- BE PREPARED TO BE FLEXIBLE
19. CREATE A UNIQUE STYLE
Gordon Reid (www.middleboop.com) knows
that client work can offer a lot of variety, so you
have to be ready to adapt: “Creating advertising
imagery that’s striking, effective and most
importantly, leaves a lasting impression on the
viewer can really come in many different forms.
From something as simple as a beautiful
photograph with some well-set type over the
top, conveying a direct and clear message to
something random and humorous or an
amazing piece of illustration or type design.Lauren Hom (www.homsweethom.com)isa
letterer and illustrator who creates typographic
pieces that are initially created by hand, before
being taken into digital to add the finishing
touches and prepare the materials. Her work
attracts a wide range of high-profile clients
wanting a less digital look for their advertising
materials. For this, Lauren uses Photoshop’s
Brush tool to create her unique style: “My top
tool in Photoshop when it comes to working on
commercial imagery is definitely the Brush tool. I
hand draw all of my work, scan it into the
computer and then take the Brush tool to clean
everything up and paint in 3D elements. In
addition, I use a number of textured brushes
combined with clipping masks to achieve a more
hand-done, painterly effect in my illustrations.”“I have worked on adverts that range from
embarrassingly shocking and unimaginative pieces
for dry bands to carefully articulated, well-
structured briefs with a good team and reasonable
deadline, which have produced some exciting
work, such as the Snog work. In this, the brief was
very simple and was a really fast turnaround. We
had three different packshots and the idea was to
collage the packshots in with some fruit. I
elaborated on that by creating vectors and splashes
to really bring the image to life.”© Middle Boop Ltd
© Lauren Hom- CREATE
CONCEPTS FAST
Illustrator Oscar Llorens (www.oscarllorens.
com) understands the need for speed when it
comes to working for advertising clients. He has
developed a workflow process in Photoshop that
enables him to turn around work quickly and
accurately: “My method of working is really easy.
Once I have a clear [idea] what the client, usually
the art director, wants and how he wants it, I use
this to draw a first sketch in Photoshop at low
resolution for approval. When this sketch is
approved, after few changes from them I can start
to finalise it in high resolution. Photoshop gives
me great flexibility and speed when performing
this simple workflow.”
It is at this stage, when producing the final
high-resolution version of a visual that Llorens takes
advantage of the tools that Photoshop offers, in
particular the Brush tool. “The Photoshop tool I use
most is the Brush. This tool lets me work really fast,
as if I was drawing with a pencil. I use vectors if I
must because of the client briefing, but otherwise I
always use this tool. I really love to draw and
Photoshop is the only software that gives me the
feeling of hand drawing. Besides liking the feeling of
working with Photoshop, the Brush tool allows me
to illustrate very quickly, which is really important
when working for advertising agencies worldwide.
Production times when it comes to advertising are
usually very short, and [being] late for a delivery is a
mistake that I could not afford.”
© Oscar Llorens