Design for a purpose!
Students will learn the fundamentals of layout, typography (cool fonts!), and visual hierarchy to create eye-catching posters and flyers. They will design promotional materials for imaginary school events, clubs, and even movie posters, applying design principles to communicate a message effectively. This class builds on the principles touched upon in Logo Design class, but beginners are also welcome!
Weekly topics and projects include:
Week 1
- Topic(s) Covered: Introduction to Canva for posters, understanding templates.
- Simple Project: Choose a pre-made Canva poster template and customize its text and colors.
Week 2
- Topic(s) Covered: Basic layout principles: Rule of Thirds, negative space.
- Simple Project: Design a simple poster with a large central image and clear text, leaving intentional negative space.
Week 3
- Topic(s) Covered: Visual hierarchy: making key information stand out.
- Simple Project: Create a “Lost Pet” poster, ensuring the pet’s name and contact info are the most prominent.
Week 4
- Topic(s) Covered: Introduction to typography: font categories (serif, sans-serif).
- Simple Project: Experiment with different font pairings on a simple message, distinguishing between headlines and body text.
Week 5
- Topic(s) Covered: Choosing appropriate fonts for a message/audience.
- Simple Project: Design a poster for a “Fun Fair” using fonts that convey excitement and playfulness.
Week 6
- Topic(s) Covered: Color psychology and creating mood with color palettes.
- Simple Project: Design a poster for a “mystery novel” using dark, cool colors to evoke suspense.
Week 7
- Topic(s) Covered: Incorporating images and graphics effectively.
- Simple Project: Create a poster for an imaginary nature club, finding and using high-quality nature images.
Week 8
- Topic(s) Covered: Call to Action (CTA) – encouraging audience response.
- Simple Project: Design a flyer for a school bake sale, making the “Buy Now!” or “Visit Us!” prominent.
Week 9
- Topic(s) Covered: Designing for specific events (e.g., concert, sports).
- Simple Project: Create a poster for an imaginary school talent show, including performer names and showtimes.
Week 10
- Topic(s) Covered: Event details: date, time, location, contact information.
- Simple Project: Design a school play poster that clearly communicates all necessary event details.
Week 11
- Topic(s) Covered: Grids and alignment for professional look.
- Simple Project: Re-design a previous poster project, focusing on aligning all text and image elements to a grid.
Week 12
- Topic(s) Covered: Branding consistency (basic).
- Simple Project: Design two posters for the same imaginary event, ensuring they have a consistent look and feel.
Week 13
- Topic(s) Covered: Infographics basics (simple data visualization on a poster).
- Simple Project: Create a simple poster showing 3 interesting facts about a topic, using icons and numbers.
Week 14
- Topic(s) Covered: Final Poster Project: Designing a promotional poster for a fictional product or cause.
- Simple Project: Design a captivating movie poster for a fictional film, including title, tagline, and release date.
Dates & Times
August 27 – December 10, 2025
4:00 – 5:00 p.m.
No class: November 26
Program Instructor