5th year students explored album cover design by choosing a song that resonated with them and redesigning its cover. Following the design thinking process, students began by analysing the song’s lyrics to identify the themes and mood, while also researching the target audience and context surround the song. Through drawing, thumbnail sketching and mood-boarding, students refined their concepts for photography. They explored story-telling through photography by experimenting with lighting, composition and household items to create special effects. Throughout the project, students analysed and developed the balance, unity, contrast, hierarchy and colour in their compositions and used tools like Canva and In Shot to enhance their photography. In realising their album covers, students engaged in peer review to finalise the typography, composition and photograph that best communicated the song’s mood and message. The result included polished album cover designs and short Spotify Reels that showcased the song’s themes through moving image and music.

This project was also part of my action research study, where I investigated the impact of the design thinking process, group critique and growth mindset approaches on students’ creative confidence. Findings show that, despite fluctuations, students’ creative confidence trended upwards. The structured, scaffolded design thinking process was credited with fostering confidence, helping students navigate the ambiguous creative process. Group critique sessions, including both peer and teacher feedback, supported students in organising their thinking and refining their work. By the end of the project, students demonstrated a far greater understanding and appreciation of design, moving from viewing it as a one-step planning process to an iterative, explorative process grounded in conceptual thinking, critical reflection and refinement. There was significant growth in students’ creative mindsets, with increased resilience, originality and autonomy, as they persevered through challenges, engaged with their own ideas and developed intrinsic motivation in their explorative iterations.