Technical Workshops

Each of our courses in the Make it in Design school features a host of Technical Workshops to help you develop your technical capabilities to the point where you can deliver professional work to industry standard.

These are all offered as either video-based tutorials or downloadable PDFs within the courses.

Our comprehensive and professional technical workshops have been exclusively created for Make it in Design by Rachael Taylor (Modules 1 – 3) and other highly skilled partners (The Ultimate Portfolio Builder). They are so much more than just a technical demonstration as they all share hints and tips and crucial insight based on their own successful careers and design processes.

Here is a summary of the Technical Workshops and technical support notes included in each course*:

Module 1: Designing Your Way

INCLUDES *NEW* BONUS TECHNICAL WORKSHOP VIDEOS which introduce you to the fundamental elements for creating surface pattern.

Image Trace & Motif Manipulation in Adobe Illustrator – learn how to trace an original drawing, edit and manipulate your image and turn it into a simplistic surface pattern concept.
Basic Editing & Motif Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop – learn how to work with your scanned drawings, edit and manipulate them to create a simplistic surface pattern concept.
Applying Basic Colour & Selecting Pantones in Adobe Illustrator – explore how to apply colour and layering techniques to your artwork. Learn how to work with the geometric tool, Pantone libraries and apply Pantone colours. Learn to understand the impact of using colour to add another dimension to your designs.
Applying Basic Colour & Selecting Pantones in Adobe Photoshop – explore how to apply colour and layering techniques to your artwork. Learn how to work with Pantone libraries and apply Pantone colours. Understand colour basics and become more confident with experimenting with colour.
Creating Colour Palettes in Adobe Illustrator – explore colour palette creation using your own photography and inspiration. Learn how to use the type and geometric tools, place and embed images and save your file.
Creating Colour Palettes in Adobe Photoshop – explore colour palette creation using your own photography and inspiration. Learn how to choose fonts, use the type tool, experiment with opacity, place and embed images and save your file.
Creating a Digital Moodboard in Adobe Illustrator – learn how to open and place files, work with colour, use the geometric and type tools, how to present and compose your work and how to add extra details using the pencil, pen and effects tools, as well as how to save your work.
Creating a Technical Repeat Tile in Adobe Illustrator – learn how to create a technical repeat tile, set up at industry standards. Explore pattern, composition and seamless repeats.
Working with Mixed Media to Create a Surface Pattern Concept in Adobe Photoshop – explore how to edit and use mixed media artwork, manipulate it and turn it into a surface pattern concept – demonstrated using the work of the world renowned Kelly Rae Roberts.

Module 2: Creating Your Professional Brand Indentity

INCLUDES *NEW* BONUS TECHNICAL WORKSHOP VIDEOS which introduce you to the fundamental elements for creating professional surface patterns.

Creating a room set mock-up in Adobe Photoshop – learn how to apply your design work to room set photography. Through our professional editing tips you will understand how to create eye-catching mock-ups that will entice buyers and expand your portfolio.
Working with a product template in Adobe Illustrator – how to work with industry standard product templates and understand how to set up your design files for manufacturing.
Working with tints and creating spot colours in Adobe Illustrator – understand how to work with Pantone colours, standard swatches, how to create tints and set up spot colours.
Creating a professional trend report in Adobe Illustrator – learn how to work with layout, typography, effects and composition and discover the tricks of the trade for professional presentation.
Creating a pattern swatch in Adobe Illustrator – understand how to use the geometric tool, explore pattern swatch creation and apply a pattern to hand drawn shapes.
Adding a watermark and file information in Adobe Photoshop – understand smart objects, learn how to work with text and adding a watermark and design logo to your files. Plus learn how to save important copyright information when creating web safe images.
Creating a basic technical repeat tile in Adobe Photoshop – learn how duplicate and copy an object, how to use the transform tool, understand how to save a layered file and how to set up a technical repeat tile to industry standards.
Defining patterns and filling shapes in Adobe Photoshop – learn how to define a pattern and save a pattern swatch, how to add a drop shadow, work with the type tool and use a geometric shape.
Creating an industry standard wallpaper repeat in Adobe Illustrator – explore adapting an existing non-repeating design and converting it to a technical repeat tile within a restricted size. You will learn how to gain confidence when experimenting with composition and the layout of a layered pattern tile.
Creating static and rotating adverts in Adobe Photoshop – how to create a simplistic static advert and a rotating advert. Explore smart objects, the animation tool and how to save a gif file.

