An up-to-date scheme of work that ticks lots of boxes in the curriculum spec can be hard to come by… well look no further because I have a great SOW that students love and I have even designed a booklet to go with it that is free to download!

I originally designed this SOW to meet some of the requirements of the new DT specification and we use it with Y8 on a 12 week rotation. Here are the areas/skills that the SOW covers:

• Design context and problem solving for a design brief.
• Research of the client and consumer.
• Primary & secondary research – Questionnaires & product analysis.
• Generating creative solutions/designs in consideration to a design specification.
• Theory: Ergonomics, Anthropometrics, sustainability, product life-cycle & production aids.
• Design development – Manufacturing Diary.
• Evaluation of design solutions.
• Sublimation printing, heat press, hot glue gun, vacuum forming, cutting, blister packaging.

iPhone Case Process: Blank sublimation phone cases can be purchased from www.coralgraph.com for around 85p each (We normally charge students for these). I then get students to sand off the white sublimation coating with glass paper, as I have found that the designs heat press to the metal surface better and it also gives a metallic finish. Students design & illustrate graphics for their phone case using Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, which I print onto Laser Image Transfer (hard surface) paper using a sublimation printer (remember to mirror flip the design). Students then use a heat press to transfer their design onto the metal plate – 180 degrees for 2m 10s. Peel off the LIT paper, remove the adhesive tape from the plastic part of the case and stick the plate down. Easy!

Packaging Process: Students design A5ish size front and back packaging using Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator and print it onto paper in colour. Mount the designs to grey board/foam board using spray adhesive and cut using a craft knife into the desired shape. Use a card template to cut out the right size blister packaging window in the front design again with a craft knife). Next, use the vacuum former and iPhone case shaped wooden  formers to make a blister packaging window (with clear HIPS). Finally, use the hot glue gun to assemble all parts of the packaging once the iPhone case is inside.

The student work booklet & end of unit exam paper is available for download via my TES store.

TES Download: CLICK HERE