Major Design Project: Practical Work and Folio
How the project is judged
The Major Design Project rewards evidence of process, not just a good product. The folio must document the design process in sequence and show that decisions were justified. A beautiful product with a thin folio scores poorly; a well-documented project with a modest product scores well.
What the folio must contain
Identification of the need with evidence (survey, interview, observation). A design brief and specification with measurable criteria. Research into materials, processes, and existing solutions. Idea generation with several distinct concepts, and evaluation of them against the specification. Development of the chosen concept with drawings, models, and testing. Project management evidence: timeline, finance plan, and risk management. Production records: photographs, cutting lists, and process notes. Testing and evaluation against the specification, including client feedback. Final evaluation with recommendations for improvement.
Project management evidence
Include a timeline (Gantt chart or similar), a budget with actual versus planned costs, and a risk assessment with controls. Markers look for evidence of modification: where testing revealed a problem and you changed the design, and why.
Traps
Students show only the final design and hide the rejected ideas. Students claim the product met all criteria without testing evidence. Students omit finance and risk management. Students include photographs without annotation explaining what they show.
Rule of thumb
Every page should answer "what decision did this let me make?" If a page only decorates the folio, cut it and replace it with evidence of a decision.
Worked example
A storage project: survey shows the client needs 40 kg shelf capacity; specification states 40 kg per shelf and 900 mm width; testing loads one shelf to 50 kg with no deflection; evaluation reports the criterion met with a 25% safety margin.