Students learn to think and work like digital designers by creating graphics for local Bronx businesses that respond to real community needs. Through user interviews, empathy work in their own cultural communities, software practice, critique, and revision, they build both design skills and habits of professional creative work. The experience helps students make original, accessible, and ethical media, collaborate with peers and community partners, and gain confidence presenting their ideas publicly.

Students learn to think and work like designers by using empathy interviews, observation, and feedback to create digital graphics that respond to real needs in Bronx businesses and school communities. They build skill with age-appropriate digital design tools, visual design principles, accessibility, originality, and ethical media-making, including evaluating AI-generated ideas for bias and copyright concerns. Through critique, revision, and presentation, students strengthen collaboration, communication, and self-direction while explaining and defending their design choices to peers, educators, university creatives, and community partners. Students also grow their understanding of creative careers, professional work habits, and how technology shapes design across media and performance contexts.

Students will create empathy maps, user interview notes, paper sketches, mood boards, and low-fidelity prototypes for graphics that respond to the needs of local Bronx businesses and diverse users. As they build software fluency, they will produce iterative digital drafts, accessibility checks, ethical AI audit notes when AI tools are used, and short recorded critiques that document revision choices. By the end of the project, each student team will publish a polished graphic design campaign or branded media piece for a community business, accompanied by a brief artist-designer statement and presentation video. Final work will be shared on hallway monitors and the course website as a public exhibition of process and product.

Open with a “design challenge jam” where students examine real graphics from local Bronx businesses, school signage, apps, and posters, then quickly sort them by what works, what confuses users, and what feels unfair or inaccessible. Invite a designer or creative university educator to model a live critique of one example, share a story about struggling to learn new software, and normalize the risk of presenting unfinished ideas. Then have student teams interview classmates or community members about a real design need, sketch a rough paper prototype before using digital tools, and close with short, brave presentations that set the tone for revision, feedback, and learning hard things together.

Host a school-based digital design showcase where student graphics for Bronx businesses rotate on hallway video monitors, with QR codes linking to the class website featuring drafts, revisions, artist statements, and short presentation videos. Invite local business partners, families, creative university educators, and peer classes to a gallery walk or screening event where students present their design process, describe how feedback shaped their work, and answer questions about audience, accessibility, and ethics. Include age-appropriate exhibition roles across grades, such as live presenters, demo stations, recorded walkthroughs, or curated display teams, so every student can publicly share learning in a meaningful way. After the event, publish the final work and reflection highlights online to extend the audience and celebrate growth in design skill, confidence, and communication.