SFLDEC510A
Design and produce innovative floristry products

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to creatively design and produce a diverse range of small to large-scale innovative floristry products.It requires the ability to identify opportunities to develop innovative products, generate innovative design concepts and to experiment with, evaluate, select and document the final design of the floristry product in detailed job specifications. It also requires the ability to construct innovative products, supervise any production team members involved and to continually re-evaluate and refine existing design and construction skills through the development of highly creative and innovative products.This unit is the third of three hierarchical floristry design units which cover differing levels of design skill for florists producing different products. The following units cover primary design skills for key and frequently sold floristry products, and higher order design skills for more complex floristry products:SFLDEC302A Design floristry productsSFLDEC407A Design complex floristry productsThe related function of working within a brief and liaising with customers and clients to meet their requirements and special requests is covered in:BSBDES402A Interpret and respond to a design brief.No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement.

Application

Application of the competency

This unit describes a highly creative and innovative design function for a diverse range of floristry products and applies to the full range of industry sectors and environments. The floristry business could be a retail, studio or floristry business that specialises in corporate or special events.

The innovative product could be custom-made in response to a customer brief or an original display or stock item made for general sale. It could be a large or small-scale floristry product, one of a complex nature, one using complex techniques, part of a range of products for a special or themed event, or one produced for an exhibition.

This unit applies to senior designers in the floristry industry with considerable experience across product categories. They operate autonomously and have a strategic design focus as part of their job role. This can include specialist designers, freelance design florists, senior studio design florists, senior floral designers and floral stylists.


Prerequisites

Nil


Elements and Performance Criteria

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Explore opportunities to develop innovative products.

1.1. Explore any brief, need or opportunity for innovation and investigate and clarify the context for the innovative floristry product.

1.2. Identify the function of and intended audience for the floristry product and generate ideas for innovative and creative solutions to meet the brief, need or opportunity.

1.3. Challenge the brief or style ideas of clients and customers by suggesting innovative designs outside the scope of their own creativity.

1.4. Challenge own past design practice and personal style, and identify opportunities to diversify through the design and production of innovative products.

1.5. Challenge assumptions about product range and develop entrepreneurial attitudes towards innovative products.

2. Develop a range of creative design concepts.

2.1. Use creative thinking techniques to generate a range of different, innovative and creative approaches and concepts.

2.2. Consider and apply the elements and principles of design when generating initial and ongoing design ideas until the final product plans are achieved.

2.3. Encourage and assess the contribution of creative and innovative ideas by colleagues and customers.

2.4. Review and assess different approaches and concepts for technical feasibility, innovation, creativity and acceptability to client or audience.

2.5. Identify potential problems and check the concepts against constraints to determine feasibility.

2.6. Select concepts or approaches that achieve the required outcome in an innovative and feasible way and keep records of initial design concepts.

3. Refine and resolve the innovative design through experimentation.

3.1. Test and experiment with differing flower and plantmaterials, different styles, construction materials and techniques considering and applying the elements and principles of design.

3.2. Expand creative and innovative product opportunities through exploration of opportunitiesbeyond the obvious.

3.3. Critically analyse all tested concepts for technical feasibility, innovation, creativity and acceptability to client or audience and select the best design for construction.

3.4. Develop a detailed job specification for use during the construction phase to ensure the floristry product is produced as intended.

4. Construct innovative floral designs.

4.1. Access and interpret job specifications, select and organise production resources to achieve production of the floristry product according to time, budgetary and technical requirements.

4.2. Coordinate and supervise relevant personnel involved in the production process to ensure that quality standards are met for the innovative product.

4.3. Ensure that the product preparation area is clean and that flower and plant materials have been correctly prepared and conditioned.

4.4. Select appropriate floristry construction techniques to produce innovative floristry products considering and applying the elements and principles of design.

4.5. Assess, determine and use the appropriate support methods and secure all components of the floristry products according to the job specifications.

4.6. Monitor self or team construction to ensure the integrity of the design is maintained; challenge, interrogate own design work and modify as required.

4.7. Use energy, water and other resources efficiently during the preparation and construction process to reduce negative environmental impacts.

5. Refine design and construction skills through innovation.

5.1. Evaluate, on a continuing basis, innovative products developed and own role in the design and construction process.

5.2. Re-evaluate and refine approaches to work by continually researching current and emerging design trends, new technology, tools, equipment and techniques that will allow for the development of new and innovative products.

5.3. Build upon existing design and construction skills and experience across product categories through the development of highly creative and innovative products.

