Sketchbook
1.B. Design an Attractive, Effective
Household Article & Its Opposite

(Time: 1 hr.)

Choose a common article. you find around your house like a comb, a garbage can or a TV remote. Study it closely. Is this the best design for this object to carry out its function? Improve on the design to make an even more attractive, ergonomic (comfortable), and effective object.

‘Good Form & Function’ Design

• Sketch your design in your sketchbook.
• Deliberately engage two or more of your senses (sight, touch, smell, etc.) with your designs.
• Explain what changes you made and how your design improves both the form and the function of your object in handwritten notes around the design.
• Identify the senses engaged in handwritten notes around the design as well.

Now for the fun part.How bad of a designer can you be? Maybe the article you found in your house is already as poorly designed and ugly as you think it can get. I don’t think so. Don’t underestimate the diabolically creative side of your brain that enjoys creating chaos. (It doesn’t have to be diabolical, it just has to be creative.) How can you make that hairbrush counterproductive to its function of brushing hair comfortably and effectively? (Try adding some glue, dye, & toothpaste dispensers in the bristle section, use slivery unfinished rosewood for the handle…)

‘Anti-Good Form & Function’ Design

• Sketch your design in your sketchbook.
• Deliberately engage two or more of your senses (sight, touch, smell, etc.) with your designs.
• Explain what changes you made and how your design degrades both the form and the function of your object.
• Identify both senses engaged and how your changes degrade the function of your object in handwritten notes around the design.

This comes so naturally to most of us, we should almost worry. Don’t. Have fun. Enjoy permission to create havoc.

Submitting Your Work

To submit both your Improved Form & Function Design &the ‘Anti- Good Form & Function’ Design, save an image of each by scanning or taking a digital picture. (Remember to compress your files to less than 100 KB.) Then in the Draft submission section below, click . A browse window will open up. Find the first file you saved and click . Do the same with the second file. Click the button.

Evaluation Criteria:

Must See:

Improved form & function design: (with handwritten notes explaining the effects of the changes & the two senses it engages)

Degraded form & function design: (with handwritten notes explaining the effects of the changes & the two senses it engages)

Student will demonstrate his/her understanding of the concepts of form & function by:

Designing a household article that improves its form & function	/ 5
Designing a household article that degrades its form & function	/ 5
Explaining, in written notes around the design, the changes to form & function and the effects of these changes	/ 3
Deliberately engaging two or more of the senses in the designs (also written around the design)	/ 2

Total: / 15

Refreshing Education & Winter © 2008