Drawing, Graphical Communication and Applied Design Project
Drawing, Graphical Communication and Applied Design Project tests your ability to read, produce and justify drawings, and to carry a design brief through to a coherent proposal. Expect scales, orthographic views, plans, sections, elevations, dimensioning and design rationale.
Core rules
- Scale is drawing size : real size; 1:50 means 1 unit on paper represents 50 units in reality.
- Orthographic projection gives plan, elevation and section from related views.
- Dimensioning needs consistent units, levels, overall and setting-out dimensions.
- Line weights and symbols communicate structure, services and materials.
- The design project must answer the brief: site, user needs, planning constraints, construction and sustainability.
Worked example
A wall is 4.5 m long. At 1:50, drawn length = 4,500 mm/50 = 90 mm. If a drawing measures 72 mm at 1:50, real length = 72 × 50 = 3,600 mm = 3.6 m. The reasoning is: convert to the same unit, then multiply or divide by the scale factor. Always label the scale on the sheet.
Traps
- Inverting the scale factor.
- Omitting levels, dimensions or a north point.
- Using inconsistent line weights so structure and services are unclear.
- Producing a drawing that does not match the written design brief.
Annotate decisions; a drawing is an argument, not decoration.