5.4. Use practice, discussion and ongoing evaluation to continuously improve skills

Required Skills

Required skills

drawing skills sufficient to sketch or digitally represent floral designs that will clearly represent and communicate the concept to others

critical thinking skills to facilitate rational and logical analysis of all input from self, colleagues and any customer briefs or specifications

creative thinking skills to develop ideas and explore a range of design concepts

self-management, time management, planning and organisational skills to complete the design and realisation of the floristry product within deadlines

problem solving skills to identify any issues associated with initial and ongoing design concepts and to adapt the style and components of the product accordingly

communication skills including active listening and open and closed questioning to conduct consultation with customers and others involved in the business and the design and realisation process

literacy skills to read and comprehend complex documents that relate to floral design trends and sometimes unfamiliar and detailed product information documents, including in-house and supplier product sheets or manuals

writing skills to produce comprehensive records of all design concepts and comprehensive job specifications to be followed during the construction phase

numeracy skills to interpret budgetary constraints, any quotations provided to the customer and to calculate the time required to construct the floristry product.

Required knowledge

the intricacies of current and emerging trends and technologies for floral designs and their use in various innovative floristry products

the intricate characteristics and interrelationships of the elements and principles of design, and their effects on the style and function of innovative floristry products

The elements of design include:

texture

form

colour

space

line

The principles of design include:

harmony

rhythm

balance

dominance

scale

proportion

contrast

the intricacies and use of a wide variety of design guidelines or forms and categories including decorative, vegetative, formal-linear, radial and parallel and their effects on the style and function of various innovative floristry products

the complexities of the colour wheel to explore the use of colour and determine colour combinations

the complementary nature of various varieties of flowers including the integration of Australian wildflowers and foliage with commonly used varieties and exotics

the intricacies and use of an extensive range of floral construction techniques (including new and emerging techniques) for complex hand tied, complex wired products (especially those using decorative wiring techniques) and those complex products using a base medium

the intricacies and use of an extensive range of flower and plant materials in order to select appropriate materials for the design of innovative floristry products

the essential features and use of fabrication and structural support components of innovative floristry products

any special requirements applicable to a corporate venue or event site where the floristry product may be used or displayed e.g. spatial

a range of formats for and inclusions of detailed job specifications produced for use during the construction phase

the primary components of copyright and intellectual property laws that relate to the design of floristry products. This would include the business's rights over original designs and its responsibility to comply with laws that protect copyrighted products

the environmental impacts of constructing and maintaining floristry products and minimal impact practices to reduce these, especially those that relate to resource, water and energy use and to the use of floristry raw materials.

Evidence Required

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the following is essential:

knowledge of copyright and intellectual property legislation relevant to floristry designs

knowledge of the elements and principles of design, and their interrelationships and their effects on the style and function of floristry products, and the ability to continuously evaluate and modify the innovative floral design in line with these elements and principles

ability to identify and resolve, throughout the design phase, problems that may impact on the style, function and construction of the final floristry product

ability to design and construct multiple and diverse innovative floristry products which must include those products outlined in the range statement. To ensure consistency of performance, ability to respond to different requirements and ability to use different techniques, this must occur over a period of time and cover the construction of products of small to large scale using the complex construction techniques nominated in the range statement

development of innovative floristry product designs that meet the requirements of multiple site environments to ensure that skills can be adapted to different display contexts

project or work activities conducted over a sufficient period so that the design can evolve through experimentation and evaluation; however, this must be achieved within commercial time constraints and deadlines determined by the customer or the organisation.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

access to comprehensive and sufficient information about a floristry business, project or special or themed event to allow the candidate to fully and formally design innovative products that sit within the parameters of the business, project or event

access to a fully equipped office environment using appropriate computers, software and information programs and publications to facilitate the processes involved in developing and documenting innovative floristry designs

the design and construction of floristry products within a floristry design, preparation and product construction environment

access to sites or event venues in which the candidate can assemble products for display

a diverse, comprehensive and commercial product range of flowers, plant materials, cleaning agents, preservatives, conditioning agents, construction, ancillary and presentation items that can be used during the design and construction process

use of current materials and technology to sketch or photograph designs.

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

direct observation of the candidate testing and experimenting with various design concepts

project activities to develop and assess concepts and final designs for innovative floristry products in conjunction with an industry operator

project activities to develop and assess concepts and final designs for innovative floristry products for a local community organisation or an event delivered by the training college

review of a comprehensive portfolio prepared by the candidate that documents the entire design process inclusive of notes on original concepts, evaluation of the concepts to meet the product requirements, amendments made throughout the process, a suite of sketches that represent initial and evolving concepts and the final comprehensive job specifications prepared for the construction phase

written and oral questioning or interview to test knowledge of such things as copyright issues, the elements and principles design and any current or emerging trends for the floristry industry

review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate.

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

BSBCRT601A Research and apply concepts and theories of creativity

BSBDES602A Research global design trends

BSBDES701A Research and apply design theory

CUVCOR09B Select and apply drawing techniques and media to represent and communicate the concept

CUVCRS11B Select and prepare work for exhibitions

SFLDEC511A Style and manage an event

SITXCOM005A Make presentations.


