I am not a designer, someday perhaps, but for now I am merely a humble high school English teacher. And here's my thing: I am trying to actively incorporate ideas about design into the course. I believe that design matters, and matters a lot, and not just in the art room.

So far, this early in the year, I've only worked it into the course in small ways, like getting them to pay attention to fonts and get outside of the TNR/Courier mindset. My grading rubric for papers has points allotted for "presentation" (within the MLA guidelines of course). I'm planning some projects about novels that open the gates wide for their creative ideas to rush out...

But, I don't think it's enough. What would you do? What are three or four or five BIG design ideas that I should get them excited about. And then, the big question: HOW? If you had a classroom and some eager (and some not-so-eager) minds, what would you do?

This is a good question Luke, and one I have thought about often as I have taught junior high and high school students with little to no knowledge of design several times. I also have children of my own at that same age and am considering how to introduce design concepts to them in simple subtle ways.

The fact that you are an English teacher will limit some things you can do as much of design education is still based on the art education model, but here are a few things:

1. The most important thing you can do to benefit the students is to teach them how to think critically — to identify needs / problems / potentials and then teach them how to develop ways to meet those needs / solve those problems.

For my own kids I want to be sure they know how to write a well-reasoned critique of a book or an article or even TV show or a song. I also think having a journalistic mentality in approaching any unkown is a good analytical tool — who? what? where? when? how?

Being able to identity what true need must be met is a crucial skill for the modern designer. Then defining how to meet that need comes next. Very similar to skills utilized in a book review or a critique of a poem or an explanation of what makes a good short story.

2. Judge a book by its cover.
We have all had experience in reading a book that in no way matches the cover design (or vice versa). Have the kids write about why a cover does or does not properly reflect the story inside. In their critique they will begin to develop ideas about how to improve the bad design or what it is that makes a good design. Discussing it with the class as a whole will also be helpful in revealing differing opinions and general consensus.

This is also a great opportunity to speak about type, colors, composition, photography/illustration, representation vs. symbolism and so on.

3. Introduce them to the basic kinds of typefaces.
Serif, Sans Serif, Blackletter, Script, Symbol/Dingbat, Display and Vernacular. Erik Speikermann’s _Stop Stealing Sheep and Learn How Type Works_ is a fabulous resource; a very understandable way to communicate basic typographic ideas to kids. You will enjoy it too...

4. Have them use a variety of typefaces.
For one project, I gave students various adjectives that they would not know definitions for, so they would look them up, then try to select a typeface that communicated the definition. They then presented them to the class, explained them and got feedback from their classmates.

5. Have them directly emulated the greats.
This works for writing styles too - have them select a passage from a good writer or a design from a design legend and try to copy it directly. In both cases they begin to feel the rhythm and method of the original practitioner.

6. Give them a variety of design tools to communicate with...
In literature there's all sorts of prose and poetry techniques to choose from, the same is true for design. Some kids can draw well, others like to take photographs, still others would prefer to shape something with their hands or cut things out of other objects. Let them explore communication with diverse media. Link the design exploration to specific texts...

That’s my initial quick stab. I am hoping a couple of my educator collaborators will weigh in on this question too.

Luke,

Paul has posted some excellent ideas above. I think each would go a long way in increasing student appreciation of good design.

I would also really try to push the idea of hierarchy as it relates to not only literal matters but also visual matters. How can writing be translated into a visual form that communicates a sense of hierarchy. Obviously we see this all the time in everything from newspapers to billboards, but it is not something that is widely discussed in high school english courses. Perhaps have them write a short article (using legible but different typefaces) and use things like headlines, subheads, pull quotes, body copy, etc.

Another idea (stolen from my father-in-law and translated for more design-related results) is to have students prepare for you a 'how-to' of something they really love doing. Have them lay it out in some way other than a bland list… you could make it a poster, pages of a book, etc. This will force them to deal with order, hierarchy, composition, type selection, etc. It will be a challenge, but since they have the freedom to pick a process they enjoy I imagine they will rise to the occasion.

I'll post more ideas if I have them. In the meantime maybe we have another voice out there with something to add?

As an English major and communications design writer, I'm thrilled at this question Luke. Those who don't consider design's impact on how we read and understand are like those who don't consider language's impact on how we read... it's a shame. Rather like a bad "kid-accessible" translation of Shakespeare, as though the poetry weren't part of the plot.

3 specific examples
1. To Paul's point, look at the history of covers of the Great Gatsby. How does it grow out of and influence the work?

2. Look at the layout of Seamus Heaney's really great and readable translation of Beowulf. Why is the layout important?

3. What about the graphic rendering of the 9/11 report. That took a document that was nearly unreadable because of its size and thickness of information, and makes its important content really engaging and teachable.

Luke,

My fellow widgeteers have addressed your question so well that I find it hard to add further input; however, I do have one suggestion. For those "not-so-eager" students it might help boost their motivation if you encouraged them to bring in printed materials that they are in to (i.e. favorite magazines, books, album cover/sleeves) and open up a show 'n' tell session. During this ask them to talk about why they like the particular piece(s). Ask them to point out particular elements that they recognize as "good design," and encourage them to talk about the specifics of why they think it's good. This might also help you get a feel for their understanding of design. During this exercise, incorporate some of the suggestions from my colleagues too.

I hope our input helps you, and we salute your effort!

