Instagram Triptych

credit for this assignment goes to @wemakebhs Instagram page showcasing the work of the graphic design students studying at Barrington High School.

Task 1: What is an instagram Tryptich?

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest etc make effective use of small scale adverts. These little adverts use many of the image editing and typography skills you have learnt by following my tutorials. In this tutorial you will combine the skills and techniques you have learnt together into one final piece.

  1. Read this article which explains how to take diptych photographs. The same ideas can be applied to a triptych. This task will introduce you to the ideas of narrative, sequencing, showing time pass, comparing/contrasting and so on. When you are thinking about what to create, try and “say something with two/three images that you’d be unable to say with just one.”

  2. Scroll to the bottom of this page and look at the WAGOLL examples of this task to fully understand what you are being asked to do. You are going to create an Instagram Triptych. A triptych are three separate images that work together as one.

Task 2: Thumbnail

  1. You are going to create an Instagram Triptych to promote an event, brand or company of your choice. This could be a real brand or event on an imaginary one. So the first thing you need to do is decide on what it is you are going to promote. Write down the key pieces of text that will be included across the three images. For example, the name of the event, date, keywords.

  2. You are now ready to generate some initial ideas. Create a variety of thumbnail sketches showing different ways the images could be designed. Thumbnails are really small, quick sketches of ANY idea that pops into your head. Don't overthink them. Let as many different ideas flow as you can. It can be very helpful to scroll down to the bottom of the page and look at the WAGOLLs for inspiration.

WAGOLL

Below are some really nice examples of thumbnails for an Instagram Triptych:

Task 3: Sketch

Choose one of your thumbnail ideas that you like the best and create a more detailed larger sketch. On this sketch you should indicate clearly what all the text will be and what type of images you will need. It should be clear on your sketch of the style of font (although you may not have actually decided on the exact font choice at this stage), for example big bold font or thin calligraphy style etc.

WAGOLL

Below is a really good example of a sketch:

Task : Choosing your Images

  1. Now either find the images you need off the Internet if you can (try and use copyright free sources such as Pixabay) or take the photographs yourself (you get more credit for taking your own photographs).

  2. If you take your own photographs, remember it is very important to shoot them in good light. Outdoors is best for a quality image. Take LOTS of shots so you have lots to choose from. Take them from all different angles, up close and far away.

  3. Save all the photographs to the device you will use to create the Instagram Triptych.

Task : CHoosing, Downloading and Installing Fonts

You could use some of the pre-installed fonts in Photopea for you project. But it would be cooler and show more skill if you downloaded and installed your own fonts.

  • There are lots of font download websites. Simply search 'free font downloads' into Google. I like to use Dafont but there are lots of others

  • Try and choose fonts that would appeal to your audience or generate a particular meaning.

  • Then watch this video to learn how to download and install them in Photopea to use in your project:

Task: Sketch (again!)

Now that you have chosen the images and fonts that you are going to use in your project, you can add these details to your sketch. Add the following notes to your sketch:

  • Describe exactly the images you intend to use. Why have you chosen them? How will they appeal to your audience?

  • Look at your chosen images. What image editing or effects will you apply to them? For example;

    • Crop

    • Black and White

    • Blur

    • Raster mask (for interleaving text)

    • Adjustment layers such as photo filter to change the colour of the image.

  • Make a note of the font name you have chosen. Why did you choose this font? How will it engage the audience?

  • State your colour choices for the font. Why have you chosen them? What meaning do they generate? (e.g. blue is calming)

WAGOLL

Below is a really good example of a well annotated sketch. Click on the image and open in its own window to look closely at the text and read what it says.

Task 4: Create your Instagram Triptych

It is now time to create your Instagram Triptych.

  1. Use this Photopea template to get you started: https://www.photopea.com/#io6x53PV6 It has three squares that you are going to fill. Use it to create your instagram tryptich.

  2. The first thing you are going to need to do is add the images you found and use the clipping mask tool to clip them to the squares. If you don't know how to do this you can watch this video: https://youtu.be/6bo149R7h0E

  3. The following lists a variety if YouTube tutorials that you may find useful if you have forgotten how to use Photopea:

  4. Photopea basics

  5. Different techniques to edit your text

  6. Interleaving text with the objects

  7. How to download and install fonts in Photopea

  8. Save your Instagram Triptych as a .PSD AND export as JPEG.

WAGOLL

Below are really good examples of an Instagram Triptych. Pay close attention to the variety of well chosen skills and techniques the students have used to create them. You may want to make a list of all the techniques you can see before you start to create your own. Try and show that you are skilled in using Photopea. Let this be an opportunity to really show off!