The Power of a Mock-up

Everyone wants to put their best foot forward. You can have the best design solution for your client and sometimes they just can see what you see. Why leave it up to chance? Show them what you see with a digital mock-up. Digital mockups are everywhere now and if you are not using or creating your own then you probably aren't even aware you have seen any. A mockup is a prototype and enables testing of a design. It helps you show the client the end result without final approval. There is power in seeing versus imagining. It's important to show your work in the best light possible and here is an example of what I mean. Which of the following would you share with the client if you had a choice?

One comes across as warm and showcases the design in a better light, and makes me hungry.

It is not insanely difficult to create your own mock-up templates. Its about a great photo with good lighting and layers of Photoshop smart objects. But, to get your feet wet I suggest trying free templates. There are lots of sites out there that have free photo realistic templates for you to download. Here are a few of the sites worth checking out. 

Mockup World
Whether your are looking for an iPhone, iPad, iMac, MacBook, AppleWatch, packaging, t-shirts, a street sign or huge billboard mockup – you’ll will find it here.

Behance
Check back often since this a big community of designers this collection could change daily maybe hourly.

Pixeden 
Free web graphics, background graphics, textures, psd mockup, text effects graphics and more… Our graphics are made to make your designer life easier with ready to use JPG and PSD format

If you are looking for higher quality and something special, look at creating your own or investing in paid templates. Creative Market is the place to start looking for paid PSDs. You can also sell your templates if you want to make a little money on the side. 

Happy creating and if you have templates to share comment with a link. 

Hand Lettering: From nothing to something - Baby Step 1

Over the past few months I have tried my hand at learning to hand letter with brush pens. Here is a look into the journey of learning this new skill.

Baby Steps

Before you can walk you must crawl. I have the natural handwriting of a doctor. Sorry doctors, but you have the worst handwriting on the planet and I am in your group. I can prove with this shot of my notebook.

What does that say?

What does that say?

I am aware of why I write this way. It comes down to rushing and trying to write quickly. I jot things down as fast as I can and move on. I know you can relate to reviewing notes and not having a clue what that heck you wrote down. What the heck does "Pineapple #1" mean?!

Step 1: Slowing down and practicing.

I am aiming to not only improve my handwriting but create beautiful planned out lettering pieces. I know what I want I just don't know how to get there. The best way is copying. Find pieces or individual letters you love and replicate it over and over. You will develop muscle memory eventually and develop your confidence. Here are a few pieces I found that I love. Dribbble and Instagram are great places to find inspiration.

I found myself practicing on everything and all the time. The fun-ness of practicing never wore off. I also noticed the pen does not make you great. No matter what pen I bought I still sucked. Practice is the only way to be any good. Here are a few of my early pages of practice. I focused on ligatures. When looking for inspiration the interesting ligatures where what stood out to me and made me like a piece. I beat myself up over how bad I am at this. Geez, does everyone suck this bad in the beginning?

But, I keep practicing as much as I can. I mimic styles and copy forms. I add my own flair and keep trying. I need to practice control and a smooth line.

More to come on this as I learn over the next few weeks. Stay tuned and check Instagram for my progress.

Adobe Max 2015

I am going to the Adobe Max conference which starts Monday, October 5th in Los Angeles. My first time going to the Max conference and going to L.A., this should be interesting and exciting.

So far I have an agenda jam packed with sessions, labs, and creativity workshops. I will be brushing up on my Photoshop painting skills and learning more about typography. There will be so many great speakers this year like Louise Fili!

If you are planning on attending, send me a message. We could design geek out together and get lots of Adobe freebies. I hope to see you there! If you will not be attending, I am sure I will have plenty of photos on my Instagram to make you feel like you are right there with me.

DESIGN NERDS UNITE!