01 · Visual hierarchy
What should the viewer notice first, second, and third? Use size, placement, and contrast to guide attention.
Week 6 · Studio Notes · October 15, 2026
From Sketch to Design
Project 1 · Phase 2: Review, Revise & Develop. Learn how to test an early idea, clarify the layout, and begin developing both sides of your postcard in Canva.
Chalkboard Question
How do you know when a design idea is working?
A design idea is working when it communicates its intended message to its intended audience.
Week 6 Class Recording
Watch the class lesson
Review our discussion about evaluating thumbnail sketches and making purposeful design decisions. The recording is available for students who missed class or want to revisit an example.
In the Studio
Reviewing an idea before developing it
Last week you researched a subject, considered an audience and purpose, wrote a creative brief, and explored layouts through thumbnail sketches. This week we looked at how to evaluate those ideas before turning them into a digital design.
Using an early Comic Con postcard concept as a classroom example, we asked: What should the audience notice first? What details would help them understand the event? Which parts of the sketch need clearer labels?
Reviewing a sketch is not judging drawing ability. It is asking questions that help the designer make the next decision.
Design Process
Thumbnail → Wireframe → Canva draft
A thumbnail is a visual plan, not finished artwork. The three stages should develop the same basic idea, with more information and refinement added at each step.
01 · Thumbnail
Explore a rough arrangement using boxes, lines, and short labels. Test more than one possibility.
02 · Wireframe
Identify the headline, image, supporting text, and spacing. Clarify which information deserves attention.
03 · Canva draft
Apply type, color, and imagery to test the plan. Adjust it when the real content shows you something new.
Your first digital draft is something to test, not something to defend.
Layout Design Fundamentals
Four decisions that improve communication
02 · Proximity
Which details belong together? Group related information so it is easier to understand.
03 · Negative space
Does every empty area need to be filled? Give important information room to be seen and read.
04 · Repetition
How can the front and back feel connected? Repeat purposeful choices in typography, color, and illustration style.
Remember: Repetition creates connection. Variation creates interest.
Student Design Examples
From Sketch to Finished Postcard
Study how other students developed their original sketches into finished postcards. Each slide preserves the original example, including the front and back where shown.
Project 1 · Phase 2
Review, revise & develop your postcard
Our current project goal is a 5 × 7-inch landscape postcard with a FRONT and BACK. Your creative brief guides your choices on both sides.
If your Week 5 preparation is complete
- Revisit your creative brief and two thumbnail ideas.
- Choose a direction and make the layout clear enough for someone else to understand.
- Decide what should lead on the front and what belongs on the back.
- Begin your first front-and-back Canva draft. Keep it open to revision.
If you need more preparation time
Finish the plan before the polish
Complete your creative brief and rough sketches for the front and back. Label the important areas and ask for feedback before moving into Canva.
Design Check
Questions to ask before opening Canva
Audience
Who is this postcard for?
Message
What should the viewer understand?
Hierarchy
What will the viewer notice first?
Grouping
Which details belong together?
Space
What needs more breathing room?
Connection
What will visually connect the front and back?
Project Roadmap
Where we are in Project 1
Week 5 · Oct 8
Research, creative brief, and thumbnail ideas.
CURRENT STAGE
Week 6 · Oct 15
Review, revise, and begin the digital draft.
Week 7 · Oct 22
Partner critique: explain your design and respond to feedback.
Week 8 · Oct 29
Final submission and self-reflection.
Before Next Class
Prepare for Week 7 · Partner Critique
Continue developing your postcard in Canva using your thumbnail sketches as your starting plan. Work on both the front and back, and begin applying the design elements you have chosen: typography, colors, imagery, spacing, and visual hierarchy. As you work, compare your draft with your sketch. Keep the parts that communicate well and revise anything that feels unclear, crowded, or disconnected.
Before our next class, aim to have a recognizable working draft of both sides that shows your intended message and visual direction. It does not need to be finished, but it should have enough real content and design choices for a partner to evaluate. Bring your creative brief and thumbnails so you can explain how your original idea developed.
Be ready to answer: “What is my postcard trying to communicate, and which choices help it communicate that message?”
Studio Reflection
What did you change, and why?
Choose one decision you made today. Maybe you moved a title, grouped information, or removed a distracting element. Explain how the change helps your audience understand the message.