Technical drawing is more than just a sketch — it's a thinking tool.
We use technical drawings to turn abstract ideas into real, buildable designs.
Every line, angle, and measurement serves a purpose:
Dimensions help us plan how big or small the piece should be.
Angles and views show how the furniture looks from every side.
Proportions ensure it's usable, comfortable, and scaled for the human body.
Details like materials and joints help us understand how to construct the piece.
Before we start cutting, gluing, or prototyping, the drawing becomes our guide — helping us catch problems, explain ideas, and stay consistent.
So yes, we draw to build smarter, communicate better, and create intentionally.
Let’s start designing with purpose.
Prompt
Get ready to design an interactive furniture piece that serves 2 or more people and facilitates human interaction. From researching inspiring presidents to building human-scale prototypes, this activity will challenge you to blend functionality and aesthetics while considering social dynamics.
Materials
Cardboard sheets, paper, cardstock paper
Tape, hot glue gun, fasteners, zip ties
Box cutters, scissors
Post-it notes (for brainstorming and feedback)
Instructions
1. Precedent Research:
Individually, compile a collection of inspirational images showcasing various seating arrangements and designs. In groups, share your findings and identify design elements that inspire interaction. Collaborate to envision how these elements can shape your project and enhance user dynamics.
2. Brainstorming:
Generate 10 diverse furniture ideas individually, drawing inspiration from your research.
In groups, consolidate your individual ideas and create three new sketches that combine the most exciting elements from each concept. Embrace collaboration to refine and enrich your designs.
3. Quick Prototyping:
Work in groups to create small-scale prototypes of your three sketches using basic materials like paper, tape, and cardboard.
Share feedback within your team and select one concept to develop further into a human-scale prototype, focusing on construction techniques and user interaction.
4. Cardboard and Construction:
Research different cardboard building mechanisms and construction ideas in the Resources Tab or through independent research.
Sketch out potential construction methods and consider how they can be applied to your design.
5. Detailed Drawings:
Collaborate with your group to create detailed drawings of your design from various angles, including estimated measurements and sketches of individual components to be cut from cardboard.
6. Human-Scale Prototype:
Utilize materials from your quick prototypes to construct a human-scale prototype of your chosen design, paying close attention to construction techniques and user interaction. Challenge yourself to create a functional and aesthetically pleasing piece.
7. Sharing and Testing:
Showcase your sketches, quick prototypes, and human-scale prototypes for peer feedback. Participate in a feedback exchange where students test each other's furniture designs and provide constructive feedback using post-it notes.
Final Deliverable
A piece of furniture designed for human interaction between 2 or more people using cardboard and other lo-fi materials.
"Pin Pres is a kid’s room shelf that makes the act of sorting up the room a playful experience where the shelf adopts its form to the toys, books and other things that are being stored.
Its the only shelf that will make your kid actually want to clean up and de-clutter the room!"
https://www.dezeen.com/2011/11/27/pin-pres-by-ooo-my-design/
The Flip Chair, designed by Mina Kasirifar, is a playful furniture piece intended to facilitate sensory development and foster playful experiences for kids stuck inside during the pandemic. Kasirifar focused specifically on vestibular and proprioceptive development within young children.
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