Introduction to typography and logo
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how typography influences logo design and create my own typographic logo to represent a brand.
Key learning points
- A simple design is easily recognisable and memorable. Complex logos can be difficult to reproduce and may lose clarity.
- Organising text in a way that creates a clean, professional look. Consistent alignment helps guide the reader's eye.
- The design should reflect the brand's identity and values, resonating with its target audience.
- A strong logo should be distinctive and easy to recall, helping to create brand recognition.
Keywords
Typography - the art and technique of arranging type to make written language legible, readable, and visually appealing
Logo - a symbol made up of text and/or images used to identify a brand or organisation
Serif - a small decorative stroke or extension at the end of a letter's main strokes, often seen in traditional fonts
Sans-serif - a typeface without the small projecting features called "serifs", known for a clean and modern look
Kerning - the spacing between individual letters in a piece of text, adjusted for better visual balance
Common misconception
All fonts communicate the same message - it’s just about how the letters look.
Fonts are like voices - each has a different tone. Choosing a bold, heavy font versus a thin, elegant one can completely change how a brand is perceived by the viewer.
Teacher tip
Use real world examples to make typography relevant. Link font and typography choices to pupils’ favourite brands and encourage discussion around their emotional impact before starting tasks.
Equipment
Pencils, rulers, erasers, pencil colours, fine liner pens, marker pens or felt tips.
Licence
except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is typography in graphic design?
Q2.What makes a logo design effective?
Q3.Where might you see writing or words designed to stand out?
Q4.Which of these do you think is the most important in a logo?
Q5.Which of these are reasons why someone might choose a different style of writing for different things?
Q6.Which of these do you think helps writing look more formal or traditional?
To help you plan your 10 art and design lesson on: Introduction to typography and logo, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 art and design lesson on: Introduction to typography and logo, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 art and design lessons from the Graphic Communications unit, dive into the full secondary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.