AD it Up!

Lesson Plan Outline for Grades 6-8

Prepared by Kailey Jones

OVERVIEW & PURPOSE

Students will explore the role of graphic d

esign in advertising and marketing. They will brainstorm product ideas, increasing in complexity among grade levels, and develop advertisements, logos, and well-thought-out artistic designs for their invented products. Using Canva (or the industry standards Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop, this lesson plan is written for Canva), students will create a logo and a digital ad (or multiple, depending on teacher preference) that showcase their ideas. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Students will show/develop an understanding of the fundamentals of graphic design and the impact of effective marketing.

2. Students will strengthen their ability to make connections between art and real-world applications.

3. Students will learn/develop their skills using tools like Canva (or Adobe) to create engaging and visually appealing advertisements.

MATERIALS NEEDED

1. Canva (primary tool for this assignment; Adobe Illustrator/Photoshop can be used as an alternative)

2. Access to the internet

ACTIVITY OVERVIEW

Briefly list the steps to complete the activity.

1. Students will begin to brainstorm their product and/or business ideas using Google and sketching on a piece of paper.

2. They will then present their ideas in small groups, and the small groups will help each other with ideas for their product 

3. After their small group critiques students will create 3 thumbnail sketches for logos and 5 thumbnails for advertisement ideas and submit them to their teacher for approval, the teacher will guide the student to their next steps to get to the next step.

4. Students will open a new document in Canva to create a logo. They may choose between a circular logo or a square logo. It should be 500px x 500px

5. Then, once they have created a logo, they will create a digital advertisement for their product. It should include:

   1. The company name and/or logo

   2. A photo of the product

   3. 3 pieces of information about the product

   4. The product title

   5. A cohesive color scheme, if help is needed coolors.co is a great resource

6. Once a graphic is created, students will submit the work to the teacher

OPTIONAL: Students' advertisements will be presented on the projector and each student will be given $10, they will use this money to “purchase” the products they like! The students with the most money made on their products can win a prize (e.g., lunch with the teacher, late work pass, extra credit (maybe 1st = 10pts., 2nd = 7.5pts., 3rd = 5pts.))