Graphic Design Course at JRHS

By Kathy Carlson, Project Teacher

Jesse Remington High School added a new project class to its curriculum this year called the Concepts of Design. This course teaches basic design concepts of using space, balance, shapes, texture, color, typography, and branding to create designs that communicate effectively and elicit positive emotional responses.

There are four projects the students are to complete in the quarter. We designed artwork for mugs, t-shirts, and posters. The fourth project was for the whole group in terms of ideas and the class split off and worked in groups of two to design different parts of a marketing endeavor. The class chose to promote JRHS basketball within and without the school. They created a poster, postcard, Facebook post, and banner to drum up Sentinel fan excitement at games.

The class learned design basics and a bit of what InDesign can do, but they also learned higher-level skills. As a class, we developed the main idea of the basketball marketing campaign, “Cheer the Champs”. They had to hone a larger idea into a very succinct, absorbable message. Then they implemented design elements to catch attention and reinforce the main idea. They explored their artistic abilities beyond paper and art supplies. They learned that even if they can’t draw stick figures, they can use InDesign and Photoshop to make the ideas in their heads into fun, beautiful, creative, and effective digital designs easily printed to be used and enjoyed on everyday items. They learned a new way to express themselves, how to work with others, and how to create compelling, persuasive designs that communicate clearly to a wider audience.