Guide to Ordering Graphics [New]

[Rizzarrr]

Hello! My name is Rizzarrr, but feel free to address me as Riz. I'm currently a graphics artist on this site, and I decided that I would create a guide to being a great customer. ;D This is mainly for referring my customers to so that they know how to order. While many believe they know how to order a thread layout or graphic, many Gaians do not know the specifics of ordering well. That is what this thread is for. Continue reading if you want to be satisfied with your graphics purchases from now on! c:

Artists: If you feel something is missing, post or PM me with suggestions. I'd love to improve this thread in any way.

[Rizzarrr]

Everyone needs to order graphics at some point in their Gaian life if they plan to start a quest, charity, or art shop. The most popular art threads not only have gorgeous art, but oftentimes, gorgeous graphics. Check out the following shops:



What do they all have in common? Aesthetically pleasing thread layouts. Good layouts build credibility as an artist (or quester, charity, etc.) and can convince customers to continue checking out your thread. Would you rather buy from those artists or this artist? (Yes, I know that is a gag thread. However, some art shops do look like that. Maybe slightly better, but not really.) All in all, a good thread layout/good affiliate buttons go a long way.

[Rizzarrr]

So, you want to order some pretty graphics for your shop, right? Well, you're gonna need to know some general graphic lingo to communicate better with your artist. You don't NEED to know these terms (it's not like gfx artists speak a different language), but they're helpful for conveying what you really want.

DIMENSIONS
Dimensions are the width and height (measured in pixels) you want for your images. Width is always listed first, followed by height. Think of a 200x40 button or 88x31 button:


Buttons have generally accepted dimensions, however, thread layouts do not. Some people prefer large headers while others prefer smaller headers. Look around and decide what you like best. You can find the dimensions of any image by right-clicking > View Image Info. This way, you can tell your graphic artist exactly what size you want.


Be reasonable though! A main header for a thread layout should not be tiny, like 100x100. This isn't very pleasing to the eye, nor is it easy for your artist to make it look good. My favorite size for main headers is 600x400 --- it gives enough room for an image and words, but it's not so big that it detracts from the text. Pick whatever suits you best.

HEX NUMBERS
Hex numbers, or codes, are a 6-digit code comprised of letters and numbers that create a specific color. More often than not, I have customers who want two colors but don't have specific shades in mind. Let's say you want your layout to be blue and gray. Well, there are a LOT of shades of both of those. Do you want this blue or this blue? This gray or this gray? Hex numbers can provide your artist the specific colors you want. Here is a chart that links to hex numbers, however, this is obviously not all of the colors. To play around, open GIMP or any photo editing program and click the color changer. The six digit code that pops up is the hex number.


Typing [*color=#hex here][/*color] (without the asterisks) can change the color of text beyond what Gaia has available. So, using #ff1212 as shown above can create text that looks like this.

[Rizzarrr]

Now that you're savvy with hex numbers, you need to pick colors for your graphic! The following tips are more personalized with what I prefer, but I think that many graphics artists out there will agree with me. This is VERY simplified!

WARM COLORS vs. COOL COLORS
There are three types of colors in this world, warm, cool, and neutral. Warm colors make you think of fire, or, well... warmth. They are red, yellow, gold, and orange. Cool colors are the opposite. Think blue, green, purple, and turquoise. There are also neutral colors, which go with everything. These are black, white, gray, and depending on the hue, brown. When picking colors for a layout, try and stick to colors that work well together:

-or-

Your graphic will be more likely to turn out well! Sets like these are easy to match and blend. However, there are exceptions to this. Sometimes, Colour Lovers has palettes that don't seem like they would work together, but they do. This really comes down to personal artist preference. Just keep warm, cool, and neutral in mind when choosing your colors.

COLOUR LOVERS
Speaking of Colour Lovers, that website is your best friend when it comes to choosing colors for a layout. Go to their website and scroll down and click on the word "Palettes."


They have millions to look through, and each palette provides an artist multiple color schemes to work with for your layout. Each palette also contains the hex number for each color, making it easy if you decide you only like a couple in a specific palette.

[Rizzarrr]

You've got your colors, but now there's a new dilemma. What font do you want your graphics written in?

DAFONT
There are thousands of fonts available online, however, my favorite database is Dafont. At first glance, all of their fonts are organized by style. "Fancy" is where most people choose their fonts because it offers the most choices. "Foreign look" is what the name states, foreign looking writing. I wouldn't suggest picking these unless you're sure of what they say. "Techno" has fonts that are digital--the types of fonts in a video game arcade or on your phone. "Pixel/Bitmap" are tiny fonts that are great for subtext. "Gothic" refers to fonts that were made to look like the Medieval/Gothic ages. "Script" fonts are cursive/handwritten type fonts. (They're my favorite to work with!) "Dingbats" fonts consist of different symbols.
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When choosing a font for your thread layout, keep size and readability in mind. For example, don't pick a cursive font for an 88x31 button--it will be too difficult to read.


See? While you may be able to read what that says now, add a background and some text effects and it makes it near impossible to read. At the same time, pixel fonts work best for small images. Do not pick a pixel font for your main header of your thread layout, unless you want a pixelated sort of look like this:

[Rizzarrr]

Many thread layouts look great as just text--think Ambrosia, which I linked to in my "Importance" post. However, I think a good image can be beneficial to any thread layout. Look at the images used in the following thread--


There is an image of a girl and the Eiffel Tower, along with brushwork and various patterns.
Most artists in the "Personalized Graphics" forum have a spot in their layout forms for "Images." This is where you can link any images you'd like to appear in your main header.

