In this class we will learn how to pull inspiration from vintage resources while still keeping your personal style.

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Dale Maxwell
5 years ago
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1 INTRODUCTION In this class we will learn how to pull inspiration from vintage resources while still keeping your personal style. We will be designing packaging that is based off vintage hand-lettering and type. We will do this by using reference material and avoiding copying it directly by taking more steps between finding inspiration and the final drawing. Why should you use vintage reference? It lends a Classic and timeless look It helps to avoid being too referential from design you see right now There is a huge selection of reference material - lots of small details to pick up on composition, letterform, filigree, border elements Inspiration 1. Choose your application Give yourself a brief to work off. If you ve been wanting to add more packaging projects to your portfolio this is a great opportunity to do so. Showcasing new applications in your portfolio is a great way to get more diverse work from clients. Some ideas to get you started: - Soap packaging - Chocolate label - hand-lettered phrase - promotional piece for a brand 2. Write the copy Writing copy is fun, and one of the things that makes hand lettering so charming Think about the language you will use (sophisticated, silly, tongue in cheek) in your project. This will guide the overall identity of the project and give it some more personality. Play with the common copy in vintage packaging (Superior, Guaranteed, A Brand You Can Trust) and edit it to fit within your concept. Consider your tone Use your own voice Short, punchy phrases work best and stick with audiences Have fun! Think about the hierarchy of the copy and make sure you note this before you get started on your piece. What information needs to be read first? Where will the supporting copy go?

3. Make a conference call with yourself Before you get started on the project make sure you and yourself are on the same page. Consider the style direction you want your piece to take.

Start writing out your brief as if you are talking with your client (which is you) and sorting out expectations of the direction.

questions. 1. What is the project? 2. Who is the audience? 3. What look are you trying to achieve? 4. What are the dimensions? 5. Create a template 4.

2 3. Make a conference call with yourself Before you get started on the project make sure you and yourself are on the same page. Consider the style direction you want your piece to take. Do you want it to have a vintage feel but a more modern look? Will it be simple? Start writing out your brief as if you are talking with your client (which is you) and sorting out expectations of the direction. Of course things will shift and inspiration will take you somewhere even better than you thought but to avoid confusion and that feeling of not knowing where to start it s better to start with these questions. 1. What is the project? 2. Who is the audience? 3. What look are you trying to achieve? 4. What are the dimensions? 5. Create a template 4. Find Inspiration At this stage, you are getting ideas of what your piece to communicate. Now you need to gather ideas for style and how it will look. We will be focusing on finding inspiration from historical references. Aside from scouring flea markets and estate sales, the internet is also a great place to start (duh). Flickr, tumblr, Pinterest and sometimes Google are my go to sites for searches. 5. Create a mood board Gather at least 5 pieces of vintage reference material. To be sure that the pieces you are referencing are vintage it s best to gather from bonafide sources like antique dealer websites (the sites aren t pretty but the content is). Not just something pulled from Pinterest. These images should correlate to your design and help achieve the overall tone of the piece.

3 6. Study your reference material We will be studying the reference material and getting down to the nitty gritty of why those pieces were chosen. If it s possible, print out your mood board Make notes of what made this piece stand out to you Study the details in the letterforms and illustrations. How is the lettering constructed to fit the layout? How much information is on the package? Focus on the color and how it was used Count how many colors are used. Are the colors layered to create secondary colors? If it s one color but has the effect of multiple colors, how was that look achieved? Ask yourself why you chose that piece and what was your initial inspiration from it? Once you ve nailed down the why s you will have a better understanding of how you want to approach your piece and what tricks you want to use in your own designs. Warm up and Brainstorm 1. Tools The tools we will use in this class are pretty basic. Pencils Colored pencils or markers - Nothing fancy Pens for inking - I use Uniball Vision pens Sketchbook or loose paper - To keep track of your sketches and progress Plain printer paper - No need to do all your sketches on precious drawing paper Drawing paper - Best to use a drawing paper that can hold ink better. Books - No need to max out your bank account - Gathering reference via the internet is A.O.K Advertising Tins Antique Packaging Scripts Shadow Type The Handy Book of Artistic Printing ABZ 2. Brainstorm Write a list of words that work with your concept. It may unlock some ideas for your drawing. Think of iconography that could be used in your piece in a decorative way. - For instance, if it s soap packaging you are creating, bubbles could make its way into the design through decorative elements or the border. Writing lists also helps set the tone and a clear idea of the audience It s also good to write to just let your mind wander. You never know when inspiration may strike.

