Why the PSA Photography Project Became My Most Personal Photoshop Lesson Yet

Every year, my students take on one of the most meaningful projects in my Photoshop curriculum - the Public Service Announcement (PSA) Photography Project. It’s a project that blends photography, digital design, and real-world storytelling to help students use their creativity for good.

Students choose an issue they care about and create a series of 4–8 posters using their own photography and design work in Photoshop. Their goal is to build awareness, inspire action, and communicate a clear message with empathy and purpose.

I’ve always loved this project because it opens a window into my students’ lives. Every year, they share powerful stories about mental health, identity, loss, kindness, and community. The classroom becomes filled with conversations that matter (and art that actually means something).

But this year, it became personal for me, too.

Making the Project My Own

This is the first year I haven't taught some form of graphic design or photography, so we aren't doing this project in my classroom.

Instead, I decided to create my own PSA poster series. I used images from Pexels.com to design two full campaigns (because I don't have the time to pull out the stops for my own project like I normally would). My campaigns are about breast cancer awareness and another about epilepsy.

Both causes are deeply meaningful to me.

My own mother is a breast cancer survivor, and years ago, I worked on a photography project for Susan G. Komen that captured portraits of survivors. It was one of the first times I saw how powerful imagery and design could be in telling real human stories.

The epilepsy series came from a much more personal place. My 4-year-old son was diagnosed with focal seizure epilepsy just before his third birthday after having a massive seizure in my arms in our living room. Since then, we’ve spent countless hours learning, adapting, and hoping. He recently had surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids, a procedure we hoped might help eliminate his seizures, but he had another one earlier this month.

It’s been a journey. And it reminded me of why I started creating curriculum in the first place: to help other teachers spend less time planning and more time living their own lives fully.

The Power of Design With Purpose

The PSA Project gives students more than a Photoshop assignment, it gives them a voice.

They learn how to research issues, develop campaigns, capture photographs with purpose, and refine their work into powerful visual messages. Each student creates something unique, but the underlying goal is always the same: to make people stop, think, care, and most importantly, do.

From composition and lighting to typography and visual hierarchy, students combine technical skill with emotional impact. And as their teacher, I see firsthand how this project helps them connect design to real-world change.

Here are a few of the unedited images from one project that was just absolutely compelling a few years back.

Bringing Empathy Into the Classroom

Projects like this are what make teaching creative courses so special. When students realize that their design choices can inspire awareness, compassion, and advocacy, they start to see Photoshop as more than just a digital tool - it becomes a way to tell stories that matter.

Every year prior, my classroom has been filled with meaningful conversations and brave art. And as I finish one of the final pieces of Unit 3 of my Photoshop Curriculum, I can honestly say that this lesson (both as a teacher and as a parent) will always hold a special place in my heart.

Note: 

The first year I ever taught, I did this lesson. It wasn't the fully thought out project it is today and I wasn't aware of a LOT of issues that would come up while creating it...

Like the day I got called in to the Principal's office to explain why I had photos of a student smoking weed being uploaded into our Google Classroom...

I then had to explain to our principal that the "weed" being "smoked" was in fact a broken chopstick with one end burnt. Which then prompted the even more awkward and yet hilarious conversation of why IT and the principal didn't know that the obvious prop was in fact a prop and not something else...

So I've updated the project a LOT since then, and it now includes a model release and a contract for students to know that they need to make sure their models are aware of what they are posing for (think back to the HIV and STD commercials decades ago) as well as a letter to families and a letter to the admin and IT departments to prepare everyone for the project to come!

Ready to Teach the PSA Project?

If you’d like to bring this project to your own classroom, you can find everything you need in my Photoshop PSA Photography and Poster Series Project lesson. It includes the full lesson plan, student planning packet, ethical imagery and model release forms, letters to families and administrators, critique guide, and the overview of Photoshop instructions (this is a summative assessment afterall).

👉 View the PSA Project on Teachers Pay Teachers

Want Some PSA Ideas First?

Here's just a few of the initial ideas presented to students to help them get going in the project files!