The Power of Commercial Design
In today’s visual-centric world, the power of design is undeniable – particularly when trying to gain attention in crowded marketplace.
Yet, so many aspiring artists and professionals grapple with creating designs that truly resonate, make an impact, or stand the test of time. You’ve likely faced the frustration of your artwork getting lost in the noise, or felt the sting of a design that doesn’t evoke the desired reaction.
Perhaps you’ve looked at iconic designs and wondered, “What’s their secret?“.
It’s a challenging journey, from conceptualising an idea to translating it into tangible design, especially in a market saturated with content. But imagine if you had the chance to delve deep into the world of design, guided by an industry expert, understanding those very principles that can transform your work from ordinary to stand-out.
This course by Vladimir Chopine is your gateway to bridging those gaps, addressing your pain points, and raising your design skills.
In this immersive course, you will delve into the art and design techniques that are key to crafting compelling promotional materials, with a special focus on elevating items for sale, including digital 3D model content for platforms like the DAZ 3D store. You’ll go beyond the foundational principles of poster and book cover design and gain mastery over advanced techniques that set your work apart in the marketplace. Our curriculum emphasizes practical, real-world applications, ensuring that every lesson is grounded in hands-on experience tailored for commercial success.
Additionally, you will learn how to acquire clients and collaborate with them effectively. By the end of the course, you will be proficient in creating commercial cover illustrations, and understanding and applying design principles to your projects.
This course looks at cover designs destined for all types of print and digital media, including social media.
About the Instructor : Vladimir Chopine
Vladimir Chopine holds a Master’s degree (or its equivalent) in Marketing and has led a team of technologists at DSW ad agency, contributing to branding projects for renowned brands such as Intel, Iomega, Carrier, Marvel Studios and Kodak, among others. He is an acclaimed digital artist and photographer, with numerous awards to his name. In addition to owning and creating content for the training site Geekatplay Studio, he teaches on various platforms, including Udemy and Skillshare. His portfolio also includes a range of promotional and cover materials for movies, series, and publications.
See a selection of his commercial artwork HERE
What Will I Learn?
The course focuses on digital design principles and how to use 3d applications (DAZ Studio), Photoshop (or GIMP) and photos to create stunning cover designs for all types of print and digital media, including social media.
- Deep Dive into Iconic Designs:
- Explore and understand the elements that make designs like the “Jaws” movie poster or “Jurassic Park” book cover iconic. Discover the magic behind unforgettable designs and how to apply those principles to your own creations.
- Master Top-Level Design Principles:
- A comprehensive study of 7 fundamental design principles including Hierarchy, Balance, and Color Theory. Dive into each principle with hands-on activities, understanding their significance in creating impactful designs.
- Learning from Mistakes:
- Delve into flawed designs to comprehend where they went wrong. This section will enhance your critical eye, helping you to avoid pitfalls and create designs that truly stand out.
- Crafting Perfect Covers, Posters and Promos for Social Media / eCommerce using 3D applications, Photoshop, Stock and Photographic elements:
- Understand the nuances of designing for specific media types. From foundational principles like simplicity to intricate elements like composition & lighting, refine your skills for genre-specific design.
- Photoshop Mastery for Compositing:
- Learn advanced Photoshop techniques tailored for poster and cover designs. Dive deep into compositing, color matching, depth creation, and text integration to produce cohesive and stunning visuals.
- Typography Brilliance: Fonts speak volumes.
- Acquire the skills to select, integrate, and enhance text in your designs, ensuring they convey the right message while remaining visually pleasing.
- Transitioning to the Business World:
- Hear first-hand from Vladimir Chopine about navigating the design market, building client relationships, and turning your designs into profitable ventures. Equip yourself not just as a designer, but as a market-savvy professional ready to make a mark in the industry.
With these key learning points, students will be well-prepared to elevate their design game, gaining both technical and business knowledge needed to succeed in the competitive world of design.
Join us and embark on a transformative journey into the world of commercial promotional designs!
Full Curriculum
Duration : 8 weeks
Start Date : Saturday 18th of November at 19:00 GMT (London) with an introductory session and for each following Saturday at the same time (with a break for Christmas holidays)
Topics you’ll be learning across the 8 week period:-
Unlocking the Secrets of Iconic Designs
– Introduction to Vladimir Chopine’s transformative journey in design.
– Deep analysis of iconic designs like the “Jaws” movie poster and “Jurassic Park” book cover.
– Discover the foundational principles of layout and color, adapting them for various media types.
Top-Level Design Principles
– Dive deep into the essence of 7 core design principles, illustrated with real-world examples.
