How to Create Interesting Advertisements

1. How to Create Interesting Advertisements Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion Standards Resources Teacher Page Webquest for 9-12 Art Students Designed By Nicole Myers nmyers@bgcs.k12.oh.us EDTL 680 – Creating WebQuests for the K-12 Classroom – Summer 2008 Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

2. Introduction Advertisements are everywhere! Each day we are bombarded with advertisements on billboards, in newspapers and magazines, on our televisions and computers, in the movie theater and even on public transportation. So how do you use components of design to create something so interesting that it won’t end up in the trash with the other junk mail? In this activity you will work in teams, present your information to the class and individually create an interesting and original advertisement. When you are finished with this activity you will: 1. know the art elements and principles and their definitions. 2. critique other print advertisements and pick out successful and weak ads. 3. create an interesting and original poster design for the Black Swamp Arts Festival.

3. Task Each September the Black Swamp Arts Festival (BSAF) hits the streets of downtown Bowling Green. This festival is fun for all ages and a great place to buy original artwork, create art, listen to music and eat fantastic food. Every year the BSAF committee searches for an interesting and original poster design to advertise the festival. The design is used on the BSAF Website, on t-shirts and in other print advertisements. This year the committee is asking YOU to create an original advertisement for the 2009 festival. The deadline for all submissions is December 31, 2008. During this lesson, you will take on the role of the Advertiser. As you work in small groups, you will explore the components of design and what makes a successful advertisement. At the completion of this assignment, you will put your creativity to the test and create an original poster design for the Black Swamp Arts Committee. We will hold a contest to select the top three designs to submit to the committee. Will your design be one of them?

4. Process In your group examine the elements and principles assigned to your group. Individually, peruse the following Websites to come up with a definition for each word. Do not copy the definition directly, instead look at more than one Website and create your own definition. Re-group with your team and collectively write a definition for each term. http://www.msdsteuben.k12.in.us/jrider/elements_and_principles_of_art.htm http://www.goshen.edu/art/ed/Compose.htm#elements http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/encyclopedia.html http://www.jiskha.com/art/visual_arts/ped.html http://www.johnlovett.com/test.htm

5. Process Part 2 Group 5: Typography is also an important part of advertising. Using the various Websites below, answer the following questions about text. Like the other groups work individually first and collectively decide as a group on your answers. • What is the difference between serif and sans serif? • How many fonts should you use within an advertisement? Why? • What does hierarchy refer to? What are some ways in which you can enhance text? • What is the rule for typing vertically? http://www.webdesignref.com/examples/textex.htm http://www.writedesignonline.com/resources/design/rules/type.html http://typophile.com/files/typography_rules.pdf http://www.papress.com/thinkingwithtype/text/stacked_type.htm Now find a visual example that reflects each of your group’s terms. Look at these Websites to find examples. Group 5: find visuals that demonstrate each of the four typography concepts. You might be able to create your own with Microsoft Word. Each group will present the definitions/rules and a visual example of each to the class. http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/explore.cfm http://cbio.mskcc.org/~bader/artists/mondrian/mondrian.html Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

6. Process Part 3 As the role of the designer you need to know if a design works well or not. To do this you need to learn how to critique art. Click on the “how to critique art” Website. This will give you an overview of the steps: description, analysis, interpretation and judgment. Once you have finished viewing the Website, individually look at the critique worksheet to determine which of the following examples you consider the STRONGEST and which one you consider the WEAKEST. Separately look at the visual examples document . Meet with your group and collectively choose the STRONGEST and WEAKEST examples making sure you have answered the questions on the critique sheet. You will present your decisions and give and explanation to the class. See presentation rubric. Continuing to play the role of the designer, use the information you learned in class to create an interesting poster advertisement for the 2009 Black Swamp Arts Fest. To plan your layout, complete the sketchbook assignment . The assignment is listed on the Black Swamp handout . Check this sheet for requirements and the rubric for grade stipulations. Projects will be completed using Adobe Photoshop. Again use the Black Swamp handout for requirements and look at the rubric for evaluation information. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

