Tool Isolation in Adobe Illustrator

There's nothing worse than having to learn a software program by means of a textbook. Page after page of instructions gets old really quick and limits creativity. I have found a better way to engage students and strengthen technical skills. Each class, I give them an assignment that forces them to utilize various tools or program features.

Illustrator Circle Challenge

Instruct students to make a specific-sized document (we used 5" x 5"). Their layout can contain only circles/ovals using the ellipse tool in Illustrator. By isolating tools, you are forcing your students to go in depth with shape, color, size, arrangements, and so on. More importantly, you are challenging them. Only allow them one class period and we always share our creations.

By Ashley Turman

By Kevin Dawson

By Caroline Pollock

By Nicholas Woods

By Kendall Cooke

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The Animal/Text Challenge

Students can virtually do anything, even learn challenging Adobe software from a distance. In this assignment, students were tasked to create an animal/creature using only the first letter of the animal's name. For instance, students designed cats using only c's. This is certainly a challenge and I was blown away by their results. Students were also encouraged to incorporate various fonts, sizes, and colors. "Cardinal" by Kyle Upton "Chicken" by Shamus Curran "Dog" by Jose Nieves "Dog" by Chris Laskin "Dragon" by Caleb Windless "Zebra" by Caleb Howe

McKinney-Vento Logo Design

Selected logo design by Victoria Torres Our class was recently approached by the McKinney-Vento department within Stafford County Public Schools for a new logo design. According to the Stafford County Public Schools website: The Federal McKinney-Vento Act guarantees school enrollment for anyone who, due to a lack of permanent housing , lives in inadequate or temporary setting such as: Emergency shelters or transitional housing Motels, hotels, or campgrounds due to lack of an adequate alternative Cars, parks, public places, bus or train stations, or abandoned buildings Doubled up with relatives or friends due to loss of housing or economic hardship This was an excellent learning opportunity for my Design & Multimedia students. They were able to gain real-world experience working with a client. The client visited our classroom and gave a presentation on McKinney-Vento while also expressing what she was looking for in the new logo. Students filled out

From Cubicle to Classroom

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