⏰ Do Now — Start Here
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.
🎯 Today's Big Question
- How do we design a complete logo and brand mark from a real design brief, start to finish?
📈 By the End of Today, You 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).
🧰 What You'll Need
- Paper, pens, pencils for sketching
- Computer with Photoshop or Illustrator
- Printer for proofs
📋 Your Plan for Today
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.
📚 Key Words
- 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.
✅ What Your Finished Work Should Include
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?
📊 Before You Leave
Quick, anonymous class check-in -- takes less than a minute.
🎓 ACP Exam Prep
This lesson connects to the Photoshop Adobe Certified Professional exam: Domain 1: Working in the Design Industry · Domain 4: Creating and Modifying Visual Elements
🔗 Want to Learn More?
🚀 The Extra Mile
Cross-Class Connection: A direct Business/Entrepreneurship exercise — branding a real or invented company from the ground up.
Career Connection: A logo design case study is the single most common portfolio piece requested for entry Advertising & Marketing and Digital Designer jobs.
Go further -- turn this into a portfolio piece:
- Pitch this exact logo to a real potential client — a family business, a club, a teacher's side project — and get real feedback. Start here: write down the actual person's name and one sentence on why they're a realistic audience before you draft the pitch.
- Write the logo up as a full case study (brief, sketches, revisions, final) for your portfolio, not just the final file. Start here: gather your actual sketch files and revision history in order before you write a single sentence of the case study.