大象传媒

An illustrated boy looks thoughtful. He wears red dungarees, a pencil behind his ear and safety glasses.

What do designers do?

A design is a plan for how to make something.

The person who comes up with this plan is called a designer.

Designers work in different ways to make sure that their final products are useful.

When planning their products designers might draw, write and make models.

An illustrated boy looks thoughtful. He wears red dungarees, a pencil behind his ear and safety glasses.
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A child drawing a bear. The drawing is titles "Robobear" and has annotations.

Drawing

Drawing is a useful way to quickly record ideas and see what a product might look like.

First a designer might sketch ideas out using a pencil. Anything that needs explaining they might write as a note or label.

They then choose the best designs and draw them in more detail. Perhaps adding further notes about materials, size and how things might work.

The final design needs to be drawn very clearly to show exactly what needs to be made.

A child drawing a bear. The drawing is titles "Robobear" and has annotations.
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A cardboard model of hat next to a black fedora

Making models

Designers also create models to see how a product might look or work in the real world.

Models don't have to be the same size as the final product.

They can be made from cardboard, wood, fabric, clay or plastic. They can even be made using a computer and printer.

A model can then be tested to see what is good or bad. This is called 'evaluation'.

Then, a model can be changed or remade, to try and improve the design.

A cardboard model of hat next to a black fedora
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A girl making a list

Lists and flow charts

To help organise their ideas, many designers also write things down.

Writing lists and flow charts help designers to think through the steps needed to make a product.

For example, a chef might write out the steps to a recipe and list the ingredients.

Or, a computer programmer might write out the steps they need a for a computer program to work.

A girl making a list
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Key words

EvaluateLooking at something and deciding what is good or bad about it.
Flow chartA chart used to show the steps needed to make something. It shows the steps in the right order.
ProductA thing that can be bought or sold.鈥疎xamples include food, furniture and clothes.
SketchA fast drawing to note down ideas.
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Quiz

Time to see how much you know about making a design. Put your knowledge to the test.

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