Design+Plates+Intro

Design Plate
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 * [[image:WHY.gif width="510" height="43"]][[image:brainstorm.gif width="209" height="175" align="right"]] The initial stages of a design project require careful thought regarding the purpose of the product being designed. Whether designing street furniture for a redevelopment project, a car or even a kitchen utensil, there are questions that need to be answered before progression can be made. A clear understanding of the purpose of the product will lead the designer toward a more focused objective and minimize the risk of producing material that adds no value to the intended outcome. There are a great number of issues a designer needs to consider at the outset of a project and any tool that offers guidance is extremely useful. One example of a useful tool is a Design Plate. || [|BUGATTI BERLIN 2006] [[image:designplates:berlin_028.jpg width="287" height="202"]] ||
 * [[image:how.gif width="508" height="43"]] A Design Plate is a tool used to look at existing designs and impro[[image:ldv_heli.jpg width="211" height="194" align="right"]]ve them. The object to be considered is sketched at the centre of the plate and helps the user to remain focused on the design task. There are a number of titled zones around the periphery of the plate which invite the designer to make written comments. The range of topic titles for the zones is not exhaustive and the example given in this article may not include areas of that need to be considered for a particular design. However the Design Plate will provide guidance and promote thinking about any design. || Link to Design Plate Template ||
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 * [[image:p_40200.jpg width="201" height="214" align="right"]]The Design Plate illustrated in the Design Plate Template offers 9 zones to be completed by the designer. The Design Plate PowerPoint presentation link provides an explanation of each zone title. The Design Plate also invites the user to note whether the particular feature being considered is either essential or desirable. This again promotes thought towards the important and not so important features of design, an especially valuable feature of the Design Plate when cost of production may be an issue. || Link to Design Plate PowerPoint ||
 * [[image:torvi.jpg width="205" height="141" align="right"]]Completion of all segments may not be necessary, for example the target user list may only apply to teenagers as the essential target audience and 20 to 25 year old users may be a desirable target audience. Ages outside this range may not be considered as users. As a result there is only a need for two entries in the Target User zone. ||  ||
 * Once completed the Design Plate offers the facility to note which criteria of the design considered have not been fully met. An example may be a safety issue with a kitchen utensil that may result in harm. Next there is an opportunity to note improvements that need to be made. [[image:mban284l.jpg width="373" height="398" align="center"]] || [[image:FenderGuitars.jpg width="291" height="325" align="center"]]DREAM ON! ||
 * [[image:Still-Life-with-Judgement-V.jpg width="264" height="228" align="right"]]The final stage of the Design Plate is to write a new design brief using the space provided. The user can reflect on the comments made around the Design Plate and make an informed judgement on the content of the design brief. ||  ||
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 * Once completed the Design Plate offers the facility to note which criteria of the design considered have not been fully met. An example may be a safety issue with a kitchen utensil that may result in harm. Next there is an opportunity to note improvements that need to be made. [[image:mban284l.jpg width="373" height="398" align="center"]] || [[image:FenderGuitars.jpg width="291" height="325" align="center"]]DREAM ON! ||
 * [[image:Still-Life-with-Judgement-V.jpg width="264" height="228" align="right"]]The final stage of the Design Plate is to write a new design brief using the space provided. The user can reflect on the comments made around the Design Plate and make an informed judgement on the content of the design brief. ||  ||
 * Back to top ||  ||
 * [[image:Still-Life-with-Judgement-V.jpg width="264" height="228" align="right"]]The final stage of the Design Plate is to write a new design brief using the space provided. The user can reflect on the comments made around the Design Plate and make an informed judgement on the content of the design brief. ||  ||
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