NCEA Level 2 Design and Visual Communication cheat sheet

Design process stages: brief, research, ideation, development, refinement, presentation, evaluation. Each stage produces evidence; the workbook must show the sequence, not just the final outcome.

Brief analysis: identify client, purpose, audience, constraints (size, cost, materials, safety, timeframe) and success criteria. Explicit constraints become the checklist used to judge the final design.

Design elements: line, shape, form, space, colour, texture, tone, type. Design principles: balance, contrast, emphasis, rhythm, proportion, scale, unity, movement. Use both vocabularies when annotating work.

Colour theory: primary, secondary, tertiary; complementary pairs sit opposite on the colour wheel; analogous colours sit adjacent; warm colours advance, cool colours recede.

Tone rendering: a light source is fixed first, then highlights, mid-tones, core shadow, reflected light and cast shadow are applied consistently across all views of the same object.

Ergonomics and anthropometrics: human dimensions and reach determine handle size, seat height, control placement and clearance; state the assumed user percentile (e.g. 5th–95th).

Sustainability in design: material choice, disassembly, recyclability, lifespan and end-of-life are design decisions that must be justified, not added at the end.

Annotation is evidence: notes on a drawing should record the design decision and its reason (why this material, why this proportion), not just label parts.

Instrument drawing conventions: use HB for construction, 2H for guidelines, B or 2B for outlines; construction lines remain light and are not erased if they explain the geometry.

Orthographic projection (first-angle, used in NZ): the plan sits below the elevation, the right-side view sits to the left of the front view. Third-angle places views on the same side as the direction of sight.

Scale: 1:1 full size, 1:2 half size, 2:1 double size. Scale is written as drawing:real. Always show the scale on the sheet and keep all views to the same scale.

Isometric drawing: three axes at 30° to the horizontal, all true lengths along the axes, no foreshortening. Circles become ellipses in isometric; use the isometric grid or ellipse template.

Oblique projection: front face drawn true shape and size, receding edges at 45° (cavalier = full depth, cabinet = half depth). Suited to objects with a dominant flat face.

Perspective: one-point has a single vanishing point on the horizon; two-point has two; the horizon equals the viewer's eye level. Objects above the horizon show their underside.

Rendering media: pencil for tone and gradient, marker for flat colour blocks, watercolour for soft washes, digital for precise repeatable colour. Match medium to the communication purpose.

Technical drawing standards: line types carry meaning - continuous thick for visible outlines, dashed for hidden detail, chain for centrelines, thin continuous for dimension and projection lines.

Dimensioning rules: dimensions go outside the view, use arrowheads and a single unit stated once, avoid crossing dimension lines, and never dimension the same feature twice.

Research methods: stakeholder interview, observation, existing product analysis, ergonomic data, material testing. Each method should answer a stated question in the brief.

Existing product analysis (product dissection) records function, materials, manufacture, ergonomics and aesthetics of comparable products, then states what will be adopted, adapted or rejected.

Concept sketches should be rapid and numerous; annotate each with the idea being tested so the development trail is traceable from brief to outcome.

Development drawing: show the chosen concept changing in response to a specific constraint, with before/after versions and a note on what evidence drove the change.

Mock-ups and models test proportion, scale and ergonomics in three dimensions; photograph them against a stated scale and record what the model revealed.

Evaluation uses the brief's success criteria as the checklist, plus stakeholder feedback; a judgement of 'partly met' with a reason is stronger evidence than an unsupported 'met'.

Presentation layouts: visual hierarchy, grid alignment, consistent type, white space and a clear title block. The sheet should read in a planned order.

Intellectual property and ethics: acknowledge sources, avoid copying an existing registered design, and record where reference imagery was used and why.

Common workshop materials: pine and plywood (easy to work, grain direction matters), MDF (uniform, no grain, dusty), acrylic (thermoformable, scratches), mild steel (strong, needs finishing), aluminium (light, corrosion-resistant).

Joining methods: screws and bolts (disassembly possible), wood glue (permanent, stronger than the timber), dowels and biscuit joints, welding, rivets, and interlocking or knock-down fittings.

Manufacturing scale: one-off (craft, high unit cost), batch (jigs and templates, moderate cost), mass production (tooling cost high, unit cost low). Design detail changes with the intended scale.

Finishing: sanding grits progress coarse to fine; primer improves paint adhesion; varnish and oil protect timber; anodising and powder coating protect aluminium.

Standard drawing sheet layout: title block with name, title, scale, date, projection symbol and sheet number; border and zoning for larger sets.

Digital tools: vector software for logos and layouts, raster software for rendering and image editing, 3D modelling for views and exploded drawings, and rapid prototyping for physical checks.

File and output practice: export PDF at the correct scale for printing, embed or outline fonts, and keep layered source files so edits remain possible.

Health and safety in the workshop: eye protection for machining, dust extraction for MDF, ventilation for solvents, and guard use on powered saws - these constrain which processes are realistic.

Sketching under time pressure: light construction first, then darken the final outline; a clean, correctly proportioned sketch scores better than a detailed but distorted one.

Read the question verb for the required depth: 'describe' needs features, 'explain' needs a reason or mechanism, 'justify' needs a comparison against an alternative, 'evaluate' needs a judgement with criteria.

Annotated sketches earn more than unlabelled drawings because the annotation shows design thinking; label materials, dimensions, function and user interaction.

When asked for a design idea, produce more than one option and indicate which is preferred and why; a single idea cannot demonstrate decision-making.

Time allocation: divide the paper by mark value, leave the last portion for checking scale, projection consistency and whether every part of the question was answered.

Use correct terminology in answers - vanishing point, elevation, isometric, anthropometric, iteration - because it signals understanding more precisely than everyday wording.

Check projection consistency: hidden detail must match the visible view, dimensions must agree between views, and the scale must be stated once and applied throughout.