Graphic design is concerned with controlling a viewer's eye by emphasizing the visual impact of specific elements in the design field and diminishing others. The designer is compelled to consider how the visual symbols are scaled, colored, and positioned for emphasis.

Tone and color relationships also create visual hierarchies. Brighter, more intense colors have a tendency to be emphasized over more subdued color values. Another important factor that effects the visual gestalt of a design field is the position of elements relative to each other on the page. A static composition rests the eye in a central location and prevents it from wandering. A dynamic composition forces the eye to move and to emphasize specific visual elements. This can have a profound effect on the viewer's perception.

Most designers work within a grid. A grid enables the designer to align the extremities of text and images to contain the content so that the viewer's eye does not wander aimlessly around the page or off into the margins. Grids can be very creative, employing sub-grids and diagonals to align the edges of elements on the page.

However, even the most creative grid structure is no substitute for the designer's sensitive eye for unity and balance. The grid provides a framework but the designer must still make decisions about the scale and location of the graphic elements and their relationship to each other. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator both offer the ability to display non-printable grids that are used as a convenient layout tool. The grids can be configured with grid-lines and subdivided to any dimension, and are editable in the Preferences function.

Design is such and important aspect of production that it can make or break the message of a printed piece, especially where type and images are combined. With a strong, well-balanced design that contains texts and images that work in harmony, the concept will be enhanced for maximum effect. What follows are a couple nuts-and-bolts software techniques that combine words and pictures. These operations are relatively simple tricks that can be used under a variety of circumstances.

Stayed tuned for Part 2!!

Virtually all graphic elements, from the simplest letter-form to the most complex color image, have duel identities. They are optical phenomena with visual characteristics, and they are symbols that communicate a concept, whether it be a simple sound as with a text character, or a profound inner reality as in a surrealist painting.

Graphic design is concerned with controlling a viewer's eye by emphasizing the visual impact of specific elements in the design field and diminishing others. The designer is compelled to consider how the visual symbols are scaled, colored, and positioned for emphasis.

Tone and color relationships also create visual hierarchies. Brighter, more intense colors have a tendency to be emphasized over more subdued color values. Another important factor that effects the visual gestalt of a design field is the position of elements relative to each other on the page. A static composition rests the eye in a central location and prevents it from wandering. A dynamic composition forces the eye to move and to emphasize specific visual elements. This can have a profound effect on the viewer's perception.

Most designers work within a grid. A grid enables the designer to align the extremities of text and images to contain the content so that the viewer's eye does not wander aimlessly around the page or off into the margins. Grids can be very creative, employing sub-grids and diagonals to align the edges of elements on the page.

However, even the most creative grid structure is no substitute for the designer's sensitive eye for unity and balance. The grid provides a framework but the designer must still make decisions about the scale and location of the graphic elements and their relationship to each other. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator both offer the ability to display non-printable grids that are used as a convenient layout tool. The grids can be configured with grid-lines and subdivided to any dimension, and are editable in the Preferences function.

Design is such and important aspect of production that it can make or break the message of a printed piece, especially where type and images are combined. With a strong, well-balanced design that contains texts and images that work in harmony, the concept will be enhanced for maximum effect. What follows are a couple nuts-and-bolts software techniques that combine words and pictures. These operations are relatively simple tricks that can be used under a variety of circumstances.

Stayed tuned for Part 2!!

When working with a customer's needs in a way that will make them remember you, and ultimately continue to use your services, one of the most important elements is that of design. When working with vehicle wraps, it is extremely easy to use a live picture, a company name, and company contact information, but what exactly stands out about that? I bet when you're driving around and notice vehicles with graphics on them pertaining to construction, they all look just about the same. There in lies the problem. They are not current. They are not creative.

The main key and focus when starting a new wrap design project is to attack it with its impact in mind. What you are going to want to do is appeal to your customer's needs. Make sure everything they require is completed, and done so in a way that makes what they were thinking of themselves seem one hundred times better. In order to do so you must first gain a thorough understanding of what your client is asking for. The best way to do this is through direct communication. Spend time with your client. This enables you to feed off of each other's ideas, come up with solutions, and build a relationship. With a final concept completed, always print a proof to show your client. Chances are there will be a few minor changes to be made, but once you get the go-ahead, you'll be ready to take everything on!

It's also very important to remember that with all the media that can be produced with digital printers, you and your company should morph with the times. Keep up to date with the services that can be provided to you through companies who have the ability to keep you current. When you're current, you will be able to offer intelligent designs that focus directly on the customer's product and needs.

In Part 1 of our two part text effect rundown we covered some nifty and simple effects, like multiple outlines and modifying fonts, and we even lightly touched on the difference between Photoshop and Illustrator. For Part 2 we will continue to look at simple, yet effective ways to make your text stand out!

We will first start off with yet another technique that is super easy to do in Illustrator. With a few simple and well planned out steps, Illustrator can create what appears to be interlocking characters. Start by generating two overlapping characters on two separate type paths. Convert them to outlines and use the multiple outlines technique that was described in Part 1 to create a colored outline around each of the characters. Select everything with the Selection tool. Now, here is the magic touch. Display the Pathfinder and click the Divide icon to divide all of the overlapping parts into separate paths. Individually select the overlapping areas with the Direct Selection tool. With the Color Sampler tool (the eyedropper), sample the color from the adjacent non-overlapping area to fill the region with similar color.

