VISUAL COMMUNICATION

My teaching practice is grounded in project-based, industry-relevant learning that encourages creativity, critical thinking, and visual problem-solving. As both an educator and practicing design professional, I strive to create engaging learning experiences that bridge foundational design principles with authentic application through real-world projects, collaboration, critique, and technology integration. This portfolio highlights examples of instructional practice, student achievement, classroom culture, and creative experiences designed to prepare students for collegiate study, creative careers, and lifelong learning.

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GRAPHIC
DESIGN II

PRACTICUM OF GRAPHIC DESIGN

BASIC

GRAPHIC DESIGN

GRAPHIC DESIGN II

Graphic Design II builds upon the foundational skills introduced in Graphic Design I and challenges students to think more critically and creatively as developing designers. Through project-based, real-world learning experiences, students strengthen their understanding of typography, layout, color theory, branding, illustration, and visual communication while creating marketing materials, publication designs, and client-inspired projects.

Students engage in the full design process through brainstorming, sketching, critique, digital journaling, and portfolio development while becoming more advanced in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Emphasis is placed on professionalism, creative problem-solving, design thinking, and industry preparation, including opportunities to earn Adobe certifications and develop portfolio-ready work for collegiate and career pathways.

To view this class Syllabus, CLICK HERE

Organization & Digital Journal

Organization and process documentation are foundational components of my design curriculum, as I believe strong organizational habits directly support creativity, productivity, and professional readiness. At the start of each year, students establish structured digital workspaces, including file management systems, folder organization, and professional naming conventions to mirror industry expectations.

Throughout the course, students maintain a Digital Design Journal that documents their creative growth and design process. This journal serves as a living portfolio containing project drafts, final revisions, reflections, sketches, brainstorming, critiques, and process work. Students are expected to thoughtfully reflect on their decisions, software applications, challenges, and growth throughout each project. By maintaining this digital footprint, students develop stronger self-awareness, organization, and reflective practice while building a visual record of their progress as emerging designers.

Illustrated House Project | Foundations of Design + Adobe Illustrator

The beginning of the school year is intentionally designed to assess students’ foundational knowledge, creative confidence, and technical readiness following Graphic Design I. The Illustrated House Project serves as the first major project in Graphic Design II and provides students an opportunity to strengthen Adobe Illustrator skills while demonstrating their understanding of the Foundations of Design through a creative, visually engaging composition.

Students begin the project through research, inspiration gathering, and preliminary sketching to establish direction and intentionality before transitioning into digital production. Using Adobe Illustrator, students create an original illustrated house environment that incorporates key design principles, visual hierarchy, composition, depth, layering, and attention to detail while encouraging individual creative expression.

Throughout the process, students engage in brainstorming, critique, and revision practices that mirror real-world design workflows. Each project concludes with peer and instructor feedback, allowing students time to revise and strengthen their work before final assessment. Students document their design process, reflections, sketches, and revisions within their Digital Design Journal, reinforcing organization, creative growth, and reflective practice.

Learning Objectives:

Adobe Illustrator proficiency
Foundations of Design application
Visual hierarchy and composition
Depth and spatial awareness in illustration
Creative problem-solving
Sketching and ideation
Critique and revision practices

RUBRIC (click here)

Aijha L

Kirsten H

Aaron D

Riley R

Rhoswyn W

Alexa K

Panda Character Design Project | Technical Skills & Creative Exploration + Adobe Illustrator

The Panda Character Design Project is designed to help students strengthen their Adobe Illustrator proficiency while building confidence in both following technical instructions and applying creative problem-solving. Students begin by completing a guided tutorial that reinforces essential Illustrator tools and techniques, including shape construction, layering, gradients, path editing, and precision drawing.

Once the foundational panda illustration is completed, students transition from technical execution to creative exploration. They are challenged to transform their panda into an original character by developing a unique theme, personality, visual style, and full-body design. This phase encourages students to move beyond replication and begin making intentional design decisions that reflect their own creative voice.

The project emphasizes the balance between technical skill development and creative expression while reinforcing attention to detail, craftsmanship, and visual storytelling. Through critique, feedback, and revision, students learn that successful design requires both strong technical foundations and imaginative thinking.

Learning Objectives:

Adobe Illustrator tools and workflows
Shape building and vector illustration
Layer management and organization
Gradients and visual depth
Character design
Creative problem-solving
Visual storytelling
Critique and revision

RUBRIC (click here)

Color Psychology & Advertising Design Project | Visual Communication + Audience Perception

Learning Objectives:

Adobe Illustrator tools and workflows
Shape building and vector illustration
Layer management and organization
Gradients and visual depth
Character design
Creative problem-solving
Visual storytelling
Critique and revision

RUBRIC (click here)

Click here for

Classroom Syllabus

Click here for

Classroom Website

Coffee and Donuts

OBJECTIVE: Students were challenged to develop an idea for a new chain of cafes that sell coffee, donuts, or something else entirely but that something else has to be related to a pastry, sweets, or coffee shop. They started with a plan and sketches and moved on to develop marketing & branding concepts, name, logo, and graphic identity for their chain.

Rubric

Tamariyae B (2016-17)

Lesly S (2016-17)

Stephanie O (2015-16)

Ann C (2016-17)

Kayla A (2016-17)

Taylor T (2016-17)

Typography Portraits

OBJECTIVE: Students turned a typical portrait image into a fantastic typography portrait in Photoshop. Students started by creating typographic brushes using words that represented the person in the image personality.

Rubric

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Hayden S (2015-16)

Jalen S (2013-14)

Lesly S (2016-17)

Campbell C (2013-14)

Amed A (2016-17)

Sofia L(2016-17)

Text Poster

OBJECTIVE: To create a Visually Appealing and Creative poster using only the text supplied. Students task was to create a theme and color scheme to follow throughout the entire poster. They were only allowed to use font styles, symbols, and illustrations that they created using the shape tool, pen tool, and/or direct selection tool.