General

On Thursday 50 Design and Technology pupils from A Block, O Block and Sixth Form travelled to the Design Museum and the V&A Museum in London, taking in seven exhibitions and a whole host of design disciplines.

For the Sixth Formers this trip aimed to encourage further thought on the design of the everyday things around them and current design issues. Also it gave them the chance to start to form their own opinions on some iconic pieces, all to the benefit of their exam preparation and development as designers.

For the juniors this was a great opportunity for them to start thinking ahead to AS and GCSE, drawing inspiration from the work on show to use as source material when creating their own designs.

A host of interesting exhibits were on display, below is a brief outline of those seen in the Design Museum;

Brit Insurance Designs of the Year
Considered to be the Oscars of the Design World, this exhibition of shortlisted products for the prize was a real must see. On show were a wide range of products from many disciplines of design...architecture/product/interactive/transport/fashion/furniture/graphics to name but a few. Particular highlights being a BMW concept car with an exterior skin made from a sophisticated textile material, to a solar powered correx (corrugated plastic) oven, intended to help those in Kenya with little or no electricity supplies; proving design can go from the purely indulgent to entirely frugal.

Less is More: The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams
From one of the most influential product and industrial designers of the last century, this exhibition gave pupils the chance to see his important work for electronics manufacturer Braun and furniture from Vitsoe. Students were encourage to look at how his products developed over the decades and A Block noticed how reminiscent current Apple mp3 products are of his work. 

Ergonomics: Real Design
Through prototypes and real-life examples this exhibition gave pupils the chance to see what ergonomics is really all about, from areas such as the massively complex transport design to medical care. Most useful were the many examples of test rigs, models and representative models (sprayed and painted to look like the finished item) alongside the finished items....perfectly demonstrating how much products change and evolve as a result of the complex and sophisticated science of Anthropometric Data. 

The V& A also had a lot to offer and pupils particularly focused on the exhibitions Decode: Digital Design Sensations (showcasing the latest developments in digital and interactive design), Morris, Dresser and Mackintosh (history of furniture design), 20th Century Form Follows Function and Mass Consumption (iconic objects made between 1945 and 2000).

After a full afternoon of viewing, sketching and note-taking, the pupils enjoyed a tasty meal at Wagamama’s, and for some...the most important part of the day; a venture into Harrods, before the long journey back to Repton.

Please click here for more photos from the trip.