so THAT'S what Blix does...

[blix]

OK, -I don't know why- but today I feel like putting my work out there for you all to see and critique. My day job is a lot less rewarding -that's for sure. And most times I'm just fixing photographers' (*really bad*) mistakes. That stuff is staying under wraps!

I'd rather show off my freelance work. I'm working toward taking on several wedding photographers like this one designing their albums among many other things.

This design is for a leather, library bound, 12x12 flush mount album that most photojournalistic wedding photographers are selling to brides.

=================
*NOTE* This is NOT my photography, just my design.
=================

Please comment specifically on:

-Layout and use of the images
-Flow of "the story"
-Design elements
-Use of color

Also, I'd like your thoughts as if this was your wedding album.

www.mindysonshine.com/April%20and%20Carl/

Thanks!
-B

[Silky]

I'm hardly a critic, but I like it! I like the way it's layed out (even though I really would have rather seen some larger images). The flow of the story, with before, during and after photographs was great...and I love the feel of it all. I like the pages that were specifically bride and specifically groom prior to the wedding. I like the colors you used...they really enhance the photograph colors (especially the ones in candlelight or muted light). I don't know much about design, but I like how this feels.

I'd hire you. :)

[TrinityOfOne]

Nice work Blix!

If I have one tiny bit of critique, it's on the Beach Collage, I would have been tempted to put the couple in front of the mini-frames, rather than behind or, mybe as you've done in another image, drop the opacity a little.

Other than that, I love it!

[Newby]

Blix-

I dig it. I wish I could have had something like that for my wedding pics. All we got was a cheap white leather binder with cheesy gold lettering on the front for ours. If I could go back and do it like this, I would. We just didn't take enough pics.

Good job, I would buy it

[blix]

Cool, thanks for the input guys!

[QUOTE=Silky](even though I really would have rather seen some larger images)[/QUOTE]

I agree. I am bound to the number of pages, though. The photographer sells a 24 page album and I'm pretty confinded to that. I mistakenly started designing this one with more than 24 pages and had to combine several pages. :(


[QUOTE=TrinityOfOne]Nice work Blix!

If I have one tiny bit of critique, it's on the Beach Collage, I would have been tempted to put the couple in front of the mini-frames, rather than behind or, mybe as you've done in another image, drop the opacity a little.

Other than that, I love it![/QUOTE]

Thanks, Trin. That page is one of those, "good, but something's not right" -and that's it. I think I'll just clone out the couple in the background image since they aren't really necessary. I'll try dropping the opacity a bit and see how it looks! Thanks!

[QUOTE=Newby]
I dig it. I wish I could have had something like that for my wedding pics. All we got was a cheap white leather binder with cheesy gold lettering on the front for ours. If I could go back and do it like this, I would. We just didn't take enough pics.[/QUOTE]

Ahhhhh, the ol' white with gold lettering! Man those are classics! I have the same thing! Choosing a wedding photographer is tough. Even though I've always been a photographer, when it came to choosing someone, I pretty much took the first guy we met with. Mainly because I didn't want to go shopping around!

Thanks again for your input!

________________________________
::::::So with all those new members we should have a good group of designer types out there! Waddya say?::::::
__________________________________________

-B

[PDG]

This is very high quality work, blix. I am extremely impressed and with the skills you're clearly displaying, picking up extra clients will be extremely easy.

Tip: Make sure you order a 2nd book for 'you'. Showing something like this to a potential photographer will simply rock.

[blix]

Thanks, PDG! :humbled:

Good idea about making a second book for show. In fact, the photographer I'm working for said she was going to do the same. This is only my first design for her! woohooo!

-B

[Dax]

Its very elegant, your background and layout really compliments the pictures. It draws your eye along if you know what i mean :)
Just another money making Idea for you, the company i used to work for made dvd's for wedding photographers it was quite popular ;) it saves the hassle of turning the pages your self hehe

[TinCupid]

Very impressive work Blix! Highly professional.

[burndog]

Very nice Blix, first off I would like to say that you have your hands full with the amount of images that I assume you must include in a given number of pages.

Overall I think it is very tasteful. I especially like the watermark image of 16-17 and the continuation of the sidewalk in 10-11. I am not all that crazy about 12-13 as there is no whitespace, but of course with that many images you may not have much choice.

The only suggestion I can make is to try for a bit more consistency from page to page. You have done this to a degree with the recurring rectangles in the background. Recurring elements can help unify the album as a whole.

It is kind of hard to explain, but if you were to take all of the thumbnails and join them together to form one long narrow image, and then look at them as one image it may help you to see areas where abrupt changes occur. It is where these abrubt changes in style occur that a common element added would be of most use to help soften the transition.

There are many ways to tie pages together...with colour, shape, texture. I do not mean to say that the backgrounds should all be the same, but if there is something for example at the right hand side of the open album that gives a viewer a clue as to what to expect when they turn the page, the overall transition from page to page may be smoother. Just a simple line such as your rectangle running from page to page can be enough to do the trick. It does not have to stay at the same level, it can be varied as so where it occurs on the page and can even change levels from left to right. Something as simple as a line can help the eye navigate smoothly.

I am a firm believer in simplicity when it comes to design. Keeping styles to a minimum generally gives the most pleasing design. Of course for a wedding album you will want a design that compliments its contents; a formal design in this case and I think you have done that.

Like I said before, you have quite a few images to try to tie together, I am sure it would a tough one to do.

