Writing a Proposal

Lesson Content

• Lesson Plan Template:

  CTE Lesson Plan

• CTE Course Info and Benchmark Notes

  
  

  Program Title (as applicable):

  Digital Media/Multimedia Design

  Course Title:

  Digital Media/Multimedia Foundations 1

  Course Number:

  8201210

  Career Cluster:

  Arts A/V Technology & Communication

  CIP Number:

  0609070220

  Course Type:

  CAR-PREP-High School Career Preparatory Program

  CTE Standard(s) or benchmarks

  CTE-AATC.912.8201210.4.15 – Plan and develop raster graphics to meet project needs through a formal RFP

• Unit Outline

  
  

  This lesson is designed to be used with the case study, “Prepping for Proposal.” See CPALMS resource ID#215621.

• Career Connection

  
  

  This lesson will provide students an opportunity to read and analyze two example RFPs with varying requirements, and an opportunity to discuss how the requirements of an RFP relate to a freelance artist’s artistic and career goals. They will have the opportunity to practice decision making as well as communication during the pro and con discussion. After the discussion, they will have the opportunity to practice completing a professional proposal using a template as a guide and practice their hard skills in the chosen software editing or design software for the course in the creation of the raster graphic.

• Learning Objectives

  
  

  Students will be able to:

  • Read and comprehend a professional Request for Proposal with a focus on specific presentation materials and project needs.
  • Use industry vocabulary when writing a professional and polished mock proposal aimed towards a specific RFP.
  • Create a raster graphic based on the needs of the company as expressed in the chosen RFP.

• Prior Knowledge

  
  

  Students should be familiar with/able to:

  • Image editing or illustration software appropriate for the course
  • Industry vocabulary: Request for Proposal (RFP), marketing campaign, project scope, deliverable, timeline, freelance, print media, social media, web banner, webpage, newspaper, advertisement, billboards, posters, magazines, signage, email marketing graphics, headers, footers, sidebars, and infographics

• Guiding Questions

  
  
  • How can an artist use an RFP to guide their planning process for creating graphics to fulfil the expressed project needs?
  • What goals should an artist consider when choosing a project to pursue?

• Procedure

  
  
  1. To introduce the lesson, review industry vocabulary. Then, provide students with the case study, "Prepping for Proposal," (see CPALMS Resource ID #215621). Have students read the case study and lead a class discussion with the following prompt: Based on the scenario, which company should Aaron create a proposal for? Be prepared to defend your choice by identifying Aaron’s existing skills and goals as well as the benefits related to the company.
  2. Ask students the following discussion/comprehension questions after reading the case study.
     • What are the benefits of each company?
     • What steps would Aaron need to take to prepare to work for either company?
     • Which company do you feel is a better fit for Aaron’s experience, skills, and goals as expressed in the scenario?
     • Which company would you prefer if you were in the same situation as Aaron
  3. Students will choose one of the companies to focus on and read the provided RFP in more depth (see attachments for RFPs). After identifying the main needs, students will create a proposal using the provided template (see attachments) as a guide, including one raster graphic as an example of their work for their chosen company.
     • Proposals should include industry vocabulary such as Request for Proposal (RFP), marketing campaign, project scope, deliverable, timeline, freelance, print media, social media, web banner, webpage, newspaper, advertisement, billboards, posters, magazines, signage, email marketing graphics, headers, footers, sidebars, and infographics.
  4. Presentation and Defense: Students will present their created graphic either orally to the class, or in a written reflection, justifying the type of graphic chosen based on the presentation material needs of the company, as well as design choices with support from the RFP.
     • Presentations should also include the use of industry vocabulary.
  5. To bring the lesson to a close, students can complete an exit ticket or reflection journal with the following prompts:
     • How will understanding how to read a Request for Proposal impact you in future careers as a graphic designer or digital artist?
     • How do an artist’s skills, experience, and personal goals impact their decisions on which proposals to pursue?

• Teacher Notes

  
  
  • This lesson can be extended as time and skills of student’s demand.
  • Teachers can provide scaffolding by choosing a specific graphic for design, providing a brand guideline to follow for both companies, or annotating the RFP as a class.
  • This lesson can be extended into a larger portfolio project as if the students were “hired” by the company, creating all of the required materials. It is suggested to create an equal demand for both companies (For example: a total of 5 designs directed to either company: one web page, one email template, one social media banner and avatar, one store sign/logo, and one print advertisement or poster)
  • Students could also work in groups, assigning roles and tasks according to the company needs to create an entire marketing package for the chosen company.