A Level Product Design
Examination Board: AQA
Product Design offers you an opportunity via a range of practical problem-solving processes to develop the independent learning, creativity and innovation skills and knowledge needed to solve a variety of design problems currently facing society.
The course is intended to reflect the wide-ranging activities of professional designers and develop an understanding of a wide range of materials and processes. You will gain a real understanding of what it means to be a designer, alongside the development of the knowledge and skills sought by higher education and employers.
This creative and thought-provoking qualification gives students the practical skills, theoretical knowledge and confidence to succeed in a number of careers. Especially those in the creative industries.
Project and coursework will contain significant graphic elements; such as coursework presentation, sketching, CAD and modelling. All project work requires a functioning three-dimensional outcome.
This course is best suited to dedicated, creative and hardworking students from the Design and Technology GCSE courses but may also be suitable for those students who have taken Art at GCSE.
You will gain a deep understanding of what it means to be a designer. Developing skills and knowledge that will provide you with the tools to analyse products and problems to identify potential areas for improvement.
You will investigate historical, social, cultural, environmental and economic influences on design and technology, whilst enjoying opportunities to put learning into practice by producing prototypes of your choice!
Utilising a broad knowledge of materials and manufacturing processes, including those used in commercial production, you will be able to apply your technical understanding to create successful solutions to a variety of design problems!
This course can lead to a variety of higher education and career opportunities including; Teaching Product Design, Interior Design, Graphic Design, Architecture, Manufacturing, Engineering, CAD/CAM Operation, Structural Engineering.
Furthermore, the rapidly developing field of ‘new’ technologies, such as CADCAM and AI, offers an exciting opportunity for those who enjoy integrating Science, Maths and Business into the future of design.
Sketchbooks, presentation boards, portfolio and practical outcomes will provide evidence for steps following completion of the course via workplace apprenticeships, foundation studies or university applications.