Character, Concept Shine in Costume Design
In the seventh and eighth grade arts elective, Costume Design, the students were asked: How do designers communicate a concept, idea, or perspective to the audience using the elements of design?
To answer this question, the students worked in teams to design costumes for a fairy tale. They discussed the fairy tale in terms of mood, tone, and theme. The teams then developed a director’s concept and explained and justified their ideas in a formal “pitch” to the class. After analyzing the characters, each member of the team came up with three elements of design that they could use to communicate character and concept to the audience.
The teams came up with a time period for their fairy tale and began the research phase of the project. From their research they then created inspiration boards (a collage of pictures from the time period along with colors, textures, shapes, lines, patterns they will use for the designs).
Referring to the inspiration board, students created their costume designs. The teams put together a presentation of their work and shared this with the rest of the class.
Applying what they learned, the class will embark on their final design project: designing for a show of their choice or the grades seven and eight musical, Seussical Jr.
