Space, Future, and More

January 20, 2021 in Design

Things I made | 11/2-11/9

November 09, 2020 in Design

Some more mini projects, or parts of projects from the past week.

Layout Experiments

November 02, 2020 in Design

Recently I decided to experiment with creating some compositions with filled in grids to form different patterns and shapes, while doing this I got the idea to treat the elements as if they were different parts of a layout. In my mind they represent the various different parts of a layout for something along the lines of a magazine.

Some are representative of a single page or cover and others are more representative of a spread. At least one is an interpretation of a restaurant menu. I look forward to working on other similar experiments to further explore the cumulative elements of design.

3D Fun With Gradients

June 15, 2020 in Design

For the longest time, I was not a big fan of using gradients in designs. A couple of simple tutorials I found online really got me curious about messing around more with gradients in Adobe Illustrator. The simplicity of essentially using a gradient twice and just having colors inverted is really exciting, especially since it creates a sense of depth that wasn’t there before. Keep scrolling down for some of the experiments I have played around with, taking the concept in a couple of different directions.

Here is a quick little tutorial I found on Instagram on this technique.

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A post shared by Talha Bhatti | Graphic Design (@bhailogdigital) on May 9, 2020 at 8:45am PDT

I plan to share some more tutorials that I find and the various different results I get from them.

Seamless Panorama on Instagram

October 26, 2019 in Photo Tips, Photography, Social Media, Design

Today I got the idea in my mind to try out doing a seamless multi-image post on instagram. The idea is to have multiple images put together seamlessly into a much “wider” image, using the image carousel feature. There are a bunch of creative reasons you might want to use this feature, but I think this can simply be a fun way to get people to engage more with your posts.

Starting off - The Initial Photo

You might be starting off with a panorama you created in photoshop or in camera, or you can also crop from just about any horizontal photo. The important thing here is to crop your image to a 2:1 ratio (or 3:1 if you want to go with three image).

To do this, you are going to want to bring the file into lightroom, photoshop, or a similar app that allows you to set an aspect ratio or exact dimensions. If you want to do it all on your phone, you can create a custom-sized document in the app canva and essentially set the image as the base image and double tap to move around if necessary, I would go with photoshop or lightroom if possible though.

Duplicate The File

Once you’ve done that, you will want to get that file to your phone, if it isn’t there already. You will then need to duplicate the file. This will allow you to use the left half of the image for the first image, and the right half for the second image.

In the Instagram app

Start as you normally would when making a single image post (the center square with the plus in it at the bottom of your app

Slide the image over to only show the left half.
Next, click the image carousel icon and select your other copy of the cropped image
Slide image to show only right half of the image

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A post shared by ndoocy (@ndoocy) on Oct 26, 2019 at 11:00am PDT

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A post shared by ndoocy (@ndoocy) on Oct 25, 2019 at 6:47am PDT

Posting

I would suggest making all edits prior to duplicating the image for consistency. Post as you normally would with whatever caption you want, maybe a little note about “swiping” to see the whole image. Have fun with this technique.

Why?

There are a couple of reasons to use this technique. The main one being to display a larger version of a panoramic image, if you were to do it with a single image you would be limited by the width of the screen and your image would be much shorter. This would allow you to see the whole image, but at a significantly smaller size where detail will be lost and the expansiveness of the image will be lost as well. You could theoretically put a third image that is the full image on a white background that fills out a square as borders on the top and bottom of the image.

Another advantage of this technique is that it can create a more interactive post that might even require swiping between the images to see the full picture or read the full image, literally and figuratively. Creating engaging and interactive experiences is an incredibly valuable way to share your photos.

I plan to share some other ideas on how to use this process in the future. However, when it comes to fairly straightforward photography this is great for panoramas or cropping in on a wide part of the image. Give it a try, have fun, and share your results.

How To Best Use Photos In Digital Graphics

March 16, 2016 in Photography, Design, Business

You need to start by not getting into the mindset that no one will see photos of your work and invest time into getting photos taken and then get them out into the world. You can certainly use photographs on their own, but integrating them into simple graphics and digital layouts that can easily be shared is a great way to putting them to use.

Emails

A good place to start is by sending embedded images to clients as reference or inspiration. When you send a bunch of separate files, things tend to get confusing as sometimes lost to varying degrees. By putting together a simple graphic, maybe use a grid of images with your business logo and contact info, you can have it neatly organized in one file that can be seen right away. Together in one graphic, the relationships between the photographs and any other elements can be much more easily understood by a client. You might be showing them what you have done previously, objects or colors that relate to the project’s overall goal, or simply trying to spark their imagination.

