Scope and sequence · Arts
Graphic Design & Illustration
A career-pathway year for grades 9–12: drawing, composition, typography, color, layout, the digital studio, illustration and branding, screen design, and the business of being hired — everything a student needs to start becoming a competitive graphic designer or illustrator, built on free tools and ending with a ten-piece professional portfolio.
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What to cover
35 of 50 lessons are MUST COVER. They are tested on the unit tests and exams, or are skills the SAT/ACT relies on. OPTIONAL lessons are enrichment. Do them if time allows. The course is complete when the MUST COVER lessons are done.
Unit 1: Seeing and Drawing: The Foundation of Every Image
- MUST COVER 1.1 Two Trades, One Craft: What Designers and Illustrators Do · exam
- MUST COVER 1.2 Drawing What You See: Line, Measurement and Proportion · exam
- MUST COVER 1.3 Light and Shadow: Value, Form and Rendering · exam
- MUST COVER 1.4 Perspective and Construction: Making Space Believable · exam
- MUST COVER 1.5 People on the Page: Gesture, Heads and Hands · exam
Unit 2: Composition: The Rules of a Strong Picture
- OPTIONAL 2.1 The Elements: Line, Shape, Value, Texture, Space
- MUST COVER 2.2 The Principles: Balance, Contrast, Emphasis, Rhythm, Unity · exam
- MUST COVER 2.3 Hierarchy and the Eye's Path: Directing the Viewer · exam
- MUST COVER 2.4 The Power of Empty Space: Negative Space and Simplicity · exam
- MUST COVER 2.5 The Critique: How Professionals Judge and Improve Work · exam
Unit 3: Typography: The Designer's Voice
- MUST COVER 3.1 The Story of Letters: Gutenberg, Jenson and Five Centuries of Type · exam
- MUST COVER 3.2 The Anatomy of a Letter: Classification from Garamond to Helvetica · exam
- OPTIONAL 3.3 Choosing and Pairing Typefaces
- MUST COVER 3.4 Setting Text Well: Size, Leading, Measure and the Type Scale · exam
- MUST COVER 3.5 Display Type and Hand Lettering · exam
Unit 4: Color: Theory, Systems and Craft
- MUST COVER 4.1 How Color Works: Wheels, Mixing and Harmony · exam
- OPTIONAL 4.2 Building a Palette: Value First, Then Color
- MUST COVER 4.3 Color by the Numbers: RGB, Hex, CMYK and Spot Color · exam
- OPTIONAL 4.4 What Color Says: Meaning, Branding and Convention
- MUST COVER 4.5 Color Everyone Can Read: Contrast and Color-Blind-Safe Design · exam
Unit 5: Layout and Print Production
- MUST COVER 5.1 The Grid: Margins, Columns and Alignment · exam
- MUST COVER 5.2 The Poster: One Message at a Glance · exam
- OPTIONAL 5.3 Pages That Flow: Books, Magazines and Multi-Page Layout
- MUST COVER 5.4 Ready for the Press: Resolution, Bleed and File Formats · exam
- OPTIONAL 5.5 Ink on Paper: How Printing Actually Works
Unit 6: The Digital Studio: Raster and Vector
- MUST COVER 6.1 Pixels and Paths: How a Computer Stores a Picture · exam
- OPTIONAL 6.2 Painting with Pixels: Krita and the Raster Workflow
- OPTIONAL 6.3 Drawing with Curves: Inkscape and the Vector Workflow
- MUST COVER 6.4 From Sketch to Finish: Scan, Clean, Ink and Color Your Drawing · exam
- MUST COVER 6.5 The Professional's Toolkit: Adobe, Affinity, Procreate and Yours · exam
Unit 7: Illustration as a Profession
- MUST COVER 7.1 The Golden Age: Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth and the Magazine Era · exam
- MUST COVER 7.2 Pictures for Children: Crane, Caldecott, Rackham and the Picture Book · exam
- MUST COVER 7.3 Today's Markets: Editorial, Advertising, Covers and Concept Art · exam
- OPTIONAL 7.4 Finding Your Style: Influences, Practice and Consistency
- MUST COVER 7.5 From Brief to Final: The Illustration Job, Start to Finish · exam
Unit 8: Branding and Logo Design
- MUST COVER 8.1 Marks That Mean Something: From Maker's Marks to Modern Identity · exam
- MUST COVER 8.2 What Makes a Logo Good: Simple, Memorable, Versatile · exam
- MUST COVER 8.3 The Logo Process: Brief, Research, Sketches, Refinement · exam
- OPTIONAL 8.4 More Than a Logo: Color, Type and the Brand Guide
- OPTIONAL 8.5 Presenting and Defending the Work
Unit 9: Designing for Screens
- OPTIONAL 9.1 How the Web Shows Your Work: Browsers, HTML and CSS Basics
- OPTIONAL 9.2 Buttons, Forms and Flows: User Interface Fundamentals
- MUST COVER 9.3 One Design, Every Screen: Responsive Layout · exam
