Cost and budget in design
Design & Technology · Key Stage 2 · The School
Cost as a criterion
A BUDGET is a limit on what a product may cost to make. Cost is a design rule, just like strength or size. A perfect design that costs ten times the budget has still failed. It has failed just as much as one that breaks. Ignoring the budget is not a small mistake — it is a whole rule broken.
Weighing cost against performance
The most costly material is not always the right choice. A slightly weaker, much cheaper material can still meet the rules easily. That leaves money spare for something that matters more to this product. Spending less in one place often means being able to spend more where it truly counts.
Finding a cheaper alternative
Before picking a costly option, ask: would a cheaper material still do the job? Would a simpler method still meet every rule? Sometimes the pricey option really is needed. Often, though, a cheaper choice does the job just as well. The extra cost was paying for something nobody actually needed.
A pencil case must hold pens. It must close well. It must survive a school bag for a whole term. The budget is two pounds. A zip costs 80p. A simple press-stud costs 15p and closes well enough for this job. Plain fabric costs less than patterned fabric and works just as well. Picking the press-stud and the plain fabric leaves money spare. Every rule is still met. The pencil case still does everything it needed to do.