Only other thing I can suggest is possibly toning the black and whites, keeping mind that you do not have to restrict yourself to a sepia effect, black and white can also look very nice toned in pastel colours, depending on what they are accompanied by.

One last thing, I am not sure how the binding works, but you will want to be sure that if these images are bound in the middle ( each image is two open pages I assume) that you will not want to have the images cut in "half" so to speak. Some bindings can make it difficult to see close to the center.

Hope this has been of at least some help.

[PDG]

^^^Awesome critique!^^^

I just thought of something. In the contract, you may want to specify that all deliverables be in PDF format. If you deliver PSD's, she may just 'fire' you a few months later and reuse your template on her own. Just a thought. I know most people aren't shady like that but you just never know. Temptation to save money is a scary thing.

OT: Some webdesigners got screwed like that on Webdesign projects by a local company in Miami. They hire you, put you to work on a site and once you're done, they fire you stating the work isn't up to par. Then they turn around and sell the design off.

[swillox]

Splendid,... Elegant, soft and sober...

I only despite to much black and grey backgrounds... where's red and rose (LOVE)?

[Siouxie]

really love it, this is great, great photos, great composition, really excellent

the only thing is i find the last one to lonesome, the black is to dark (sure black is always dark :D ) but it seems to fit to a funeral, and the photo is a little bit like lost on the wide place.

but other than that great :D

[blix]

Wow, BD! That's a critique! Thanks for taking the time to really get down to details. Thank you.

=============
First:

Siouxie- I agree. Should I go with white?

swillox- Good point! Thank you!

PDG- Point WELL taken. Thanks for the warning. I hope I have little to worry about with this photographer although anything is possible. I think we agreed on jpegs as the final format for the albums. There's no way I'd send 'em the PSDs. Those hold all my secrets! Not only do I not want them to use the pages for future layouts, I just don't want them tweaking them up and calling me to fix their mess.

Thanks you guys for the replies!
=====================


OK, BD! Here we go:

[QUOTE=burndog]I am not all that crazy about 12-13 as there is no whitespace, but of course with that many images you may not have much choice.
[/quote]

Yeah, that one was tough. I thought of making the bridge B&W or Duotone and drop the opacity but the page needed some kind of anchor. That's probably my least favorite page because it's so freakin' crammed and busy. There's no real fluidity to it. If I could have, I would have done it on four pages instead of two.


The only suggestion ... Recurring elements can help unify the album as a whole.

... take all of the thumbnails and join them together to form one long narrow image, and then look at them as one image it may help you to see areas where abrupt changes occur. It is where these abrubt changes in style occur that a common element added would be of most use to help soften the transition.


I love this idea! Great tip!


There are many ways to tie pages together...with colour, shape, texture.

... something for example at the right hand side of the open album that gives a viewer a clue as to what to expect when they turn the page, the overall transition from page to page may be smoother.

...Something as simple as a line can help the eye navigate smoothly.


This is great advice! I agree, there needs to be more continuity and putting these elements in the next album is what I will do!


I am a firm believer in simplicity when it comes to design. Keeping styles to a minimum generally gives the most pleasing design.


Agree!


Of course for a wedding album you will want a design that compliments its contents; a formal design in this case and I think you have done that.


One other reason to keep the design simple for these books is: Trends! I don't want to create something that the bride and groom look at a YEAR from now and go, "Wow that's so old school!" It's critical for these books to maintain their elegance ten years from now.



Only other thing I can suggest is possibly toning the black and whites, keeping mind that you do not have to restrict yourself to a sepia effect, black and white can also look very nice toned in pastel colours, depending on what they are accompanied by.


Definitely. I want to do more true duotone stuff. Can anyone help with that? The whole duotone feature in PS confuses me and I can't ever seem to get it to look right. In the past I've used a Hue/Sat adjustment layer in Colorize mode. However, it doesn't have the refined look of a true duotone. Any ideas?


One last thing, I am not sure how the binding works, but you will want to be sure that if these images are bound in the middle ( each image is two open pages I assume)


Yes.


that you will not want to have the images cut in "half" so to speak. Some bindings can make it difficult to see close to the center.


Definitely. In my action that creates a new page layout I have it create guides for exact horz. and vert. center as well as for each even/odd page. There are some images that get cut, but not in critical areas like heads, faces, etc. The books are bound as rigid pages, about an eighth of an inch thick. The facing pages do have a small gap between the pictures but no more than a sixteenth of an inch. In other words, it's NOT like a magazine where the image disappears into the spine. The pages are hard board and butt up to each other.


Hope this has been of at least some help.

Yes, it has been a great help, BD! This is one of the many reasons I joined PA. When you're not in design school you don't have weekly critiques on your work (which I know Jolt is a BiG fan of.) I firmly believe in the critique process and seek it often.

Sure I can study other people's designs and try to duplicate them. I can chain myself to the computer and just go nuts designing till my eyes bleed, but the advice of others is how I see my work through "fresh eyes." The stuff I design needs to appeal to a broooooaaad spectrum of people. If I design with MY tastes only, I'm narrowing that appeal.

Anyway, I welcome more critiques and thank all of you who have taken time to thoughtfully post ideas and critiques.

All y'alls pal,
-B

[Siouxie]

hm white, i don´t know maybe a darkredorange, like the shimmer of a candle
it seems they are on their way to the honeymoonsweet :D