Tony Mellinger 7/11/17 Tony Mellinger 7/11/17

The rule of thirds

Rules are made to be broken? Sometimes. But... Rules are made for a reason. If you break this rule, chances are a car won't crash into you at an intersection or a wall won't fall down after you are completed with your remodel. The rule of thirds is a simple tool to help you in your creative composition. When you are laying out your creative element, whether it be shooting a video, creating a graphic, or taking a photograph, think through where you want your audience's attention to fall. The rule of thirds suggests dividing your canvas into 9 equal spaces and placing your subject at the point or on the line of these divisions. Essentially cut your canvas into thirds and use those lines to be your guide on where your subject should be. When this rule is followed, it is claimed your art has more tension, energy, dynamics and interest. For the most part I agree. I don't shoot every photograph following this rule, but I do think of every photograph through the lens of rule of thirds. Let me explain.

The rule of thirds dates back over 200 years ago and has been a major part of photography ever since. Although there is skepticism and debate, it's a rule you can see in several photographs and movies from creatives all over the world.

Setting up for the rule of thirds

When I first started learning how to shoot videos and DSLR photography, a common theme of the rule of thirds continued to appear in my training. I started noticing others were using the rule, when before I thought it was just random placement. Sometimes rules can feel confining and claustrophobic but when you learn the freedom within a rule, it actually helps you structure your creative playbook so that all of your finished products do not look the same.

There are several ways you set yourself up for using the rule of thirds. Many cameras today actually have built in grids you can use while you are shooting, whether looking through the viewfinder or using a screen. I have this set on my Canon 80D both in the viewfinder and live view screen for photos and video. You can even turn on a grid on your iPhone!

Typically most photo editing software includes grids in the "Crop" section. If you have ever noticed these lines, now you know why there are there! I use Lightroom to edit most of my professional photographs and love this simple feature in the cropping overlay. There are times when I may not shoot exactly level and when I go in to realign, I can use these grids to both level and crop.

Using the rule of thirds

There's several ways to use the rule of thirds. Here's a few ways I use it:

ALIGN THE HORIZON
Line up your horizon of your landscape photo with either the top or bottom horizontal line of the grid, depending on what you want your audience to focus on. If the sky is the focus, align the horizon with the bottom horizontal line. It helps you give enough context to see where the photo has been taken, but also, puts emphasis on the sky. If the sky isn't the emphasis, put the horizon at the top line.

ALIGN THE EYE
It's beneficial to emphasize your subject, specifically a person, from the background using rule of thirds by aligning the subject on one of the vertical lines. Generally, I try and get the subjects eye closest to the camera on one of the intersections of the thirds lines (see example below). You have four spots where the lines intersect so get creative with where your subject is placed on the grid, mixed with the background. Once again, This adds dynamics and helps the subject stand out from the background. If the subject is not a person or animal, place the subject on the line where you see fit.

Dont forget, you can use the rule of thirds in portrait mode as well. The example shows the body of the subject aligned with the frame right on the right vertical third line. It may be slightly more tricky, but it adds a new dimension to your artwork.

BREAKING THE RULE
There are several times when I do choose to break the rule BUT I always view the frame through the rule of thirds to see if it would help the composition. Once I rule it out, then I will either bend the rule or break the rule completely. Maybe you want more sky in the frame. Try 1/4ths instead of 1/3rds. Or 1/5ths. You still align your composition to the lines, you just move them slightly in the frame.

Another option is to just throw the whole idea out of the window. Usually this happens with symmetrical photographs, or when I use lines of the subject, or sometimes, you just want to make your own line.

At the end of the day, you are the artist. You get to choose how you want to compose your art. Rules are here to help us stay on track so I encourage you to embrace the rule of thirds when you can. It will make you a better artist. Once you learn the power of the rule of thirds, you will know how to break it.

What other rules have you heard of in the creative world?

Tony Mellinger 6/27/17 Tony Mellinger 6/27/17

Graphic Design 101

Social media has changed the way we do life. If we want to share a thought or idea on our favorite social media site, boring words no longer are attractive. Facebook has started letting you create images with text on them to emphasize your point. YouVersion Bible app lets you make images inside the app of verses you love. Instagram now lets you write on top of the picture you just took. This is essentially graphic design.

