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Matariki Design Project 2026

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Matariki Design Project 2026

Create a personal Matariki or Puanga-inspired panel as a 2D vector design for laser cutting. Plan the layout, choose meaningful symbols, and prepare clean cut and engraving paths. Your design must fit a 180 mm × 120 mm rectangle, include at least five stars representing Matariki and/or Puanga, and use both cut-out shapes and engraved details. Treat cultural ideas with care: explain the meaning of your own choices rather than presenting them as universal Māori symbols.

Understand the brief

Read the brief above, then complete each task. The dimensions are in millimetres; check any material and machine settings with the workshop supervisor before cutting.

1.In one sentence, summarise what you must design and what the final file needs to be ready for.

2.Select every requirement the final panel must meet.

Fit within 180 mm × 120 mm
Include at least five Matariki and/or Puanga stars
Use cut-out shapes and engraved details
Be modelled as a 3D object
Be prepared as a 2D vector design

3.A student exports a design with two overlapping cut paths, one open outline, and lettering so tiny that some strokes are thinner than the laser can reliably cut. Name three checks or fixes to make before sending the file to the laser cutter.

4.Label each design feature as CUT OUT or ENGRAVE: (a) a star-shaped hole through the panel; (b) a fine curved line marked on the surface; (c) a crescent-shaped opening.

5.Plan a meaningful panel concept. State which stars you will represent, describe two other visual features, and explain what those features mean to you. Avoid claiming that your personal meanings are shared by everyone.

6.Draw a thumbnail plan for your panel. Show the 180 mm × 120 mm boundary, at least five stars, at least one cut-out feature, at least one engraved feature, and a small label or key identifying CUT and ENGRAVE.

7.Which proposed design best meets the brief?

A 180 mm × 120 mm panel with five star cut-outs, engraved lines, and separate clean vector paths
A 200 mm × 120 mm panel with seven stars and no engraved details
A correctly sized panel with four stars and a shaded 3D rendering only
A correctly sized panel with seven stars, but with overlapping duplicate cut lines

8.Your first draft is 190 mm wide and 120 mm high. If you keep its proportions, what should its new height be when you scale it to fit a width of 180 mm? Show your calculation.

9.Put these development stages in a sensible order by writing 1–4 beside each: export and check the vector file; sketch and annotate ideas; review the brief and success criteria; refine the chosen idea into clean vector paths.

10.Write three measurable checks you will use to judge whether your final design is ready. Include the panel size, star count, and one vector-file quality check.

11.Why should a designer explain the personal meaning of chosen symbols and avoid assuming that every viewer shares the same interpretation? Give one practical way to check that your file is safe and suitable before cutting.