Graphic Design and Photography

Find a Good Picture

One of the hardest parts of being a webdesigner is beginning a new project. Starting with a blank screen can be very daugnting. Once you have a few elements in your design it seems to move quicker and making decisions and adjustments will flow better. So how can you get your design moving? The answer is simple. Find a really good picture.

What kind of picture? I doesn't really matter. It can be a photograph of your subject or an illustration of something related to your subject. In fact it doesn't have to be a picture or illustration of anything at all. Abstract art make great filler for designs. Abstract is good because it isn't as distracting to the viewer, like a subject art piece is. Let me walk you through this process.

Your new client is a body shop for custom built cars. Your task is to build them a new website that is "Flashy" and attention grabbing. The client has told you that they like a primary color palate consisting of black, white, yellow, and red. Your job is to integrate their existing logo and these colors. You load up Photoshop, start a design 990 X 768 and you fill the background with black. Now what?

Well, this project would be easy. Grab a camera and go take some high quality pictures of their custom cars. If the bodyshop is lit with florescent lights that would be a great place to start snapping picts. If you don't have a camera, you are at a disadvantage, but the client may be able to supply you with photos of their work, or print materials they may have used in the past. If you can't get your hands on a picture from the client and don't have access to a camera, there are plenty of stock photograph websites out there that will sell you images. Stock photography sites are great, but can be expensive, and if you design many sites, you would probably be better off investing in a camera. The point is to get a great photograph to start designing around.

It isn't a necessity to have a great picture to design with. You can design a website with nothing but colors, gradients, and materials provided in your art program, but designing without a subject piece is difficult and has a larger rate of client disapproval.