Mechanical Drawing Board and CAD Techniques ©2010Unit 2:
Developing Drafting TechniquesWebQuest Internet ProjectDiscovering Design History Introduction
First launched in 2000, the National Design Awards annually honor the best in American design. The awards are hosted by the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. Awards are given to individuals who have done exemplary work in a variety of design fields. Cooper-Hewitt has recently added a new award to the lineup: the historical lifetime achievement award. This award honors a person who made a deep and lasting contribution to design. Students from across the country have been invited to nominate one individual for the award. If the judges choose your entry, you will win an all-expenses paid trip to New York City for the awards presentation night! Task
In order to select a nominee, you will need to research design history. To narrow your focus, you should choose one design discipline to study. Once your research leads you to a good candidate for the award, you will prepare your entry. The entry should consist of a brief essay and presentation in a visual format of your choice. Then, before you send your entries to the judges, you will present your findings to your classmates. The Cooper-Hewitt judges will be looking for an entry that combines strong historical research, persuasive writing, and a creative and interesting presentation. Process - Your first step in the nomination process is choosing one design field to study. Select your focus from the following list:
- Architecture design
- Communications design
- Interior design
- Industrial design
- Once you have chosen a design field to study, begin researching online. Take notes of important names, dates, and events.
- Based on your research, select one person to nominate for the historical lifetime achievement award. Remember, the judges are looking for a nominee who made fundamental and lasting contributions in his or her design field. For the sake of fairness, do not choose anyone who has already received a Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award.
- Prepare your entry for submission. It should consist of a brief essay that is 250-500 words long and a visual presentation. In your essay, include essential biographical information and give the historical context of his or her work. Then argue persuasively why the judges should choose your individual for the award. The accompanying visual presentation may be in any format you choose, such as a brochure, poster, illustration, or slide presentation. Keep in mind that the judges will have many entries to consider. Your
- presentation should be visually interesting and organized. Design something to catch the eyes of the judges!
- The next time you are in class, before sending your entry to Cooper-Hewitt, briefly present it to your classmates. Explain your choice of nominee, give a synopsis of his or her contributions to design history, and display your presentation. Your classmates may have helpful feedback to improve your submission.
- Finally, once you and your classmates have completed your entries, divide up into teams. Yours should be based on the design field you chose to study. For example, if you chose to study architectural design, your teammates will only be students who studied architectural design, too. As a group, review your research notes and nominee submissions. Discuss the important people, places, events, innovations, and trends that shaped your chosen design field. Decide on 10-25 that are most important to your field, and create a timeline.
- Turn in your essay and visual presentation to your teacher. Each group will hand in one timeline, as well.
Resources
Here is a list of Web resources to help you with your submission to the Cooper-Hewitt judges: Architecture Design Graphic Design Interior Design Industrial Design Evaluation
| | Beginning
1 | Developing
2 | Accomplished
3 | Exemplary
4 | Score | Research | Information is inaccurate or inadequate | There is evidence of only a little research | Research is thorough and relevant | Research is thorough, and the information selected is detailed and | | Information Conveyed by Visual Presentation | Little relevant content is included | Some relevant content is presented | All content relevant to the topic is included | Content is complete, and additional interesting details are included | | Writing Quality | Most of the writing is not in complete sentences, and most capitalization and punctuation are not correct | Some of the writing is in complete sentences, and some capitalization and punctuation are correct | Most of the writing is in complete sentences, and most capitalization and punctuation are correct | All of the writing is in complete sentences, and proper capitalization and punctuation are used | | Organization of Information | The poster layout and organization are confusing | Information is organized consistently | The poster's information is organized in a meaningful and attractive way | Information is extremely well organized, and the poster's design eye-catching | | Presentation Skills | The presentation is difficult to follow or too short | The presentation is complete and organized | The presentation is detailed, and student refers to notes only occasionally | The presentation is interesting, thorough, and memorized | |
Conclusion
Your class's submissions have been sent to the judges, and you are nervously awaiting their announcement. In the meantime, you find that your newfound knowledge of design really enhances your own work. Past styles and designers are great inspiration for anyone working in a design field. You have a new found interest in learning more about design history!  |  |
