Back to School Images for Designers

 Stock Photography, Warmpicture Updates  No Responses »
Jul 222012
 

Don’t tell the kids, but it is time for designers to stock up on back to school images! Lucky for the graphic design community and bloggers, there are a plethora of low cost, high quality education based images to choose from at Warmpicture.

There are a lot of recent uploads which cover back to school and education themes. Today I’ll show you some of my favorites to help you generate ideas for your designs and layouts.

Female Student with BooksSteve Cukrov has produced some of my favorite education and back to school themed photos over the past few years. His images convey clear themes, and utilize natural looking models (including his daughter in this image).

In this image the stacked books provide a very interesting composition, while at the same time conveying the amount of work students will be facing during the school year. The lighting is soft, and even, which is perfect for stock. And there is enough copy space that a designer can put text on the image without covering the main subject matter.

Student and Teacher in Computer Lab

Edie Layland, also know under the username LaylandMasuda, brings us another natural looking education image. This time she takes us into a school computer lab where a student and teacher are working together on a modern notebook computer.

As technology continues to evolve and computer skills become even more integral as part of overall educational development, images such as this will become increasingly sought after.

Bullying and Schoo Outcasts Bullying is an unfortunate reality for school children, and has become a hot topic of discussion in America and abroad. Mandy Godbehear tackles the problem with an effective image which depicts an outcast teen girl trying to ignore the taunts of the other students.

Natural lighting is utilized here, adding to the believable atmosphere. The image is well composed and contains a great deal of copy space.

Little Girl PaintingLaylandMasuda is back with another great entry for education and back to school designs. This image features an adorable girl painting in school, with a nicely lit backdrop of class paintings hung on the wall.

This is another beautiful image which graphic designers and bloggers will appreciate for its wide range of potential uses. The very light background doubles as a possible template for copy space without covering the model.

 

Child in WheelchairLisaFX has one of the most extensive collections of students overcoming disabilities. This is one of our favorites for many reasons. Depicting a teen student who is confined to a wheelchair, this image shows us that students can still be active and participate in recreational activities like basketball.

The image is also expertly lit, with the subject completely isolated from a pure white background. This allows designers to easily manipulate the image by pulling out the subject and dropping him into a page layout. It also provides the ultimate flexibility for copy space, which can be added as pure white to either one of the image’s four sides.

While these images are some of our favorites, they are just a drop in the ocean of school based images available through Warmpicture. To see the entire collection, we invite you to visit our Back To School Images page. Or simply visit Warmpicture Stock Photos and type a specific keyword into the search box, or browse the education category.

We hope these images gave you some good ideas for your designs and blog posts. Feel free to give us a shout if you need help finding a specific image.

This week we will take a look at our favorite Autumn images to get you ready for the coming change of seasons!

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5 Tips for Graphic Design Students

 Design  No Responses »
Dec 202011
 

Considering an education in the world of graphic design? Great! This wide open field combines artistic flare and technological savvy in ways which no other field does. In this article we will offer helpful advice for students interested in choosing an education in graphic design.

kangaroo road signThe term “graphic design” can be used to describe everything from drawing a corporate logo, to creating a magazine layout, to designing a website, to creating a road sign. Because hey, kangaroos need publicity too.

Almost every application of graphic design will require knowledge of computers, and possibly programming. Even if you don’t foresee a life in web design, expect that your layout tools will be computer oriented.

With that in mind, let’s get into our five tips for students interested in pursuing a career in graphic design.

1. Increase Your Computer Fluency

You may have mad skills when it comes to updating your Facebook status and Tweeting what you had for dinner, but how much experience do you have in Photoshop, Illustrator, and Dreamweaver? Can you program CSS or PHP? If you cannot program for the web, we recommend W3Schools.

Any of these software tools or program languages could be necessary depending on the concentration you wish to pursue. If you are interested in web design, you should take the time to learn some basic CSS. If you envision yourself drawing a lot of vectors in your future, get a copy of Illustrator or see if your high school has it on their computers for you to use.

Start now. Don’t wait to head off to college before you learn about these programs and languages. Many students will have familiarity when they arrive at college, and you don’t want to start behind the competition.

2. Consider a Four Year School

Technical colleges offer a shorter path to a career in graphic design. You can often finish up a program in less than two years, and be ready to enter the work force.

The problem with this approach is that it assumes we all know what we want to do with our lives at the age of 18. I changed my major during college and completely shifted my career direction. I have friends who switched majors more than once. Many of them are very happy in their current careers, which are completely different from the careers they envisioned as college freshmen.

