GCSE Graphic Products Super Learning Lesson Summer Examination 2011

What you need to know 1 paper worth 40% of your final grade The paper is 2 hours long. (120 mins) There are 120 marks available for the paper (1 mark a minute) You should try to answer all the questions in all sections to the best of you’re ability, including the long questions worth up to 10 marks. You will needs, a pen (black/ballpoint), pencil, pencil crayons, a ruler, an eraser, a sharpener. Use only pencils and pencil crayons on any design work. Check all your answers carefully. Answer your questions/designs in the appropriate space. Read the question carefully before answering – what is it really asking you???

Design Question Specification: Make sure you answer the specification appropriately, think about: Health and safety – safe for the user Ergonomics – appropriate size and dimensions for the user Materials – appropriate materials, not overly expensive Function – what does it need to do? Form – appropriate shape for the product.

Design Question Sketch a range of ideas, if it asks for 5, draw 5. Try to be as creative and original as possible, and don’t repeat a design.

Design Question

Developing your idea: Make sure you show development in design, make 2 – 3 changes that are clear to see. Check what the examiner is asking for, material choices, construction detail, quality sketches, dimensions, notes? Be detailed with your notes, explain why you have changed or developed the idea, mention materials, and the target market, explain how the design works, and how it could be made. If you need to add (3) dimensions then include them clearly, what is the proposed height, width, and length? Quality of sketches: Draw a neat, 3D image, add colour and detail, and use the space provided, if you have to enlarge a section to show features – do so!

Design Question Evaluation: You will be asked to evaluate the ideas and development you have come up with. Link the evaluation back to the design brief and design specification (like you did in your coursework) Explain how you have accomplished the task.

Materials you should know Materials Paper and Boards are made from the vegetable fibers that are found in woods, which are extracted and crushed with 95% water to create a pulp. Weight and Thickness – Paper is sold by weight in grams per square (gsm) up to a value of 220 gsm, when it is called a board. Board is sold and measured for thickness in units called microns. There are 1000 microns in 1mm, a typical birthday card is around 300 microns thick. Cartonboard is mechanically strong, so it is good at protecting products, it can also be easily cut, creased, folded and glued, giving the designer scope to produce creative packaging. Corriflute or Corex: This is a fluted polypropylene (plastic) board, which is a light, but strong weather resistant material that is excellent for use as exterior signage. It can be printed onto.

Materials you should know Plastics - Thermoplastics The use of plastic is huge in the packaging industry. It would be more environmentally friendly to use cards and paper when creating and packaging products as this is easier to recycle, due to its biodegradability. Plastics are used to help protect the products they house during transit. Some other reasons may include: Tough – to ensure protection. Lightweight – so that the product is not too heavy. Clear – so the consumer can see the product. Economical – easy to make and easily available. Aesthetically useful – it can be made to look good and can be printed onto Examples of plastic include: Bio Plastic, Cellulose Acetate, Acrylic, PP: Polypropylene, Polystyrene

Materials you should know Smart/Modern Materials Thermochromic ink: The most common use of thermochromic ink is in the thermometers we put on our foreheads to tell whether we have a raised temperature. The coloured ink changes colour to indicate the temperature of the patient, and once removed will return to its original colour. Paperfoam: This is an alternative to thermoplastics, and is used in the packaging industry. It is a combination of corn based polymers and simple paper fibers to produce a scratch resistant material that can be moulded to form inserts that can hold a product in place. Polymorph: Polymorph is a special plastic, often used for modeling in technology, which stays hard and white at room temperature, but can be softened at 60 degrees Celsius. You can then easily mould it into shape using your hands, much like plasticine.

Designers Harry beck designed the London underground map in Despite this being a very familiar image now, back in 1933 it was a very new concept/format for presenting geographical maps. Alberto Alessi: Alessi did not design products himself but his design philosophy that started many new debates and brought about fresh ideas. Jock Kinnear & Margaret Calvert are both graphic designers. They adopted the European idea of using pictograms instead of words to warn driver of hazards. Margaret Calvert took inspiration from childhood photos to create the warning signs. Wally Olins: is a brand consultant, together with a man called Michael Wolff, together they founded an advertising agency call ‘Wolff Olins’ which has since become a major influence in developing corporate images in the UK and Europe. Robert Sabuda: Created a range of mechanical books, and used paper engineering to create products.

Information you Should know MODEL: A graphic presentation of the item you are designing. It is often a scaled down (smaller) version of the design. PROTOTYPE: A life size (scale 1:1) working model of a design, used for testing, development and evaluation. MOCK-UP: A model, often full size, of a design to allow for evaluation; a working model of a product built for study, testing or display. Modelling Materials: Styrofoam, Balsa Wood, Plasticine or clay, Foam Board, Acrylic, Card (230 – 750 microns), Board (750 – 3000 microns) ScaleUses 2:1 Twice full sizeA small intricate item, such as an earing. 1:1 Actual sizeA hand held object, such as a mobile phone. 1:2 Half sizeA small electrical device, such as a laptop computer. 1:10A piece of furniture 1:100A house or garden 1:500A very large building, such as a sports stadium.

