As editor of a community newspaper for over 20 years most of my time was spent dealing with news and features — obviously. From time to time, too though, a production team member might amble shyly into my office to get my assistance in spinning words and phrases to promote what was being sold.
Any involvement stopped there, however, as I really had nothing more to offer the talented design crew who put the ads together. Not lacking in artistic ability, I can usually put different elements together to make a whole. What I lack is the confidence and fearlessness to think outside the box. As ad design was all about getting attention, my job sensibly was words, not aesthetics.
Now, though, thanks to the internet, people such as I can exercise our artistic side, or copy someone else’s, as a search on Google turns up helpful information on just about anything, including design ideas. Having a starting point seems to give me the confidence to make a few alterations and tweaks, so a finished product might be similar to the starting point but has my own personal touch.
Also there to help designer wannabes are the many tutorials for Photoshop or other image editing software that offer great starters or composites to add visual interest. Using back-to-school as the theme, here are just a few examples:
Create a Handmade Back-to-School Postcard
