Whangaparaoa College Design and Visual Communication student projects
Rochelle Connolley and Brandon Fowlie
Whangaparaoa College
Year 11-13 Design and Visual Communication
Teacher: Ben Carter
Design and Visual Communications is a fundamental part of many aspects of design in Technology, assisting in the planning and prototyping of technological outcomes, and helping to realise visual ideas and concepts effectively.
Whangaparaoa College is a decile 9 school located on the Whangaparaoa peninsula north of Auckland with a role of 1400 students. The Design and Visual Communication department at Whangaparaoa is part of a Technology faculty that also offers Hard Materials, Food, Fabric, and Hospitality.
Ben Carter taught Technology for 10 years in the UK before moving to Whangaparaoa in 2010 to take on the role of Head of Department, Design and Visual Communication (DVC) at Whangaparaoa College. Ben explains that DVC is introduced at Year 9 to give students "a taster of what the subject is all about" and is then offered as a half-year option in Year 10, a full- or half-year option in Year 11, and full-year courses at Years 12 and 13. Senior DVC students have two major projects through the year where both internal and external achievement standards are incorporated into the programme.
Students from Whangaparaoa College have been producing some exemplary DVC work in the past year as Ben has initiated a programme that mixes fundamental DVC skills with elements of ICT, areas he feels have equal importance.
"My philosophy on teaching and learning within DVC is to make sure learners have groundingintraditional skills, such as freehand sketchinginitially. Combined with the use of different media,these skills give a learner a chance to work spontaneously on concept and development, express ideas, and create quickly from the first spark of inspiration."
Ben encourages the integration of ICT technologies within student work, which has seen students incorporating software such as Photoshop, SketchUp, and other CAD programs in their completed projects.
"It's often a personal choice how much ICT the students will introduce into a design process, which means they can focus on their personal strengths," says Ben. "The NCEA achievement standards have allowed the learners this choice, which has helped them to develop some excellent solutions with a mixture of presentation techniques."
Ben also encourages thorough annotation in student work, to document a design process and to assist students in the communication of their ideas and concepts.
Senior students Rochelle Connolley (Year 11) and Brandon Fowlie (Year 13) have both produced exceptional work through the year with projects that showcase many of the aspects that have made Ben's programme so successful.
Rochelle Connolley - Year 11
"Orange Ocean" Sunscreen
Rochelle's first project for the year targeted achievement standard 90044 ("Present design ideas with features and functions.") with the development of sunscreen branding and bottle labelling that would appeal to a much younger demographic than most sunscreens currently available on the market.
Product image and branding were key elements in this project as Rochelle tried various designs for the labelling to appeal to a youth market. Rather than emphasising the safety benefits, Rochelle used bright energetic colours and imagery from surf culture to appeal more to her target audience.
In all of her concept and development drawings she used a combination of coloured pencil and watercolour to enhance the colour and texture.
The completed design for "Orange Ocean" sunscreen showcases Rochelle's flair for organic design with an eye-catching, ergonomic shape, ideal for the active, vibrant youth market she wanted to appeal to in this outcome.
Landscape design
For her second project, Rochelle targeted Achievement Standard 90042 ("Apply a design process and design principals to identified needs and opportunities".) by designing a courtyard for a family of four. Rochelle researched and produced several design drawings that incorporated a number of different aesthetic styles, such as Japanese water garden, Mediterranean, and modern minimalist.
Rochelle's Teacher Comments:
"Rochelle experimented with different media again here by introducing a successful mix of coloured pencil and marker work to enhance her 3D sketching techniques," explains Ben Carter. "She focussed on detailing areas of her landscape design in snapshot visuals, giving the viewer a look at her concept and development in 3D as well as producing a 3D rendered isometric projection."
Brandon Fowlie - Year 13
Garden Cafe
To meet Achievement Standard 90736 ("Develop and communicate a solution to an architectural or environmental design brief".') Brandon Fowlie designed a garden cafe that would reflect the local area in its materials, construction, and aesthetics; accommodate 60-plus customers; incorporate a gift shop; and take into account the fast movement of staff, and storage of provisions. Brandon's brief also specified an outdoor seating component that would seamlessly continue his chosen aesthetic of a linear style, wood highlights, solid rock walls, and the subtle use of water features into an outside area.
Brandon combined hand-drawings with ICT techniques to produce a comprehensive project that included 2D and 3D designs, architectural drawing, and blueprints. Throughout his work Brandon has communicated his entire process, from research into existing designs and how that influenced his initial concepts, through to final design drawings, to a very high level.
Brandon's Teacher Comments:
"Brandon has worked in a traditional manner, with elements of ICT throughout, with a high level of creativity and attention to detail," says Ben. "He has taken a concept and developed it, refining his solution by focussing on detail. This is evident through sketches experimenting with materials, texture, lighting, typography, and colour. He has also used annotations to help explain and clarify his solutions. The story of where his inspiration has come from is evident, linking his ideas to his analysis of initial research, which has been important to his own design process and development within the subject."
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