PLUS a series of bonus PDFs on:

How to set up and work with layered files
Separating layers support notes
Hints and tips for saving your files
Top tips for trend reports
Hints and tips for manufacturing + valuable product templates
Key differences in Adobe software

Module 3: Monetising Your Designs

INCLUDES *NEW* BONUS TECHNICAL WORKSHOP VIDEOS which introduce you to the fundamental elements for creating professional surface patterns.

How to work with a greetings card template and add professional finishes in Adobe Illustrator – understand how to work with a professional greetings card template and numerous template layers, as well as using standard industry techniques to indicate finishes such as foil and learn how to work with bleed.
Creating more advanced repeats in Adobe Photoshop – learn and understand the principals of a technical, layered and seamless Photoshop repeat, using advanced tools such as work paths, rulers and guides.
How to create branded packaging labels in Adobe Illustrator – understand how to work with a basic packaging label template and learn how to use essential tools and fonts for design and composition.
How to creatively use the paintbrush tool in Adobe Illustrator – learn how to creatively use the Pencil and Paintbrush Tools as well as how to use brushes, effects and colour libraries to create marks, illustration, drawings and designs within Adobe Illustrator.
Designing a professional trade show brochure and saving a multi-page pdf in Adobe Illustrator – learn how to create a professional promotional brochure with tips on how to use tools to create layouts and how to place and work with photographs as well as understanding how to create a multi-page pdf.

PLUS editable product templates for:

apron
bag
gift wrap
greeting card

The Ultimate Portfolio Builder

We work with a range of successful and highly skilled partners to bring to you these exclusive masterclasses (see further below for in-depth descriptions):

Character Design – masterclasses presented by Allison Cole
Typography – masterclasses presented by Faye Brown
Mixed media and collage – masterclasses presented by Adrian O’Meara
Photography – masterclasses presented by Adrian O’Meara
Half drop, multi-layered and artistic repeats – masterclasses presented by Jessica Hogarth
Mock-ups – masterclasses presented by Adrian O’Meara

PLUS a series of valuable bonus material on:

Tips and advice on portfolio presentation
Thinking outside the box to stand out from the crowd
Being your own career strategist
Managing your finances

PLUS…

As part of the course, we offered our class the chance to win an incredible opportunity to get professional and personal trade show planning advice with co-founder Rachael Taylor and Team Make it in Design and the chance to continue your learning into other rewarding areas they may not have previously considered.

1) Character Design with Allison Cole:

Tips For Creating a Successful Character Part A – Learn the basic elements of building a character design
Tips For Creating a Successful Character Part B – Hints and tips for working with scanned, hand-drawn imagery for successful character design

2) Typography with Faye Brown

Working With Typography Part A – Hints and tips for creating graphic styles of typography
Working With Typography Part B – Learn how to create and illustrate your own lettering and typefaces

3) Mixed media and collage with Adrian O’Meara

Working With Mixed Media Part A – Hints and tips for working with mixed media art originals (demonstrated with the work of Kelly-Rae Roberts)
Working With Mixed Media Part B – Learn how to create a half-drop repeat from your mixed media art originals (demonstrated with the work of Kelly-Rae Roberts)

4) Photography with Adrian O’Meara

Working With Photography Part A – Hints and tips for editing and manipulating photography
Working With Photography Part B – Learn how to create seamless repeats with your own photography

5) Half drop, multi-layered and artistic repeats with Jessica Hogarth

Working With Repeats Part A – Hints and tips for creating a technical half-drop repeat tile
Working With Repeats Part B – Hints and tips for creating a half-drop repeat suitable for wallpaper

6) Mock-ups with Adrian O’Meara

Creating Mock Ups Part A – How to render patterns onto stock photography (demonstrated using Rachael Taylor’s artwork)
Creating Mock Ups Part B – Learn how to use different techniques and effects to create a realistic fabric product mock-up and create and fill a whole room set with your designs (demonstrated using Rachael Taylor’s artwork).