- MUST COVER 9.4 Design in the Feed: Social Graphics, Thumbnails and Email · exam
- OPTIONAL 9.5 Prototype and Handoff: Penpot, Figma and Working with Developers
Unit 10: The Working Designer: Portfolio, Clients and Career
- MUST COVER 10.1 The Portfolio: Ten Strong Pieces and Where to Show Them · exam
- MUST COVER 10.2 Who Owns the Picture: Copyright, Licensing and Contracts · exam
- MUST COVER 10.3 Pricing the Work: Rates, Quotes and the Freelance Math · exam
- OPTIONAL 10.4 Getting Hired: Clients, Studios, Applications and Interviews
- MUST COVER 10.5 A Craftsman's Career: Habits, Ethics and the Long Game · exam
36-week pacing calendar
From the course’s own 33-week pacing guide, with catch-up and review weeks added to fill a 36-week (180-day) year.
| Week | Plan | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Day 1: Lesson 1.1 Two Trades, One Craft: What Designers and Illustrators Do: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 1.1: studio brief and sketchbook Day 3: Lesson 1.1: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 1.2 Drawing What You See: Line, Measurement and Proportion: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 1.2: studio brief and sketchbook | ||
| Wk 2 | Day 1: Lesson 1.2: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 1.3 Light and Shadow: Value, Form and Rendering: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 1.3: studio brief and sketchbook Day 4: Lesson 1.3: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 1.4 Perspective and Construction: Making Space Believable: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 3 | Day 1: Lesson 1.4: studio brief and sketchbook Day 2: Lesson 1.4: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 1.5 People on the Page: Gesture, Heads and Hands: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 1.5: studio brief and sketchbook Day 5: Lesson 1.5: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 4 | Day 1: Unit 1 test Day 2: Lesson 2.1 The Elements: Line, Shape, Value, Texture, Space: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 2.1: studio brief and sketchbook Day 4: Lesson 2.1: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 2.2 The Principles: Balance, Contrast, Emphasis, Rhythm, Unity: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 5 | Day 1: Lesson 2.2: studio brief and sketchbook Day 2: Lesson 2.2: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 2.3 Hierarchy and the Eye's Path: Directing the Viewer: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 2.3: studio brief and sketchbook Day 5: Lesson 2.3: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 6 | Day 1: Lesson 2.4 The Power of Empty Space: Negative Space and Simplicity: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 2.4: studio brief and sketchbook Day 3: Lesson 2.4: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 2.5 The Critique: How Professionals Judge and Improve Work: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 2.5: studio brief and sketchbook | ||
| Wk 7 | Day 1: Lesson 2.5: practice set and corrections Day 2: Unit 2 test Day 3: Lesson 3.1 The Story of Letters: Gutenberg, Jenson and Five Centuries of Type: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 3.1: studio brief and sketchbook Day 5: Lesson 3.1: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 8 | Day 1: Lesson 3.2 The Anatomy of a Letter: Classification from Garamond to Helvetica: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 3.2: studio brief and sketchbook Day 3: Lesson 3.2: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 3.3 Choosing and Pairing Typefaces: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 3.3: studio brief and sketchbook | ||
| Wk 9 | Day 1: Lesson 3.3: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 3.4 Setting Text Well: Size, Leading, Measure and the Type Scale: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 3.4: studio brief and sketchbook Day 4: Lesson 3.4: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 3.5 Display Type and Hand Lettering: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 10 | Day 1: Lesson 3.5: studio brief and sketchbook Day 2: Lesson 3.5: practice set and corrections Day 3: Unit 3 test Day 4: Lesson 4.1 How Color Works: Wheels, Mixing and Harmony: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 4.1: studio brief and sketchbook | ||
