Impressions - August 2016 - 55

Figure 2

In my example, the customer only gave
the following information:The design was
for a men's basketball team that liked to
do shots of tequila after the games, and
they wanted it printed on dark shirts and
jerseys.Also, the printer who sent me the
design was hoping I could create something
more exciting than what was provided
on the napkin.
Analyzing Variables
Each job should be evaluated based on
what the client likes and wants, and what
the order volume justifies. In this case, the
printer thought it was worth pushing the
client to get better artwork because he
knew he would value and pay for it, and
he could use the result to advertise his
company to the customer's friends.This
was a judgment call and a bit of a risk, but
one of the best ways to create loyal clients
is to go over the top with art that makes
them excited.
In this case, my printer friend requested
a small deposit from the client to cover
the rough draft and start the order. Once
he received the deposit, he sent the art to
me so I could create a rough comp.
In this stage of the process, it's important
to know your in-house art-creation abilities and what you may need to contract out.
Many companies will refuse to consider
contracting out artwork, but sometimes
it makes more sense, is more economical

and results in a better final product.
Other solutions include art templates
that can be modified for different clients
using pre-made graphic layouts and art
service providers.
Trend Research
One of the most underrated steps that
often is skipped in the art-creation process
is trend research. It involves looking at
designs that use the same theme, wording,
font style and graphics, and determining
if they serve a similar function to what
you will create.
The basketball team's design was a great
example of this. I recently had created a
design for a different team that was well
received and I thought the layout's dynamic
style also would work well for this artwork.
I wouldn't use any of the elements from
the previous design, but the concept was

a great starting point. So I started laying
out the artwork without a lot of extra
trend research because I had already done
the work for another team (see Figure 2).
The important point here is that I was
given the latitude to keep the elements,
but dramatically alter the visual dominance of the team name.The next part,
which involved research, was to find a
shot-glass photo that could be used to
create the graphic, as well as the lime
slice (see Figure 3). Again, I decided to
go with a more literal depiction of the
shot glass and lime instead of making it
look like the basketball hoop and ball
from the original comp.
The printer agreed that having the subtle appearance of the basketball and hoop,
with the shot more prominent, would be
more appealing to the client. It also would
be clearer in the graphic (we thought the
green basketball wouldn't look like a lime).

SHOW YOUR STUFF
It occasionally can be useful to show an uncertain client some example designs in
his category, or even to suggest a few design solutions to help him become comfortable with the finished product. Every client is different and some people will
confidently drop off their napkin and just say, "Do your thing," while other clients
will need you to walk them through the process.

AUGUST 2016

P.55

Impressions - August 2016

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