In the beginning Developing an effective design brief

In the beginning … Developing an effective design brief for the VCE Food and Technology School-assessed Task ©Laurel Tully 2011

Preparing a design brief n n n Outlines the problem to be solved Focus based on a theme or event Contains all information (context and specifications) needed to solve the problem ¨ ¨ ¨ Who – client or consumer information Why – reason the product is required What – client or consumer requirements; what needs to be prepared When – time/date the product needs to be ready Where – place/location to be served/eaten ©Laurel Tully 2011

Developing the design brief n Decide on theme or event ¨ Describe n the event or occasion/purpose of the product Outline client or consumer information ¨ Age, gender, lifestyle, particular food likes and dislikes, any special dietary requirements n Specify the client requirements ¨ Style of the meal or product, special nutritional needs, number of people to be served, use of particular ingredients ©Laurel Tully 2011

Developing the design brief n School-assessed Task: scope of task ¨ Incorporate the scope of the task into the design brief ¨ Written in the context of the brief ¨ A set of four to six food items (the product) ¨ At least four different complex processes ¨ Two to three different food preservation techniques to preserve two or three of the food items ©Laurel Tully 2011

Shortboard surfing classic Background information n n n Weekend at Jan Juc in early December to celebrate the end of Year 12 Two school friends will be coming along with me Need foods to contribute to breakfast, lunch and dinner for the weekend Special dessert to share at dinner Savoury and sweet snacks to take to the beach Needs to appeal to young males and satisfy ‘healthy’ appetites Casual dining ©Laurel Tully 2011

The design brief Context Of all the sports I have ever played, surfing is without doubt my favourite. I really can’t remember a time when I haven’t been able to surf. My Nan and Pa have had a house at Torquay since I was just a toddler and so we have spent most weekends there every summer. My Pa was one of the original ‘surfies’ at Jan Juc and other beaches along the surf coast and he taught me to surf when I was really young. ©Laurel Tully 2011

The design brief (Context continued) Two of my friends from school, Ben and Sam, are also keen surfers and so we have decided to head to the surf for a couple of days after our final exams in early December for our own ‘Shortboard Classic’. My Nan and Pa have offered to let us stay at their house on Friday and Saturday but we will need to take some of our own ‘supplies’ as I don’t want Nan to have to do all of the meal preparation. As I quite enjoy cooking, I have decided to make some of the main food items we will eat over the two days. ©Laurel Tully 2011

The design brief Specifications (considerations and constraints) We will need some food items for a casual dinner on Friday and breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Specification 1 I will also need to prepare some savoury and sweet snack items we can take to the beach Specification 2 as we will no doubt be hungry after spending so long in the water. On Saturday night we will have a celebratory dinner with my Nan and Pa before we leave and so I will need to make a dessert to share for dinner. The dessert needs to be quite special and look spectacular Specification 3 so that it is the ‘grand finale’ to a great weekend.

The design brief Specifications (continued) Just as importantly, I can show my Nan that all the hours she spent teaching me how to cook while we were staying at Torquay weren’t wasted! The food will also need to be appealing to us and satisfy our ‘healthy’ appetites Specification 4. As we will be leaving for Torquay straight after our last exam, all of the food needs to be prepared several weeks in advance and have good keeping qualities. Specification 5 I also want to use a variety of complex processes Specification 6 so that the products I produce are of a very high quality. ©Laurel Tully 2011

The design brief Specifications (continued) My Nan is a great fan of television cooking shows and I want to show her that I am now quite a skilled cook too – even if not yet in the league of the experts on her favourite show! ©Laurel Tully 2011

Developing criteria for evaluation n Use the identified specifications in the design brief (considerations and constraints) to develop relevant evaluation criteria questions Five or six good evaluation questions are required Combine more than one specification into a question if necessary ©Laurel Tully 2011

Criteria for evaluation 1. 2. 3. Have I been able to prepare a range of food items suitable for a casual dinner on Friday and breakfast and lunch on Saturday? Was I able to produce some savoury and sweet snack items suitable to take to the beach? Did the range of food items include a special dessert to share for dinner on Saturday night? ©Laurel Tully 2011

Criteria for evaluation 4. 5. 6. Will the food be appealing to young males and will it be filling enough to satisfy ‘healthy’ appetites? Was all of the food able to be prepared several weeks in advance and did it have good keeping qualities? Did I use a variety of complex processes in the preparation of the products to produce high quality products? ©Laurel Tully 2011

Brainstorming ideas Jams Marmalade Muesli Bread Crumpets Breakfast Lunch Surfing weekend at Jan Juc Dessert Cakes Tarts Ice cream Puddings Yeast snacks Biscuits Small cakes ©Laurel Tully 2011 Snacks Rolls Pastries Bread Dinner Barbecue foods Chutneys Dressings

Complex processes and preservation techniques n Four different complex processes: e. g. caramelisation, yeast baking, pastry making, confectionary, cake making, crystallisation, emulsification and creaming. n Two or three different food preservation techniques: e. g. dehydration, jam and jelly making, sugar crystallisation, freezing, bottling, chutney, pickle, and relish making. ©Laurel Tully 2011

Checklist for the proposed set of food items (the product) Food item Complex processes (4 different processes needed) Preservation techniques (2 or 3 different preservation techniques needed) 1 2 3 4 5 6 ©Laurel Tully 2011 Ideas for presenting the food items

Design brief ideas: Food for an organisation A gourmet delicatessen n Soul food vegetarian café n A Brunswick Street café n A gourmet weekend retreat n Business conference n Tennis club or cricket club raffle n ©Laurel Tully 2011

Design brief ideas: A favourite culture Colours of India n Thai treats n A taste of Japan n The flavours of France n A tapestry of Tunisia n Spanish dinner party n Tasting Australia n ©Laurel Tully 2011

Design brief ideas: Promoting an ingredient n n n n Winter fruits – pears Summer fruits at a farmers’ market Citrus fruit – promoting the Murray Valley Exotic fruit of Queensland Apples Berries Mangoes n n n n Vegetables Nuts Chocolate Coffee Spices Herbs and spices of Asia Cheese Dried fruit ©Laurel Tully 2011

Design brief ideas: Celebration meal or event n n Grand final lunch basket Portable feast for the Moonlight Cinema Gift for an exchange student Hamper to take on a fishing trip n n Brunch basket for the Murray Marathon A ‘blast from the past’ – a 1980 s dinner party Carols by Candlelight Foods for a Grand Prix lunch basket ©Laurel Tully 2011

Design brief ideas: Celebration meal or event n n n Australian Open Tennis Birthday gift for an elderly relative A basket of food to take to a holiday house n n A vegetarian Christmas A basket of treats for a house warming A brunch by the Yarra or at the beach Food for the launch of a new business venture ©Laurel Tully 2011