Lesson video

Welcome to lesson four in our graphic design unit.

I'm really pleased to see you again.

This is me Mrs, Wallace, ready to be enthusiastic about graphic design with you.

And today, we're going to develop some more skills for all our learning together, and then take the role of a real graphic designer, following a brief to redesign an existing product.

Sounds very impressive, doesn't it? It will be.

Today's lesson, you'll need your sketchbook, your pencil, a ruler that measures centimetres, a coloured pencil, and some pieces of A4 paper.

Again, if you have pens that you would like to use, as well as your pencil and your coloured pencils, then that is fine.

So in today's lesson, we're going to recap our previous learning.

We're going to look back at what we know, and we're going to apply it in a warmup activity.

We're going to evaluate.

That means we're going to look at some design styles.

We're going to learn about layout, and we're going to learn how to use grids.

And then we're going to have the opportunity to be real graphic designers and redesign an existing product.

So our keywords today are layout, and this is sometimes described as composition, and this is the way the different parts of a design are arranged.

A grid is a system for organising the layout, and a brief is a statement or sentence given to designers that maps out what is needed in a design.

So we're going to start with.

It's a cutlery challenge.

So just like last time, you need to collect some cutlery, please make sure your parents or carers know what you're doing and why as you may need assistance with this.

So we're thinking about layout today.

We're thinking about different ways that you can arrange your contour drawings of the cutlery.

So here I've decided to use my cutlery to make a letter, the letter A and the letter F.

And then I've applied colour.

So here you can see I've used the colours typically used by which design school? Oh yes, it's the Bauhus.

And here for the F, I've thought back to some of the lines and patterns that we noticed in Freya Crow's artwork.

So for your sketchbook warmup, this is a layout challenge today, so you'll need to work in your sketchbook and use the cutlery as inspiration or some really interesting layout.

You do not have to make letters, like I have.

You can overlap the cutlery, you can position them next to each other, but you're going to create contour drawings of your arranged cutlery, and then add colour and pattern.

So your thinking of striking images.

You can use my examples to help you.

This is your work.

Pause the video.

Enjoy the challenge.

I'll see you soon.

I'd like you to have a look at this book cover.

This is a book from the shelf in my studio here.

It's a book that I have read to a target audience many times, and it's a book that I really enjoy because of what it's about.

I want you to see if you can look for clues on the cover of this book.

What do you think this book is about? What do you notice about the typography on this book? And who do you think is the target audience here.

Now let's look at the back of the book.

There's some writing here.

It says, "Just make a mark and see where it takes you." So this is a book about a child who wants to become an artist.

With the encouragement of her teacher, she manages to do that, but she starts by doubting herself.

So, it helps me to think about this book because I know what it's about.

If you were going to have ideas for a new version for this book cover, what do you think would help you? Would it help you to have read or have that book read to you to give you ideas for an alternative design? Yes, it would.

Now, you've got a research and inspiration mission.

I would like you to go and collect four different books that catch your eye.

We're not thinking about what the book is about at this point.

We're thinking about the form, what it looks like.

So go and have a look, four different books.

They don't have to be all of your books, but please don't upset anybody by taking one that they're reading.

Look at the form.

Look at the typography.

Write and draw notes in your sketchbook.

What do you like? What would you change? Pause the video.

Go on your mission, and I'll see you when you get back.

So let's have a look at this book cover.

If you remember, this is a book that I found when we went on our graphic design exploration mission during lesson one.

If I was going to change or update this book, I would change the typography, maybe also some of the colour choices.

Now I know that this is a popular book with children.

And let's remember, I am not the target audience.

So sometimes, what I would like to do personally is not what is appropriate to the redesign, for the target audience.

And that is why a brief is given to a designer is so important.

Now let's think again about typography.

See what you think about this.

Typography should be organised in straight lines to make it easy to read.

Now, is that true or is that false? It's false.

Typography can be as varied and interesting as the graphic designer decides, as long as it matches the brief.