Email Newsletter

If you want to keep people updated on a regular basis, directly into the email inbox, it is worth considering building an email newsletter. This is a great place to showcase new and upcoming work and update people and clients in a visual way. Here you want to plan and be consistent, as with any of these ideas, if you hope people will actually look at your email. Creating graphics that use photos in grids, or more loosely arranged layouts, can give a lot of character to your newsletter and make it a fun experience to keep updated on what you are doing as a business.

Social Media Posts

Use Multiple Photos

From here, a great way to use photos in graphics is through social media posts. You could do a simple grid of four or more photos. They could all be images of one project, a sequence or process of some kind that you go through, or a couple of photographs that highlight the key element of your business.

Add Supporting Text

These could be left as is, maybe put your logo in one of the sections or at the bottom of the layout, but you could also consider putting text to good use here. The text can be as simple as a single adjective, or adverb, that describes the overall or specific photo in the grid. You want to make sure the text is legible at a likely small size, otherwise it is of no value to the graphic, consider using a solid shape behind the word, one that can be used in each section and graphic.

Use Your Logo

If you have a logo, or even a business name in a particular font, it is definitely worth using with your photos on social media. You don’t want to overcrowd the image with branding though, but this is really about building brand recognition. Do not think watermark, keep it off the main part of the photo, keep it subtle but legible. If you are working with a social media platform that uses reposting in one form or another, this is a great way to have your business and content spread together.

Use Graphic Overlays

If you do not want to use your logo you can still emphasize consistency throughout your use of photos in social media posts. Consider using a graphic overlay that can be used on all posts. It could be a particular graphic element such as a shape or border in a particular color, or a logo. Keeping this out of the way from distracting from the photo would be ideal, consider only using the outer edges of the image for this purpose.

Integrate Graphic Elements, Text, Illustrations, and Photos

You can also create free form layouts with multiple images arranged in less rigid formats. One way is to use photos in a collaged look with images cut out and overlapping one another. Another approach would be to integrate graphic elements, text, or illustrations that interact with the photographs, as an extension of the overall layout and concept. This is a great opportunity to get creative, but be sure to still being in elements that help draw the layout back to your business and branding.

Once you get started on putting those photos to use, other ideas will hopefully come to you as well. Try writing down the ideas as they come and try out a few new ones on a regular basis.

How To Best Use Photos In Printed Materials

February 19, 2016 in Design, Business, Photography

Business Cards

Follow Neil's board Business cards on Pinterest.

Business cards are a great place to start to use photos. Go into this with the intension of actually getting them out into the world and not just having them on hand when needed. Depending on the type of business you are in it might be worth getting a new set for each new collection, season, or quarter to keep things updated. Try creating a layout that uses multiple photos of your work, your logo, and contact information. You can, and probably should, also have a card that does not have any photos but is your standard card you use all the time. It might be worth thinking of the photo business card as pocketable, visually oriented and descriptive, postcard.

Postcards

Follow Neil's board Postcard Ideas on Pinterest.

A postcard is a great way to put a selection of photographs to use in a neat and engaging layout. A postcard does not ever need to be sent to anyone, think of it more as a reference to a general size of a piece of printed promotional material. These are a great place to showcase a particular project, a product line, various aspects of your business, or a single photograph that represents your business. You will also want to include some degree of contact information, even if it is simply your logo and website address. Though they would not have the same layout, you could think of a photo based postcard or business card as playing the same role in different sizes and shapes. These are of course a few of the many creative possibilities that can come about through the use of photographs in printed layouts.

Brochures

Follow Neil's board Brochure Ideas on Pinterest.

Moving on up in detail and size, along comes the brochure. People expect to learn, gain insight, or become curious about your business when they read through a brochure you have created. You can use a lot of photographs to illustrate the ideas behind your business, with a greater amount of text to bring it all together. Brochures are an opportunity to really engage with a potential client. You can use the experience of reading though the brochure to your advantage. The united efforts of graphics, photos, and text can lead a reader on a journey as they unfold and flip over the brochure.

Booklets

Follow Neil's board Booklet Ideas on Pinterest.