Information you Should know Presenting Data: When presenting information you can use Bar charts, Pie charts, Line graphs, Pictographs. Signs: Signs are there to give instructions or warnings. The best examples of these are road sign warnings. Labels: Labels are attached to everything that we buy, they explain a lot about the products we buy and how to take care of it. Barcodes: All products carry a barcode as part of the labeling or packaging. They are used by a retailer in several ways: scanning at the point of sale helps to name and price. Corporate identity is about making sure a brand or organization is identifiable using visual images that are easily remembered. Symbols are used to help communicate information that could be instructions or simply an aid to help people recognise something. Ideograms are simplified pictures which relate a message to other people. Pictograms They use block, contrasting colours and are wordless therefore eliminating the need for people to be able to read a language

Information you should know Anthropometrics : Anthropometrics is the measurements of the human body, Anthropometric data provides us with the average sizes of body. Ergonomics: Ergonomics is the study of people in relation to their working environment. It means that products need to be adapted to suit the needs of the user Sustainability: the ability to keep making or using a product without excessive damage to the environment. The 6 R’s: Reduce, Recycle, Reuse, Refuse, Rethink, Repair. BSI: British standards Institute – The company that carries out testing on product against safety regulations. CE Mark: Products that meet European guidelines and can therefore be sold in the European Union. Quality Control: a check made to ensure that a component meets the specification, for example correct size, shape and colour. Quality Assurance: a system of quality control checks and procedures throughout the manufacturing process. CAD: Computer Aided Design (2D Design) CAM: Computer Aided Manufacture (Laser Cutter)

Information you should know Surface developments are the 2D or Flat versions of an item that are to be assembled into a 3D object. Joining or Locking Card Card can be glued together using a variety of glues, or designed in such a way that it becomes self locking. These are often referred to as ‘crash bottomed’ packaging. Level of Production Numbers made AdvantagesDisadvantagesExamples One Off production 1 Easy to set up and change Very high individual costs A sculpture, coursework Batch production 1 – 10,000 Adaptable process of making so quite easy to change Machines are expensive to buy and set up Bottles, perfumes, POS Mass production 10,000+ Cost of individual items is low Even more expensive than batch production to set up Cars Continuous production Millions Easy to make the same item cheaply to a very high standard Cannot change if demand falls Paper production, cans etc.

Information you should know Moral issues: are points the designer has to make to decide if something could be dangerous or controversial. They are not covered by any law or design regulation, and are usually related to a specific target market. Social issues: these are points to consider when the product is being promoted for use, or consumption that may not be in the best interest of the customer. They are usually related to the wider public in general. Cultural issues: these are points that need advertising or product decisions; these issues are changeable and dependent on the actual target market. The three stages of printing. 1. Pre-press – the stages needed before actual printing takes place. 2. Print – the stages of printing the design. 3. Finishing – any additional processes that may be needed. Registration marks: a very clear mark about 10mm across of a circle and lines. This is used to check the printing plates are aligned. Colour bar: a small strip of the process colours (CMYK) printed outside the actual image. It is used to check the density of the four colours. Crop marks: these are found at the four corners of the page. They tell the printer where to crop of guillotine a printed image.

Information you should know ProcessCommon useAdvantagesDisadvantagesCost (10=High)Quality (10=High) Offset Lithography Newspapers, Magazines, Books Most common method, high quality, fast, prints well on paper. Expensive set up cost 59 FlexographyPackaging, Corrugated boxes, Shopping bags, 3D surfaces FastExpensive set up cost 68 Screen Printing T-Shirts, Large posters, Short print runs Good for short print runs, can print on absorbent surfaces. Not as good a quality, can be slow. 46 GravureExpensive, High Quality magazines, Stamps Best quality printing, very fast process Very expensive set up cost 810 LaserOne-Off itemsImmediate printing, no set up cost. Very expensive for individual prints 107

Information you should know There are 5 types of printing finishes Varnishing Foil blocking Laminating Embossing Die cutting Varnishing: This is similar to adding a coat of varnish to wood. The process used to be a slow process of adding a coat of oil based varnish to a printed product Foil Blocking: This is a great process for making a product look more expensive. It works by stamping a pre glued metallic foil onto the printed surface by using heat and pressure. Laminating: Some products need to be laminated, which provides greater protection than a simple layer of varnish. The lamination process involves heat, sealing a layer of a clear polymer such as PET Embossing: Embossing raises part of the surface by applying about 5 tonnes of pressure to a steel die or stamp onto the printed surface.

Answering the questions Look at the number of marks available! If the questions is worth one mark, it should be a suitable small answer, for example naming a material (be specific) If the questions are worth a number of marks, (8 -10) the exam board are testing your subject knowledge, so a lengthy answer is required. Marks will be available for spelling, punctuation and grammar. Try to back up you point with examples if you are asked to! If you are given an example answer, you can assume that the questions need a similar response. If there is a table to fill in, fill all areas – these are easy marks! Check your answers carefully. Read the question twice to be sure you know what is being asked!

Finally

I will Snipe You all!