General Style Guidelines
- A general basic search of stock photography for the given theme will return thousands of images that should give the composer the idea of what kind of shots should be composed.
- Review various shots and pay attention to lighting but no depth of field (blur), no motion blur, etc.
- Think of small sets as if items were on a tabletop, without backgrounds.
- Feel free to modify colors and materials of Object Library models.
- Feel free to scale and deform Object Library models.
- The focus is arranging the objects in a compelling way that can be used with a variety of backgrounds and effects. Therefore, focus on the arrangement and the objects, NOT the background and effects!
- Do not randomly choose objects. Even if the image you are creating is abstract, there should be a overarching theme for why the object within a scene work together.
Style Recommendations School & Business
- Try to think analogously for these products in terms of Education or Finance just as you would for the primary themes of School or Business.
- Imagine the stylistic differences between something like a business desk and a teacher’s desk.
- Many of the sets available contain small entourage like erasers, thumbtacks, paperclips, etc.
IMPORTANT!
All composers should use existing imagery as reference only and should not copy any particular images.Office Desktop
- Create a set on top of a business desk.
- Set should contain common items found on a traditional office desk, including, but not limited to:
- Laptop
- Tablet computer
- legal pad
- writing instruments
- coffee cup
- keyboard
- computer mouse
- Usage: To express or suggest the atmosphere of a contemporary work setting
- Themes: Clutter, organized, modernity, technology, fast-paced
Teacher Desktop
- Create a set on a wooden teacher’s desk. Should be more orderly than an office desk.
- Items which can be included should reference teaching or education and can include:
- chalk
- erasers
- desk globe
- textbooks
- apple
- tape
- scissors
- Usage: Suggest a teacher’s desk in front of a classroom
- Themes: Education, order, learning, knowledge, leadership, authority
Open Book Isolated
- An open book against a plain background
- Can feature other items as entourage or as a bookmark including, but not limited to:
- glasses
- writing implements
- currency
- Usage: Suggesting the possibilities of education or literature
- Themes: Literature, wisdom, creativity, success, curiosity, difficulty, beauty
Tabletop Set
- Simple table top set that is relatively uncluttered.
- Treat it as though someone is working from home or a cafe.
- Set can contain:
- laptop, tablet, cellphone
- legal pad
- writing utensils
- books
- cup of coffee
- Usage: Suggest someone working outside of an office with presumably fewer items
- Themes: Self-reliance, remoteness, comfort, casual
School Set On White
- Collection of school materials on white.
- Can be as simple as a stack of books, an apple, and a globe or a collection of many items together.
- Common materials can include
- writing materials — pencils, colored pencils, pens
- alarm clock
- apples
- erasers
- pushpins
- scissors
- Usage: General purpose suggestion of education
- Themes: Clutter, order, back to school, artistic, potential
School Set On Background
- Use a wooden or blackboard base and build a tabletop scene as though looking from the top down.
- Add school supplies in a pleasing and logical manner
- Leave large uncovered area so the blackboard or wooden top can be seen.
- This should feature various school and office supplies around the border of the image.
- Significant space should remain of the exposed wood or blackboard
- Usage: Suggest themes of education or learning that could tie in with a message created in the negative space
- Themes: Learning is fun, back to school, pre-school, specialty school
Packed Backpack
- Backpack with books, folders, notebooks etc potentially coming out.
- Can have other entourage around the set
- Usage:
- Themes: Overload, too much work, too little time, youth
Stacked Business Cards
- Arrange business cards on a tabletop or against a white background.
- Feel free to include other meaningful entourage
- Usage: customer adding own logo/name as introduction
- Themes: professionalism, business
Currency & Finance
- Arrange currency in a meaningful and appealing way.
- Can be added with other entourage — calculators, books, ledgers, clocks, etc
- Usage: Suggestion of earnings, business, success, failure
- Themes: Time is money, international business
Writing Set
- Arrange writing materials and paper goods in a pleasing manner
- Common materials can include
- Notebooks
- pens
- crumpled paper
- coffee cup
- stationary
- Usage: As if someone is looking down at a desk or table where they have been working
- Themes: Creativity, frustration, writer’s block
Book Set
- Neatly stack books either vertically, horizontally, or messily
- Common entourage include
- apples
- alarm clocks
- globes
- eyeglasses
- Themes: Literature, Antiquity, Age
Graduation Set
- Simply arrange with entourage in a pleasing manner:
- diplomas
- mortarboards
- graduation caps
- Themes: Completion, Success, Expense, tuition
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