Luke, that's a really interesting question. Not sure how conservative your high school may be, but I would recommend Snow White from Barthelme. If you can get away with teaching it, this short novel is one of those rare texts that acknowledges the physicality of the printed page and uses it to challenge our understanding of how a text exists in space. As an added bonus, it's hilarious.

There are plenty of other texts doing the same thing, though. Of course Ulysses, and plenty more that are on my mind but I can't think of titles at the moment.

I do think it's important to teach English students that the medium is part of the message. Another thought that just came to mind- there's a documentary about Al Jazeera that really opened my eyes to how biased all American media accounts of the Iraq war have been. The selection of images on the screen shape our conclusions about the war, and watching Al Jazeera for a while certainly makes you think again about our whole stance toward the Arab world (if you weren't already).

Oh my, I'm still in class, but this is amazing. I can't wait to get home and read the rest / mull this all over / incorporate into lesson plans.

Thanks upon thanks.

Luke,
I'm not a designer nor do I have any affiliation with Widgets, but I am a copywriter. Design and typography play a major role in my job. Often, I have to fit writing around images or fit product descriptions into character limits on a web page.

I would suggest you have them do something resembling a magazine layout. It wouldn't have to be a large feature, but maybe a breakout box with a picture, a headline, and original text/writing. This kind of project would promote creativity as well as hone editorial skills.

Not an interesting question like the above, but...
I'm researching color laser printers for under $600. I'm thinking about HP Color LaserJet 2600N. Any feedback? Other suggestions? If this isn't the right venue for this question, my apologies, but I'm finding online information very contradictory. Thank you! Rebecca.

Very appropriate for this forum, but one I (or widgeteers with more tech expertise) need more info to answer well... What sorts of color prints? Multipurpose proofing? Photographic? Archival art papers? What sizes? What quantity of print runs?

Luke,
A couple of specific resources inspired by some of the above posts...

The Penguin Press is a fascinating example of a publishing house's relationship to it's own identity and the identity of the books which it publishes. The "look" of Penguin is the result of the work of some of the most preeminent designers in design history and Penguin covers, when taken as a whole, run the range of completely sublimating the "content" in service to the consistency of the press and visa-versa. A recently released book from AVA press (Left to Right, from Words to Images, by David Crow) dedicated an entire chapter to an overview of the history of Penguin, drawing a parallel to an increasingly visually motivated culture shaped by the introduction and (now) ubiquity of television.

You may also try having your students read Marshall Mcluhan's "The Medium is the Massage, an Inventory of Effects". It was written in the late 60's but is as timely today as it ever was. The book is about (among other things) the way in which media defines and shapes communication and (by extension) us. If nothing else, it is a great introduction to a kind of essential design/media literacy and I think would be a very cool read for a bunch of motivated HS students. As an added bonus, and also relevant to your post, the book is beautifully designed by collaborator/designer Quentin Fiore and the layout forms an essential part of the reading experience. The particular structure of the book (hierarchy, repetition, sequencing of words and images) could easily form the basis of a classroom project.

Good luck and thanks for the post!

As a father of a 12 year old who is very interested in design, I've really enjoyed reading this discussion and all the suggestions. It really makes me ask more questions though like:

1. Why don't secondary schools teach design basics? They used to only teach reading, writing and arithmetic. Now we've got history, economics, social studies, etc. Most of which we never use outside school. Would it be too much to ask for design to be taught as a general subject?

2. Would AIGA take up the gauntlet and develop a secondary curriculum and make it available to schools and teachers to incorporate into their offerings.

3. Will we ever be able to see students wanting to become teachers of design at the secondary level?

One day?

Frank,

Sorry to take so long to get to your question... Some short answers:

1. I think the onus us in the design profession to make design skills pertinent and valuable to high schools. I don't think many designers understand the relevance of design to any and all subjects (aside from art) taught in schools, and if they do recognize it, it is in relation to liberal arts at the university level, not in prep schools. From my point of view today, I wish I had known about/been interested in design when I was taking all those “nondesign” classes — they would suddenly have been so much more interesting and relevant to me... Think about the pertinence of mathematics, computer science, history, grammar, literature, psychology and sociology (to name just a tiny few) to our profession.

As Gunnar Swanson wrote some time ago “Designers, design educators and design students are in a more important and interesting field than we seem to recognize.” He prefaces that statement with this:

“Design should be about meaning and how meaning can be created. Design should be about the relationship of form and communication. It is one of the fields where science and literature meet. It can shine a light on hidden corners of sociology and history. Design’s position as a conduit for and shaper of popular values can be a path between anthropology and political science...”

Lately I feel that if we begin to introduce the design process and the designer’s evolving role in society to young students, it will expand their horizons, opportunities and their thirst to learn. Even in the boring nondesign subjects. ; )

2. I feel that a few small pockets of AIGA actually are... but I cannot make that claim for certain. Anyone out there in blogland know? I will do some digging and get back to you.

3. Of course there are some and will be a few. But until teaching at the elementary and secondary levels becomes a profession our society values, it will be much like teachers of any other subject: 9 incompentents to 1 talented and passionate individual.

But perhaps one day.

On the positive side, I think even making small efforts will be helpful and well received: help with Junior Achievement, talk at carrer day, give a short workshop or talk to a class... all these things can begin to get design on the radar for young people.

My big interest of late is how to introduce the profession as an option to kids who had no idea such a job existed.