Encourage students to think creatively about typography with this engaging, practical Graphic Design project. Wordplay challenges students to explore how letters, fonts, scale, spacing, colour and composition can communicate the meaning, mood and emotion of a word.

Students experiment with transforming words into visual designs, using techniques such as distortion, repetition, rotation, negative space and expressive typography. The project encourages creative problem-solving, independent idea development and an understanding of how professional designers use typography to communicate visually.

What’s included?

A structured Wordplay project with clear learning objectives and step-by-step activities.

Student worksheets for brainstorming, sketching and developing typographic ideas.

A teacher guide with suggested lesson structures and differentiation strategies.

Professional designer profiles featuring Paula Scher, Neville Brody and David Carson.

Typography reference material exploring font styles, type psychology and essential terminology.

Critical annotation, peer assessment and self-reflection activities.

Extension tasks, including branding, product design and animation.

Learning outcomes

Students will develop their understanding of typography as a visual language, experiment with a range of design techniques and produce original compositions that communicate meaning effectively. They will also strengthen their research, analytical and presentation skills.

Suitable for: Secondary Art & Design, Graphic Communication and introductory Graphic Design projects. Adaptable for different abilities and suitable for individual or group work.

Flexible delivery: The project can be completed digitally using Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop or Canva, or adapted for traditional, hands-on work using paper, scissors and craft knives. No specialist software is essential.

An excellent resource for developing creativity, visual literacy and an understanding of typography beyond simply choosing a font.