Karim: Design isn’t just about making things look good, it’s also about making sure that the thing works.
Karim: Take this chair. If it hasn’t been properly designed and tested then it will just collapse when I sit down on it.
Karim: Thank goodness for that!
Karim: When designing a new product, designers make a thing called a prototype.
Karim: Come on, I'll show you.
Karim: A prototype is like a model that designers make to take their idea from a flat illustration on a page to a 3D item that you can look at from all angles.
Karim: It’s the best way to get a feel for if the design really works and more importantly if it doesn't work and what needs to be changed.
Karim: Remember, prototypes are temporary models. They're not strong enough to hold a person... even a little person like me.
Karim: So who made this then?
Karim: MEET THE MASTER!
Karim: David Irwin is a furniture designer living and working in Newcastle.
David: The key to good design for me is trying to keep things as simple as possible. Whenever I start a new project I try to consider three things.
David: First of all, where the product is going to used, how it's going to be used and also what it's going to be made from.
David: So the first thing to do is start sketching. You can be as rough as you like, its just to get that idea out of your head and down onto paper.
David: And don't worry about making mistakes.
David: I try to imagine it in three dimensions, so what it looks like from all angles.
David: If we think about a cube with all those different faces and then try and imagine what the product that you're designing looks like from all these different angles.
David: So you can work from that to create a prototype, and from that prototype you can create the final, finished piece of furniture.
David: So your challenge today is to design and make a prototype of a chair. Here are some examples...
David: Remember to think about where your design is going to be used and make sure it's suitable for that space.
David: So what are you waiting for? Go get creative!
Karim: Nice! So who's going to be taking on this challenge then?
Karim: This is Molly, and she can make a pencil appear whenever she needs it!
Karim: Next up its Sam, who can appear and disappear whenever he likes!
Karim: Hey! Where did he go?
Karim: And finally, we've got Rudi, and her creative super power is super shading!
Karim: Right team, are we ready to design a chair?
Children: YEAH!
Karim: Wicked! You will need...
Karim: A pencil, paper and a rubber...
Karim: A range of different materials...
Karim: Safety scissors, glue and tape.
Karim: First things first, let’s try and sketch out some of the ideas we might have, so grab some pencils and pens...
Karim: What are you going to do? I'm going to go for a relaxing chair. You know the ones where you sit down and it reclines back?
Rudi: I'm going to do a really comfy thinking chair.
Molly: A rainbow reading chair.
Karim: Sam the man with the plan! Talk to me about your chair.
Sam: I'm going to do a game chair.
Karim: Right, let's get sketching!
Karim: Wow, these are looking brilliant. Let me see your designs, hold them up!
Karim: Wow, so many colourful ones there. Looking extra comfy, we've got the gaming chair.
Karim: Awesome, well done guys! Now that we’ve sketched out our ideas it’s time to make the prototypes!
Karim: So there's loads of materials in the middle, get stuck in, let's see what we can make, yeah?
Karim: Remember with a prototype like this its all about making your drawing into a 3D model.
Karim: You don’t need to be able to sit on it and it can be any size you like.
Karim: Right, now it’s over to you! Get creating and remember don’t sit on your prototypes!
Karim: Hey guys, should we make one big prototype together?
Rudi: Yes, should we make a couch?
Karim: A couch? Sounds good. Let's go for materials!
Karim: If you enjoyed this creative challenge there are loads more over on the BBC Teach website.
Karim: You can create a cake sculpture, tell a story or design a costume. So go on get creative!
