My Work Sample

In my time at CAPS I taught a unit on what it means to be a designer in the modern world. The lessons were spread out over the course of the semester. They were taught in correspondence with  where the students were in their projects. For example, as the students progressed through the project and came up to the project review date, I taught a lesson on how to pitch ideas effectively using the "Pecha-Kucha" model of presenting. And as it came time to put together portfolios I began a mini demonstration series that introduced InDesign and culminated with a lesson on what a portfolio is and what theirs will look like.

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The outline of my unit looked like this:

1. Logo Lesson

2. How to Pitch to a Client Lesson

3. Pen Tool Mini Demo

4. Typography Mini Demo

5. Live Trace Mini Demo

6. Swatches and Gradients Mini Demo

7. Working with Pages Mini Demo (InDesign)

8. Placing and Manipulating Objects Mini Demo (InDesign)

9. Working with Text Mini Demo (InDesign)

10. Creating a PDF Portfolio Lesson

11. Creating a Web Portfolio Lesson

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​​Logo design is a key aspect of graphic design. The logo lesson served as an introduction to the design elements and the world of intentionality in design. Students learned terminology and saw how the design elements were used in some of the worlds most iconic logos as well as in smaller start up logos. One of the important points to this lesson was for the students to develop an understanding that their design should be intentional. Every element of a logo or advertisement is meant to persuade the viewer in some way. A common theme among young designers is to include things just because they liked it personally without any real reason. The logo lesson was a way to illustrate that design is intentional through specific examples.

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The pitch lesson was a way to demonstrate to the students how a professional presentation should look. I started the lesson with giving a pitch myself. I used my photography business as the sample client and presented as if I was a freelance designer pitching to Gordon Maxey Photography. The students were to use the "Pecha-Kucha" model of presenting so I gave my pitch using that model. Essentially is uses images rather than text to prompt the speaker on what to say next, and each slide is timed so that the whole presentation fits within a specific time frame. The model is very effective when done right because it allows the audience to focus on what is being said and what is being shown, not reading, listening and interpreting visuals. The presenter also has to be well informed and well practiced to know what to say based on an image and to know how much to say to fill a specific amount of time.​

 

My mini demonstrations were a way to give the students some guidance when working in the Adobe programs. They were limited to ten minutes and used as a way to kick off the day. They were intended to further the students design skills and strengthen the students skills who had less experience to lessen the gap in design ability. I wanted to get everybody on the same page because I noticed that I was reiterating myself over and over as different students came up the the same problems. The first series of four demo's were over Adobe Illustrator. I showed them how to use the Pen tool, how to work with text and type, how to live trace an image and how to make custom swatches to use in gradient effects. These are all basic skills that a designer should know and with work time the students should be able to apply them to different situations furthering their skills independently as well. The second series of demo's was on Adobe InDesign, and these demonstrations led up to a workshop lesson on how to create a PDF portfolio. I wanted to show the students some key features and differences InDesign has from Illustrator before sending them off to work ill prepared. I showed the students how to create and work with pages in a document, how to manipulate objects and how to work with text.

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My second workshop lesson centered around putting together a PDF portfolio. With project deadlines approaching, the students needed to start thinking about how they were going to put together their portfolios. I used sample portfolios from students of the KU design school to show the students what a good portfolio looks like and pointed out many of the things that set their work apart, like taking the time to print work out and show a physical product rather than using the file, or imposing the design in an image to give the same effect. I then introduced layout design. I explained what it is and that layout design is based on grid systems that the students must create for themselves. I show examples from portfolios as well as websites like Pinterest to show creative examples of grids. Lastly I got them thinking about their brand identity and how they wanted to brand their portfolio. They were not allowed to use their name so I gave them four categories: characteristics, activities, colors and nicknames/unusual names to start brainstorming how they want to brand their design identity.

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The last workshop lesson of my unit was on creating an online portfolio. This was not an entirely new portfolio. The students learned here how to take what they had created for print and put it into an online format. Having an online presence is a necessity for a modern designer so this workshop lesson gave the students the tools to take what they have created and put it into a presentable online form. Their printable portfolio will also be accessible from the online one. 

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A student leaving this class with all the tools and skills developed from these lessons will set themselves apart from their high school counterparts. They will leave with better design skills, better communication skills and a more developed portfolio than any of their cohorts.

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Student Work