STUDENT ENGAGEMENT:

Logos and slogans are powerful tools. They serve to build identity by distilling the purpose, values and aspirations of the company or organization that they represent. They facilitate instant recognition and understanding on behalf of a potential customer base. It’s not necessarily common that individuals have their own logo or slogan, but there could be a strong argument for having a single image and slogan to represent yourself to others. The process of developing these can also be an effective way for students to explore the careers that they are interested in and the important skills that are essential in finding success.

 

Begin explaining to the class that they will be talking about logos and slogans in class today. Ask the class to define these words. What are the differences between these two? How are they the same? What purpose do they serve? Once the class has put together a sound definition of “logo” and “slogan,” ask them to find some examples around the room. They do not even need to leave their seats. There should be plenty of examples of logos within eyesight for students. They may be on clothing, art on the walls, supplies and equipment, etc.

 

From here, explain that logos are everywhere and that their power is significant. Engage the class in a logo quiz. Present the class with a PowerPoint that features a series of logos and challenge students to identify them. Try and have enough for each student to try at least one. Occasionally take time to discuss logos that you see and consider why a company or organization would choose that particular image. What are they trying to say about their brand or their product?
 

DIGGING IN:

Explain to the students that today they will be working on developing a personal logo and a personal slogan. The purpose of these will be to help others understand what their career goals are or maybe even to market themselves to future employers.

 

One of the most important things in creating a logo and slogan to market yourself is to make sure you are choosing the most important aspects to highlight. To begin with, students will be logging onto O-Net’s website to review the careers within the three career clusters outlined previously (if students need to review their Career Interest Reflection sheet, they may do so). Students can access the career clusters at:
https://intoolkit.com/cluster (onetonline.org/find/career)

 

Students should take time to review all three of the clusters that were outlined in their interest assessment and the top career that they have chosen to confirm that they are happy with the choice. Once the students have settled on a career, they should click on that link within the cluster to review the full profile for this career.

 

There is a lot of information within each of these profiles. Encourage students to focus on a specific handful of sections: skills, abilities, knowledge, work activities and tasks. Students should look at these categories and look for specific things that they may currently bring to the table. For example, if my chosen career is Registered Nurse, one of the essential skills that is listed is, “Active Listening.” I know that this is a skill that I already can bring to the table, because I’ve developed this skill as an honor roll student for the past two years.

 

Allow students five minutes to look over the profile for their chosen career. Pass out the Personal Logo Planning form and ask students to write the career they are interested in pursuing in the “dream career” box and list the skills, abilities and knowledge that they have identified on the appropriate line.

 

Once students have had time to list their skills, abilities, knowledge, etc., ask students to share both their desired career and what they listed as skills, abilities or knowledge that they may currently bring to the table.

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INTO ACTION:

Remind students that the goal of creating their logo should be to market themselves to people interested in knowing their career plans, the skills and abilities they’ve developed and possibly even future employers. They’ve already done the work to identify some relevant skills and abilities related to the careers that they are interested in pursuing. They still have a bit more planning work to do before they start the creative work of developing their logos.

 

Explain that before beginning the creative work of designing their logo, they will first fill in the remaining four boxes at the top of their planning sheet. These are:

 

3. List three words that describe you.

4. List your most important value from the list.

5. Who are the people who will support you along your path?

6. What will success in reaching your career goal look like for you?

 

For the 4th question, students can review the list of values and choose one that reflects their core beliefs or choose something not on this list.

 

After the students have completed the planning process, they can begin developing a rough sketch of their logo and a draft of their slogan at the bottom of this side of the sheet. Students should use the words and information they developed in the planning process to inspire both their logo and slogan. Remind students that the most effective logos are able to be identified at a glance. Larger, bolder shapes and colors are more effective than fine details. Similarly, slogans are more effective when they are shorter phrases that convey action or emotion. A slogan shouldn’t be more than five words. It can be a full sentence, but doesn’t need to be.

 

After students have taken time to develop a draft version of their logo and slogan, they can begin on a final version. Students are encouraged to incorporate bold and meaningful colors into their logos. Provide markers and crayons that students can use (remove these from the storage container so that students do not have to go rummaging through the other supplies and encourage students to share with one another at tables). You may ask students to refrain from sharing their ideas with classmates if they can. It may be a fun exercise to share logos anonymously with the class to see who can guess the creator at a later time.