Design Aptitude Part B: Subjective and Drawing Responses
Part B asks you to think on paper. Typical tasks: draw an object or scene from a given theme, design a product or poster to a brief, create a visual composition from given shapes, or solve a small design problem with sketches and notes. Examiners look for idea quality, clarity of communication, observation, composition, and craft - not photorealism.
Read the brief twice and underline constraints (size, medium, audience, function, number of views). A common trap is answering the literal prompt while ignoring the functional brief: a "cup for a child" needs a handle, safe proportions and grip, not just a decorated cylinder. Another trap is an empty or cluttered page - composition matters. Plan a clear focal point, use the page's full area, and keep margins breathing. Show process: light construction lines, a labelled detail or two, and brief annotation of your reasoning earn marks that a single pretty drawing does not. Manage time: roughly a quarter for thinking and thumbnails, half for the main drawing, the rest for refinement and labels.
Worked rule of thumb: the 3-thumbnail method
Before committing, sketch three tiny (5 cm) alternative layouts - e.g. centred, diagonal, and off-centre-with-negative-space. Pick the strongest, then scale it up with light guide lines. This costs two minutes and prevents the classic failure of a drawing that drifts off the page or sits timidly in one corner.
Carry a range of pencils, an eraser, and a scale/ruler. Practise drawing everyday objects from observation so proportion and perspective become automatic under time pressure.