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Create a poster representing the personality and attributes of a character or person

English Language and Literature, History, and Politics 

Use Adobe Photoshop to compile a set of images, graphics, and text to create an overview of a character or person. Used in English, history, and politics classrooms, this exercise is designed to help students think about the personality of the people they are studying, giving them an all-in-one view of who they are – in a creative format. This lesson plan is appropriate for Year 7 to Year 13 students, adaptable based on topic and age group.

Example of a poster made in Adobe Photoshop

Learning objectives:

This lesson plan gives students the skills to

  • Identify and research fictional and real people and events
  • Communicate effectively for the type of document
  • Use digital tools to display content effectively and construct knowledge
Image of a teachers arm holding a text book with a globe on it

Student brief

Give the following brief to your students to follow.  

You will research and select key information about a fictional character or person (historical or present day). You will compile images, graphical elements, and text using Adobe Photoshop to highlight the characteristics, personality, and knowledge of the character and present it as a poster that describes the person inside and out.  

Steps

Choose a fictional character or person to research. We recommend choosing a person or character based on the materials you’re studying. Whether your person is from a Shakespearean play or a famous historical figure, this activity will help create a full view of who they are.  

Research your person using online resources and classwork. Make notes about important facts, like their hobbies, important life milestones, and how they helped shape their world. 

Now it’s time to get creative. Now that you have a full view of who your person is, it’s time to present it using images and small sections of text. Does your person…

Have a strong interest in gardening? Add plenty of images of greenery and flowers to your poster. Maybe add some text about the link between their gardening hobby and their innate caring nature?

Have a ruthless, vindictive personality? Use darker imagery on your poster, and perhaps quote them once or twice so we get an idea of the negative language they use.

Really enjoy their job? Add images of their job, alongside evidence (whether quotes, text, or more images) explaining how their job suits their personality.

Have any interesting hobbies? Incorporate elements of these hobbies in your poster and use further imagery to tie it into why they enjoy these things and what that represents about them as a person.

Have a very strong drive and passion for meeting their goals? Whether they want to run a marathon or become a king, add imagery representing determination, tying in elements of their goals.

The exciting thing about posters is that there are no rules. Make sure to overlap images and text to create a visionary board of the person. Here are some tips to make sure your poster is cohesive:

  • Use colours that represent your person. If they are happy and excitable, use a lot of yellow. If they are negative and downcast, use darker colours
  • Use the right fonts. Bigger, bolder fonts are for the more confident people
  • Include relevant elements such as headshots and quotes

To find out more about how to use Adobe Photoshop, check out our top tips video here.

Image of two students sat in a classroom working on a laptop
Image of a student working on a laptop in a classroom
Image of a graphic design student

Submit your poster

Once you have completed your research and design, submit to your teacher to mark or to a peer to review. Find information on you will be evaluated in the rubric.

View the rubric

Rubric

Explanation

Student presents clearly the type of person their character is, in a way that shows their understanding of the person.  

Execution

The student demonstrated full, detailed attention to the successful execution of poster creation including organisation, interesting imagery, formatting, and stylistic choices.  

Tools used

The student used Adobe Photoshop efficiently, resulting in a comprehensive final document.

Become a design pro with Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop Tips (Part one)

Supercharge your Photoshop skills with these top five essential tips for students! Learn about Smart Objects, Generative Fill, adjustment layers, Generative Expand, and custom brushes to speed up your workflow.

 

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Adobe Photoshop Tips (Part two)

Ready for five more expert Photoshop tips? Learn how to use blend modes, content-aware tools, layer masks, Firefly AI, and Smart Filters to enhance your projects and speed up your editing process.

 

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Find out more about Adobe for education

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