If you are designing a banner for a school event, it is a great idea to involve the children of the school in this process. This can be used as an opportunity to introduce children into basic design principles and can help them feel a part of the entire process. It is a good idea to coordinate your project with the school art teachers.
Once you have decided to allow the children to help with the design, it is time to figure out just how much you want them to do. Will they have input on the entire design of the sign, or just a few of the design elements. After you have decided what you plan to allow, you can begin your school project.
There are many different ways to involve the students in the design process. Here are just a few ideas:
Run a contest. You can create an opportunity for the children in the school to show their flare for design by running a contest. Provide each child with a template of a blank banner on a regular sheet of paper. They can then fill in this template with their imaginations and a little help. If you only plan to use a few colors in your banner, it is a good idea to limit the children to these colors to make the process easier.
You can then select the best design yourself, or you can pick the best three and have the students vote for their favorite. After the best one has been selected, you can make any necessary changes for your actual print needs and submit the design for processing.
Assign each class a task. You can involve all of the grades in your school in this process by assigning each one a specific task in the design of your banner. For example, the kindergarten class could select the colors that will be used. The first grade can then pick the graphics that they would like to see included on the sign. Higher grades can pick the message that they want to display and edit it for clarity and brevity.
This method allows the entire school to be a part of the design of the banner and removes any problems that might arise from a competition.
Pick one class to help with the design. If you have a large elementary school, it may be a better idea to assign one of the higher grades to help with your banner. This can become a project that can be used by the art teacher to illustrate their lessons and help the children learn.
This method of participation makes learning more fun and the students will be able to see their results at the end of the process.
Anytime you can make learning fun, you can end up uncovering a hidden talent in a child. By involving your school kids in the design of your banner, you may just be discovering a budding artist.