Below are some examples of thumbnail idea sketches. These are created by the graphic designer in the initial stages of the design process to explore ideas for the visual content of their design.
After the Graphic Designer has the visual content for their design as well as their text for their design they create thumbnail layout sketches for their design usually using fineliner pens and markers. The graphic designer will experiment with the design elements and principles when designing. Below are some points to consider when doing layout thumbnail sketches
- Don't be to concerned about details. Use thumbnails to establish approximate locations for major elements.
- Make sure your sketch is a scaled down proportional page (if doing sketches for a full page layout) there is no need to use a ruler. You're aiming for a general idea of how the piece might look.
- Make lots of rough sketches. Repeat: lots of sketches. You'll rule out many design ideas quickly this way before wasting time in your page layout program.
- Don't try doing these initial rough designs in your software, even if using dummy text and placeholder graphics. You're apt to get caught up in things like changing the fonts or doing perfectly aligned graphics. Save that step til after you've done the initial brainstorming for ideas with thumbnails.