“Graphic Design /ˈɡrafik dəˈzīn,dēˈzīn/
the art or skill of combining text and pictures in advertisements, magazines, or books.
”

Working in the church, I have always had to make graphics. It is something I love and enjoy doing. There's something fulfilling when I create a great graphic blending text, font and images to display the theme or thought to it's next level. In a sense you are being a visual storyteller. In all honesty, it isn't very hard to make good looking graphics as long as you have a decent eye and you pay attention to a few guidelines. I thought I'd share a few things I've learned over the years working with high productivity apps like Photoshop and Illustrator. NOTE: most of these tips will be geared toward creating graphics for churches or social media promotions. Obviously, if you are creating a folding 3 page brochure, hopefully you have tackled some of these easy ideas already, or maybe they will be a good reminder for you.

In the world we live in today, most people do not need professional apps like Photoshop to make a graphic to share on the web. There's tons of choices of fun apps that give you everything but the text. Some apps you have to pay for each graphic, some you don't. Font Candy is a great example. Another great example is ReType (one of my favorites). Canva is another popular app. All you have to do is type in your message and it generates backgrounds or pictures and arranges the font in a fun order. If you already have an idea of a graphic you want to make, I suggest you use Keynote on your IOS device or Mac. Keynote is a very powerful app when it comes to graphic design. Design a slide and export it as an image and you are good to go.

Now, on to the main core elements of graphic design:

Step 1: The concept

Everything inside your graphic says something. Whether it's a person, or a color, it's all saying something. The first step to designing a graphic is to think through exactly what you want to say in your graphic. What mood do you want it to have? What is the main idea of the graphic? What are you trying to accomplish? Who is your audience? What is the call to action?

A few tips on the concept:
   1. Focus on what you want the viewer to do (ex. go to my website). If the image is just for creative enjoyment, what do you want the viewer to feel? (ex. wow, thats a beautiful verse).
   2. Dial in either your style. Everything in your graphic describes your style. Think through every aspect and what it style it is depicting. (crayon fonts are childish, etc). Even if you like them, certain aspects of your graphics will not work with your concept. Always keep your concept in your mind while working through the graphic.
   3. If you are making a graphic for your church, remember your church's branding (digital identity). What are their colors? Will your concept match their logo?

Step 2: The Background

Once you have your concept, I almost always start with the background. Take a photo, select an image, or create a color/texture that will help portray your concept.

A few tips on backgrounds:
   1. Empty space is a big part of creating a clean looking graphic. Don't select a cluttered image
   2. A small trick to hiding your background is to add a black box over the entire image and lower the opacity until the text stands out (see "What's your story" example above).
3. If the background doesn't connect to the main concept, it's time for a new background
   4. Simplicity is very popular right now.
   5. Gradients are HUGE in 2017. Look at your phone, so many of your app icons are gradients (Instagram, Vimeo, All of the Apple apps, Nest, Facebook). Here's a cool website that helps you pick out good looking gradients.
6. Remember the moods of color.

Step 3: The Text

The font you use is almost as important as the text itself. Fonts can date a graphic faster than anything. When you are thinking of which font you want to use, make sure it matches everything else in your concept.

A few tips on Text and font:
1. If you haven't already, do some research on font classifications. It will help you understand what emotion a font describes.
2. Only use 2 types of fonts in your graphic (besides your logo). Typically I'll find a thick font and a thin font to accent. Usually you can find a second font in the same family.
   3. Use size to emphasize your point. This will add dynamics to your image.
4. Look at other images and logos to see what fonts are popular right now. Try and recreate a look of another image to expand your experience and bag of tricks.
   5. Find a font you love and use it instead of trying to find a new font every time.
   6. Never ever stretch a font. gross. Change the size if you are trying to match it up.

Step 4: Arrangement

This is where your graphic all comes together. Once you have your background and font/text, take time and layout your image.

A few tips on Arrangement:
   1. If you haven't heard of the rule of thirds, this is a must. Use this in both your background and your text.
   2. The biggest problem with most graphics is space. If you think your graphic is too crowded, figure out what doesn't need to be in the in the graphic.
   3. Let it set. Create the final product, and then come back to it in 24 hours. You'll see what you don't like. If you don't have the time, ask someone else or compare it next to another graphic.

Obviously, there is much more to graphic design, but these will help you get started on making great graphics. The key is experience. Start with what you know and improve by replicating what you see. Take a picture of a good looking graphic at Starbucks and try and replicate it when you get home with your concept. Here's a link to some of the other graphics I've made. If you ever have a question of how I created something, feel free to ask!

Graphic Design Portfolio

What are some of your favorite design tips?