Central Images and Coordinating Artwork

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 02:21:00-0700

In this week’s blog I’m sharing an excerpt from an e-book I wrote called ‘Collections & Presentations: A Fully Merchandised Approach.’

Identify your central images and begin to think about how they will appear on the products you’ve imagined. Some artwork and images work well alone and others need some finishing touches to complete the product. This is where developing coordinating artwork is important. If you don’t already think in these terms, just take a look at product in the stores and all of a sudden the borders, backgrounds, patterns and complementary artwork will be popping off the products. It’s amazing how much coordinating artwork is used on product.

Create a series of mix-match patterns and borders to coordinate with your central images. The minimum number of coordinating elements are: 2-4 borders and 2 patterns. Also, you’ll want to design some additional themed elements, including words or phrases, to work with your central images. These are icons that can be used separately, as well as mixed into the borders and patterns.

I find that once you start thinking this way you will start naturally creating fully merchandised collections. Lay them out next to your central images and you will see how they work together. You’ll actually come up with more elements, patterns and borders than you need and your collections will grow themselves. Lay them out next to your central images you will see how they work together.

When you apply your art to a product template, and design the product, you will decide which pieces work best in your collections. This is when you see what makes the cut; continue to cull the elements, borders and patterns down, improve them and keep the best. So have fun creating all the coordinating artwork you want, that’s usually how you get to the great ones anyway. And then put the best ones in your presentation for the licensees.

The full ‘Collections & Presentations: A Fully Merchandised Approach’ e-book is available when you purchase the All Art Licensing Collections & Presentations Package with 107 Product Templates.

All Art Licensing - Creating Collections

Central Images and Coordinating Artwork