Concepts for Art Design
Let’s take an imaginary trip back in time.
(whooshing sound effects)
Now - let’s picture myself toiling over my soon-to-be podcast artwork. Days, weeks, months go by - and then FINALLY - I have a moment of clarity and feel like I’ve completed everything! Suddenly … 72 hours before I plan to release my podcast to the WORLD, I have a new moment of genius and a totally different art design comes to mind, leaving me to abandon my previous hours of hard work.
(more whooshing sound effects)
If I had a flippin’ nickel for every time that happened - whether I’m creating art for a podcast or something else - I’d have a lot of flippin’ nickels! The process of creating a design that I am satisfied with is always a struggle between my own will and what ACTUALLY looks good.
You might ask, “Jonathan - how do I know if something looks good?”
Well - it’s subjective … kind of. There are some conventional rules for art design that apply to most situations, and we’ll talk about that here. So this isn’t just about podcast artwork. I recently gave a brief talk about this exact topic for a local podcast club, so it seemed like a good time to share things here while it’s still fresh on my brain.
Here are 8 rules for your next art design adventure:
Rule #1 - Have a General Idea
If you don’t have an idea of what you want your art to say, it’s pretty tricky to design it. Sure you can try some randomized combinations of things for inspiration, but what is your goal with the art? In the case of podcasting, your show’s main artwork needs to communicate what the show is about.
Rule #2 - Communicate
Communicate rather than decorate. I love that saying. Display things in your art with intention. Beware of getting too clever with certain logos or designs. If you have to explain what you’re looking at, it’s probably not clear enough for most people to understand.
Rule #3 - Two Typefaces
Generally speaking - two typefaces are enough variety for most designs. If you get carried away with a million different text types, then it can quickly become distracting. Also - don’t forget that text can become part of the image too! Play with the size and placement of the text. Text can do more than just be read.
Rule #4 - Control Psychic Lines
Be mindful of where your eyes are drawn toward. Do they go to a place you want people to look, or are they drawn to a part of the artwork that isn’t important?
Rule #5 - Colors Can Enhance or Distract
Don’t forget that colors have meaning, and some combinations go together better than others! Make use of color palettes and templates to help chose the right combinations for enhancing your art. This topic deserves its own blog post at some point. For now, I’ll just say check out Canva’s free resources on the topic of color. You can click on the link HERE to go to the website.
Rule #6 - Less Can Be More
You don’t have to cram an object or text into every single space of the design. Negative space - or “empty” space - can be a good thing. It lets you focus on the things that ARE in the design.
Rule #7 - Static = Dull
The feeling of motion or action can make art more exciting and engaging. The opposite of that can manifest through symmetry. Rarely in life are things perfect, so embrace a little bit of asymmetrical design. This can play into the concept of psychic lines that we talked about earlier.
Rule #8 - Forget It All …
Yep. After all that - you can just do whatever the heck you want. HOWEVER … keep in mind that it’s best to ignore the “rules” intentionally, instead of ignorantly. If you don’t know why you are doing something, that can lead to a feeling of “something being off.” So go ahead and break the rules, but understand why you’re doing it.
