The Challenge - Commissioned to Create a New Design

The Worldwide Tourist Bureau has commissioned (hired to produce something specific) us to develop and design "A Series of New Postcards" that will be used in travel agencies, airports, bus/train stations, tourist visitor centers, landmark gift shops, collector websites and "program covers" for virtual tours. The designs will be printed up as postcards and other various collectibles (posters, mugs, buttons, coins, stickers, patches) to be sold and to be used as advertisements for the chosen locations.

Choosing a Location

Step 1:

First you need to choose a location that you would be interested in visiting. One way to do this is to simply choose a Country, State, City or Region (for example: Australia, Argentina, Mexico, Africa, Alaska, Venice Italy, Vancouver Canada, Osaka Japan, Niagara Falls New York.

Research Location - Something Unique or Special

Step 2:

After you choose your location, you need to do a little research to see what is unique or special about that place (for example: Did something important happen there, is there a unique landmark located there, is the area known for something special, is there something man-made there that is one of a kind, is there something in nature that is located there which is one of a kind?

Once you identify what is unique or special about that place, you can then research that specific uniqueness. You can look for different images of that uniqueness until you find "the right" one.

If you want to, you can look for more than one "special thing." I'll put a few examples below that show "more than one" uniqueness.

Sketch Out Your Idea

Step 3:

You will begin to plan, layout and draw your idea once you identify and select the "special" thing about your location. The composition ("the planning of" and "the actual layout") of your postcard is very important. You have to think about the image (how big/small, its placement [left, right, center]), the lettering and the color theme (color, black and white, empty - line art).

You may want to do a few "mini sketches" (don't spend more 5 minutes on each one) to experiment with different layouts. The key to these mini sketches (also called "thumbnail sketches") is to put just enough information in them to see what a layout might look like. You usually do not put a lot of detail or time into these quick thumbnails, it is just meant try different layouts to see what you could potentially make.

Adding Color

Step 4:

You have one more decision to make (after you finished the layout, carefully drew out your design and lettered it); you have to choose a color scheme. As mentioned above, you have to decide if you want to add color, shade it with black and white value, or leave it empty and just add varying line thicknesses (line art).

You can really control the look and feel of the postcard depending on which you choose. You could make the postcard look "vintage" or "old school" by using a color palette that represents that. If you want the postcard to look fresh and new, stick with a realistic color palette. If you want it to look like a blueprint or technical drawing you might shade it in with just black and white values. If you want it to have "comic book style" then the thick to thin line (varying lines) design may be your best bet.

Feel free to mix the styles together, sometimes the end results are amazing.