What's in a Name?

The start of a new school year generates excitement, engagement, and curiosity in every classroom. Iʼve found that one way to get to know my sixth-grade students is to introduce a unit on typography. Students bring Chromebooks to the art room daily, so having this technology readily available makes for a fun way to break the ice and get to know your students by name. This unit contains two different projects that typically take three or four one-hour class periods to complete.

A History of Typography
I begin by showing students a presentation on the history of typography and the use of sans serif and serif fonts. This opening discussion allows me to share stories of when I first started teaching when people were still using typewriters, so everyone knew the word type but not font. I tell students how typesetters used to “set type” and order fonts from type houses. I also show them examples of how color affects legibility, along with the use of bold and italic fonts.

Serif fonts are considered the easiest to read. They have a “tail” or end piece added to the letter, which originated in ancient Rome. Stone carvers apparently found it easier to chisel the ends into a curve instead of a straight edge. There are many resources online that show examples of both serif and sans serif font.

Project One: First or Last Name
In the first typography assignment, students incorporate their first or last name in a design. Using Google Drawings, they select one text box per letter, which allows them to move the letters around the page. Students are required to use both sans serif and serif fonts and aren’t allowed to use Arial font, the default font on Google Drawings.

Once students have created the text boxes for each letter, they enlarge the font size to 250 or greater. The name design is then grouped and duplicated to repeat their name at least once on the page. Students may ungroup and change the font colors to create an exciting overall design. After the type design has been completed and the names arranged, students add abstract shapes in the background and use the transparency tool to overlap the shapes.

Once students have created the text boxes for each letter, they enlarge the font size to 250 or greater. The name design is then grouped and duplicated to repeat their name at least once on the page. Students may ungroup and change the font colors to create an exciting overall design. After the type design has been completed and the names arranged, students add abstract shapes in the background and use the transparency tool to overlap the shapes.

Project Two: What’s Your Word?
As a wrap-up to this unit, students make a list of five of their favorite activities, hobbies, or passions. They use Google Drawings to create a graphic design of a word from their list and add visuals to emphasize it. This is a great way for students to learn about each other and have fun with graphic design. Finished designs are uploaded to Canvas, and I print color copies for each student.

Extension Activity
Students enjoyed these assignments and asked if they could try other typography design projects. I showed them how to use the online app Canva to create a word collage based on their original list of things they liked. I also introduced the use of a background remover app so they could include a photo with their words. I didn’t require this assignment, but many students jumped at the chance to explore overlapping fonts and use the transparency tool.

Reflection
Students enjoyed experimenting with font sizes, styles, and colors. I noticed at first that many students didn’t understand that each letter was its own shape capable of being moved across the page. I realized the concept of isolating letters might be a bit abstract for sixth graders. When I suggested that students should think of the letters as dancing shapes, they made a better connection to the assignment.

Teaching about typography serves more than one purpose in art. As designers, students learn the importance of font legibility, including style, color, and size. Making good font choices also helps students when they create presentations for other subject areas such as science, social studies, and English. As reliant on technology as we all are, embracing online design tools helps our students gain confidence in visual communication.