233 TIPS ON GRAPHICS AND VISUAL DESIGN Keep an eye out throughout your day for visuals or graphic designs that demonstrate an ability to effectively deliver information. This could be a billboard along the highway, a menu at a restaurant, a notice posted on a bulletin board, an advertisement in a magazine, or an instruction manual, just to name a few. Look for the design elements that make the visual either successful, eye- catching, or both, and then consider how those same elements can be leveraged for your effort. Michael Pack, Four versions of the same sign, each reflecting different values, from extreme MITRE Corporation simplicity to using every bit of real estate and several different colors. How do you want to frame your message? Inspiration is everywhere, even from the most unlikely sources—just open your eyes in a childlike way. For composition, color palettes, technique, style, and subject, look at the work of famous artists from Rembrandt to Warhol, and at cereal boxes, billboards, photographs, calendars, advertisements, websites, whatever you set your eyes on. You may find the perfect color palette just by looking down at the rug you are standing on. (This can be taken to extremes, though. Years ago I had a customer who insisted that an entire eLearning course have a palette of just two colors—those of his favorite football team. Ugh.) If you know your tools well, you’ll look at something and think, “Now how could I create that effect in Photoshop? I’d duplicate the photo layer, select the area for the text, invert the selection, delete the non-text area, reduce the opacity of the duplicated layer to 30 percent, then put a text layer above with black text on the lightened area.” David Perry, Ford Motor Company 12 www.eLearningGuild.com