The great thing about a Bachelor’s of Arts program at a four year school is if you diploma isolated stock photosuddenly realize graphic design isn’t for you, you won’t have wasted a few years of your life. You can switch majors, and still have many important credits under your belt that can be applied toward your new degree.

Keep your options open. You will be surprised by how many changes you will undergo between the ages of 18 and 22.

3. Consider a Community College

For the same reason we recommend a Bachelor’s program instead of going straight to a Technical School, a community college keeps your options open.

Community colleges offer the ability to obtain an Associate’s degree in two years. The Associate’s degree is generally not considered as prestigious as the Bachelor’s degree, but it is much faster to obtain.

You can also take the credits from a community college and transfer many of them to a four year school, if you eventually decide you want to go for the Bachelor’s. This is often a less expensive option too, as community colleges are typically great bargains.

If you decide after two years that you wish to hit the Technical College regardless, you can still accomplish everything in about four years.

4. Mix in Business Courses

This is an often overlooked opportunity. Your future could entail running your own studio. Many of you will do freelance work.

No matter how strong your artistic skill set is, you risk wasting it if you do not have basic business skills. In fact, if you envision yourself running a graphic design firm, I would go as far as to suggest a minor, or dual major, in business.

At the very least you want to pad your knowledge with some business courses which will prepare you for balancing your books, managing finances, and properly promoting your brand.

5. Have a Web Portfolio

Begin creating a portfolio of your best work on your own internet website. Expect prospective employers will require your portfolio to be available online. This allows them to quickly see your work, and get an idea of your capabilities. Plus, it is possible employers will find you before you find them!

As you go through schooling, regularly update your portfolio with your best work. Cull the work which no longer meets your increasing standards. Don’t wait until your senior year of college to put together your portfolio. Start immediately, and update it frequently.

Conclusion

There are a myriad of other tips we could give, such as learning how to network and learning how to write a killer cover letter. But these five tips are the most important to consider immediately, before entering college.

What degree did you pursue for your career in graphic design?

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Education in Graphic Design

 Design  No Responses »
Jul 072011
 

If you are interested in entering the field of graphic design, the good news is the field is expanding.  Education choices are varied, and largely dependent on what other skills you wish to learn along the way.  In this article, we weigh the positives and negatives of education choices for graphic design students.

Four Year Schools

The traditional path to education involves a four year Bachelor’s of Arts program.  Many universities now offer graphic design programs, and you won’t have difficulty in locating numerous choices across the country.

Smiling Female StudentThe main question you need to ask yourself is how well rounded you wish your education to be.  Bachelor’s of Arts programs require students take many courses outside of their major.  This will allow you to enjoy an enriching educational experience.  But the drawback is obvious – less concentration on graphic design.

For students coming out of high school, I recommend the Bachelor’s of Arts approach.  The main reason is simple.  We often are sure we know what we want out of life at the age of 18.  But by 22, our dreams and goals are often much different.  It is not at all uncommon for students to completely shift career paths and majors during college.  A Bachelor’s program at a university offers the student the opportunity to explore her options.

Community Colleges

Many community colleges can prepare you for a career in graphic design.  The advantage is your path is more concentrated in graphic design, instead of outside coursework typical of a Bachelor’s program.  This allows you to finish a program in two years or less.

Should your dreams change two years into college, it will generally be easy for you to change programs and Students Collaboratingpotentially transfer your credits into a four year Bachelor’s program.

Community colleges are not considered as prestigious as larger universities by the general public, but this is a minor drawback.  Many advantages abound, including a typically lower tuition cost than a large university.  Community colleges often allow a student to stay close to home (or even at home), which allows a huge cost saving by eliminating room and board expenses.

Technical Colleges

A technical college prepares a student for a career without requiring coursework unrelated to the student’s major.  Therefor the path is much more focused.  There are many excellent technical schools for graphic design, and many have large networks for helping graduates find work after school.  Cost is much more variable than a community college, so be sure to consider the expense.

Teacher and StudentsThe hands-on experience offered at a technical college often cannot be met by a university.  For an adult returning to school for a career change, a technical college is often the best choice.

However for students exiting high school, a technical college can be risky.  As outlined earlier, students often change majors in college due to changing interests.  If you decide graphic design is not for you after a year, you may wish you had started at a university or community college for an easy change of your major.

- Dan Padavona, Warmpicture

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