REPRESENTATION SYSTEMS IN AN INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER PROFILE. NEW APPROACH TO THE SUBJECT “GRAPHIC EXPRESSION I” IN INDUSTRIAL DESIGN AND PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT DEGREE

The following article describes the results of the implementation of the new approach in the subject “Graphic Expression I” taught in the Degree in Industrial Design and Product Developement at Universitat Jaume I (Castellón, Spain). We analyze the strengths and weaknesses identified in the previous approach of the subject, describing the improvement actions developed throughout the course and its effect on student learning.

The subject “Graphic Expression I” is the first of the graphic subjects taught in the degree, placing these in sequence. Its objective is the study of representation systems so that the students are able to express or convey their ideas correctly and nimbly. Thus, during the first semester, students must obtain the theoretical and practical graphic language, required in the industrial design workfield and essential for the development of other graphic subjects.

So far the syllabus approach is mainly focused on basic elements, geometric solids and surfaces representation through problems based on principles of descriptive geometry. The subject does not delved into technical or freehand drawing of industrial products. Moreover, students within the same class have different levels of training in technical drawing. This caused the abandonment of the subject in the first weeks by students with average levels, limiting their sequential training in the following graphic subjects.

From the industrial designer point of view and having in mind the suitable inclusion of students in the workfield, their agility when it comes to turn product ideas into paper, their communication ability through three-dimensional representations and their understanding in terms of product manufacture and assembly, are features that should be strengthened from the beginning for the degree.

By reason of the matters aforesaid, the new approach of the subject aims to lay the basis of these characteristics, raising theoretical and practical classes where students deduce through visual exercises the fundament of representation systems. Afterwards, by means of group dynamics and real situations interpretation, the students will be able to represent objects at any level and in any representation system.

The results can be summarized in: disappearance to abandonment levels, improvement of the student's spatial vision increase and the agility for understanding and representing industrial products. These new capacities are suitable for success in the subsequent graphic subjects.