| Wk 11 | Day 1: Lesson 4.1: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 4.2 Building a Palette: Value First, Then Color: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 4.2: studio brief and sketchbook Day 4: Lesson 4.2: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 4.3 Color by the Numbers: RGB, Hex, CMYK and Spot Color: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 12 | Day 1: Lesson 4.3: studio brief and sketchbook Day 2: Lesson 4.3: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 4.4 What Color Says: Meaning, Branding and Convention: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 4.4: studio brief and sketchbook Day 5: Lesson 4.4: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 13 | Day 1: Lesson 4.5 Color Everyone Can Read: Contrast and Color-Blind-Safe Design: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 4.5: studio brief and sketchbook Day 3: Lesson 4.5: practice set and corrections Day 4: Unit 4 test Day 5: Lesson 5.1 The Grid: Margins, Columns and Alignment: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 14 | Day 1: Lesson 5.1: studio brief and sketchbook Day 2: Lesson 5.1: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 5.2 The Poster: One Message at a Glance: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 5.2: studio brief and sketchbook Day 5: Lesson 5.2: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 15 | Day 1: Lesson 5.3 Pages That Flow: Books, Magazines and Multi-Page Layout: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 5.3: studio brief and sketchbook Day 3: Lesson 5.3: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 5.4 Ready for the Press: Resolution, Bleed and File Formats: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 5.4: studio brief and sketchbook | ||
| Wk 16 | Day 1: Lesson 5.4: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 5.5 Ink on Paper: How Printing Actually Works: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 5.5: studio brief and sketchbook Day 4: Lesson 5.5: practice set and corrections Day 5: Unit 5 test | ||
| Wk 17 | Catch-up and review week (no new lessons) | ||
| Wk 18 | Day 1: Review day for the midterm Day 2: Midterm exam Day 3: Lesson 6.1 Pixels and Paths: How a Computer Stores a Picture: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 6.1: studio brief and sketchbook Day 5: Lesson 6.1: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 19 | Day 1: Lesson 6.2 Painting with Pixels: Krita and the Raster Workflow: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 6.2: studio brief and sketchbook Day 3: Lesson 6.2: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 6.3 Drawing with Curves: Inkscape and the Vector Workflow: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 6.3: studio brief and sketchbook | ||
| Wk 20 | Day 1: Lesson 6.3: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 6.4 From Sketch to Finish: Scan, Clean, Ink and Color Your Drawing: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 6.4: studio brief and sketchbook Day 4: Lesson 6.4: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 6.5 The Professional's Toolkit: Adobe, Affinity, Procreate and Yours: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 21 | Day 1: Lesson 6.5: studio brief and sketchbook Day 2: Lesson 6.5: practice set and corrections Day 3: Unit 6 test Day 4: Lesson 7.1 The Golden Age: Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth and the Magazine Era: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 7.1: studio brief and sketchbook | ||
