Graphic design is all around us—from our bag of coffee grounds to our school’s logo. Understanding the origin of graphic design enriches fundamental design skills like layout, composition, typography, and visual hierarchy. Plus, it helps to remind students that graphic design wasn’t always on computers! Differentiate between graphic design and digital art to explore hands-on, screen-free graphic design exercises to tackle essential skills and develop strong design sensibilities.
Delve into the origins of graphic design and unplug from digital tools to focus on foundational design principles with the exercises below!
The Origins and Evolution of Graphic Design
The art form of graphic design emerged in the early 20th century. It evolved from the practices of typography, illustration, and printmaking. Before the digital era, designers relied on physical tools, such as pens, rulers, and grids, to create logos, posters, and advertisements. This hands-on approach is still valuable today! It teaches students the fundamentals of design without the distraction of technology.
Graphic Design vs. Digital Art: Understanding the Difference
While graphic design and digital art share some common ground, they serve different purposes. Graphic design focuses on visual communication and problem-solving through imagery, typography, and layout. It’s about conveying a message or brand identity, often in commercial contexts. Digital art, on the other hand, encompasses any artwork created or manipulated using digital tools and it emphasizes creativity and expression. Both fields overlap but graphic design is often more functional, whereas digital art is more expressive.
Screen-Free Graphic Design Exercises
Screen-free graphic design exercises offer several benefits for students but the main one is enhanced focus. Without the distraction of technology, students are able to concentrate on mastering foundational design principles and techniques. Working with physical materials fosters a deeper understanding of design concepts, like layering, through hands-on experimentation.
1. Logo Layers
Students create logos for imaginary companies using only paper, pencil, and markers. Experiment with different shapes, fonts, and layouts to convey a brand’s identity. Provide tracing paper and demonstrate the graphite transfer process to quickly replicate shapes and fonts. Tracing paper or acetate sheets also allows students to play with arranging and rearranging layers. Discuss how different elements can visually support a brand’s messaging and mission.
2. Artist Books
Bookmaking can be as simple or complex as you want it to be in your art room. Introduce students to artist books—handmade or altered books that include works of art on each page and spread yet also become a sculptural work of art as a whole. There are many simple bookbinding techniques to try. Incorporate sewing with Japanese stab binding or embrace folding with an accordion book, explosion book, or circle book. Play with the principles and tips from the other exercises to create interconnected pages and spreads.
3. Posters
Have you ever walked the halls and seen horrendous posters created by other teachers or students? There really is an art to strong poster design! As art teachers, we are often the “unofficial official” poster makers of the school. Share your composition knowledge with your students so they can effectively design posters for causes they care deeply about. Show students how to create visual balance, how to organize text so it’s easy to consume, how to emphasize important words or ideas, and how to harness negative space to guide the viewer’s attention.
4. Scaled Text
Provide dot grids to help students create clean, precise designs that focus on scale and proportion. Correlate dot grids to the ruler feature in digital software. Students draw a word or letter in a unique font on a dot grid. Free draw it smaller and larger to replicate the image. Then, manually scale up and down the original word or letter using the dots as a guide. Discuss how free drawing versus manually scaling changed proportions and balance and how it affects the overall image.
5. Paper Cut Outs
Gain inspiration from Matisse’s paper cut outs and use up scrap paper! Provide colored paper, scissors, and glue. Students recreate and simplify a famous artwork or create an icon that represents an artist’s style with only paper shapes. This activity pushes students to break down complex images into layers, shapes, and colors.
6. Infographics
Visualize data and create hand-drawn infographics for an issue or topic students are passionate about. Students have the opportunity to perform ethical research practices and learn how to communicate complex information clearly and effectively. Use dot grids to help students break down their compositions into organized sections.
7. Stamp Making
Guide students in creating stamps to explore how simple shapes and lines create repetitive patterns and textures. A great place to start is with eraser prints because they are cheap and quick to make! Connect this process with how digital brushes work.
8. Typography
Writing and handwriting were a big deal before typing! Go back to the art of hand lettering with calligraphy drills and fun supplies like pen and ink. Plus, it’s a great way to practice those fine motor skills and discuss the anatomy of letterforms and the impact of typography on design today.
If you want to investigate the historical context of graphic design and gain more lesson plan ideas, enroll in the graduate course Studio: Graphic Design. PRO Learning also has two awesome Packs to watch: Exploring Visual Communication Through Graphic Design and Introduction to Graphic Design. Each Pack is full of short teacher-facing videos and supplementary resources.
Artists Who Bridge Offline and Online
Artists who seamlessly blend traditional and digital techniques are great sources of inspiration and possibility for students. Bringing artists to your curriculum is also a prime opportunity to infuse art history. The Bauhaus art movement of the early 1900s created streamlined, functional pieces of architecture, furniture, and design. The role of typography in Bauhaus graphic design is pivotal because it connects artistic expression, branding, communication, and advertising. Show students Bauhaus posters to highlight the exciting evolution of the field!
Here are two contemporary artists who bridge offline and online processes:
- Austin Kleon
Kleon describes himself as a “… writer who draws. I make art with words and books with pictures.” He combines text and design with collage and permanent marker to create his recognizable black-and-white quotes. - Paula Scher
Scher is one of the most influential graphic designers in the world. She merges design with traditional painting to create work that spans from hand-painted maps to corporate logos.
Understanding the history and cultural context of graphic design helps students appreciate its role in visual communication. It also enhances their ability to think critically about the images they encounter daily. For both contemporary artists and your students, mastering traditional and digital design skills is crucial for navigating our visual world where both realms increasingly overlap. By trying exercises like paper cut outs, scaling fonts, and working with acetate layers, students build a foundation of strong design skills that will translate to a variety of creative fields.
What hands-on activities do your students enjoy before moving on to digital tools?
Share a favorite artist who blends offline and online processes.
To chat about screen-free graphic design with other art teachers, join us in The Art of Ed Community!
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.
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