- Year 10
Light and dark in Graphic Communication
I can review the range of ways designers have been inspired by light and dark in graphic design.
- Year 10
Light and dark in Graphic Communication
I can review the range of ways designers have been inspired by light and dark in graphic design.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- Designers can use light and dark to create mood, atmosphere and contrast in graphic design.
- We can find symbolic meanings of light and darkness across different cultures and art movements.
- Designers can experiment with using light and shadow to define form, space and focus in their designs.
Keywords
Silhouette - a dark shape or outline of something against a lighter background, showing only the outline with no internal detail
Contrast - the difference between elements (like light and dark or rough and smooth) that makes parts of a design stand out
Common misconception
Light and dark are only used to make things look realistic, not to create mood.
This overlooks how contrast can be used to suggest emotion, tension, calm, or drama, not just realism.
To help you plan your year 10 art and design lesson on: Light and dark in Graphic Communication, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 art and design lesson on: Light and dark in Graphic Communication, 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 Themes within Graphic Communication unit, dive into the full secondary art and design curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Access to the internet or a library of art books. Sketchbook or paper for recording ideas, pencils, pens.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the term with its description.
a dark shape or outline of something against a lighter background
the difference between elements that makes parts of a design stand out
the use of objects, characters or ideas to represent something else