– Grasp the nuances of design adaptation for different platforms, from digital thumbnails to large billboards.
– Engaging activity: Deconstruct iconic designs, understanding their alignment with design principles.
Learning from Design Missteps
– Critically analyze famous but flawed designs, uncovering the reasons behind their missteps.
– Discuss the intricate factors that can cause commendable designs to be overlooked.
Diving Deeper into Design Principles
– Comprehensive exploration of principles like Hierarchy, Balance, and Contrast.
– Engaging, interactive sessions for each principle: from rearranging design components for hierarchy to crafting balance layouts.
Crafting Book Covers/Movie Poster/Web Commercial Promos with DAZ Studio/Photoshop/Photographic Elements
– Lay the foundation with the importance of clean, uncluttered design and focused elements.
– Dive into genre-specific design elements, ensuring target audience resonance.
– Explore composition, lighting, camera work, and rendering tailored for impactful covers and posters.
Contrasting Poster, Book Cover Design and Web Commercial Signing
– Delve into the unique goals, visual components, and audience engagement strategies for different commercial covers.
– Understand the intricacies of typography, lifespan, and placement differences between the two.
Compositing with Photoshop for Posters & Covers
– Start with the basics of compositing, understanding layers, masks, and blending modes.
– Progress to advanced techniques like color matching, shadow integration, and text effects for seamless designs.
– Quality control checkpoints to ensure your designs are flawless.
Utilizing Digital Photography and Stock Photos for Design
– Learn techniques for capturing high-resolution images tailored for design.
– Ethical considerations in using stock photos, and tips to enhance and integrate them seamlessly into your designs.
Font & Text Design Principles for Posters and Covers
– Delve into the world of typography, understanding the mood, genre, and emotion conveyed by fonts.
– Practical sessions on font selection, layout, color, and special effects to make text stand out.
Refining Your Artwork: Post-Processing and Enhancement Techniques
– Master advanced Photoshop tools, from layer effects to color dynamics.
– Dive deep into design refinement, ensuring every element aligns with the overall theme.
Marketing and Selling Your Designs: From Creation to Commerce
– Introduction to the business dynamics of the design world.
– Gain insights from Vladimir’s real-world experiences with clients, negotiations, and memorable commercial designs.
– Strategies for promoting your work, leveraging sales platforms, and building long-term client relationships.
Course Requirements
- PC or Mac with Adobe Photoshop installed. Optional alternative : GIMP.
- Software to generate 3D elements : We’re flexible on this, but Vladimir can show specifics with DAZ studio, VUE and Terragen.
- Basic knowledge of Photoshop
During the course what will you experience?
- Eight (Ten for VIP) 1.5 hour live training/coaching sessions
- Clarity from a commercial digital artist expert : Vladimir Chopine
- Belong to a close-knit group of like-minded artists
- A private chat group and forum to keep the class connected every day
- Recognition of your progress and improvements
- Weekly challenges to help you strive and grow throughout the course
VIP Course Membership
If you would like additional resources, there’s a VIP add-on option that gives you the following in addition to everything above:-
- Two Additional Training Sessions: Elevate your design expertise with an additional two weeks of VIP-exclusive training. These 1.5-hour webinars delve into advanced strategies, practical advice, and real-world case studies from Vladimir’s high-profile work, including his exclusive experiences with clients such as Marvel Studios. Perfect for those seeking a deeper understanding of client collaboration and project success.
- Photoshop Compositing Video Library: Giant searchable *30 hour video training library on Advanced digital compositing in Photoshop These two courses by Vladimir are designed to refine your skills in creating seamless digital art, essential for top-tier design work in any field.
- Premium Digital Asset Pack: Enhance your design projects immediately with a curated pack of high-quality digital assets. This collection is crafted to give VIP members a significant head start in creating professional, polished designs.
- Early entry to the private forum and a VIP pre-course meeting with Vladimir to help shape the course with your needs in mind.
*Comprised of “Digital Compositing with Daz Studio and Photoshop” and “The Complete Guide to Professional Compositing” previous coaching courses. “Professional illustration with DAZ Studio” is also available as an option.
What other coaching group members are saying…
Ian Franklin
The chat rooms are so full of information! Just reading people’s questions and people’s responses, it’s an invaluable time saver! When I read the questions and their solutions it reminds me, “I would have had to go thru those hiccups myself, and there’s the solution!”. The chat room creates a great sense that you’re not alone, and it gives you a freedom to test things out and get into “trouble”. I am more than satisfied with this course. It has surpassed my expectations and more! I highly, highly recommend this type of session to anyone!
David Aguilera
