Design Challenge
Starting with what you already know about seats in vehicles, collect as many images of car, train, tube, bus, coach, and airline seats as you can.
See if you can work out why they are the shape they are, why they are made from those particular materials, and the function they perform.
For example what do you need to consider if you were designing an airline seat or a city centre bus seat?
Come up with a design and model for a transport seating to be used by an identified traveller – it could be someone famous or a member of the public. It could be based on the past, the present or the future.
- Select a mode of road transport which interests you and relates to your chosen traveller.
- Collect any information on existing or past shapes, construction and materials.
- Who is/was it used by and for what sort of journey.
- Make some sketches using the information you have discovered and work up your ideas about the transport seating. Think about the length of journey, practicality, comfort, and construction.
- Make some selections about the materials you will use
- From your final sketch design construct your model.
- Have a mini exhibition and evaluate all the work on display.
Take a look at these images. Both cars were sold in the 1960s: the red estate car is a Hillman Husky and the silver sports car is an Aston Martin.
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What do you think the design brief was for the designers of each of these cars?
Compare the interiors of the two cars. What do they tell you about the people who owned them?
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You can download images from the Gallery to provide pictures for creating timelines in class.