7. Evaluation Group work and presentations, poster sketchbook assignment and final poster design in Photoshop will all be graded using the various rubrics. Each rubric is organized into categories and each category has several questions for the designer. Use these rubrics as a guide to see how you will be graded. To see each rubric, click on the following assignments: Presentations **Each person in the group will fill out a separate rubric. Your answers will be included in the grade.** Sketchbook Poster Design

8. Conclusion Congratulations! You have completed the quest of creating an advertisement. You have used your knowledge of the art elements and principles and critiquing steps to create an original poster advertisement. Designs for the 2009 Black Swamp Arts Festival will be voted on by your peers. The top three designs will be sent to the BSAF committee to decide the winning design.

9. Standards Creative Expression and Communication Students create artworks that demonstrate understanding of materials, processes, tools, media, techniques and available technology. They understand how to use art elements, principles and images to communicate their ideas in a variety of visual forms. Benchmark A: Demonstrate mastery of materials, concepts and personal concentration when creating original artworks. 1. Integrate the elements of art and principles of design using a variety of media to solve specific visual art problems and to convey meaning. Benchmark B: Create expressive artworks that demonstrate a sense of purpose and understanding of the relationship among form, materials, techniques and subject matter. 2. Use available technology (e.g., digital imagery, video and computer graphics) as a tool to explore art techniques and to express ideas. Analyzing and Responding Students identify and discriminate themes, media, subject matter and formal technical and expressive aspects in works of art. They understand and use the vocabulary of art criticism to describe visual features, analyze relationships and interpret meanings in works of art. Students make judgments about the quality of works of art using the appropriate criteria. Benchmark A: Apply the knowledge and skills of art criticism to conduct in-depth analyses of works of art. 1. Analyze the way media, technique, compositional elements and subject matter work together to create meaning in selected artworks. 2. Apply methods of art criticism in writing and speaking about works of art. Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

10. Resources • Best Animations. Retrieve June 30, 2008 from the Website: http://www.bestanimations.com/ • Free Animated Gifs and Free Animations (2007). Retrieved July 14, 2008 from the Website: http://www.amazing-animations.com/ • Huff, Diane. Effective Print Ads: Tools To Increase Sales. (2002) Retrieved July 12, 2008 from the Website: http://www.dhcommunications.com/pdfs/effectiveads.pdf • Meyer, R.G. The Art Critiquing Process (2008). Retrieved July 24, 2008 from the Art-iculation Learning To Look At Art Website: http://www.brigantine.atlnet.org/GigapaletteGALLERY/websites/ARTicula tionFinal/MainPages/ArtCritiquingMain.htm • Ohio Department of Education. Academic Content Standards (2008). Retrieved on July 24, 2008 from the Website: http://www.ode.state.oh.us/GD/Templates/Pages/ODE/ODEPrimary.aspx? Page=2&TopicID=7&TopicRelationID=305 • Sleepy Hollow High School Art Department Gallery of Exhibits: JazzFest Cover Assignment (2007).Retrieved July 23, 2008 from the Sleepy Hollow High School Website: http://www.tufsd.org/shhs/art/gallery/images/ jazzfestphotogallery/index.htm • 15 Years of Spraoi (2008). Retrieved July 23, 20008 from the Spraoi Website: http://www.spraoi.com/previous.htm Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

11. Teacher Page This Webquest is intended for students to understand how to advertise and create original and creative work that stands out from a crowd. The final product in this Webquest is a poster, but could be modified to include any type of advertising (i.e. postcard, t-shirt, magazine, ticket design, etc.) Through this assignment, students work collaboratively to make new discoveries, present ideas to the class and work independently on a real life advertisement assignment. To select groups, have students count off by five. Each group will have three to four students and assignments will be broken down by group (see notes next to each step on the Process Pages). The sketchbook assignment is for homework. Students will have three days to complete that assignment. In the meantime, the class will learn how to manipulate the tools in Adobe Photoshop to create certain effects and results.