how you can bring your CD’s or DVD’s graphics ideas to life

Your next CD or DVD project is right down the road, and you have these great-crazy-exciting ideas swirling around in your head about the CD’s or DVD’s graphics. But you’re really not creative, so you keep your mouth shut. Don’t stop! Let’s talk about how you can bring your ideas to life.
Don’t let the fact that you’re not a graphic artist slow you down. The best ideas come from our CD and DVD project owners – people like you, the people behind the projects, the details and all the work. Defining your disk project’s graphics ideas is the goal here, not completing camera-ready graphics.
You’ve heard stories about ideas scribbled on a napkin becoming world-changing realities. Well, we’re not aiming for anything quite that noble. But the idea is the same: get your ideas down on paper – or screen – or whatever – and don’t worry about the details.

A few points to keep in mind:

• Always keep your project’s goals in mind.

Once your ideas start flowing it’s easy to get sidetracked in a different direction. You want to stay on track.

• Stick to your theme.

Goals and themes are different. Your goal may be to sell CDs, but your theme may be to introduce a new style of music to your audience.
Now start scribbling, writing, drawing. Play with it. Google your ideas for more ideas. Check out your competition to see how they’ve handled it. Notice colors, lines, white spaces. Where is your eye first drawn?
Sometimes when you have an idea for graphics, it’s not easy to put on paper. Some ideas are just ideas, floating around in a vague, blurry, undefined space. Don’t give up – you can do something with these too if you:

• Find words to define your idea.

What “feel” does your idea/space have, what thoughts or words come to mind? Is it energetic, or soft and quiet? Find words to define that vagueness. Maybe it conveys a sense of strength, or it’s all colorful and swirly.
These are all words to take to a design team because they say a lot about your ideas. In other words, you don’t have to provide an artistic sketch of your ideas when words can do the same thing.
Designing your own graphics – logo, brand or artwork – can be as simple as coming up with an idea and handing it over to a design team for finishing touches. Or as amazing as handing over a nearly-finished graphic to a professional. Either way, they’re your ideas!
And even if you think your ideas are simple enough to polish yourself, plan to hand them over to a professional for finishing. You’ll be glad you did when you see what a professional touch adds to a project.
Amazing, right? Now you know: you can help create your project’s graphics!