Lesson Info
3. Setup & Automate a Project
Lessons
So You Think You Can't Design Custom Lettering?
36:31 2How to Treat Art as a Job
05:16 3Setup & Automate a Project
05:52 4Dive in to the Creative: Brainstorming & Thumbnail Sketches
05:00 5How To Gain Inspiration
04:05 6How to Find a Motivator
16:03 7Manipulate Existing Fonts
19:51 8Manipulate Existing Fonts: Embellishing
12:15Manipulate Existing Fonts: Adding a Drop Shadow
08:16 10Illustrate Original Letterforms
16:21 11Illustrate Original Letterforms: From Sketch to Illustrator
08:32 12Illustrate Original Letterforms: Create Simple Shapes
11:39 13Illustrate Original Letterforms: Discover the Pathfinder Palette
35:04 14Illustrate Original Letterforms: Use the Offset Path Tool
09:58 15Lettering By Hand
04:38 16Lettering By Hand: Flare Tip Pen
18:31 17Lettering By Hand: Sharpie
11:57 18Lettering By Hand: Brush Pens
18:08 19Lettering By Hand: Watercolor
10:49 20Lettering By Hand: Working in Illustrator
15:44 21Final Words of Advice
03:43Lesson Info
Setup & Automate a Project
I want to just show you my work flow I kind of want to show you some of the stuff that I do when we're setting up a project so setting up a project is important um and we're kind of gonna bleed into automation to explain this stuff to you so in setting up a project um you create a folder right? You create a folder that everything is in there now if you find that there's other things that you put in that folder um create those enclosing folders so what would seem to make the most sense to me is the have one folder that you would copy and paste with each new project, right? So for me, the way I work I have a project I have a project folder that has the client name and then underscore the date it says march whatever we're not a nose anymore march fifteen march sixteen whatever it is it says that date so I know okay if I can reference it back then I'll go to the date the date is actually in the file name as opposed to having to show the dates but inside that folder I have, um work files so...
that's all that junk that you kind of accumulate while you're working concept that is the deliver bols that I'm going to send to the client and then like uh I don't know like stock, if you stock stuff or whatever, just having just figuring out the stuff that you accumulate on every project. Keep an eye on that stuff and then that's all in this folder and then everything is easily accessible. So this organization is so important if your desktop might be calling some people out, if your desktop has a ton of stuff all over right now, you need this. Okay, we need to talk because we need, like, with these quick deadlines, you're gonna have to know that. Listen, my stuff is tight, and I have all my, you know, have everything organized. So what can you throw at me that I won't be able to organize and keep under control? Because I can get the deadline, I can get the direction that you need me to do. Oh, I could do all that stuff because I got this whole system. I got this way that I go about doing it. Sort of like if someone hands me, you know, like male it's, like I take mail, I get out of the mailbox and I set it on my counter and there's no time for that mail just to sit around well I don't want that I don't want that I don't need a bed bath and beyond coupons I move all those away I get rid of all that stuff I don't need that stuff I open up the I have a way that I do it every time so there's not gonna be away toe like have this pile up of mail that I haven't sorted through like sort through these projects get it right like it's up to you to keep your stuff organized so that you can manage all these projects because you don't want to not be ableto meet a deadline because you were disorganized so organization sending with project is important so um automation uh that's really important um let me go back to the computer here and I'm gonna show you the way I set up a project I wrote myself and email to give you an example um all right? So killer project dude is what thea so here's my project right? So here is an automation that I've set up that's going to do all this for me so I'm on a right click set up schedule project and I'm not going to be able to teach you how to do automation because it's so in depth um but I just want you to know the basic practice of how this sort of thing happens set of schedule project project title I'll call it killer project project of it abbreviation how about c l r p merch type or a project type let's do a logo amount person middle these guys they're cheap they're not paying anything mount per approval than up I mean anything I'm doing free job uh and her number concepts let's do five concepts and then let's schedule that next wednesday uh these people in the central time zone and all that stuff so now we've been able to set up um and though in the reminders there's a uh there's a reminder for there's a reminder for the project when what day it's do um and here inside this folder is I have concepts I have finals and have worked files so this is comparable to that folder that you're going to set up that will you'll copy and paste for each thing thatyou dio so that's the way I organized the inside of those folders so the name of this folder here is called killer project um and this is what's inside so as I create a thing um I find not really my final but you know like for photo shop it'll be stuff that's still editable but the main file those will populate inside here and then if whatever gets approved and goes off to the client that'll be here and inside the concepts I'll have mock ups and then I do transparent art so in graphic tees it's, um, you know, it's. Cool. Don't like, give them the art without a background, if they want to try it on different mock ups. So that just specific to gravity's. So when I have lettering, projects it's a little different when I have print projects a little different, whatever. So that's sort of the way I set that whole thing up.
Class Materials
Bonus Materials with Purchase
Ratings and Reviews
a Creativelive Student
This was a great class to watch. Extremely informative and fun. It's great to see someone so passionate about they work.
Eric
A great class that inspires a lot of confidence and shows off some very simple yet effective techniques to create great lettering.
Cory Kensinger
Totally worth my time! I wasn't expecting Brandon to give such an impactful launch into this course. Brandon really gives you an insight into his life and his real experience as a designer, helping you not with just designing cool things but helping you set your mindset and expectations, pursuing this as a lifestyle and craft. I found lots of little workflow tricks that I will be using immediately. The only downside I found in this course was the speed Brandon teaches some concepts. I had to use the 15s rewind button a lot while taking this course. I know it's because Brandon is used to working fast, but I would have really appreciated a more paced explanation of something. For example, he used Option key a lot during the course of the class while using a Pathfinder function. That was one little thing that never got explained. After looking it up, I found it was for creating a compound shape while cutting the shape. Aside from that, one of the best design courses I've seen yet.