Upper School Design

Upper school features: 

• the triple gym (the unique feature of the building) 
• new furniture (modern)
• "coreways" (wide and spacious)
• architectural design (industry-looking design)
• very little colour
• environmental friendly
• sound proof walls

Design Videos 

1st Video

Graphic design can sometimes be too revolutionary. 

Designs need a lot of drafts and planning to make it the best. However, the final design is not perfect and will always need more improvements. 

Diagrams do not have to be exact.

The London Underground diagram was easy to use. No one ever changed it because it was a success. 

Form follows function. 

The design is timeless. 

2nd Video

Revolution in technology of materials for new shapes. 

New designs were created. This revolution took place during the Post war in the 1950's. 

These new designs were exciting and surprised people because of its revolutionary designs and its use of material. 

Modern design is identified with an independent spirit, liberation and playfulness.

Well designed goods should be available to all. 

Interesting and influential designs include organic and human related designs. 

My Company

I am interested in designing clocks. I believe clocks are very useful and they can be found everywhere around a building. With an interesting and revolutionary design, it could have a better effect to the building, making it look more decorative and interesting. 

Pre-course Survey

I have had quite a few big design projects in the past. For example, last year I had to create a movie with some of my classmates in German class . This was a very successful project and I believe that I spent the most time and had the most fun working on the design section instead of concentrating on the German vocabulary or grammar. Planning was definitely the toughest step of our project because it took a lot of time and a lot of thinking. Our movie did not need any researching or evaluating, but our second toughest step was editing. However, it took less time and you dont have to do a lot of thinking to edit. I simply had to adjust the movie to make it perfect.
Another example of a big design project was my Grade 9 English Culminating Project. This projects was informative. Therefore the teacher cared a lot about the content and also the presentation. However, we also had to focus on the organisation. This was quite a tough project, but I had three other classmates working with me. We all had different roles, for example I had to research, the other classmate had to find pictures and charts and the other one was responsible for the organisation of the poster. After we were finished with our rough draft of the project, we each had a turn to edit the poster. I decided not to have a lot of bright and contrasting colours. Therefore I changed the colours and I also decided to make the title bigger and change the position of it. Another classmate decided to check the spelling and grammar of the information and also check if the information is all correct. Another classmate added the Works Cited and added the source underneath all the visuals. In this case, editing was probably the hardest job and I think that this project was more important and valuable than the German movie.


Digital Design was very eye-catching when I saw it as an option for a school elective. I was also very surprised when my teacher told me that we were going to have a new Mac Lab in the new school. So, I thought for a while and then decided to select this subject for this year. I thought as much that this subject was going to involve a lot of technology and computer. This course also seems vey useful for me because I can learn how to design websites, blogs, and other digital features. In general, Digital Design sounds like a whole lot of fun.

Great Design

Great Design 1

Some products like the home entertainment remote control are fabulous inventions but have buttons that are not easy to understand.
Gadgets with great design have to be easy to use.
We need gadgets that are useful
In the past, new technology designs were very useful but now gadgets are getting more complicated.
There has to be a value in a piece of design.

Great Design 2

When you are designing something, there will a lot of problems and limitations to create a perfect gadget. (Conflicting constraints).
Having a cheap design is the only requirement that does not cause problems.
“Good design adds value faster than it adds cost”. As every product is being sold, the higher the value becomes.
Designing needs a lot of planning and close thinking. (To decide what kinds of buttons should be on a remote control and the limitations (e.g. space, size, value))
Artistic beauty is irrelevant.

Great Design 3

As the design gets better and the more the people need it, it is more likely that the design will be purchased.
A design can be seen as perfect and fabulous, but there are still obvious problems in the design that have not been identified.
Usability is probably the most important feature of a design.
Even if a design is better than the top best-selling product, it would never overtake the product in being #1 because the popularity, the value and the desire for it is already way too high.
The fewer the features a product has, the more popular it becomes. However, all of the features have to be easy to use and is important or helpful.
Every product has a special flaw.

Form and Function in Design

The shape of the design has to be based upon its function and purpose.
The product’s designs are bounded by functional limitations of math and materials and logic, but their acceptance is constrained by social expectations.
“Form follows function” can be problematic and needs a lot of close planning and analyzing.
Ornaments are only functional in some cases. (Mainly in architecture)
Ornaments can be used as a signature, a brand or a symbol.
Anatomy will be structured according to functions associated with use.
Decorative elements are superfluous.
Linking the relationship between the form of an object and its intended purpose is a good idea for designers and architects, but it is not always by itself a complete design solution.

My design: My Shoes

Shoes keep your feet comfortable. (In article 1 it says that design has to be useful)
Give the feet proper support and prevents the feet from becoming sore.
Simple. (In article 3, the fewer the features, the more popular the product has become).
Keep them warm during a cold weather.
For everyday use. (Some people use shoes the whole day). (Article 3 says that the most important feature is usability).
They are light.
Fairly cheap. (Article 2 says that having a cheap design is the only requirement that wont cause conflicting constraints).
These shoes are not water-proof. (Article 3 says that every product has a special flaw.)
Is not eye-catching or appealing. (Article 2 says that artistic beauty is irrelevant.)
It doesn’t have any decorative elements. (Article 4 says that decorative elements are not required in a design.)
The shape of the shoe is based on its purpose. (Article 4 says the shape of the design has to be based upon its function and purpose).
The shoe has an ornament which is used as a brand. (Article 4 says that an ornament can be used as a signature or a brand).