Unit Plan

Course
Name

Graphic Design

Standards
1. Observe and Learn to
Comprehend

Title:_Graphic Design______

Length:_____________________________
Grade
Level

9-12

Grade Level Expectations (List all GLEs for grade level)

1.) Visual art has inherent characteristics and expressive features
a.) I can understand characteristics and features of art
2.) Historical and cultural context are found in visual art
a.) I can understand history and culture found in Art
3.) Art and design have purpose and function
a.) I can understand the purpose and function of Art and Design

2. Envision and Critique to Reflect

1.) Reflective strategies are used to understand the creative process

a.) I can reflect to understand my creative process
2.) A personal philosophy of art is accomplished through use of sophisticated language and studio art
processes
a.) I can use art language and art processes to develop my own philosophy of art
3.) Interpretation is a means for understanding and evaluating works of art
a.) I can understand and evaluate art through interpretation

3. Invent and Discover to Create

1.) Demonstrate competency in traditional and new art media, and apply appropriate and available
technology for the expression of ideas
a.) I can show competent use of traditional and new art media and apply technology to express
my ideas
2.) Assess and produce art with various materials and methods
a.) I can use different materials and methods to assess and produce art
3.) Make judgments from visual messages
a.) I can make judgments from visual art

4. Relate and Connect to Transfer

1.) The work of art scholars impacts how art is viewed today
a.) I can understand how modern views of art is impacted by scholarly work
2.) Communication through advanced visual methods is a necessary skill in everyday life
a.) I can use communication through art as an everyday life skill

3.) Art is a lifelong endeavor

a.) I can make art for my whole life

Colorado 21st Century Skills

Creative Process in Visual Art

Studio Thinking

Critical Thinking and Reasoning: Think Deep,

Think Different
Information Literacy: Untangling the Web
Collaboration: Working Together, Learning
Together
Self-Direction: Owning Your Learning
Invention: Creating Solutions

Develop Craft: Learning to use materials, tools and

techniques
Engage and Persist: Learning to embrace problems and not
give up
Envision: Imagine the possible next steps; see what is not
there
Express: Convey an idea, feeling, personal meaning
Observe: Seeing things that otherwise might not be seen
Reflect: think, talk and evaluate your work and the work of
others
Stretch and Explore: Reach beyond ones perceived
capacities
Understand Art World: Learn about contemporary and past
art(ist)

Lesson Titles and Description

Logo: Students will take on the role of a graphic designer to use adobe illustrator, and its
various tools, to design a logo for one of their favorite bands. Students will first begin by
researching their band, much like a graphic designer would, in order to get a better idea of
their style, their music, their imagery, and the kind of background they have. After research,
students will make 20 thumbnail sketches to explore logo possibilities featuring imagery and
typography.
Gif: Students will be taking on the role of a web designer in this lesson. As a web designer,
they have been hired by a client to redo their website, but the client wants their website to
feature a graphic element. This graphic element is in the form of a GIF image. The students
will begin by drawing 3 slips of paper featuring a word, or a few words, to describe a setting,
character, and action. After drawing their 3 slips, students will work on an ideation sheet to
develop their ideas for how to take all 3 elements and construct them into one successful GIF
animation. After ideation, students will use adobe photoshop to construct an animated GIF.
Packaging: In this lesson, the students will once again be taking on a role of a graphic
designer to design a package for a client. The students will work to research their client and

Lesson Length
1 day

Sequence
1

1 day

1 day

the product their company sells. Students will come up with 10 different sketch ideas for
packaging based on their clients product. After exploring different packages, students will
choose the best one and build a template and design a package for the product using adobe
photoshop.

Unit: Focusing
Lens/Lenses: Timeless,
Transferrable and
Universal (I.E. Beliefs/Values,

Identity, Relationships.
Tension/Conflict, Freedom,
Design, Aesthetic, Patterns,
Origins, Transformation,
Change, Influence,
Collaboration, Intention,
Play/Exploration, Synergy/Flow,
Choices, Balance, Inspiration,
System, Structure/Function,
Reform)

Design, Research,
Application, Technology

Unit: Prepared
Graduate
Competencies

Observe and Comprehend: Recognize, articulate, and debate that

the visual arts are a means for expression
Observe and Comprehend: Explain, demonstrate, and interpret a
range of purposes of art and design, recognizing that the making
and study of art and design can be approached from a variety of
viewpoints, intelligences, and perspectives
Envision and Critique to Reflect: Recognize, demonstrate, and
debate the place of art and design in history and culture
Envision and Critique to Reflect: Use specific criteria to discuss
and evaluate works of art
Invent and Discover to Create: Create works of art that articulate
more sophisticated ideas, feelings, emotions, and points of view
about art and design through an expanded use of media and
technologies
Invent and Discover to Create: Recognize, interpret, and
validate that the creative process builds on the development of
ideas through a process of inquiry, discovery, and research
Relate and Connect to Transfer: Identify, compare and justify
that the visual arts are a way to acknowledge, exhibit and learn
about the diversity of peoples, cultures and ideas
Relate and Connect to Transfer: Explain, compare and justify
that the visual arts are connected to other disciplines, the other art
forms, social activities, mass media, and careers in art and non-art
related arenas

Unit: Standards
and Grade Level
Expectations
(Unit must have all
standards; NOT all
GLEs.)

