Good graphic design relies on a simple, fundamental concept: the grid. With the invisible, unifying structure they provide, grids bring consistency and visual harmony to multi-page or multi-screen documents. The Designer's Toolkit is the first book to streamline the use of this critical tool, providing a fast-track way for both experienced and amateur designers to identify and employ the best grid for the job. A CD embedded in the book's cover includes 500 ready-to-use grid templates formatted for the most commonly used design programs. The templates can be used as-is or be easily customized to create professional-quality work. This unique book-plus-CD package provides the foundation for anyone to create effective, original, and sophisticated design.

The Projection Designer’s Toolkit is an insider’s guide to the world of professional projection design, serving as a reference for the planning and execution of each step in the projection design process. The text addresses the design process within the context of a professional projection designer’s workflow, focusing on specific tools of the trade, best practices for communicating your design to collaborators, tips and tricks, determining budget, working with assistants, and more. Featuring interviews with some of the top names in the industry, the book offers an unprecedented insight into the professional projection designer’s process across a wide range of fields, from Broadway and regional theatre to corporate design and music touring. The book also includes in-depth discussion on production process, system design, cue and content planning, content design, digital media fundamentals, media servers, video equipment, and projection surfaces. Additionally, it features hundreds of full-color photos and examples of designer artifacts such as draftings, mock-ups, paperwork, cue sheets, and renderings. Filled with practical advice that will guide readers from landing their first job all the way through opening night and beyond, The Projection Designer’s Toolkit is the perfect resource for emerging projection designers and students in Digital Media Design and Projection Design courses.

What are the do’s and don’ts of being a good assistant lighting designer? What are focus tapes, and how do I use them? What is the best method for creating a magic sheet? What should be found in every assistant’s kit? How do I make that first important leap into this professional career? Answer these questions and many more with The Assistant Lighting Designer’s Toolkit. This definitive guide unlocks the insider-secrets used to succeed as a professional assistant lighting designer (ALD) – whether choosing assisting as a career or while transitioning to another. This book outlines, step-by-step, the challenges the ALD faces during every phase of production. Never before has a resource existed that views the design process through the eyes of the assistant. Intermingled among the nuts and bolts of the paperwork and essential procedures, top industry professionals reveal tips for personal survival in this challenging career – both domestically and abroad as well as in other careers in lighting. Within these pages are the industry secrets rarely taught in school! The author's website can be found at http://www.aldtoolkit.com/.

This indispensable resource is the first and only book to include thousands of ready-to-use color swatches and palettes in multiple file formats for both print and digital applications. This entry in the Designer's Toolkit series is a straightforward and accessible guide for both designers and non-designers, in a unique format combining ready-made design elements on CD with practical advice on real-world application. Organized by themes such as historical period or mood, this book-plus-CD package makes it easy to identify the best color combinations for every job. With this toolkit in hand, anyone can make the right color choice to create effective, original, and sophisticated design.

The Costume Designer’s Toolkit explores the wide-ranging skills required to design costumes for live performance in theatre, dance, opera, and themed entertainment. Arranged in chronological order to create a design, each chapter describes tools, strategies, and techniques costume designers use to create lively and believable characters within a story environment. The book provides a step-by-step outline of the costume design process beginning with developing as an artist and creating an artistic vision for a script. It covers a wide range of topics, including: Assessing the scope of a production Understanding design thinking and the creative process Project management and budget forecasting Collaborating with and leading creative teams Current practices in costume rendering and communication Mixing purchased, rented, stock, and built costumes to form a design Designing a garment with impact Fitting costumes on performers Combining grit and grace for a successful career Each topic includes case studies and tips from experienced professionals, identifies vital skills, describes techniques, and reveals the essential elements of artistic leadership, collaboration, and cultural acumen. The Costume Designer’s Toolkit is the perfect guidebook for the student, aspiring, or early-career costume designer, to be used alone or in costume design university courses.

With The Fashion Design Toolkit you'll learn how tried-and-tested techniques like gathers, pleats, tucks, and twists can help you adapt patterns and create your own original garment designs. Tracy Jennings walks you through 18 patterning tactics to inspire fresh ideas, demonstrating how embracing pattern drafting skills can lead to innovative and effective collections. Each technique is illustrated in a variety of contexts, showing how and why it has been used by other designers, so you can use the history of each tool as inspiration for your original collections. Ethical practice is woven throughout the book, with tips on how to implement techniques in an environmentally sustainable way. The 18 essential techniques are divided into 5 categories: Establishing Fit and Flare: Darts, Slash & Spread, Seaming, Insets Channeling Fullness: Gathers, Ruffles, Pleats, Tucks Fashioning the Fluid and Unstructured: Arcs, Flounces, Drapes, Twists Engineering Fabric and Form: Contouring, Structure, Textile Designs Focusing on Concepts: Adaptation, Reduction, Zero Waste Online resources include a downloadable pattern block, which is available in US sizes 4–18. bloomsburyonlineresources.com/the-fashion-design-toolkit

This book offers a comprehensive overview of techniques, processes, and professional practices in the area of Motion Design, from fundamental building blocks of organizing time and space in production to managing workflow, budgets, and client relationships. The authors provide insight into the production process from concept through execution in areas as diverse as social media to large-scale projection mapping for events and festivals. Readers will learn through real-world examples, case studies, and interviews how to effectively use their skills in various areas of Motion Design. Industry professionals provide unique perspectives on different areas of Motion Design while showcasing their outstanding and inspiring work throughout. This is a valuable resource to students who aspire to work in a broad range of visual communication disciplines and expand their practice of Motion Design.