RENDERS
Renders are high-quality transparent pictures that can usually be used for free. These are most often used for role-playing graphics or collages. Here is an example of a render. My favorite website for acquiring renders is Planet Renders. You have to create an account to access their database, but it's free and definitely worth it.

STOCKS
Stock photos, as defined by Wikipedia, are "photographs licensed for specific uses." Some of these are free (or have no original creator information available), some have a cost. We Heart It is a website that contains thousands of free (to the best of my knowledge) stock photos that are usually of high quality. Quality is very important when picking an image for a main header. It is difficult to use the image below on the left, because the quality is so low. Low quality = bad graphic. The image on the right, however, is great.


Be careful when using stocks that have no source, however! Some may be licensed and you could be fined if it's found you are using them to make a profit. User totorochic has made a thread that goes into more detail regarding this. Make sure that you always credit the original artist of a photo. Furthermore, do not link artists images that have copyrights in the center, such as this or this. Not only is it impossible to remove the copyright, but it is also illegal. If it's on Deviantart, it's a simple matter of messaging the artist and asking their permission. Other stock photos require more effort to get permission, however, it will be worth it when you don't get sued.

YOUR OWN ART
Using your own art is a great way to give your customers an idea of what your examples will look like. Check out this shop--


The main banner is cute and appealing and makes you want to buy from her thread! If you want something like this, make sure you use a piece of your OWN artwork. The image should be high quality and have a white background (or be transparent.) This way, your artist can use the image without having to alter it or cut it out of a background.

[Rizzarrr]

Thanks for making it this far in the thread! Here are a few general tips to keep in mind when ordering. Small, courteous things that will make your artist at least take a liking to you.

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT
This seems basic, but you'd be surprised at the amount of customers who aren't really sure what they want when they order. It's fine if you aren't COMPLETELY sure, I mean obviously you don't have to be like--

" HEY RIZ. I want a 435x331 main header that's the following shades #as1d3d, #333dff, #ffubu3, #0934od, #bbb333, #aaa654, #9093bb, #555555 and you must use all of them. I'd like a drop-shadow behind the first word that's black at 60% opacity on overlay, but only if... blahblahblah "

That's not what I'm trying to advocate. It's also fine as a customer to encourage artistic freedom! Here's a way that I would word something if I were ordering from someone--

" I'd like a main header that is around 600x400, however it doesn't need to be those exact dimensions, just something close. I'd really like if you could incorporate these colors-- #000000, #ffffff, #aaaaaa, or just neutral colors in general. For fonts, I like both Alice in Wonderland and Flocked 2. "

By knowing what you want, you prevent yourself from being disappointed at the outcome and having to ask for changes from the artist, which can be frustrating for them as well. If an artist makes all the subheaders for you and THEN you realize that you don't like the font... well, that artist may not be happy. It may not be overly difficult for them to change the font on each subheader, but it sure is tedious. Don't be surprised if the artist doesn't do the changes and asks for payment.

CHANGES
On the subject of changes... well, it can be a touchy subject. I believe that every artist should do changes at least once. Neither the customer or the artist can be completely sure what the final outcome of the graphic will be, and it's very reasonable to not be completely satisfied the first time. However, when you ask for changes, be polite and considerate of your artist's time. Changes are not always as easy as you might think, especially if you have a lot of subheaders. Asking for changes 3, 4, or even 5 times is very frustrating and leaves questions from the artist like, "Why didn't you just ask for that change the last time?" or "Are you simply doing this to torture me?"

EXAMPLES
Let's say you're looking at an artist's examples and you really like the colors or design he or she used in a certain header. Link it back to them! Referring an artist to one of their examples is an easy way for you to show them what you want/like without trying to use technical mumbo jumbo. However, don't make the mistake of linking them someone ELSE'S work. Just describe what that other artist did well without explicitly linking their work. It's rude to the artist you're ordering from.

/this post is subject to additions and modifications

[Rizzarrr]

Now that you're inspired, have picked matching colors, a readable font, and a high quality image, you're ready! But where can you order from a good graphic artist? Or better yet, who can you trust to create quality images for your thread?

Check out the Personalized Graphics forum! This forum's sole purpose is creating signatures, profiles, thread layouts, and any of your other graphic needs. There are hundreds of shops available for you to pick from!

Time for a shameless plug:


Here is my graphics shop, SAFE GFX. Take a look around, and if you like what you see, order! If anything, just chat with me. I love meeting new people.
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Here are a few other graphics shops I support. These artists are all respected and trusted, and their graphics are beautiful as well. Some of these artists may be on hiatus, so make sure you read the first post and look at when the most recent posts were posted. Please do not ask to be added to this list.

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Want to help me inform others? Feel free to link me in your thread or sig! I'm afraid I can't do affiliates (since this is a guide, after all...) but I do appreciate your help. Boring banners ftw!




[url=http://tinyurl.com/c9xej2b][img]http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z1/RizzaMay_photo/lol.png[/img][/url]

[Rizzarrr]