Threatened Decline of D&T in the UK

The proposed EBac (English Baccalaureate) is already having a very negative impact on the amount of time being made available to D&T in the timetable. Students are being actively encouraged to switch at GCSE from D&T to EBac subjects and that this has already led to redundancies in D&T departments. (DATA)

At the same time....China is opening design schools at an increasing ratehttp://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_41/b4004412.htm

If the Government does not make the right choice for longer term growth and only concentrates on short term savings in Education - Britain may end up suffering from even greater creative 'brain drain' effect in the future. 

Creative Britain in Reverse?

www.youtube.com

Seymourpowell, in partnership with the Design & Technology Association and the James Dyson Foundation, have made this film to promote the importance of desig...

Bauhaus/modern design themed desk tidy

I would like to change the bookend project this year to something more suitable and challenging. The bookend was (loosely) based on Bauhaus and De Stijl styles and colours. The Desk tidy will be less decorative but will cover more materials and processes when making.

The previous project: a bookend. 

aluminium and teak desk tidy

aluminium will be cut, drilled then folded then attached to the teak block

Various Projects

BeatBox Cardboard speaker project

The net of the above speaker. Unfolded in Sketchup using the Unfold plugin: see below:
http://sketchuptips.blogspot.com/2007/08/plugin-unfoldrb.html

Another speaker, this time using Kraft Board

A De Stijl Bookend

Plywood Laptop Case

Bamboo Laptop case

Magnetic fridge mini whitboard

An early visualisation of my DT room in Shau Kei Wan

A mould design for an Alessi key tag. Exported to a router using and STL export pluging: see below:

http://www.guitar-list.com/download-software/convert-sketchup-skp-files-dxf-or-stl

BrandNew

A project based on brand design and packaging. The end products are drinks bottle label and point-of-sale display stand.

bioPen

A project I have run for the past two years where students study ergonomics and anthropometrics along with a bio on Luigi Colani. 

Drawn using Sketchup + Subdivide. Rendered using Podium

Some of the student's pens before varnishing

F1 Cars

3/4 view. Rendered with Podium

subdivide and smooth with Sketchup

Excellent plugin for Sketchup. very easy to use to create some really complex features out of basic blocks. The Youtube tutorials are easy to follow too. http://www.smustard.com/script/SubdivideAndSmooth

The basic 'crate' still around this (half) model

The model has some defects but wont affect manufacture or rendering

rendered model (Using Podium)

http://www.su-podium.com/evaluation.php

Some School Projects

Some of the past Sketchup designs done whilst the D&T department at SIS and Kellett HK.

Mobile Phone Holder 80s decals

made product

Polypropylene Lamp