Today we are going to get a few more Photoshop basics by mocking up business cards. We’ll be careful to apply the design principles we’re reading about in WSINYE and principles we’ve discussed in class (i.e., CRAP).
We’ll start by examining a basic business card. What basic design principles do you see? Why do they work? Does the card capture attention? Control the eye? Convey information? Evoke emotion?
Next, we’ll look at some of the design elements available from the WVU branding page ad use them to mock up a version of the business card we’re looking at (mine but with your contact info). We’ll cover some basics in Photoshop including creating a new document, setting image size/resolution, adjusting rulers, adding guides, adding/formatting text, and adding/importing other images.
For the final portion you’re on your own. Google ‘vertical business cards’ and click on ‘image results.’ Vertical business cards have been popular for sometime but they are still considered unconventional for some professions (to my knowledge WVU does not have a vertical layout option). For your assignment, please:
- Download and work with the WVU brand elements and mock up a vertical business card
- Develop a front and back for the card but feel free to simplify one side (e.g., use one of the patterns as the back of the card and call it done)
- Take screen shots of your card’s front/back making sure to show your Photoshop layers in the screen shot
- Post the screen shots to your blog with a brief description of how you applied Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity
This exercise will take some time so we may take time on 10/20 to finish the work. I’d like to have a number of volunteers to show their designs toward the end of class on 10/20. We’re doing this work, in part, to set us up to succeed in the more formal Photoshop Tutorial assignment to be introduced on 10/22.
English 303 