🗓️ Before Class: Teacher Prep
- Gather/set out: Paper, pens, pencils for sketching, Computer with Photoshop or Illustrator, Printer for proofs.
- Pull up today's slide deck (see 🖥️ Slide Deck below) so it's ready to project.
🧑🏫 Substitute Teacher Guide
A scripted, step-by-step runsheet for today's class -- hand this to anyone covering the room who doesn't know the daily routine.
- Day 1: 📋 Open Substitute Guide
- Day 2: 📋 Open Substitute Guide
- Day 3: 📋 Open Substitute Guide
- Day 4: 📋 Open Substitute Guide
- Day 5: 📋 Open Substitute Guide
🎯 Essential Question
- How do we design a complete logo and brand mark from a real design brief, start to finish?
📈 Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson (5 Days), students will be able to:
- Sketch at least 10 rough logo concepts by hand before choosing a direction to digitize.
- Digitize a final logo in Illustrator or Photoshop at professional specifications (print size, 300 DPI, CMYK).
- Give and receive structured, vocabulary-rich critique, then revise based on feedback.
- Deliver final files in at least 2 formats (an image file and the original editable file).
📐 Standards Alignment
CDOS (Career Development & Occupational Studies)
- CDOS 2 — Integrated Learning -- students will demonstrate how academic knowledge and skills are applied in the workplace and other settings.
- CDOS 3a — Universal Foundation Skills -- basic literacy, communication, and problem-solving skills required for a career.
- CDOS 3b — Career Majors -- knowledge and skills required for success within a specific career pathway (here, Digital Design).
ACP (Adobe Certified Professional) Photoshop Exam Objectives
- ACP 1.1 — Identify the purpose, audience, and audience needs for preparing images.
- ACP 1.2 — Communicate with colleagues and clients about design plans.
- ACP 1.5 — Demonstrate knowledge of basic design principles and best practices employed in the design industry.
- ACP 4.1 — Use core tools and features to create visual elements.
- ACP 4.2 — Add and manipulate text using appropriate typographic settings.
🎓 Study this for the ACP exam: Domain 1: Working in the Design Industry · Domain 4: Creating and Modifying Visual Elements
📚 Key Vocabulary
- Logo
- A symbol made of text and/or images that identifies a business, organization, or team at a glance.
- Brand Identity
- The visual and verbal system (logo, colors, fonts, voice) a company uses to present itself consistently.
- Iconography
- The use of symbolic images to communicate an idea quickly and visually.
- Critique
- Structured, specific feedback on a piece of work, using shared design vocabulary.
🧰 Materials & Tools
- Paper, pens, pencils for sketching
- Computer with Photoshop or Illustrator
- Printer for proofs
🧠 Do Now (Warm-Up)
In a blank piece of paper, write your initials in the middle and connect at least 3 characteristics that describe who you are (adjectives, animals, interests). Add 2 colors that connect to who you are and why.
📋 Main Workshop / Lesson Sequence
This lesson spans 5 Days. Suggested pacing:
| Day | Focus | Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Sketching & Brainstorming | Do Now (5 min, above): initials + characteristics + colors warm-up. Mini-lesson (5 min): what makes a strong logo concept. Independent sketching (30 min): combining a letter of your name with a characteristic, animal, or symbol, draw at least 10 rough logo sketches. Share (5 min). |
| Day 2 | Digitizing Begins | Do Now (5 min): which sketch is your strongest, and why? Mini-lesson/demo (10 min): print specifications (8.5x11, 300 DPI, CMYK). Independent build (25 min): photograph your strongest sketch(es) and begin rebuilding the logo digitally at correct specs. Save progress (5 min). |
| Day 3 | Refinement | Do Now (5 min). Independent build (35 min): complete at least 2 final logo versions and prepare both an image file (JPG/PNG/TIFF) and the original editable file (PSD/AI). Save & export (5 min). |
| Day 4 | Customer Critique | Do Now (5 min): what makes feedback useful vs. not useful? Quick recap: this is the "I notice / I wonder" protocol from 9th/10th grade, now standing in for a real customer conversation. Critique (30 min): in groups of 3 (2 "customers" to 1 designer), critique each other's logos from a customer's point of view, using color theory, typography, and design-element vocabulary. Write feedback (10 min): submit written feedback (2+ paragraphs). |
| Day 5 | Revise & Finalize | Do Now (5 min): which piece of feedback are you addressing first? Revision (30 min): complete a final round of edits based on customer feedback -- remember, a first logo draft changing is the process working, not a failure. Final proof (10 min): submit a final printed proof. |
✅ Assessment & Exit Ticket
Final logo + process work scored with a rubric: at least 10 rough sketches, professional file specs met, written critique used real design vocabulary, and final revisions reflect the feedback received.
Exit Ticket: What is one piece of feedback you received that actually changed your final logo, and why did you agree with it?
📊 Pull up the anonymous Class Check-In for students to fill out before they go.
🧩 Differentiation & Accommodations
English Language Learners: model every step live, then check in one-on-one; provide translated materials and vocabulary support as needed. Students with IEPs: apply the accommodations and modifications listed in each student's plan (examples include extended time, graphic organizers, speech-to-text tools, chunked instructions, and visual schedules). Students with attention-related needs: break tasks into short, checklist-driven steps and provide brief movement or focus breaks. Students ready for a challenge: take on a leadership role critiquing peers' work, extend the project with a second iteration, or research how today's skill is used professionally in the field.