| Wk 22 | Day 1: Lesson 7.1: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 7.2 Pictures for Children: Crane, Caldecott, Rackham and the Picture Book: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 7.2: studio brief and sketchbook Day 4: Lesson 7.2: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 7.3 Today's Markets: Editorial, Advertising, Covers and Concept Art: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 23 | Day 1: Lesson 7.3: studio brief and sketchbook Day 2: Lesson 7.3: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 7.4 Finding Your Style: Influences, Practice and Consistency: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 7.4: studio brief and sketchbook Day 5: Lesson 7.4: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 24 | Day 1: Lesson 7.5 From Brief to Final: The Illustration Job, Start to Finish: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 7.5: studio brief and sketchbook Day 3: Lesson 7.5: practice set and corrections Day 4: Unit 7 test Day 5: Lesson 8.1 Marks That Mean Something: From Maker's Marks to Modern Identity: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 25 | Day 1: Lesson 8.1: studio brief and sketchbook Day 2: Lesson 8.1: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 8.2 What Makes a Logo Good: Simple, Memorable, Versatile: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 8.2: studio brief and sketchbook Day 5: Lesson 8.2: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 26 | Day 1: Lesson 8.3 The Logo Process: Brief, Research, Sketches, Refinement: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 8.3: studio brief and sketchbook Day 3: Lesson 8.3: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 8.4 More Than a Logo: Color, Type and the Brand Guide: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 8.4: studio brief and sketchbook | ||
| Wk 27 | Day 1: Lesson 8.4: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 8.5 Presenting and Defending the Work: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 8.5: studio brief and sketchbook Day 4: Lesson 8.5: practice set and corrections Day 5: Unit 8 test | ||
| Wk 28 | Day 1: Lesson 9.1 How the Web Shows Your Work: Browsers, HTML and CSS Basics: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 9.1: studio brief and sketchbook Day 3: Lesson 9.1: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 9.2 Buttons, Forms and Flows: User Interface Fundamentals: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 9.2: studio brief and sketchbook | ||
| Wk 29 | Day 1: Lesson 9.2: practice set and corrections Day 2: Lesson 9.3 One Design, Every Screen: Responsive Layout: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 9.3: studio brief and sketchbook Day 4: Lesson 9.3: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 9.4 Design in the Feed: Social Graphics, Thumbnails and Email: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 30 | Day 1: Lesson 9.4: studio brief and sketchbook Day 2: Lesson 9.4: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 9.5 Prototype and Handoff: Penpot, Figma and Working with Developers: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 9.5: studio brief and sketchbook Day 5: Lesson 9.5: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 31 | Day 1: Unit 9 test Day 2: Lesson 10.1 The Portfolio: Ten Strong Pieces and Where to Show Them: video, teaching and worked examples Day 3: Lesson 10.1: studio brief and sketchbook Day 4: Lesson 10.1: practice set and corrections Day 5: Lesson 10.2 Who Owns the Picture: Copyright, Licensing and Contracts: video, teaching and worked examples | ||
| Wk 32 | Day 1: Lesson 10.2: studio brief and sketchbook Day 2: Lesson 10.2: practice set and corrections Day 3: Lesson 10.3 Pricing the Work: Rates, Quotes and the Freelance Math: video, teaching and worked examples Day 4: Lesson 10.3: studio brief and sketchbook Day 5: Lesson 10.3: practice set and corrections | ||
| Wk 33 | Day 1: Lesson 10.4 Getting Hired: Clients, Studios, Applications and Interviews: video, teaching and worked examples Day 2: Lesson 10.4: studio brief and sketchbook Day 3: Lesson 10.4: practice set and corrections Day 4: Lesson 10.5 A Craftsman's Career: Habits, Ethics and the Long Game: video, teaching and worked examples Day 5: Lesson 10.5: studio brief and sketchbook | ||
| Wk 34 | Day 1: Lesson 10.5: practice set and corrections Day 2: Unit 10 test Day 3: Review day for the final Day 4: Final exam | ||
| Wk 35 | Catch-up week: finish any MUST COVER lesson not yet done | ||
| Wk 36 | Year-end review, portfolio and records |
Grading: Practice sets and corrections 15%, Studio briefs (met the spec, finished, presented) 25%, Sketchbook 10%, Unit tests 30%, Midterm exam 10%, Final exam 10%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69. Below 60: review and retake the test or redo the brief with help.