Task A4 | D

​ esign Brief 
🔎 What? 
  
❗Why? 
 
Develop a design brief, which  You have to make a decision at this point in the project: What will you design and create, 
presents the analysis of relevant  for whom and why. You want your decision to be based on sufficient background 
research.  research.  

⚙ How? 
Research results summary 
● Present​ the main results of your research (from A2) in a concise list of bullet points. ​This must be in your own words! 
● Illustrate​ your take-aways with imagery wherever you feel this reduces the amount of writing needed. However, don’t 
add images for the sake of adding images. Cite any images that you use. 
● Cite​ ​(in-text) from the sources that you found your answers from. Use the proper MLA format. 

DEFINITIONS  By consulting sources, I have found out: 

● Fast fashion is defined as the practice of producing weekly seasons of garments 
in a low-cost manner for the sole reason of capturing consumers (“Wrong”). 
● Fabric is a material that has been joined through means such as weaving or 
knitting (“Fabric”) 
● Textiles are materials that consist of numerous fibres of any material (“Textile”) 
● Garments are pieces of material worn on the body, also known as clothing 
(“Garment”). 

MANUFACTURING  By consulting sources about manufacturing cotton, I have found out: 

● Nowadays, cotton is usually harvested mechanically, and the threads will be 
defoliated (leaves removed), ginned (seeds and lint removed), and carded 
(threads aligned). 
● The threads then need to be spun into a yarn, which can then be dyed and woven 
into a completed textile. (Hodakel) 
● The textile needs to be cut according to the pattern guides, paper cutouts that 
form the shape and measurements of the garment. 
● Finally, the cut textile can be joined in a variety of manners, most commonly 
sewing, but also through synthetic methods. (Jones and Stylios 355-463)

 
Above: Cotton Gin 

TECHNIQUES AND  By consulting sources such as, I have found out the following information that I can use for 
TOOLS FOR MAKING  designing and creating my product: 
● To make different components of the product, sewing patterns may be used to 
guide the cuts on the fabric and make them precise. 
● Patterns are prefabricated and made directly from tailoring the measurements of 
the client. (“Pattern”)  
● All of the fabric will be self-sourced from the garment, and all parts of the 
garment can later be used on the upcycled product, such as buttons. 
 ● Minor components such as thread, needles, and adhesives, will be provided for 
use at any given time, with the approval of the teacher. (Hung and O’Rourke 4) 

 
Above: Garment Pattern example 

CLIENT INFORMATION  By consulting sources such as, I have realized the following considerations should be 
taken into account when designing and creating my product: 
● Howard prefers minimalistic design choices, such as eliminating any prints and 
confining to 2-3 colours. 
● Howard does not have major preferences for colours but prefers harmonious 
natural tones over saturated ones. 
● Howard would like the bag to have multiple functions, in order for the product to 
be more useful in different circumstances. 
● Howard would not like prints and branding of any sort on the product, including 
illustrations, logos, or words. 
● Howard needs the product to be durable and usable in any environmental 
condition. (“Visual”) 

PRACTICAL SKILLS  By completing the practical skills tasks, I have learned the following skills (list & explain): 
● Sewing a button onto a piece of fabric.  
● Sewing snap fasteners onto fabrics and fitting them together. 
● How to braid pieces of fabric together. (“Practical” 3) 
● Running Stitch, Overstitch, and Backstitch stitching techniques, and how to tie a 
finishing knot. (2) 
The skills that will be useful for my project are (list & explain why): 
● Sewing buttons: there are many buttons on my shirt, and they need to be 
repurposed in some way; to be able to effectively use the buttons will make my 
product more aesthetically pleasing. 
● Running Stitch, Overstitch and Backstitch. To know a good variety of stitches is 
beneficial because there is a wide variety to choose from in the final product and I 
will know which is more appropriate for what function. 
● How to sew a snap fastener; if I would like my tote bag to be closed, I could 
potentially incorporate snaps into my design, and learning how to sew them 
would be crucial. 
● Being able to tie knots and use needles properly. If I want to successfully 
manufacture my product, I need to be proficient in these basic skills in order to 
not injure myself or others or waste time redoing the product. 
The skills that I still need to practice or want to learn more about are (list & explain): 
● I still need to practice my stitching skills and finesse. I would like to develop and 
to practice straightening my stitches, making sure that they are uniform, and 
keeping the gaps small and tidy. 
● When sewing buttons and snaps, I would like to ensure that my work on the 
bottom is unified and threads even, in order to make the stitchwork more durable 
and identify mistakes more quickly. 
● When I do braiding, I need to ensure the tightness of the braids for practical and 
aesthetic reasons. This can be done by placing the braid under a weight to make 
it tidy. 
 ● I want to practice blanket stitches and French knots on my product, as they can 
make aesthetic differences whilst still attainable in terms of resource 
procurement.  

Works cited 
● List​ any sources of information used in this section. Present in-text citations in your r​ esearch summary​ section to the 
references listed in this section. 

"Fabric." D​ ictionary.com​, Lexico Publishing, www.dictionary.com/browse/fabric. 

Accessed 19 Feb. 2020.  
 
"Garment." ​Merriam-Webster Dictionary​, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/ 
dictionary/garment. Accessed 21 Feb. 2020.  
 
