Poster Layout Plan: Thumbnails, Hierarchy and Design Careers

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Poster Layout Plan: Thumbnails, Hierarchy and
Design Careers
Arts · Art · Grades 9-12 · 50 minutes
Time needed
50 minutes (one class period)
Prep
Copy the 2-page worksheet (one per student). Write the four layout rules on the board (see
Before Class).
Technology
None. Calculators are optional.
Student
independence
High. Students plan alone, then share one idea with a partner.
Copies to make
One 2-page worksheet per student
Materials
Pencils, Worksheet, Erasers, Rulers (optional), Colored pencils (optional)
Goal for today: Students will plan a poster for a fictional community event by sketching three thumbnails, choosing
the strongest layout, and explaining how it uses hierarchy and contrast.
Before the bell
☐ Copy the worksheet, one per student.
☐ Write on the board: 1. HIERARCHY = the most important thing is biggest. 2. ALIGNMENT = line things up
along shared edges. 3. CONTRAST = dark against light so text is easy to read. 4. WHITE SPACE = leave
breathing room.
☐ Rulers and colored pencils are optional. All sketches may be done freehand with pencil.
☐ Keep the answer key on your desk. Questions 13–15 are open-ended and checked against the key notes.
Say this to start
Good morning! Today your class is thinking like graphic designers. A good poster has to be understood in about five
seconds, so designers plan carefully before they start the final version. You will learn four layout rules, do some quick
math about margins, match a few art careers, and then plan a poster for an imaginary community garden cleanup day.
Everything is done in pencil on the worksheet.

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Run of show
Minutes
What you do
What students do
0–5
Take attendance the way the school requires. Hand out the
worksheet.
Settle in and take out a pencil.
5–12
Read the four layout rules on the board aloud. Then ask: “If
you could only read one thing on a poster from across the
room, what should it be?” Take two or three answers. Tell
students to read the passage on the worksheet.
Listen, answer the question, and read the
passage.
12–22
Tell students to answer questions 1–5 (multiple choice and
true/false). Then tell them to solve questions 6–8, the
margin math. Calculators are allowed.
Answer the questions and show their math
in the work boxes.
22–28
Tell students to complete questions 9–12, the career
matching.
Match each art career to what the person
does.
28–35
Tell students to fill in the Poster Plan table (not numbered)
and begin question 13, the three thumbnail sketches.
Decide how big each piece of information
should be, then sketch three small layout
ideas.
35–46
Tell students to draw their final layout in question 14, the
large box. Remind them to use the strongest thumbnail,
and that real photos and artwork are not needed; boxes
and labels are fine.
Draw one clean layout with the headline,
image area, date and place all labeled.
46–50
Tell students to answer question 15, then collect all
worksheets and stack them for the teacher.
Write two or three sentences, put their
name on the sheet, and hand it in.
If things go wrong
• If a student cannot think of an image for the poster, tell them to draw a plain box and label it ‘image: a person
planting a seedling’. Labels count.
• If a student wants to use a famous character or brand, ask them to use a generic idea (a tree, a trowel, a
flower) instead.
• If a student finishes early, ask them to check that all five parts of the plan are placed on the poster and then
use the early finisher list.
• If students are unsure about the margin math, remind them there are two margins in each direction, so
subtract 2 inches from the width and 2 inches from the height.
Early finishers
• Choose two fonts (or lettering styles) for your poster and write what each one will be used for. Keep it to two.
• Draw a small version of your poster in the margin using only black and white, then check whether the
headline still stands out.
Support and challenge
• Support: Let students sketch only two thumbnails and give them the headline wording: “Garden Cleanup Day:
Join Us!”
• Challenge: Ask students to design a second version of the poster for a different audience, such as young
children, and describe the changes.

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Notes for the teacher (you fill this in)
Jot a few lines before you leave. A full Daily Sub Report is in the free Sub Survival Kit at SubstitutePlans.com.
How far the class got / what to pick up next:
Students who were especially helpful:
Anything the teacher should know: