Textiles and Design
Home > Textiles and Design > Major Textiles Project > Design inspiration
Major Textiles Project
Design inspiration
This tutorial suggests a range of activities to help you with the design inspiration section of your Major Textiles Project. There are also tips about presentation and the organisation of your resources. You may have already completed tasks like these in class, however, you may find some will enhance what you have already done. The activities provide the background so that you can address the criteria for design inspiration:
- relevance to focus area
- justification of creative and/or innovative design
- relationship to historical, cultural or contemporary factors.
Outcomes
This material addresses aspects of the following syllabus
outcome:
H 1.1 The student critically analyses and explains the
factors that have contributed to the design and manufacture
of the Major Textiles Project.
Source: Board of Studies NSW, Stage 6 Textiles and
Design Syllabus, Preliminary and HSC Courses
(2007)
Getting organised
Ideally you should start collecting design inspiration over a period of time. An easy way to keep track of all those pieces of paper, samples of fabric, or other unusual objects is to file them in a box. Select a sturdy box with a lid like an A4 document box or a shoe box. As you find 'inspiration' place the ideas in the box ready for sorting later on. Keep the box at home or maybe you can keep it at school.
Keeping a small notebook and pen in your bag or pocket is a good idea too. When you see something that inspires you, jot it down and then place it in your inspiration box.
sample notes
Musical chairs
This exercise will help generate lots of ideas. Although it's a great classroom activity you can do it at home too.
- Visit the library and borrow a range of textile books to suit your focus area, some art books or some books related to your inspiration.
- Set the books out on a table. You will need paper and a pencil. Spend five minutes looking through one book, stop, and sketch some ideas from the book for a minute or so. Jot down the page number for reference.
- Move on to the next book and repeat the process, five minutes skimming the book and a couple of minutes doing quick sketches.
- Spend about 40 minutes on this exercise. By the end you will have generated lots of ideas.
Textile materials with a difference
You've heard the saying 'think outside the square' so when you're thinking about suitable fabrics for your major textile project find inspiration with some unusual textile materials or unusual ways of using textile materials.
The following references may be useful:
VIEW Magazine featuring emerging textiles
europress@acay.com.au
Braddock, S. E. and O'Mahony, M. (1998) Techno textiles, revolutionary fabrics for fashion and design, Thames and Hudson, London. http://www.netstoreusa.com/cabooks/050/0500280967.shtml
Elements and principles of design
In the preliminary course you will have experimented with and applied the elements and principles of design. Remember the elements of design include: line and direction; shape and size; texture; colour and value. The principles of design include: proportion; balance; rhythm; emphasis; contrast; harmony and unity.
Activity
Describe and analyse the elements and principles of design for one item in your selected focus area.
Writing the support documentation for design inspiration
-
As with any major piece of writing you need to write a draft. If you are finding it difficult to explain the relationship of your design inspiration to each of the criteria, try filling in this grid. A sample has been provided. Draw the grid on an A4 page in landscape format.
Screen print image creating illusion of the centre panel receding. Contributes to aesthetic appeal of front panel of tunic. The rectangular solid panels appliqued onto the sheer bodice represent buildings silhouetted against a grey sky. Each one different in texture and creating the impression of drawing the observer in. The fabric selected for the panels has a 'high tech' appearance which reflects the contemporary theme of the design.
-
Now that you can see how each source of your design inspiration relates to the criteria you can write your draft. Try a paragraph for each source of inspiration. Read the first draft based on the inspiration in the sample above.
The screen print image from the Brad Faine book inspired the design of the bodice front of the tunic. The three solid panels appliqued onto the bodice represent skyscrapers silhouetted against a grey sky which relates to the design concept. The choice of a contemporary 'high tech' fabric with interesting texture enhances the feeling for the observer of being drawn into the city scape.
-
Read the draft, now go back and edit. Check that what it is saying is clear. Ask someone else to read it, can they follow your explanation?
Note how the second draft below is shorter than the first. The changes have been highlighted.
The screen print image from the Brad Faine book inspired the design of the front bodice of the tunic. The three appliqued panels represent the design concept of skyscrapers silhouetted against a grey sky. The choice of a contemporary 'high tech' fabric with interesting texture enhances the feeling for the observer of being drawn into the city scape.
-
Spell check your work.
Presentation
The design inspiration should be reflected throughout the supporting documentation . This section should not simply be a collection of unrelated pictures that you like. You must show their relationship and relevance to the design inspiration criteria.
Think about how you can present your supporting documentation in a contemporary style but within the page limit. Remember the page limit is:
4 x A4 or 2 x A3 pages.
|