Illustrator is also the software to use for threading text when you want to flow text from one shape to another or for wrapping type around a shape. You can also use Illustrator to create multiple columns or rows of text, whereas Photoshop does not offer any of these features.

Photoshop has two system for generating type. It can generate type as a layer that produces fully editable, vector-based text. It can also produce type as a type mask that creates a selection marquee in the shape of a type character. Both have their uses, but to create type characters that contain an image, we'll use the Type Mask tool.

Open an image in Photoshop. Chose Select > Select All and then Edit > Copy. This, of course, copies the image onto the Clipboard. Choose the Type Mask tool. In the Options bar, select a typeface and a type size big enough to reveal a good portion of your image. Click on the image and you'll see a blinking insertion point on red translucent mask. Type the text.

To reposition the text press the Command (Mac) Ctrl (PC) key and drag the text into position. To resize the text drag one of the corner points. When the text is set to your liking, click the checkmark in the Options bar. The mask converts to a selection outline.

From the Edit Menu, choose Paste Into, and the image you copied to the clipboard will be pasted into the text. Do note however if the original layer is visible, you will not see any changes unless you click the visibility icon in the Layers panel. This technique produces a layer with a layer mask in the shape of the type that can be scaled and positioned with the move tool.

And there we have it! These are just a few effective tips to help your designs more personable and creative.

The way a word looks in print can have more of an impact to a viewer than the actual word itself. The features in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop control almost every aspect of this generation of design and placement of type in a field, and with a few simple tricks, both programs can produce awesome typographical effects that communicate an idea that will have a great impact.

It is important to know a few things about the two programs before we begin. Photoshop is primarily a raster-based software program, meaning that its operations are designed to manipulate pixels. There are, however, a few tools in this program that generate and edit vector objects. These tools include the Pen tools, the Direct Selection and Path Selection tools, the Shape tools, and the Type tool. Illustrator depends on similar tools to create vector objects and has several components that generate and edit pixels. Some of these include a series of effects that modify Bezier curves by adding pixel effects and filters that can be directly applied to raster images.

When modifying fonts, you can achieve almost any type effect in Photoshop through a series of Layer techniques, but there are a few techniques in Illustrator that will produce a similar, and most of the time even better, outcome with less effort involved. One example is the ability to modify the shape of type characters. Since type in Illustrator can be converted to basic vector outlines the intrinsic shapes of characters can be easily changed and manipulated.

Start by generating some type in Illustrator. Next, choose Create Outlines from the Type menu. Make sure you proof your text because once the outline is created, the type can no longer be edited. The conversion changes the text characters into a group of Bezier curves that can be altered by dragging their anchor points, segments of direction handles with the Direct Selection tool or adding addition paths.

Illustrator also beats Photoshop when creating characters with multiple-colored outlines. First, choose the Horizontal Type tool and create one or more characters. Apply a colored fill to the characters. Next, convert the type to outlines. From the Object menu, select Path > Offset Path and type a value, in points, in the dialog box, then click OK. The width of the type will appear to increase, but what actually happens is the Offset Path command automatically duplicates and enlarges the selected characters by the specified value. The new path is positioned behind the original path. With the new offset path still selected, choose a color fill from the Swatches or Color Panel to color the new path's offset edge. Repeat the process for each new outline you want to create.

This concludes the cool type effects lesson in Part 1. Stay tuned for Part 2!

 

When you begin the process of setting up and developing a vehicle wrap for your clients it is extremely important to do the necessary steps to making it easy on your clients, your designer, and ultimately, yourself. The following insights on making sure you cover your bases will make the overall wrap process, including the installation, efficient and stress-free.

One key thing you will want to do early on is take the extra time to create a dialogue with the graphic designer. When you begin working for a client, go out of your way to discuss his or her designs before and after the install, explaining what worked and what did not.

The reason you will want to take extra time, which can take up several hours of phone conversations, emails, and face to face meetings, is that you want to help your graphic designer understand the installation process. Many wrap designs will either not fit properly or will be far too complicated that it makes the overall installation process longer and more difficult. Keep in mind that a graphic on a layout looks flat, but will be applied to a surface that has contours and recessed areas.

Another thing you will want to do in the early stages is take a look at an actual picture of the vehicle online before completing the design. This helps the graphic designer see more of the 3-D aspects and work around them during the design process. Secondly, encourage the graphic designer to make the designs more simple in terms of text and images. A very common error when developing wrap designs is to include too much information and imagery. The most effective designs, which garner the most attention, are the simplest. Also, in terms of installation, simple designs are easier to install.

Lastly, ask your graphic designer to send you the layout before it is approved by the client. This will give you the ability to make a few suggestions that will make the installation quicker and less stressful. Taking ten minutes to do this can save hours of installation, especially on fleet jobs.

Doing all of these little things before the install will make the entire process more efficient, which in turn, will increase your profits and free time. You want to treat installing graphics as a business and try to make it as streamline as possible.