Page 48 - Graphic Design and Print Production Fundamentals

36 Chapter 2. Design Process
• Preliminary evaluation of form (value studies, compositional studies, potential placement of
elements)

• Note-taking (a tool to record verbal or visual information quickly and accurately)

Quantity is very important in thumbnails! The idea is to get as many ideas and options down as possible.
Designers typically take one of two approaches when they do thumbnails: they either brainstorm a wide
range of ideas without exploring any of them in depth, or they come up with one idea and create many
variations of it. If you use only one of these approaches, force yourself to do both. Brainstorm as many
ideas as possible, using a mix of words and images. The point here is the quantity of ideas — the more
the better. Work fast and don’t judge your work yet.

Once you have a lot of ideas, take one you think is good and start exploring it. Try expressing the
same idea with different visuals, from different points of view, with different taglines and emotional
tones. Make the image the focal point of one variation and the headline the focal point of another. The
purpose here is to try as many variations of an idea as possible. The first way of expressing an idea is
not necessarily the best way, much like the first pancake is not usually the best.

After you’ve fully explored one idea, choose another from your brainstorming session and explore it in
the same way. Repeat this with every good idea.

Roughs are exactly that — rough renderings of thumbnails that explore the potential of forms, type,
composition, and elements of your best concepts. Often a concept is explored through the development
of three to five roughs. These are used to determine exactly how all of the elements will fit together, to
provide enough information to make preliminary evaluation possible, and to suggest new directions and
approaches.

The rough:

• Uses simple, clean lines and basic colour palettes.
• Accurately renders without much detail (the focus is on design elements, composition, and
message)

• Includes all of the visual elements in proper relationship to each other and the page

Comps are created for presenting the final project to the client for evaluation and approval. The comp
must provide enough information to make evaluation of your concept possible and to allow final
evaluation and proofing of all content.

The comp:

• Is as close as possible to the final form and is usually digital

• May use final materials or preliminary/placeholder content if photographs or illustrations are
not yet available

Hand-drawn or Digital?

Comps might be hand-drawn when you are showing a concept for something that doesn’t yet exist, such