Project 1 begins with decisions, not decorations. Plan a destination postcard by identifying the place, the audience, and the message before building your first Canva draft.
A creative brief gives you a reason for each choice before you start arranging images and words.
Missed class or want to review a concept? Watch the Week 5 recording as a reference while you work. You can begin your assignment without watching it again.
Choose a real place and design ONE 5 × 7-inch landscape postcard front in Canva. You can be your own client, or ask a family member to be your pretend client. Decide who will see the postcard, what it should communicate, and why your design choices fit that purpose.
Complete the creative brief first. Research your destination, record your sources, and sketch two clearly different layouts. The worksheet includes space for both sketches, but you may use the back, grid paper, or separate drawing paper if you need more room. Keep your sketches with your brief when you submit them.
Choose one sketch and build Canva Draft 1. It is a first attempt, not your finished postcard.
View Project 1 Creative Brief PDF Opens in a new tab with print instructions.
EMAIL BY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, AT 11:40 AM ET
That is 24 hours before our Thursday class starts.
Send all three parts so I can review your work before class:
BRING ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15
Your brief, two sketches, and Canva Draft 1 (printed or ready to share on your computer screen). We will use them for our first class critique.
Note: Sending your work and bringing it to class are two separate steps. Please do both.
Work through these questions in order. You can revise your answers as you learn more about the destination.
Which real place are you representing? What makes it recognizable?
Who should receive or respond to this postcard?
Should it help someone remember, visit, or learn about something?
What one idea should the viewer understand quickly?
What facts, images, and references support the idea? Record sources and image rights.
What image, typography, and colors would serve your audience and message?
Working size: 5 × 7 inches, landscape. Use readable text and a clear destination name.
Sketch two genuinely different arrangements before selecting one to build.
A postcard can help someone remember an experience, invite someone to visit, or promote a particular event. These are different communication goals. A keepsake may place its strongest image first; an invitation may use an engaging message; an event promotion needs readable details such as dates and times.
Start by choosing your audience. The same historic destination might interest hikers because of its trails and historians because of its architecture. Neither approach is automatically better. Your audience determines which information deserves attention.
A postcard has limited room. The front needs a recognizable focal image and a destination name that can be read at a glance. A mailed postcard's back must also accommodate a message, address, and stamp. For this class assignment you are designing the front, but thinking about how real postcards work will improve your choices.
Work at the assigned 5 × 7-inch landscape size. A design that looks readable at 200% zoom may fail at actual print size. Protect margins and test your typography at realistic scale.
Collect at least three accurate and distinctive facts about your destination. Study photographs, maps, and historical references for evidence. Notice how designers use line, contrast, composition, and typography, but do not copy a completed postcard and merely replace its name. Build a visual direction from your research.
Try two genuinely different thumbnail layouts: one might be image-led, while another gives typography the strongest role. These sketches are tests of your ideas, not finished artwork.
Gestalt principles describe patterns in how we perceive relationships among visual elements. They help us understand why a layout looks organized, why certain elements stand out, and why a viewer sometimes recognizes a shape even when it is incomplete.
Elements positioned near one another tend to be seen as a group. Place the destination name near its supporting phrase, and separate unrelated details with intentional space. Test it by moving one caption away from its image: does the relationship become less clear?
Elements that share color, shape, size, or style appear connected. Repeating one type treatment or line weight can unify several pieces of information. You can vary arrangement while preserving recognizable visual relationships.
Our eyes distinguish a subject (figure) from the area around it (ground). Contrast, scale, and negative space help the focal image or headline stand apart. If text disappears into a busy photograph, try adjusting the placement or contrast.
We often perceive a complete shape even when parts of its outline are missing. A broken circle or incomplete silhouette may still read as a recognizable form. Use this thoughtfully: recognition should support communication, not make your destination harder to understand.
Try this: Look at your two postcard sketches. Which elements belong together? What attracts attention first? Can the viewer recognize the main idea without working to decode it?
A separate recorded walkthrough of these four principles is planned for this weekend. You can use the mini lessons above while the recording is being prepared.
Each phase builds on the previous one. You will revise more than once, just as designers do when working with clients.
Research your destination, complete the creative brief, sketch two different thumbnails, and build your first Canva draft.
Review your brief, sketches, and first draft. Make improvements based on what your design needs to communicate.
Exchange feedback with your assigned partner. Check the work against its audience and purpose, then revise again.
Make final changes, export and submit your design, and complete your self-reflection.
Completed projects are collected for end-of-year presentations. There is no separate postcard presentation in the fourth class.
One question while you work: Can I explain how my postcard helps the audience notice the main message? Use your creative brief to check each decision. Your first Canva draft is a test of the plan, not the final design.
