Impressions - August 2020 - 41

Learning how to adjust
shadow angles for threedimensional models is
an unnecessary skillset
when it comes to the
imprinting industry.

process. Perhaps a practical perspective of
the art world would help many students
and new designers succeed.
Fortunately, it's quite easy for scholastically trained graphic artists to learn
the necessary skills and adapt their
natural abilities for what graphic artists
in apparel-decorating shops do every day.
Even better news is the fact that many of
these skills can be self-taught.
It's similar to someone going to bartending school to learn how to mix
complicated cocktails, then learning how
to pour a draft beer working behind a bar
after graduation. It makes more sense to
start with what most people want in the
first place - a well-poured beer - then
work up to an "Italian Chandelier," shaken
not stirred.
I'm using a bit of humor to help explain
the apparel-printing industry's needs, as
shops like yours carry the bulk of the design
industry. Decorators truly comprise the
grassroots, nuts-and-bolts, "get-it-done"
portion of the design world. It's undoubtedly a tremendous accomplishment to work
toward a graphic-design degree; I've even
done it a couple of times. However, our
industry offers a different experience and
a unique reality.
What's the most efficient and effective
way to create, then re-create, present, edit
and customize a new design, graphic or
logo?The art needs to be production-ready
in one or more formats -color-separated
for screen printing,digitized for embroidery
and vinyl cut-ready. Production needs to
commence quickly, with no hiccups, because the customer wants the order done

yesterday.All this needs to be accomplished
while streamlining the transition between
jobs; getting everything organized for future
reference; and ensuring the finished garment is priced accurately and competitively,
taking into account design and production
time, materials, substrate costs, etc.
But what happens if the customer changes his mind? These are the applications that
graphic designers who work in decorated-apparel shops encounter. Translation:
There's no time - nor need - to quarrel
over "thousand-dpi" detail.
On the flip side, technology has changed
our industry, and we all need to get comfortable working with art on a computer.
The days of "clip art" - literally cutting out
shapes and designs from art books - are
gone. Similarly, modern-day architects or
photographers have different, but necessary,

Decorators
truly comprise
the grassroots
portion of the
design world.
tools to learn how to use. Not too long
ago, their industries also were completely
different. In architecture, huge draft tables
were the norm, with all sorts of different
pencils, protractors, rulers and stencils being
commonplace. For photographers, there
were infinite options for film, exposure,
chemicals,paper and lighting - all of which
have been replaced by software menus,dropdown options and tools on a computer.
With this perspective of graphic design and how it relates specifically to our
industry, hopefully you will take steps to
further your education in this area.You
don't have to start with tens of thousands
of dollars and a half-decade worth of a
learning curve. Pick up about a $400 design
program, get a decent computer and, in
a few weeks, you can learn design skills
that will be particularly useful in apparel
decoration. 
Clay Barbera has taught design and business
growth to apparel decorators for more than 13
years. His new website, coreltrainer.com, engulfs
proven graphic skills in company-sustaining videos,
worksheets and recorded live events. His classes
stretch from Calgary to Costa Rica, with online
events held worldwide. Known as "Hey Clay," every
course ensures attendees will learn tried-andproven methods to grow their businesses. For more
information or to comment on this article, email
Clay at ClayB@TrainingInCorel.com.

Many of the jobs in our industry
involve simple, single-color line art,
like one-color screen-printing jobs.
AUGUST 2020

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http://www.coreltrainer.com

Impressions - August 2020

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