5th Grade Personal Logos

Most of the lessons in 5th grade revolve around careers in the art field. When I was in elementary school, I don't think that I truly understood that all artists weren't just professional fine artists. After graduating from art school, I now know how many careers relate directly to visual art. I want my students understand that. 

The first project for 5th grade this year is based on the career of a graphic designer. Students were asked to design a logo that represents themselves. We really dove into a lot of professional examples and dissected them to figure out what makes a good logo work. We spent a lot of time on thumbnail sketches. A lot of time. Most students 20+ thumbnail sketches. After a couple rounds of peer review, students created two second drafts, then eventually made a large version of the final logo. 

I really like this project because it allows students to demonstrate their thinking throughout the entire design process. The final work is mounted along with the thumbnail sketch and second draft that most closely resemble the final logo. The final work turns out very nice and it allows me to get to know my students a little better. 

Click here to download my lesson plan!

This student enjoys hunting. What a well done logo!

5th Grade Personal Logos

Each finished piece shows multiple drafts to show how the logo evolved.

Example of the artist statement attached to each piece.
This one goes with the image above it. 

This is a lesson plan I just wrote this fall and I think it has been my favorite to teach so far this year. I'm writing several new plans for 5th grade that are based on careers in art. I'm hoping to show them all of the possibilities that are out there. I don't think that most students (or people in general) are aware of the amount of jobs that are directly related to art.

For this project, each student created a personal logo. We started out by talking about famous logos and discussing similarities between them. We decided that most logos are fairly simple and that sometimes logos evolve over time as people become more familiar with them. 

I was incredibly impressed with the outcome of this project. My students came up with some amazing logos. Students used the design process to help them come up with their final logos. They started with thumbnail sketches before conducting peer reviews, making a second draft, discussing their work in a class critique, and making the final version. I had them include parts of their first and second drafts along with their final logo to show the progression of their idea. I will definitely be doing this project again next year.

Please feel free to use my lesson plan!