4 3. Sketch with reference (doodling) This step is a fun way to transfer you ve discovered from inspiration to your own hand. This way, we avoid directly copying the reference material and working in a way that always refers back to the brief at hand. These sketches can be loose or detailed but think about how you want the inspiration to translate in your work. We will be devoting (at least) a whole spread from your sketchbook to document and this will be what you reference when you get to your final drawings. Look at the reference you ve collected, and recreate portions of them, or even whole pieces. Try working from memory to create a more distinct and personal look. Fool around with letterforms, decorative elements and layouts. What feels good coming from your pencil? What change can be made to these elements to reflect your style or voice? What letterforms come naturally to you? You will most likely come across the dilemma of a not knowing how to draw a letter because that is not in the word from your reference material. Pick a more characteristic letter like K, R, M, N, E or S rather than a more simple letter like an I Notice how the strokes come together and how the serif works with the M in relation to the S and how the weight shifts from up-stroke to down-stroke. These clues will help you recreate the letter you need for your piece. Sketching 1. Thumbnails Make 4-6 small versions of your template/dimensions on one 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper. It s important to keep the correct dimensions in mind even when working small. Thumbnails let you look at the big picture without getting caught up on details. Refer to the studies you created from your reference Thumbnails help you see what the initial impact of you design will be Focus on composition elements such as - Weight and balance - Hierarchy - Style Creating more than three very different thumbnails really pushes your creativity

5 2. Sketching Printout or draw your template/dimensions on a larger scale. This would be the sketches sent to a client, so presentation is important. Remember to keep this drawing tight and as close the the final as can be. Choose at least 2 of your thumbnails to take to sketches work at least to fit on a sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper Work off your thumbnails (I often blow up my thumbnails and work on top of them so I don t lose successful elements such as scale and shape and spacial relationship) Sketch lightly and loosely, getting too tight at this stage can cause problems and there is time to refine these drawings later 3. Looking at your Sketches Critically Before moving to final, make sure you are working off a sketch that is the best it can be. Bring back the reference material and your initial brief for comparison - Did you meet/exeed the original brief? Compare your sketches to the reference material and initial doodles - Did you improve on the details that you sketched out? - Did you make them your own? Re-draw areas that need work or extra detail Notice if there are any areas that are losing detail because of scale - If so, redraw at a larger scale - Scan in your drawing, enlarge and print out Ask a visually inclined friend for their critique Sit on the sketch for a night and look at it with fresh eyes the following day Finalizing your Piece 1. Final Pencil Drawing Work on top of your sketch using a pencil with tracing paper or a light table (any glass table should work perfectly with a backlight) Refine any areas that are unsatisfactory as you trace Keep curves smooth Make note of areas that are tight, maybe they will be drawn and scanned in separately

6 2. Inking Work right on top of your tight drawing, or trace through to a new piece of paper. If you draw heavily, I recommend to use a fresh piece of paper for inking If you mess up one letter, don t fret, move on with your drawing and you can redraw that letter later Work in layers so it is easier to draw details that overlap 3. Scanning If you don t have a scanner, you can use a digital camera or even your iphone. Be sure to photograph in a well-lit environment. Scan your drawing in at dpi. You should have a nice clean, dark drawing but if you need to enhance the contrast, bring it into Photoshop first to adjust the levels. 4. Digitizing Bring your scanned illustration into illustrator or any other vector program and live trace the image Be sure to avoid the default settings. Mess around with the settings until the vector version reflects the original drawing. Make adjustments to the scale of the letters, placement and make sure everything is in place - Redraw anything that has to be redrawn - Choose colors - Bring illustration into photoshop to add textures - Use scanned textures (textured paper, brush strokes, aged textures) 5. Print and assemble your piece For a more impressive portfolio piece mock up your design and photograph it Photograph it on a white background or in a setting. Best to use natural light Or just instagram and share with friends and your Skillshare friends!

Positive & Negative Space = the area around or between a design. Asymmetrical = balanced but one part is small and one part is large

Study Guide Compostion COMMERCIAL ART Positive & Negative Space = the area around or between a design Radial Symmetrical = balance is circular Asymmetrical = balanced but one part is small and one part