- 584
- Oregon, USA
- Digi-Gen
PREFACE:
MODIFIED: 05.15.05
MODIFIED: 05.15.05
This information is designed to help the newer designers get an Idea of good work flow when they are in the creation process. This info is by no means the only way to go thru the creative process, but having a map can sometimes help. đź‘Ť
I am using Photoshop CS, so the options I mention will be available there, and most are available down to PS6.
I am also an avid fan of FOLDERS and NAMING YOUR LAYERS in PS. You can better organize your work if you divide the design in to it's principle parts and can also see what is on the layer by reading the heading.
One advantage that PSCS has over all the earlier inceptions, is that you can have NESTED FOLDERS. Folders within folders. This is a very useful tool when it comes to organizing your design. I will usually have a few main folders that I use in a cover or an ad. TEXT, TITLE, HEADERS, CARS and BG - in that order. Each of those folders will normally have 2 or 3 sub-folders that contain the different elements that fall into the folders subject matter. So, within the CARS folder I will have as many different folders as I have individual cars. These folders are of course named for the car they contain, and hold all the other adjustment layers or graphics that the car may "need".
I address this because I was asked, so: I do everything in Photoshop - No notes other then the one listed below. No sketches - it is a waste of time. Especially when I am already at the PC. I can play in PS faster, and change the layout, then I ever could on paper.
With that said, here is the basic order of the design process that I tend to use.
- I open the design template that I have for either a mag cover or an ad. The ad one it a LOT larger - 2610x3360 @ 300 dpi. The high-res is for printing purposes. The mag template is 1310x1686 @ 72 dpi. I use 72 dpi for the mag covers because they are to be displayed on the monitor which can not display anything above 72 anyway. If you desire, you can DL the Magazine Template Here. It already contains most of the folders that I use and that you may need.
- I start of by picking the main BG pic that I want to use. That, of course, will depend on if I am creating something for the shear joy of it, or (as in the covers comp) it is selected for me. I usually pic about three and place them in a BG folder for easy viewing.
- I place the BG how I fell it best works with the theme, and leaving enough room at the top for the TITLE.
- I select any other pics that I fell will be a good blend with the primary pic. I look for color, car angle, surroundings, composition, car similarities, theme similarities, etc ... and roughly place them in under their OWN folder
- I start to look through my fonts (431 of them) in Fontlister 3.4.9 - a cool font browsing/installing app - and find the ones that I feel work best. I usually paste the names in a .txt doc to refer to or use the NOTE option in Photoshop.
- I start to think of either a name for the mag, or the "catch phrase" for an ad. This is where most of the time comes in. Try to be clever but not to "over the top", unless the mag title you chose dictates a wild title. Like: Monster Jet Bus Bi-Weekly.
- Let's say I'm doing a mag cover so: I try the title that I like best (out of the ones I came up with) with all the different fonts that I chose earlier. I look them over and see which one looks the most visually appealing.
- Now, here is the deal with the font you choose. You do not have to settle for the stock kerning (the space between the letters) or any other aspect, for that matter. Photoshop lets you tweak the text however you desire, w/o any loss of quality, until you rasterize the layer - which you ideally don't want to do. Stretch it. Squash it. Raise part and lower another. Make letters different sizes - maybe the first and last. Just don't be afraid to play with it.
- In selecting the color of the title, I try to go with either something that will stand off the page, or that fits with the style of the mag. Like in the "Classic Auto" mag, I went with a classic color scheme - B&W with a hint of color - dark red. It was the best choice for both the style of the mag and was easily readable.
- I also look to see if part of the BG can be placed OVER the title in a way that is desirable and that gives the cover more interest. Like I did here.
- (A link to the site it is from is in my sig)
[*]After all of that, coming up with article "teasers" are fairly simple. I just think to myself "What would I want to read about in this issue?" and put a few headers in strategic places. I ideally do not like to cover the main BG's center of attention (the car), but sometimes a bit of layering is good for the image. Like: car on title with headers over car. That sort of thing.
[*]After all that, the rest of the time is spent just modifying what I have already created.
That is about the whole process. I hope that it is helpful to you and anyone that reads this. đź‘Ť
Your comments or discussion is gladly welcome!
