Free Graphic Designing Course || Lecrture 9 || Designing a Social Media Post Using Website

Graphic Design Course Lecture 9: Designing for a Restaurant

Overview of Previous Lecture

• Disha Tundan introduces the ninth lecture, referencing the eighth lecture focused on designing social media posts using inspiration from platforms like Freepik and Behance.

• The previous session covered how to search for design elements and create similar designs based on inspirations found online.

Current Focus: Designing from Client Websites

• The current lecture aims to explore how to derive design inspiration directly from client websites, specifically focusing on a restaurant example called "Yellow Bowl."

• Disha shares her screen to demonstrate the Yellow Bowl website, highlighting its color scheme which includes black, white, yellow, orange, and brown.

Downloading Elements from Websites

• To download elements from the website, Disha explains using the inspect tool (F12), navigating through various tabs such as elements and images.

• She demonstrates downloading the restaurant's logo and food images by selecting them in the inspect tool interface.

Gathering Additional Design Inspiration

• Disha emphasizes looking at different sections of the website (like About Us and Menu pages) for more design ideas and images that can be used in projects.

• She suggests checking social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram for additional insights into what designs clients have previously used.

Key Design Considerations

• Observations include bold typography used throughout their branding; this is noted as an important aspect to incorporate into new designs.

• Textures are also highlighted as significant; since it’s a restaurant site, showcasing food effectively is crucial in design choices.

Initiating the Design Process

• After gathering all necessary elements and inspirations, Disha begins creating a design layout using downloaded images.

• She selects a noodle image as a focal point for her design while ensuring it does not cover the entire page.

Background Selection for Design

• For background selection, she recommends using Freepik to find suitable backgrounds that complement her chosen elements.

Creating a Noodle Image with Generative Fill

Setting Up the Background

• The process begins by typing "noodle image" and setting up a background texture layer named "bg texture," which is moved below the noodle layer.

• The rectangle marquee tool is used to select an empty area for generative fill, allowing automatic generation of the missing parts based on the selection.

Using Generative Fill

• Generative fill is applied without prompts, automatically generating options that best fit the selected area.

• After reviewing generated images, layers are merged using Ctrl E to combine them into one cohesive image.

Enhancing the Background

• Another round of generative fill is performed to create a new background, emphasizing flexibility in design as it evolves during creation.

• The speaker notes that design often requires adapting to changes rather than sticking rigidly to initial plans.

Adding Text and Call-to-Actions (CTAs)

• With the background complete, attention turns to adding text and CTAs from a website. A CTA example provided is "view all."

• ChatGPT is utilized to generate headings, subheadings, and CTAs for social media posts related to noodles.

Font Selection for Food Posts

• The heading generated by ChatGPT reads: "Craving noodles? Dive into flavor at the yellow bowl."

• To match branding aesthetics, font inspection reveals usage of Montserrat and Roboto Slab; however, alternatives more suited for food banners are sought.

Exploring Font Options

• Various fonts suitable for food-related designs are explored through Creative Cloud; specific searches include “food fonts” and “brush fonts.”

• Fonts like "Veneer" and others with brush textures are considered ideal for food banners due to their appealing visual style.

Finalizing Design Elements

• As text alignment occurs within the design software, additional adjustments are made using generative fill again for an expanded background.

• The speaker emphasizes iterative design processes where multiple fills may be necessary until achieving desired results.

Designing a Noodle Promotion

Setting Up the Design Elements

• The designer initiates the design process by adjusting font settings, selecting "Ascent Regular" with a size of 64 for the main heading.

• A subheading is introduced, capturing the essence of flavors in noodle dishes. The designer opts to shorten it for better readability and changes its font to "Monserret," consistent with website branding.

Creating Call-to-Action (CTA)

• A rectangle is created for the CTA button, with rounded corners set to 15 and an overall size adjustment to enhance visibility.

• The CTA text "Order Now" is added, and its color is changed to black. Alignment adjustments are made for visual coherence.

Finalizing Layout and Logo Placement

• The logo placement is discussed; adjustments are made to ensure it fits well within the design layout alongside other elements like headings and CTAs.

• All elements including logo, heading, subheading, and CTA are aligned left for a clean presentation. Font sizes are adjusted as necessary to avoid overlap.

Enhancing Visibility

• Font size adjustments are made again to prevent text from overlapping with images; a reduction to 60 points ensures clarity.

• A new layer is created using a brush tool to enhance text visibility against background images by increasing opacity selectively.

Color Adjustments and Image Enhancement

• The designer considers using yellow from the logo for the CTA button color, enhancing brand consistency across elements.

• Image enhancement techniques such as level adjustment are applied. Brightness levels are decreased significantly for improved contrast in visuals.

Final Review of Design Elements

• A final review confirms that all essential components—logo, heading, subheading, and CTA—are present and visually appealing.

• The design is deemed ready for use on various platforms like social media or promotional materials. Additional elements can be incorporated if needed but current design looks clean.

Summary of Design Process

• Key steps include downloading an image from a website, extending backgrounds using generative fill techniques, and utilizing ChatGPT prompts for generating headings and CTAs tailored specifically towards noodles.

How to Create a Clean Design Using Image Editing Techniques

Steps for Enhancing Design Visibility

• Adjusted the design by brushing over areas where text was not visible, using a black foreground color to enhance visibility. This step involved creating a new layer and applying the brush tool effectively.

• The levels of the image were adjusted to improve clarity and sharpness. The before-and-after comparison highlighted significant improvements in the overall appearance of the design.

Sources of Inspiration for Design

• Suggested utilizing various websites for design inspiration, including Site Inspire, which showcases good fonts and design elements that can be incorporated into personal projects.

• Mentioned Behance as a platform not only for inspiration but also for freelancers to upload their designs, potentially attracting job offers from clients looking for creative talent.

• Highlighted Pinterest as another valuable resource where designers can post their work and earn recognition or income through their designs. Additionally, it serves as a platform similar to Freepik, where many users gain visibility and financial rewards from their uploads.

Freelancing Opportunities in Graphic Design

• Introduced Fiverr as an essential website for freelancers in graphic design, allowing users to showcase their work and connect with potential clients seeking social media posts and other graphic services. This site is noted for its abundance of hiring opportunities.

• Emphasized that both Fiverr and Behance are top platforms beneficial for freelancers looking to establish themselves in the graphic design industry while also providing sources of inspiration from various client websites like Freepik and Pinterest.

Practical Tips on Design Creation

• Discussed how to create effective social media posts by taking logos and images from websites, demonstrating that inspiration can be drawn from any appealing design encountered online. Users are encouraged to save screenshots or references for future use.

• Explained techniques on inspecting web elements such as images or fonts using browser tools (e.g., pressing F12) which allows users to identify font names and colors directly on websites, aiding in replicating styles accurately in their own designs.