If you’re reading this it means you have embarked on the adventure that is Publication Design. You may be nervous, heard good and bad. But what it comes down to is the experience. You will learn a lot, grow a lot but most of all you won’t do it alone. So have fun, take the criticism, and by the end of the experience take with you more than what you came in with.
- Go see Pr. Strong: She will give you so much insight, and advice about where your magazine is going. She will push you to be better, and will help you become a better designer. She wants you to succeed so go see her, her office hours are the best times to get the amount of feedback you need to improve.
- It is okay to say goodbye to your first idea: When I started this course I had a completely different idea for my magazine. After I realized that I was hitting a wall, with finding images, I knew that it was time to say goodbye to my original idea. I ended up going with one of my other choices, and not only did it end up being easier to find images, it was also something that enabled me to grow and realize change is good.
- Take breaks, but not too many: Some days you will spend hours designing, and it will definitely take a toll on you. You need to give your eyes a break, so when you hit a wall on what to design or have no idea what to do for a one of your layouts, walk away. Don’t try to design something when you aren’t feeling inspired or you’re too tired. Start again the next day.
- Design is Fun: You should be enjoying your time designing, so make sure you pick something you love, and can look at for the next couple months. Also something that you can construct multiple ideas from based off the topic you choose. Seeing your publication from different directions and figuring out what works and what does not is all part of the process. Lastly your publication should be something that makes you happy.
I hope that these tips were helpful, and I wish you the best!
