“If our clients only knew…” (the messy side of graphic design)

I think it’s fair to say that most designers have at least a little touch of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). I like my pages neat, clean, and with plenty of white space. I can tell if the leading (line spacing) is off by a point or two. It drives me insane, even if I know my client probably can’t tell the difference. “Only you would catch that…” I’ve heard it a million times.

Even though the final product is perfectly polished, the process is far from it. Here’s an inside peek at one of my current projects — photographing my work for a presentation I’m giving later this week:

The setup:

  1. a pane of glass from my computer desk
  2. white foam core and paper
  3. 3 clamp lights and 100-watt bulbs (from Menards)
  4. paper to diffuse the light (from Calumet Photographic)
  5. 1 large table
  6. 3 chairs (to hold the lights)
  7. Canon PowerShot SX100IS (8 MP) camera

Not the most glamorous setup, but here’s a sample image that came out of my shoot tonight:

Hope you enjoyed this “behind-the-scenes” look at my process!

PS – Many thanks to the fabulous woman who helped me out at Calumet Photographic (Chicago) this morning. She answered all my questions and even sketched out the proper setup for me.

Danielle Baird
Danielle Baird

With over a decade of experience, Danielle is a solution-driven creative with a logical mind. If you want to uplevel your brand, Danielle is ready to walk that path with you. After working with online entrepreneurs, small business owners, and some big corporations over the past decade, Danielle is on a mission to empower entrepreneurs to take design into their own hands.