Shi, Haoyang. "Howard A4: Developing Your Practical Skills." 10 Mar. 2020. G ​ oogle Docs​, 
Google, docs.google.com/document/d/ 
1aIF9UqJkvWhvkLnTO7tXK6h8ooafCu5kWXsLZLbHI4A/edit#. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020. 
Manuscript.  
 
Hodakel, Boris. "What is Cotton Fabric: Properties, How it's Made and Where." S ​ ewport​, 21 Feb.  
2020, sewport.com/fabrics-directory/cotton-fabric. Accessed 21 Feb. 2020.  
 
Hung, Peggy, and Erin O'Rourke. "A2: Research Plan G7 Sustainable Design Task 
Sheet." G ​ oogle Docs​, Google, docs.google.com/document/d/ 
1FGq6wbpIDsPZ-NF1-vhlan2ktCEz4XXwJdNomwUqSNM/edit?ts=5e4ca94b. Accessed 9 
Mar. 2020. Manuscript.  
 
Jones, I., and G. K. Stylios, editors. ​Joining Textiles: Principles and 
Applications​. Elsevier B.V., 2013. ​Science Direct​, Elsevier B.V., 
www.sciencedirect.com/book/9781845696276/joining-textiles. Accessed 22 Feb. 2020.  
 
"Pattern (sewing)." W ​ ikipedia​, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Feb. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattern_(sewing). Accessed  
23 Feb. 2020.  
 
Shi, Haoyang. "A2 Visual Thinking." G ​ oogle Drawings​, Google, 25 Feb. 2020, 
docs.google.com/drawings/d/1qFuWlDZgFsytSSCRtvhOrt3BhIbY_uaRiqMg5aiIR8k/edit. 
Accessed 9 Mar. 2020. Infographic.  
 
Shi, Haoyang. "Howard A4: Developing Your Practical Skills." 10 Mar. 2020. G ​ oogle Docs​, 
Google, docs.google.com/document/d/ 
1aIF9UqJkvWhvkLnTO7tXK6h8ooafCu5kWXsLZLbHI4A/edit#. Accessed 10 Mar. 2020. 
Manuscript. 
 
"Textile." C​ ambridge English Dictionary​, Cambridge UP, dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/textile. Accessed  
19 Feb. 2020.  
 
"What's wrong with the fashion industry?" Sustain Your Style. Sustain Your Style, ​www.sustainyourstyle.org 
/en/whats-wrong-with-the-fashion-industry. Accessed 16 Feb. 2020. 

Project commitment 
● State​ what type of product you are going to develop in your project in this unit and ​outline​ the direct practical purpose 
of this product. 
● Outline​ the bigger picture purpose of the product. 
● Describe​ the client or target audience for whom you will develop the product. 

Product and Purpose   In this project, I will create a tote bag upcycled from an old t-shirt.  
 
The purpose of my product is to create a convenient design for carrying large amounts of 
objects and to extend the life of the t-shirt by creating a meaningful product. 

Design Goal  My product will address the design problem of textiles being quickly sent to landfills by 
repurposing the textile into another product, allowing it to be used for longer. 
 

Intended   My product is intended to be used by Howard, a student currently in grade 7. 

Target audience 

Target audience representative  I would describe my client as part of the eco-conscious minimalist trend in design, and he 
 would enjoy for the product to be simple and for the usability to be the priority. 
 
Their needs and wants for the product are for it to be sustainably produced, simplistically 
decorated, for it to have a large capacity, and for it to not  
 

   
A4 Assessment 
Level  Descriptor  Typical features of student work 

0  The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below. 

1-2  The student ​states some​ of the  ❏ Summary contains little credible, factual information. More evidence of 
main findings of relevant  relevant research was needed. 
research.  ❏ Sources are not cited (in​text or footnote). Review the MLA format for 
citations. 
❏ Works Cited is not complete. Use Noodletools. 
❏ The project commitment identifies the product and client in a limited way. 
More explanation of the needs & wants of the client are needed. 

3-4  The student ​outlines​ a basic  ❏ The report includes some credible, factual information about the issue. 
design brief, which ​outlines  More explanation of your findings and more varied sources were needed. 
some​ findings of relevant  ❏ Some sources are cited (intext or footnote). Review the MLA format for 
research.  citations. 
❏ Works Cited - Student attempts some sort of listing of texts but in an 
improper and incorrect way. Use Noodletools. 
❏ The project commitment describes the product and the client. More 
explanation of the needs & wants of the client is needed. 

5-6  The student ​describes​ a design  ❏ Summary effectively recaps relevant and credible information about the 
brief, which ​describes​ the  issue. A greater variety of sources would prepare you for further for the 
findings of relevant research.  next stage. 
❏ Sources are cited properly (intext or footnote). 
❏ Works cited is correct. 
❏ The project commitment explains the product and client.  

7-8  The student ​develops​ a design  ❏ The report effectively synthesizes relevant and credible information about 
brief, which ​presents​ the  the issue. 
analysis​ of relevant research.  ❏ Sources are always properly cited (intext and footnote). 
❏ Works cited is correct and includes an appropriate number of texts. 
❏ The project commitment explains & justifies the product and client.