Techy Teacher Tuesday: Creating Cover Art

Hello friends!

It's one of the most important parts of product creation....COVER ART!  I've been creating my own resrouces for years, but when I started selling things online, I had to create covers for my work to make my products stand out.  Initially, I thought that I was 'pretty good' at it, but...now, after having been working on projects for sale since June of 2012, I see that my first few offerings left a lot to be desired when it comes to the optics of the cover.

If you're new to creating your own cover art for selling your own resources...here are a few tips!

Here you can see that I changed this from tons of text on my cover to a much simpler  approach.  I used a bold eye catching font, a border to layer over a filled shape, an attractive understated paper, and larger clip art.

1.)  I exclusively use Microsoft Powerpoint to create my projects.

Why?  Well...when I'm working in powerpoint, I am able to manipulate the images much easier than in word.     If you'd like to replicate some of what you see me do, then...use powerpoint. :)  It will be just about impossible to do it in Word.

2.) The right font can make or break the cover of your work.

I love a good freebie as much as the next person, but, I've learned to sometimes purchase fonts for specificity.  What I mean is, I try to get fonts that will work for a cover.  Use something bold and clean that is easy to read in a quick scan of a product cover photos.

3.) Use digital papers that enhance your work.

There are lots of teacher/blogger/artists that offer digital papers.  These can easily be added to your project as a background.  Remember that when combining fonts & papers...keep it simple! :)

4.) Remember that this is a learning and growing process...take a look at old projects after a few months to see if you still feel that the cover of your product best represents your work.

I learn new techniques all the time--just from other teacher/artists who are willing to share helpful hints!  It's made all the difference in the appeal of my product covers! :)

5.) Last but not least...ask for help when you need it! :)

Here's a picture of a craftivity that I started working on a few weeks ago.  I'm not much for 'crafts' that don't have some kind of learning attached to them. I knew where I wanted to go, but I couldn't get there on my own.  Check out the improvement that I made but just asking some of my first grade team mates! :)

Thanks for stopping by today! :)

I hope some of these tips help you out! :)