We're staring off the year with a pretty standard, easy-to-make, no-wrong-answers type of assignment that could potentially brighten someone's day. So, give this some thought. Who would you like to take a moment to thank? Is there anyone who deserves a creative thank you that might make you even more excited to make this project amazing? I hope so. If you can't think of anyone to thank, that's weird. If you want, be ironic about it.

After you've chosen someone to thank, all you'll need to do is follow the 20 or so directions that follow this slide. If you do them all and put some jazz and creativity into the assignment I can guarantee you that you'll make someone super happy and you'll be super happy with the A you received for this assignment.

STEP 2: Consider the shape of the paper and that you’ll need to fold it in half. Do not fold it in half yet, but draw a faint line where the fold will be.

STEP 4: Look at magazines, old books, advertisements, and anything else you could cut into. Take 3 of the letters T, H, A, N, K, Y, O, U from these pre-existing materials.

If you do not have these materials at home, come to me and I'll give you a bunch of books and/or magazines to take with you.

STEP 5: Find one shape that isn’t supposed to be a letter, but that looks like one of the remaining letters. Cut it out.

If you're already starting to run out of energy, take a look at graphic designer Paula Scher. People call her the "goddess of graphic design." In particular, she pays close attention to typography.

STEP 6: Loosely place the letters where you think they should go. We’ll attach them later. You can do this directly on the page or on other paper that you’ll cut out later.

STEP 8: Draw the next letter. Once it’s drawn, shade one side of each of the lines.

STEP 11: Arrange the letters on the page and attach them. Allow them to bleed off the page and overlap. Use the space in ways that surprise you.

STEP 13: Make some marks on all of the sides of the card that might typically ruin what you’ve made.

STEP 14: On the inside of the card, write a kind message backwards or upside down. It can be short or long.

STEP 15: Carry some of the gestures you made on the front into the inside of the card.

STEP 17: Sign your name with letters that reflect some of the letters you made or cut out from the front. Feel free to trace.

BONUS: For an extra 5 points on this 50 point grade, get creative with the envelope and the way you address it to the recipient. The card must fit inside this handmade envelope and be ready to post in the mail.

Once you've finished the card and potentially the envelope, you've finished your first assignment and you're ready to hand the card to me for grading. The card is due at the start of your class period in WEEK 3.