Unit of competency details

Unit descriptor 

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 products
• SFLDEC407A Design complex floristry products

The 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 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.

Prerequisite units 

Nil

Employability skills 

This unit contains Employability Skills.

Elements describe the essential outcomes of a unit of competency.

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. Where bold italicised text is used, further information is detailed in the required skills and knowledge section and the range statement. Assessment of performance is to be consistent with the evidence guide.

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 plant materials , 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 opportunities beyond 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 AND KNOWLEDGE 

This section describes the skills and knowledge required for this unit.

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 GUIDE 

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.

Records of 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.

Testing and 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 construction techniques  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.

Unit sector 

Floristry

Competency field 

Floristry Design and Construction

Co-requisite units