Summary
In this after-school club resource, students learn how to use digital media to create essential projects for business or non-profit clients. This club not only teaches students what types of projects are expected from graphic designers, social media managers, and communications specialists, but also teaches students how to create those types of projects and how to find additional resources on their own.
Essential Question
What skills are needed to create digital media products?
Learning Objectives
Explore the tools needed to create digital media products.
Create digital media products.
Snapshot
Logo Design and Client Selection
Students design and display digital logos for their chosen clients using Canva.
Graphical Projects
Students design either a flyer or a investment slide deck for their chosen clients, incorporating the logos they previously created.
Communication Projects
Students analyze social media trends they have noticed and create a social media plan for their chosen clients.
Materials List
Project One, Logo Design handout (attached; one per student)
Fictional Client Cards handout (attached; optional; one copy per six students)
Project Two, Flyer handout (attached; one per student)
Project Three, Investment Slide Deck handout (attached; one per student)
Project Four, Social Media Planning handout (attached; one per student)
Project Five, Video Advertisement handout (attached; one per student)
Commercial Script Template handout (attached; one per student)
Commercial Script Example document (attached)
Storyboard Template handout (attached; three per group)
Student devices with internet access
Writing utensils
Paper or notebooks (optional)
Club Overview
This resource serves as a series of guides for projects in a digital media club. “Digital media” is a broad term that encompasses a variety of activities including photo editing, video creation, publicity materials, advertising, social media, and more.
The goal of a digital media club, and of this resource, is to provide students with the skills to create a wide variety of digital media projects. Prior to using this resource, review the items of note below:
Canva is used for the included project guides as it is free to use and offers many tools within one application. Canva is accessible on any internet connected device and can be run on any computer, regardless of the operating system or web browse. It also has native applications for both Android and iOS/iPadOS tablets and phones.
The attached project guides can be modified for use with any professional software including software from Adobe, Apple, Google, Microsoft or other software providers depending on preference.
The project guides in this resource complement one another, but it is not necessary to complete each project. It is recommended that students complete the attached Project One, Logo Design first, as that project explains the graphical user interface, and students learn how to export materials from the application, which is not covered in the other project guides.
Projects on audio recording, photography, videography, broadcasting are available to extend students’ learning related to digital media.
Research shows that students excel in digital media creation when given the freedom to work on projects and find resources independently. Consider showing students how to search for tutorials for your chosen applications.
Logo Design Tutorial and Client Selection
Have each student log in to an internet-connected device and access the Project One, Logo Design handout. Once students have opened the document, have them follow the directions provided in the handout to design a series of logos.
Allow students time to complete their logos. Have them share their work, describe their processes, and explain the design choices they made. You may choose to do this formally, with students presenting individually to the whole class, or informally using a Gallery Walk format, in which students display their work on their devices and walk around the room to view each other’s work.
After students complete their logos, guide them to choose a client to create a new design for as they build the rest of their portfolios. Share with students that part of any creative occupation involves not only producing quality work, but also doing so in a way that reflects the client’s vision. Select one of the following formats to have students choose their clients:
Option 1
Print several copies of the attached Fictional Client Cards handout and cut out the individual cards. Assign each student, or each group of students, one of the six cards. Depending on the structure you choose for this activity, you may need to print several copies of the handout to ensure that each student or group receives a single card. You may distribute these directly or have students draw cards at random.
Option 2
Have each student create their own fictional client. If choosing this option, have students prepare a document that addresses the following prompts:
What is the name of the client?
Is this client a business, non-profit organization, or service?
What does this client do?
What event or events is the client preparing for?
What is the client’s preferred aesthetic? (e.g., clean, whimsical, futuristic, postmodern, brutalist, etc.)
Why does the client need digital media assistance? (What problem are they trying to solve?)
Graphical Projects
Have students repeat the logo design process from the previous phase, but have them now design logos for their new clients.
After students finish creating their new logos, have them choose between making a flyer or pitch deck for their clients. Give each student that chose the flyer one copy of the attached Project Two, Flyer handout, and give each student that chose the pitch deck one copy of the attached Project Three, Investment Slide Deck handout.
