This semester’s Graphic Design 2 class began with an assignment to design new campaign materials for an environmental group. In this project, we explored ways to educate and alert people about the many environmental concerns that our planet currently faces. Students chose one environmental issue that they care about. Options included global warming, air pollution, water pollution, land pollution, climate change, deforestation, genetic modification, marine life, public health, overpopulation, biodiversity loss, industrial waste, ozone layer depletion, mining, declining natural resources, extreme weather, nuclear issues, endangered species, pesticides, waste disposal, or anything that spoke to them.
While my students were working on this school project, I was immersed in an environmental group’s event promotion. Shortly after moving to Florida, we became aware of the serious red tide and Lake Okeechobee pollution issues in our area. Our local group was organizing a candlelight vigil “Light the Shore” to mourn our dying sea life. It was part of an ongoing effort to put a national spotlight on the toxic algae crisis. It was pretty cool to be confronting many of the same questions and challenges that my students were encountering.
I was impressed with the seriousness of the students’ concerns for our precious earth. They did their research and I think we all learned new things. It was interesting how many students focused on ocean life, which is a passion of mine.
There are many groups educating the public about the environment. Some students imagined new groups, while many selected existing organizations for their projects:
- Blue Ocean Society
- Tomorrow
- Ocean Conservancy
- Save Family Farming
- Sea Legacy
- Surfrider Foundation
- The Last Plastic Straw
- Urban Sprawl
- Wild Peace
Design Brief (Project Requirements)
Specifications:
- logo – Must show 2 versions: black & white and 4/c (four-color = cmyk). Must use logo on poster and tee. If you choose to use the color version on both poster and tee, be sure to also show a b&w version separately in a PDF. Must be 300ppi.
- poster – 24″x36″, plus 9 pt. bleeds. 4/c (four-color), 300 ppi
- t-shirt – 8″ square. optional colors, 300 ppi
Include:
- logo – Must be a combination of type and graphic mark
- poster – Logo, at least 1 image, 1 headline, 1 Call-to-Action that includes 1 phone number and/or 1 website URL
- t-shirt – Logo, at least 1 image, 1 headline
- campaign – Can be an existing organization or an imaginary one.
Student Designs: Posters
Student Designs: T-Shirts
Your Feedback
We do class critiques every week and the students are always curious to know what people think about their designs. We welcome your feedback, too! Sharing your thoughts adds new perspectives and contributes to the students’ educational experience.
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I always love the blogs in which you present your students’ work. Very impressed with the choices they made for designs and with their environmental awareness.
Glad you enjoy these posts, Peggy! Thanks very much!
The Environmental Campaign Project sounds wonderful and creative. The students are lucky to have you. And what a perfect time to be doing it. Thank you!
These posters are beautiful. Congratulations.
Glad you liked the project!
Nice to hear from you and know you appreciate my students’ work!