However, when I say, "I'm a graphic designer" the first thing that pops into peoples' heads about what I do is websites, business cards, brochures, logos, things like that. And while I definitely could go that direction with my designs, right now, I mostly make home printables.
And since that's not as commonly associated with graphic design, I feel like I need to explain what that means, what home printables are, and what exactly you do with them so you can really appreciate them. I'm even including 8 super cute ways to display your printables to get your creative juices flowing.
So a printable is a piece of designed artwork made available as a download. It usually includes pretty patterns, colors, images and/or quotes and once someone purchases the design, they can print it on their own printer from home or get it professionally printed at places like Office Depot or Kinko's. As the customer, you can usually print it as many times as you like and use it in various ways.
It's so great having little inspirational quotes hung up around your house to remind you of certain truths or ideas throughout the day. I also love seeing beautiful artwork that prettifies any space it's in and somehow even inspires me to keep my house cleaner!
It's so great having little inspirational quotes hung up around your house to remind you of certain truths or ideas throughout the day. I also love seeing beautiful artwork that prettifies any space it's in and somehow even inspires me to keep my house cleaner!
So, for instance, I listed this printable in my shop the other day:
This is the design- with a light watermark on top- that is available for purchase from my shop. You could go purchase this and what you'd receive from me is a downloadable PDF and JPEG of this design. It would open up in Adobe Acrobat or Preview or whatever file viewing program you have installed on your computer. Once you've viewed the file (which no longer has any watermarks on top of the design) you'd then be able to print it.
My designs are generally formatted to fit an 8-inch by10-inch frame that prints perfectly on a typical 8.5-inch by 11-inch letter-sized sheet of computer paper. Also, just FYI, my designs always include at least a 1/2-inch border so if you need to resize, crop, or enlarge, you should be able to do so easily. I, personally, prefer to print these onto sturdy white cardstock paper, rather than plain computer paper so it's not as flimsy. Next, you'd use a paper cutter or scissors to trim them down to the proper size.
The most common thing to do next is to place the image inside of a pretty wall frame. You can then hang the printable on the wall alone or as part of a...
1. Gallery Wall. We can see that here:
I love that they chose a basic color palette of pastels and went with it. The use of different sizes and colors of frames and prints makes it look interesting without being chaotic or too matchy-matchy.
Another idea is not to hang it on the wall, but rather to keep it...
2. Framed and Set on a Flat Surface. This could include placing it on a mantle, countertop, table, bookshelf, desk, or any other surfaces you can dream up. You can then place fun home decor items on either side of it to give the space a really cozy feel. In my shop, my listings are often set in styled photographs so you can see a few examples there of how to do this.
This one is matted with a cute thin golden frame with matching gold and coral books, flowers, and knickknacks on either side. In these next few examples, including this one, the print itself gets to be the star of the show rather than being paired with other prints as we saw in the gallery wall.
As we see here this one is also matted but inside a little thicker of a white frame, along with vintage-looking books laying down partially in front of it rather than standing alongside it. It's topped with a vintage globe which is fun because those give us the vintage vibe which is paired with the crisp white modern vibe of the frame and matte so together they balance each other out really nicely.
This one is has the vase of flowers and some books and decor again, kind of like the gold and coral example we saw earlier. I think what we're learning here is that you can never go wrong with gold (which I fully believe)!
So as you can see in these examples from my shop, you can let the print stand alone and style it easily using books, vases, and various other lovely knickknacks from around your home
There are also LOTS of other ways you can use display your prints too, though! I'll share a few more of my very favorites. Although, you can also go check out my Pinterest account if you'd like to see more ideas.
3. Washi Tape DIY Frames. You could opt not to frame them, leave them as just plain pieces of paper, and tape them up with fun washi tape frames on the wall, as we see below:
I love that you can get so creative with this idea! You can change up your washi tapes as well as think of different frame patterns to really achieve different looks.
4. String and Dowel Display. Another favorite idea of mine is this cute geometric wall hanging option below.
All you'd really need is a dowel, maybe some paint or a black sharpie, some black string, and coordinating scrapbook paper to cut into triangles. This is seriously one of my favorites.
5. Geometric Rope String Art. This one is absolutely A. DOR. A. BLE. and I just can't get enough of it.
For this one, you'd only need screws, rope or twine, and clips to make a stunning geometric art
display of your other displayed art (which is so meta, right??).
6. Twine Grid Large Frame. This is one is really simple but still packs a really big decor punch.
If you can find a frame tall enough to stand on the ground (or lean on a shelf even), you can use twine to create a fun horizontal grid-like pattern where you can clip your art, prints, or photos.
7. Stick a Fork in it. Ahem, stick IT in a fork. Isn't this idea too cute?
This example shows the forks holding smaller items like business cards or post-its, but you could also slide 5x7 or 8x10 sized prints or photos between the prongs as well (even if you maybe need some hidden tape on the back for extra support). This would be so adorable in somewhere like the kitchen, right?
8. Hanger it up. This idea is so fun.
This one seems crazy easy. Just hook the hangers onto some screws and clip the art into place and you'd have a super cool, unique art display on your wall.
As I said before, I've pinned a lot more on my Pinterest board: Ways to Display if you want more ideas.
These are just some of my favorite ways to display printables. If you're newer to the printable artwork world, I hope you have a better understanding of what printables are, how they work, and several ideas of ways you can display them in around your home (or classroom, or office, etc. you get the idea).
Thanks for joining me here on Smilecrush Art Prints blog and come back again soon!
~Kasey
No comments:
Post a Comment