Visual Resource Design
by Dan Hopper; Classclub.co
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Design is all around us; we see it every day. However, one place it is often lacking is in teaching and learning resources. Throughout this article, I will show how good design is not just good business but also good teaching and learning. (image of good and bad learning resource design)
Design is thinking made visual.
- Saul Bass
Well-designed resources lead to improved engagement, clarity and understanding. When you sit down to create a new learning resource, it’s essential to think about how you can present complex information in a digestible format for students. Thinking about intuitive design elements (such as the hierarchy of information), easy-to-read fonts (we love century gothic bold), organised layouts (scale, contrast, direction and position) and the effective use of visuals (icons for dual coding, images to showcase a topic).
Design is not just what it looks and feels like. Design is how it works.
- Steve Jobs
Great resource design can improve accessibility, retention, and recall. A good resource designer will consider spacing, colour, and text to improve students' ease of use. Dual coding can reduce wordy text with clear iconography to improve retention and recall.
Design adds value faster than it adds costs.
- Joel Spolsky
Good design allows for flexibility and scalability in learning resources, making it easier to update content, adapt to different learning environments and accommodate evolving educational needs. Using a design system, you can reinforce your classroom or school's brand identity and teaching style, making your resources easily recognisable while building trust among learners and colleagues.
Good design is good business.
- Thomas J. Watson
Design is a competitive advantage in today’s digital world, where learners have access to a wide range of resources, and resources that are well crafted, stand out and rise to the top. This is additionally important if you plan to share and commercialise your resources on a platform like the TES or www.classclub.co.
Less but better
- Dieter Rams
With a design system including fonts, layouts, images and icons, you can streamline the whole process, creating resources in minutes that guide students through tasks with clear instructions, examples and text.
So how do you get started considering the visual design of your teaching resources?
Creating a personal design system is relatively easy.
Find an easy to read font, ideally something with 2-3 weights. That way you can create headings, subheadings and block text with ease. At doodle.ac we love Century Gothic ‘bold’ for headings and ‘normal’ for body text.
Decide on an accessible colour palette, think about how your resources will be used. Will they be printed? If so think costs. How easy are they to read? Do you have any SEND students with visual needs? Will your resources be used digitally? If so, think about contrast, brightness and scale. How easy will it be to see your resource from the back of the room? or near a bright window?
Consider layouts, create some basic templates that you can use over and over again. Think about incorporating a grid system which will help you to insert text and images easily. Think about quantity of information and cognitive load.
Create a personal library, start to save your own personal collection of icons, images and templates. I have created some exclusive templates to get you started at www.classclub.co/futureminds
Like to know more about how we can help you create, share and sell professional quality learning resources check out www.classclub.co or email us dan@classclub.co.
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