Another great opportunity to really engage a clients’ attention is through some kind of booklet, be it a catalog, portfolio, look book, or a couple of pages on a single product line or service your business offers. You can still create a journey through the layout with the arrangement of photographs, text, and other graphic elements. A journey and story that tells clients what is important to you, and what you will provide them with. This could also be for a purely practical purpose of illustrating individual aspects of your business in a systematic way. You will want to create new ones for each new season, quarter, product line, or any kind of offering. This booklet does not need to be large or have hundreds of pages that take hours to arrange and finalize, you can keep it simple and to the point.

How To Best Compose Multiple Photos Together, In 3 Ways

March 03, 2016 in Photography, Design, Business

Grids

A great starting place to bring together multiple photographs is to utilize a grid. This could be a simple arrangement of photographs of the same orientation and aspect ratio in a two by two, three by three, or any number of photos by any other number of photos. Or you can take the layout further, arranging the photographs on an unseen grid that holds together the layout but can utilize photographs of different aspect ratios (1:1, 3:2, 4:5, etc.) and orientations (vertical or horizontal). There is a considerable amount of freedom allowed by utilizing a grid, but the constraints that do exist really help create a cohesive layout. This underlying grid can also help integrate text within the layout alongside the photographs.

Shapes

Putting a photograph within a shape is a great way to go beyond the grid. The shape may be as simple as a circle or a complex repeating geometric pattern. Shapes are a great way to utilize a logo or graphic element that goes with a your branding. The arrangement of these shapes, holding photographs, can take on a structured grid like form or carefully composed freeform composition integrated with text and other graphic elements. There is a wide array of creative possibilities when it comes to using shapes, probably too many. There should be intension behind your decision to go with this approach, especially if it can be seen and understood.

Collage

Ditching the grid and confining shape approaches all together leads you down the path to a place where all rules and structure can seem to be thrown aside. At the end of that path you can see a nearly infinite array of possibilities when you take on a collaged approach to utilizing multiple photographs. You can take a cut and paste approach, as rough or refined as is appropriate. You can simply overlap multiple images in a manner that gets across the ideas you want to express with the combined photographs. With this approach, you can bring together various elements of varying size, color, texture, and perspectives in unique ways that can help tell the narrative of your photographs.

How To Effectively Brand Your Photos

March 01, 2016 in Business, Photography, Design

Color

There are a couple of different ways to approach using color to brand your photographs. You could simply go with one specific and replicable color that you use throughout your photos. If you want a wider range, consider using a range of colors of with the same color (all blue or red), saturation (different colors with the same amount of saturation), or brightness (different colors with the same amount of brightness). You can also combine saturation and brightness if you want an even more consistent look to your use of color. Using multiple colors is certainly allowed if appropriate for your brand, but the colors should have some uniting aspect holding them together.

Logo

You have a logo and you should use it with your photographs. There are a couple of different ways to go about using it in a supporting role. Initially you will probably consider putting it in the corner of each photo, this can certainly work. If you have an icon that is part of the logo, that might be a better way to integrate your logo without having to put in a lot of text. Sometimes the best option is to write out the brand name or the initials of it in a consistent font that goes with the rest of your branding, maybe the logo is too detailed for a small size or the proportions would not make sense. This logo, or text, can be integrated with other graphic elements that will remain as part of all future branding of photographs. The logo is a great place to put to use your chosen color or colors.

Borders

If you do not want to have your logo floating in a corner, consider using a border that goes around the photo and holds it there. A border could also be a very simple way to add a touch of branding, using a simple border with a common color throughout all your photos can bring a sense of uniformity and make a connection with viewers of the photograph. Borders can be as simple or complex as is appropriate for your brand, you do not want it cutting into the photographs more than necessary. They can actually help you with taking, choosing, and editing photographs that go with the border.

Graphic Elements

This could certainly include logos and borders, but you may have some kind of icon that represents your brand but is not directly your logo. That is only really one of the many possible graphic elements that can really help support building your image branding. Regardless of what you do, remember that you want to leave the photograph clear and readable to the viewer.

Text

The use of text does not need to be constant, but when it is used it should be done so in a consistent manner and treatment. You will want to consider defining a space to hold your text and certainly a font you would like to use. You may want to include your website address or simply your brand’s name on all of your photos, do so in a way that will look uniform.

All Together

Uniformity and consistency may not sound like the goals of a creative endeavor, but they are the foundation upon which a branded photograph can be built. That photograph’s consistency is vital to creating a brand that can be trusted to continuously produce quality content. Try out your idea on some of your past photos to see what may or may not work.