(Visual Arts Standard Name and appropriate GLEs for each standard)

Observe and Learn to Comprehend:

Historical and cultural context are found in visual art
I can understand history and culture found in Art
Art and design have purpose and function
I can understand the purpose and function of Art and Design
Envision and Critique to Reflect:
Reflective strategies are used to understand the creative process
I can reflect to understand my creative process
Interpretation is a means for understanding and evaluating works of art
I can understand and evaluate art through interpretation
Invent and Discover to Create:
Demonstrate competency in traditional and new art media, and apply appropriate and available technology for the
expression of ideas
I can show competent use of traditional and new art media and apply technology to express my ideas
Assess and produce art with various materials and methods
I can use different materials and methods to assess and produce art
Make judgments from visual messages
I can make judgments from visual art
Relate and Connect to Transfer:
Communication through advanced visual methods is a necessary skill in everyday life
I can use communication through art as an everyday life skill
Art is a lifelong endeavor
I can make art for my whole life

Unit: Inquiry
Questions

(3-5 big questions; pertinent to all lessons)

(Engaging-Debatable
: In art, what does it
mean when
something is
beautiful? How can
something be so ugly
it is beautiful?)

Can technology programs, such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, be used to create art?
In art, why does research become important to the building of ideas?
Is electronic art a form of fine art or design?
How can technology become art?

Unit Strands

Comprehend/Reflect/Create/Transfer

Unit: Concepts:
Timeless,
Transferrable
and Universal

Communication, Expression, Meaning, Connection, Creation, Discussion, Function, Application, Movement,

Animation, Design

(I.E. Composition,
Patterns, Technique,
Rhythm, Paradox,
Influence, Style,
Force, Culture,
Space/Time/Energy,
Line, Law/Rules,
Value, Expressions,
Emotions, Tradition,
Symbol, Movement,
Shape,
Improvisation,
Observation)

For each statement you create below align with Standard(s), Prepared Graduate Competencies, and Grade Level Expectations. Refer to Standards: Inquiry
Questions, Relevance and Application and Nature of Statement when writing understandings.

Enduring Understandings: My students will UNDERSTAND...

(Timeless, Transferrable and Universal. Shows a relationship
between two or more concepts.)

Conceptual Guiding Questions

Factual Guiding Questions

Designers research in order to create art to fit a need for

their clients

How do artists use

understanding of their client
to create art?
How can art represent a
person/group of people?
What is the benefit of doing
client art?
How can style/personality
influence logo design?

What are the uses of a

logo?
What kind of things do
logos tell us?

Artists apply technology to create visually stimulating

designs

Why would artists want to

create graphics?
How does animated art
stimulate viewers?

What kind of graphics

work well in web design?
Do all graphics have to
be animated?

Artists design objects that serve a function

Why would an artist intend

to base a design on
function?
How can an artist intend for
their art to serve a purpose?
Why would an artist design
something that serves a
purpose?

What is an example of
creating art with a
purpose?
Why is it important to
have intent and purpose?

Critical Content: My students will KNOW...

(NOT Timeless, Transferrable and Universal. Factual information in the
unit [topics] that students must know.)

1. Art materials and art features can be used to express

ideas
2. Artists intend to express ideas or communicate through
their art
3. Style and personality can influence the way you make
art/ the way your art communicates
4. Art is able to serve a purpose/function in society or
everyday life
5. Art can be critiqued and analyzed for improvement
6. Vocab: Illustrator, Photoshop, Animation, Graphics,
Design, Timeline, GIF

Key Skills: What my students will be able to DO...

(Timeless, Transferrable and Universal. What students will do AND be
able to transfer to new learning experiences as a result of learning the
unit.)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Identify characteristics
Make connections
Explore possibilities
Analyze and defend their work
Develop ideas
Think critically

Vocabulary

Illustrator, Photoshop, Animation, Graphics, Design, Timeline, GIF

Literacy Integration

Reflection Activity, Classroom Application Reflection

Numeracy Integration

Timing