Visual Communications Fashion Design

Part APrepared and critiqued by

Technology Educators National Coordinators in conjunction with

Technology Programme National Manager

Visual communication: Learning objective

• Refers to the effective communication and presentation of design ideas using modelling and graphic design techniques. Students learn to communicate and present their design ideas and information by applying 2D and 3D drawing techniques such as sketching, rendering, digital, annotations, instrumental, templates, collage, overlays.

• High quality visual techniques and knowledge that communicates a story to an audience – the intent of the design.

http://www.techlink.org.nz/curriculum-support/indicators/Learning-Objectives/Indicators-of-Progression-Learning-Objectives.pdf

Teachers• Support students to develop an appreciation of aesthetic and functional qualities in a design, and techniques for• effectively visually communicating these qualities.• Support students to develop visual communication techniques such as sketching, rendering, modelling, and using• digital media.• Support students to develop advanced 2D freehand and instrumental drawing techniques (eg, auxiliary views,• sectional views, and assembly), to communicate design features.• Support students to understand how multiple drawings communicate details of shape and form.• Support students to develop advanced 3D freehand and instrumental drawing techniques (eg, one- and two-point• perspective projection and isometric projection).• Support students to understand how media, drawing equipment and layout are ‘key’ for effectively presenting visual• information.• Support students to develop skills in using modes and media to highlight design ideas.• Support students to develop skills associated with applying compositional principles such as proximity, alignment,• hierarchy, positive and negative space when presenting design ideas.

http://www.techlink.org.nz/curriculum-support/indicators/Learning-Objectives/Indicators-of-Progression-Learning-Objectives.pdf

To teach students visual communication techniques to generate design ideas you will need to …

• How to appreciate aesthetic and functional characteristics of a design

• Techniques in visual communication• Skills in using different media to explore design ideas• Skills in “telling a story” through visual communication• Strategies to engage in divergent/alternative thinking

design possibilities• How to evolve design ideas from different sources• look at how other designers communicate their ideas

Students learn to:• communicate their design ideas using techniques that explore both identifiable aesthetic and functional

details of a design; apply techniques such as sketching, modelling, rendering, collage, overlays and digital media.

• produce a set of instrumental or computer related 2d working drawings showing technical details that indicate shape

• and form – these working drawings show the important design features of the item being communicated eg, parts

• and how they assemble, sizes or details of hidden parts (sections). use appropriate engineering and architectural conventions correctly.• produce perspective instrumental projection drawings (parallel and/or angular) that communicate design

fatures and• the associated details. (such as spatial drawings: window framing, door handles, and engineering: webs,

holes, fasteners.• apply instrumental projection conventions: picture plane, station point, eye level lines, ground level lines,

vanishing points, height lines.• select a view point that enables the design features of an item to be shown.• select graphic modes and media, and apply compositional principles (eg, proximity, alignment, hierarchy,

positive and negative space) that best present the design features of an item being communicated.• appropriately present visual information that includes

http://www.techlink.org.nz/curriculum-support/indicators/Learning-Objectives/Indicators-of-Progression-Learning-Objectives.pdf

When students apply visual communication techniques to generate design ideas they will …..

• Communicate their design ideas using techniques that explore both identifiable aesthetic and functional details of a design

• Apply techniques such as sketching, modelling, rendering, collage, overlays and digital media

• Reflect on and extend divergent design possibilities

Curriculum Understandings

Aesthetic qualities may include but are not limited to:• colour• tone• texture• pattern• shape• balance• surface finish

Functional qualities may include but are not limited to:

• operation e.g. movement and ergonomic interface

• construction eg material and assembly• size, scale, and proportion

Literacy strategy?

Teaching Strategy

• Discuss aesthetic and functional characteristics of a design. How do you recognise these characteristics in fashion/textile design ideas?

Aesthetics or function or both?

Discuss

What is being visually communicated?

Discuss

What is being visually communicated here?

Discuss

And here?

Discuss

What is being visually communicated through the use of a toile?

Discuss

And here?

What is this story board visually communicating?

Final design – what does the photograph visually communicate?

Technique: flat schematicsA flat sketch shows the full front or full back of a design

What visual communication and idea generation techniques could you use to ………

• initiate design ideas• evolve design ideas• explore abstract ideas • explore design ideas using functional models• adapt existing products

How can students show evidence that they can use a given or find a starting point and re-interpret that as an idea of their own?

Don’t throw away the scribbles, crumpled paper, interpretative drawings from life and/or inspirational research which comes beforethe neatly drawn idea

Celebrate the first ideas? What techniques have been used?

“I was listening to a really funky swing song and somehow ended up sketching these sillies...”

Where do Ideas come from?

Where do ideas come from? Paper folding.

Find a starting point and re-interpret that as an idea of your own

Divergent design possibilities…

• Divergent means different• Thinking that moves away in diverging

directions so as to involve a variety of aspects and which sometimes lead to novel ideas and solutions; associated with creativity

• Creative thinking

Examples of how to use divergent design ideas as starting points

Generate ideas to become new starting points • re-generate, re-combine, overlay, re-mix, re-

invent and generate new ideas

So the focus is not just on techniques but what the techniques are for,

that is idea generation

Encouraging students to connect their cultural identity

Drawing ideas from objects that have cultural significance

Technique: Fashion illustrations

A dimensional sketch will show the depth and different angles of a design

Pencil Sketching

The ultimate goal of your sketch is to provide you and the audience, the feel of how the garment will look like when worn. This gives the sketch visual impact.

Essential skills to know in a textile context include how …

• to draw fabric • to draw the folds of clothing• to use lighting effects• to shade to create depth• to use colours and different techniques to

reflect the movement and the pose of the modelAll will enhance the quality of the sketch and gives a 3 dimensional illustrations

Technique: Rendering

Is the use of techniques here exploring the functional and aesthetic qualities of this design?

Coloured pencil sketch

Water colour

Markers

Computer