As students work, provide support as needed. Consider helping students locate online tutorial videos to assist with the creation of their assets.
Communications Projects
Distribute one copy of the attached Project Four, Social Media Planning handout to each student. If there are students working for the same “clients,” have them work in groups during this task.
Have students read the first paragraph on the handout then have them fill in the table labeled “Part 1” with trends they have noticed on social media accounts of businesses. If you prefer, have students complete the list in groups by using the Collective Brain Dump instructional strategy or similar activity. Have groups then share out their lists with the whole group. As students share, add their list items to a whiteboard or on a projector.
After students complete the list individually or as a class, have students make note of any items they created in response to the prompts on the handout.
Have students work in their groups to brainstorm how they will propose a social media plan to their clients using “Part 2” of the handout. As students respond to each prompt, walk around the room and provide help as needed.
Direct students’ attention to “Part 3” of their handouts. Have them create a sample social media post. The handout offers a tutorial on how to create a social media post with Canva. Consider also sharing the article “The Complete Guide to Creating Print Ads” with students to provide them with further information about creating ads. Have students share their finished posts with you. Display the final posts in a way that all club members can see them, as done previously in the logo project.
Give each student one copy of the attached Project Five, Video Advertisement handout and one copy of the attached Commercial Script Template handout.
Review the information on the Project Five, Video Advertisement handout, which provides students with tips on how to create an advertisement. Share the attached Commercial Script Example document with students to demonstrate what a completed script may look like. Provide students time to write their scripts, which may take multiple club sessions to complete.
After students complete their scripts, divide them into small groups of no more than four students. Have students read their scripts aloud in their groups with a 30 second timer to ensure that each script does not exceed 30 seconds. If a student’s script is longer than 30 seconds, advise them to edit their script.
Introduce students to the Storyboarding instructional strategy and tell students that they should now turn their scripts into storyboards. Pass out three copies of the attached Storyboard Template handout to each group. Tell students that each shot should last no longer than two seconds. If students keep shots to two seconds or less, all three pages of the storyboard should be completed.
When all students have finished their storyboards, bring the whole group together. Invite each student to share their storyboard and present their script ideas.
Follow-Up Activities
Consider having students produce their storyboards as filmed projects using the Videography Educator Resource.
Research Rationale
Research rationale for this resource is provided in the literature review, The Role of After-School Media Clubs in Closing Participation Gaps and Expanding Social Networks.
Resources
Adobe. (n.d.). The complete guide to creating print ads. https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/business/teams/resources/how-to/print-ads.html
Canva. (2025, May 12). Brand management in Canva Teams. https://www.canva.com/design-school/lessons/brand-management-in-canva-for-teams
Canva. (2025, June 16). Pitch your film and TV project. https://www.canva.com/design-school/lessons/pitch-film-tv-project
Canva. (2025, June 16). Practice your pitch deck skills. https://www.canva.com/design-school/resources/cep-practice-pitch
Google. (2023, May). ABCDs of effective video ads. Google Business. https://business.google.com/uk/resources/articles/abcds-of-effective-video-ads/
K20 Center. (n.d.). Canva. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/612
K20 Center. (n.d.). Collective brain dump. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/111
K20 Center. (n.d.). Gallery walk / carousel. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/118
K20 Center. (n.d.). Storyboarding. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/79
K20 Center. (n.d.). The role of after-school media clubs in closing participation gaps and expanding social networks. Literature Review. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/literature-review/4757
K20 Center. (2025, April 24). K20 ICAP - Storytelling in focus: Getting the right shot in creative media with Scott Hodgson [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRJvd-JhSQw
OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (July 29 version) [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com/
Stewart, W., & Loftus, K. (n.d.). How to make a video commercial people won’t skip. Adobe. https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/video/discover/how-to-make-a-commercial.html
Vickery, J. R. (2014). The role of after-school digital media clubs in closing participation gaps and expanding social networks. Equity & Excellence in Education, 47(1), 78–95. https://doi.org/10.1080/10665684.2013.866870