Realistic Airliner Art Illustrations. Recognition and Retirement Art Gifts for Heroes who keep us flying safely! Airliners Illustrated® -Passion and Precision Detail Artwork by Nick Knapp ©2004-2012 www.dynamicartsgallery.com/ www.facebook.com/airlinersillustrated
One of the things I’ve learned a lot about through trial and error is what things I need to bring with me on the job. Ideally, everythi...
Sub plans are materials and instructions left by a teacher for a substitute teacher to follow in the event that the teacher is absent. The purpose of sub plans is to ensure that there is continuity in the learning process and that students are engaged in meaningful activities, even when their regular teacher is not […]
Today, I'm linking up with the Secondary Smorgasbord hosted by ELA Buffet and Desktop Learning Adventures . Unfortunately, wint...
These links are filled with helpful tips for educators, healthy lifestyle tips, classroom management, classroom organization, and more!
What does a cover design say? A lot! I discovered that pretty fast, in creating products for TeachersPayTeachers! I started with a couple of counting songs. They're relaxing and meditative, and so they double as behavior management aids--though you can't tell from my first little foray. I designed a cover--a thumbnail image--and uploaded to TpT. Within a week I was tweaking it. I learned to use PowerPoint instead of Word. Here's the trick: you create a rectangular cover image for a product, 8 1/2 X 11", and then copy and paste it into a dedicated "Thumbnails" PowerPoint with 8X8" pages. You rearrange the elements so they fit into the square, and save as a jpg. Over time I added bells and whistles and a year later, I uploaded this: And this: You can't tell a book by it's cover. Not the whole book, but you can tell plenty. Did I take the time to research the common practices and expectations? Yeeesss! Did I put a LOT of thought into the composition, colors, and shapes? Um...countless hours. Did I sell the "sizzle" as well as the steak? I mean, does the product look cool, and must-have for my targeted audience? Well, it does to me, although I admit I'm biased. Here are some more ideas: Large, readable title (on a cell phone, the thumbnail might be less than an inch) One or two large images: an eye-catching photo or clip art A few key words, not cluttered Indicate appropriate grades Copyright notice Logo in the lower corner, small Color-coding; e.g., Math products are blue, ELA yellow Repeating elements in all my cover designs: Border element Image placement Artistic background I'll be honest. I didn't want to dredge up my ugly old thumbnails from the basement--where they cowered--buried and chained. I pulled them up to remind myself, that no one goes from zero to sixty in a second. Everything takes time--and effort. No doubt, I'll keep evolving. If I were starting over, I might make my scalloped border bigger, and all my title fonts plainer. UPDATE: ...since I'm "always tweaking" (my motto), I did just that: Now, I'm happy to wander through my store and wonder how I ever climbed that super-steep tech-hill. Want more inspiration? You could roam around TeachersPayTeachers like an art museum. These stores have great cover designs, and they couldn't be more different: Stacey Lloyd's covers can be cinematic. Look at her second page of products, as her first page has mostly bundles. Jadyn Thone uses pastels in original and classy designs. Sara Rucker features huge letters in a rainbow of neon colors with a black script sub-title, and adorable clip art. Sarah Gardner has a clean white canvas with classy script paired with all-cap headers, and a single picture. Danielle Knight is often cited as an all-around favorite. I hope you're curious to experiment with your cover designs--and to combine your elements in a creative way. You don't want to be too dull, or too wild, or to copy the next guy. You want your store to stand out and represent you perfectly. I can't wait to see!
BY EMILY GODDARD DECEMBER 1 - BRIAN LEWIS, PRESIDENT OF THE TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO OLYMPIC COMMITTEE (TTOC), HAS ISSUED A STARK WARNING SAYING THAT THE FUTURE OF THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT IS UNDER THREAT AND THAT MANY YOUNG PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW WHO PIERRE DE COUBERTIN - FOUNDER OF THE MODERN OLYMPICS - IS BE...
