, which designs you like best and why and which design you are going to develop into your final proposal.

Page 13 and 14: Development: Techniques

START WITH A THOUGHT SHOWER OF TECHNIQUES – include as many as possible – highlight ones you think will be appropriate/effective for your design

You then need to experiment with surface decoration techniques

DO NOT just do any techniques! Make sure they are relevant to your

development drawings• Appliqué, sequins, beading, 3D pints,

decorative stitching, reverse appliqué, quilting, CAD printing, transfer printing, screen printing, batik, embroidery by hand or machine etc

Evaluation of Developments– Evaluate your EACH OF YOUR

DEVELOPMENTS stating what you have learnt, which designs you like best and why and which design you are going to develop into your final proposal.

Page 15: Development: Construction

• Try to do an initial step by step plan of how you could construct your garment

• What do you still need to find out – make a list

– For example ‘I still need to make a paper pattern’ or ‘I still need to find out about costing’

– For each – list what you need to do and explain how you will do this

• Sketch a front and back view of your garment (no colour) and label what construction could be developed

• Test out different seams, hems, shaping techniques and layering (e.g. use of interfacing) that could REALISTICALLY be used on your garment

• For each sample, explain how you have made each one, the benefits of the sample, where the sample is typically used, and how it could be used on your garment.

Page 16: Development: Construction

Firstly, you need to experiment with, adapt and modify a commercial textiles pattern for the product you have chosen

• To do this, you will be given a commercial paper pattern which you will assemble on the sewing machine using calico

• You will then model this, and with the help of your research, in order to adapt the pattern to suit your design developments

• Parts can be added, taken away, adapted, proportions can be changed and so on

• Sketch all your design details and notes onto the paper pattern

• ALL OF THIS WORK WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHED AS EVIDENCE

• This calico pattern will then be used to make the actual pattern for your final product, using the garments you have chosen to dis-assemble.

DO NOT make a toile that is actually a practice of the commercial pattern

Make it ABSOLUTELY clear where a pattern has come from or how it has been developed

When using a commercial pattern always show your modifications and your originality

Evaluation of Developments– Evaluate your developments stating

what you have learnt, which designs you like best and why and which design you are going to develop into your final proposal.

Page 17: Development: Fabric Choice

• What to include:– General Introduction – describe why

you are doing this– Thought shower on fabrics and their

properties to help you decide what to use

– Then, more detailed research into 3 or 4 of the most likely fabrics you will use for your garment

• Samples of each of these fabrics– Table of the cost of fabrics you may

use i.e. cost per metre– Suggested fabric specification outlining

exactly what the fabric MUST do in order to be used on your product i.e. be strong and durable, be sustainable, be affordable and within the price range of my target market

– Any fabric testing you have done i.e. with dyes.

Evaluation of Developments– Evaluate your developments stating

what you have learnt, which designs you like best and why and which design you are going to develop into your final proposal.

Page 18: Further Development: Designing an ethnic and

environmentally friendly product• What to include:

– A general introduction – why are you doing this page?

– Your responsibility as a designer – explain why you should take these issues into account.

– Research into how your product could be made ethical end environmentally friendly• Sustainability• Product life cycle• Organic cotton• Fair-trade• Recycling • Re-use of components/fabrics• Environmental issues when using textiles • Use of dyes and their environmental impact• Social and moral issues• Labelling – giving the consumer advice on how to care for the product – eco label?

– Conclusion: what have you learned from this page? How will it help you?

Page 19: Manufacturing Specification

– Working drawings are normally presented in a very formal manner.

– This means that colour and shade are not used. Outline drawings are the usual mode of presentation. Colour can hide or mask detail.

– A working drawing is a precise piece of work and colour or shade could make a drawing look more complicated than it actually is.

What do I need to include?– You need to draw detailed

drawing of front and back of design, complete with;

Sizes Fabrics used Stitches used Seams used Hems used Components used Textile techniques used Costing Pattern pieces Care labelling information

(appropriate to fabric etc you have used)

Fabric ‘swatches’ Industrial production suggestions

Page 20: Planning for Manufacture• Make a list of materials• Make a list of equipment• Make a list of all the steps to make your

project• Include any decisions with the steps you will

take in the making process• Place the steps in order• Decide what shapes each of your steps will

be• Draw out your plan of making• Link all the steps with flow lines

Decision

Process

Start / stop

Flow line

Page 21: Planning for Manufacture

Gantt Chart A Time Chart is a way of planning

your project. A simple grid and the stages of

the production process should be listed down the left hand side.

As part of your project you need to show how much time you intend to spend making each section of the project.

You should include a key which shows the amount of time that each unit represents.

• Start your production record on this page also.

• See next page for details.

Page 22: Production Record As you make your product keep a

note of what you achieve each lesson, any alterations you’ve had to make and why, how you feel about product, and if your time planning was realistic.

PHOTOGRAPH EACH STAGE OF THE MAKING PROCESS

This page should be displayed as a series of photos/sketches/diagrams in a logical order with accompanying notes.

Production records are essential when a product is being made as it records all the manufacturing problems and suggested solutions. This means that improvements can be made to the manufacturing process.

Keep a note of any problems in the production record. Use it to suggest changing the way tools and equipment are used. A simple improvement to the way a product is manufactured may lift the overall quality of the finished product.

A good production record will outline every stage of making the product.

A GOOD production record incorporates quality control procedures which means that the product is constantly checked during its manufacture. This should ensure that the finished item is manufactured to a high standard.

A production record plays a significant part in keeping a work efficient, productive and competitive.

Page 23: Advertising my Product

• THINK ABOUT . . .

• Sales TeamWebsite

Point of SaleSurveys

CommunicationsDistribution Department

Research & DevelopmentMarketing Literature - through the post.

Direct MailExhibitions

Advertising - TV, Radio, Internet, Magazines, Newspapers, Billboards etc....

• Describe what advertising is– Types of advertising

• Describe what marketing is• Describe the functions of packaging• Describe what labelling is

– Its purpose– types of labelling

• FROM ALL OF THIS RESEARCH, SUGGEST HOW YOU WILL ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCT AND EXPLAIN WHY

Page 24 and 25: Testing and Evaluating

1. What do you think of the overall design ? What changes would you make ?

2. Are you happy with the materials you chose ? Would you make adjustments next time?

3. Is the colour scheme exactly what you expected ? What alterations would you make ?

4. Did the project take too long to make ? Would this alter the cost of manufacture ?

5. Would it be easy to set up a production line for the manufacture of your solution ?

6. Is your solution safe ? Could it be made safer ?

7. Are the techniques you used to make your solution adequate or would you use a different range of manufacturing techniques?

8. Is the solution the right size/shape ?9. What are the views of other people

regarding your design ?

10. Does it work ? What changes are required ?

• Designers evaluate their finished products or prototypes in order to test whether they work well and if the design can be corrected or improved. Whatever you have designed it is important to evaluate your work constantly during the project.

• Evaluation can take a variety of forms:    – General discussion with other pupils,

staff and others.– Questionnaires / surveys carried out at

any time during the project.– Your personal views, what you think of

existing designs.– Most important of all - what do you

think of your designs, prototypes and finished products ?

– Can you think of any other ways of evaluating your work ?