Range Statement

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Innovative floristry products must include:

complex and creative display or stock items

innovative window displays

large, small or themed corporate displays

large, small or themed displays for special events including components constructed off-site and assembled on-site

floral displays produced to exhibition criteria

floristry arrangements of a highly creative nature and of advanced design

products of any size for any purpose using:

complex hand tied floristry techniques

complex wired floristry techniques, especially decorative wiring techniques

complex base medium construction techniques

unusal combinations of multiple types of floristry construction techniques

new and emerging techniques

innovative combinations of flower and plant materials

innovative combinations of construction materials.

Audience for the floristry product may include:

business to business customer e.g. retailer to an event co-ordinator

e-business clients or customers

studio clients or customers

new clients or customers

regular clients or customers

retail clients or customers

corporate clients

exhibition organisers

secondary customers such as those guests who attend special occasions and events and visitors to floristry exhibitions and festivals.

Entrepreneurial attitudes may include:

ability to act on intuition and assumptions

ability to think laterally and independently

ability to work within ambiguity and uncertainty

confidence in self and vision

curiosity

desire to take risks

flexibility

interest in pursuing new ideas.

Creative thinking techniques may include:

brainstorming:

bulletin board

buzz session

computer-aided

sequencing

stop and go

Edward de Bono's six thinking hats

ego alter or heroes

graphic organisers:

concept fans

visual maps

webbing

lateral thinking games

making associations

mind mapping

morphological analysis

sub-culture surfing

trigger words

use of metaphors and analogies

vision circles

word salads

visualisation.

Elements of design must include:

texture

form

colour

space

line.

Principles of design must include:

harmony

rhythm

balance

dominance

scale

proportion

contrast.

Problems may include:

lack of experience with construction materials and techniques

lack of experience with flowers and plant materials

lack of experience with the variety and size of the various products e.g. those for an event

constraints of a short production and delivery deadline

expense of all components of the product and inability to meet a production budget

seasonal non-availability of the flower and plant materials

non-availability of construction materials

non-availability of fabrication and support materials for large displays

constraints of OHS requirements

inability to meet the customer preference or brief

constraints of any site where the floristry product will be displayed including:

type (internal or external)

dimensions of display area

dimensions of delivery access and storage areas

venue access times and impacts on assembling the floristry products to meet deadlines

restrictions of various venue operators such as churches, cemeteries and crematoria

size and availability of on-site assembly storage and maintenance areas

conflicting activities in on-site assembly storage and display areas.

structural constraints of the location where floristry product will be used or displayed including:

pipes and drainage

earthwork

brickwork

stone masonry.

Recordsof initial design concepts may include:

sketches

photographs

itemised lists of all components and suppliers

construction notes and instructions

notes on seasonal availability of flower and plant materials

estimated cost of components.

Testingand experimenting with styles, flower, plant and construction materials may involve:

creating a physical model, sample or prototype

testing the design with colleagues through visual and descriptive representation

testing the design against different display scenarios

testing the design against best practice examples of similar products

presenting the design to the customer through visual and descriptive representation and challenging the design against the customer brief.

Flower and plant materials must include:

flowers including:

fresh (common, exotic and Australian wildflowers)

dry and preserved

artificial.

plant materials including:

fresh (common, exotic and Australian foliage)

dry and preserved

artificial.

Exploration of opportunities beyond the obvious may involve:

challenging assumptions and preconceptions

considering radical change to the way things are done

investigating the use of new construction materials

combining unrelated materials

considering radical designs for traditionally formal special occasions or events

challenging the architectural style of the display venue, rather than working in sympathy with it.

Detailed job specification may include:

customer brief and how it has been met

location where floristry product will be used or displayed

purpose of the floristry product (e.g. for a special occasion, event or exhibition)

photographs of the final design

photographs of various stages of construction

sketches

general overview of how to construct

complete instructions for construction including techniques to be used

itemised lists of all components and suppliers

notes on seasonal availability of flower and plant materials

itemised maximum cost of all components

relative costs of alternate components

itemised list of individual products to be produced as part of a suite, and numbers required

size of each item to be constructed

estimated timeframe for the construction of all components.

Production resources may include:

flowers and plant materials

construction materials

packaging materials

hired items

fabrication items, structural components and frameworks including:

wires

ropes

cages

fences

platforms

lighting

welded and angled grinded materials.

props

off and on-site labour requirements.

Relevant personnel may include:

manager

other senior florists

floral designer

studio designer

owner-operator of a small floristry business

other florists involved in a production team

production manager.

Floristry constructiontechniques must include:

complex and other hand tied floristry techniques

complex, decorative and other wired floristry techniques

complex and other base medium construction techniques

integration of a range of hand tied, wired and base medium construction techniques

new and emerging techniques.


Sectors

Unit sector

Floristry


Competency Field

Floristry Design and Construction


Employability Skills

This unit contains Employability Skills.


Licensing Information

Not applicable.