So now we're going to learn a new graphic design skill, and that is using a grid.

So here we have a grid.

You may have seen these in maths.

In graphic design, a grid is like the invisible glue that holds the design together.

It sets guidelines for layout.

It helps to judge size.

It helps to make an image balance, and it helps to organise the form of a design, and I'll show you what I mean now.

So we're going to have a go ourselves.

We are going to need to draw a grid, first of all.

So you need your ruler, and your pencil, and your sketchbook.

You're going to draw a two centimetre squared grid on a whole page.

Now this is what a two centimetre square looks like.

And what you will need to do is measure two centimetres along the short top end of your sketchbook, at the top and the bottom, and then at the side, and then match up the lines like this.

I'm not that fast.

It's been speed up for you.

So, next thing you need to do when you've drawn your two centimetre square grid is split your page into quarters, and you can do that by counting the lines into the middle, drawing a line.

Turn it around, do the same going across that way, so that you have four quarters on your sheet of paper.

Now we're going to use these guidelines to make a simple poster advertising Oak National Academy.

Now remember, be creative with your typography for Oak National Academy.

Really, it's so important that we get the spelling absolutely right.

So if you want to note it down in your sketchbook on another page from the video here, please do that.

Make sure as well that you include the acorn logo.

You can see that in the corner of the screen here.

And think of other words that tell your target audience how great Oak National Academy lessons are.

This is my unfinished poster.

You might be able to see here that I've taken my inspiration from the lettering from the poster that we looked at that was made by Freya Crow.

So I have a child here juggling balls that say fun, great, cool.

I wonder what else would you add to my poster.

So, for this sketchbook activity, you're using a grid.

You need to work in your sketchbook and draw a two centimetre by two centimetre grid.

Use the grid to guide you in drawing a poster for Oak National Academy lessons.

Include the logo, the acorn.

Keep it simple and keep it bold.

So now we're going to think about following a brief.

A brief is a statement given to designers that maps out what is needed in a design.

It includes who the target audience are and what the client, that is the person asking for the design, would like from the design.

We are going to pretend to be real graphic designers working from a brief.

So here is our brief.

Our client is a children's book company, and the aim is to redesign a book cover to increase children's interest in reading.

Her target audience are Key Stage 2 children, and the essential features are colour, illustration, and typography.

So we need to think.

If we're going to increase children's interest in reading, we need to make our book cover redesigns as eye catching and as interesting as we possibly can.

So I'd like you to choose one of the books you have collected today.

So my choice of book is "The Twits" by Roald Dahl.

Think about the ways you would like to change the book cover.

Today, we will be mapping out our ideas on a grid.

We're going to complete this design work next week, so you have lots of time to work on this.

You will need to draw a two centimetre by two centimetre grid on A4 paper.

Divide your grid into four quarters and draw your lines lightly, so that you can remove them later.

Using your grid, you're going to map out the layout for your updated illustration and typography, for the front cover of the book.

And let's check that brief.

We are trying to increase children's interest in reading.

These are Key Stage 2 children, and the focus features need to be colour, illustration, and typography.

So this so far is my redesign of the front cover for "The Twits." I think I shall stop now and carry on next lesson.

So you can see there are areas where I've already started to rub out the grid.

I'm not sure about some of the areas of my design, but that's fine because today we're starting our design, we're mapping out, we're thinking about layout and using the grid, and we're going to continue with this work next lesson.

So, you will need to pause the video to complete your task.

This time, don't work in your sketchbook.

Work on A4 paper.

Draw a two centimetre by two centimetre grid.

Use the grid to guide you in drawing your redesign for a book cover.

You're going to aim to complete this task in pencil today, but we will develop this work next lesson.

Pause the video.

I'll see you soon.

You will need to keep your design safely in your sketchbook.

Next lesson, we will add colour and detail and evaluate our learning.

This next lesson is the last in our units on graphic design.

We'll be doing some fantastic redevelopment of your plans.

I cannot wait to see the work that you produce.

See you next time.

Buh-bye.