Storyboarding, Not Just for Filmmakers

The following is part of a running series of posts, from Create Your Own Great Photo Book; the first "Be a Ruthless Photo Editor" covers activities you can use to take control of your image library.

Storyboarding, Not Just for Filmmakers

How do you organize your images? Stay true to your theme.

Developing a structure based on your time is the foundation to create your own great photo book. And, keep you focused. It can be overwhelming when you're confronted with a volume of images. Refer to my previous post, Be A Ruthless Photo Editor, to eliminate the unnecessary, poor quality and non-relevant images.

A screen shot of one folder.

Example: My Family Archive. On a rainy Sunday afternoon, I decided to make a dent in scanning the negatives and photographs––which I have two or three large Rubbermaid storage tubs––from my family's photo archive. I pulled out an armful of 'stuff' and began sorting the pieces. Tossing items that had little relevance to the long-term integrity of the archive, poor quality and extremely damaged. Things like out-of-focus shots, unrecognizable subjects, generic birthday & holiday cards, etc. The result, spending time on quality pieces that would convey the story of my family.

Stay Grounded to Your Theme

As mentioned above, developing a structure will serve as your foundation. Using images and text creates your visual story. Most stories are typical: a beginning, middle and end. Let's take this further.

Tapping into a more sophisticated organization can add more interest to your photo book. Try one or a combination of the following:

4 types of story organization to add interest to your photo book.

Storyboarding your content gives you a 'roadmap' to a finish product. Naturally, we want to be flexible as the project progress. Image sequencing and storyboarding is time well spent!

After you've experimented with your visual storyboarding with your first photo book, it will become easier the next time. Eventually, challenging your creativity to try new concepts.

Interested in more? Download "Create Your Own Great Photo Book."

Next: Add cognitive flow within your theme.


Happy self publishing.

Great Photo Book: Be A Ruthless Photo Editor

Using as many images in your Great Photo Book maybe your first inclination; this is the absolutely wrong approach.

You MUST be a ruthless photo editor! Focus on quality over quantity.* 

Image from http://www.tokyojinja.com/

As you review your big pile (or folder) of images, ask yourself repeatedly:

• Does the image support my theme?
• Does it add visual interest to the message?
• Is this image the BEST quality?

Every image selected must have purpose to the theme.

Intuition plays a huge role and powerful role. Removing your own emotions from your review process will allow you focus on quality and the image(s) contribution to your book.

Conduct research at the library and/or local bookstore, I find used bookstores have fabulous stacks of photo books. Observe the sequencing of images and how each leads you through a process of the visual story. What story are your images telling?

* Select images that express concepts and support the main story or theme of the book. 

An introduction to self-publishing techniques to create your own amazing book using your photographs or illustrations.

Download Free eBook 

Discover techniques to create and publish of your own photo book, plus an introduction to self-publishing options (print and digital formats). Ideal for photographers, illustrators, architects, chefs, historians and many more.

Topics covered:
Image Sequencing & Storyboarding
Page Layout and Structure
Cover Design
Image Preparation
Overview: Shutterfly, Lulu and Blurb

Start Creating Your Own Photo Book

Create Your Own Great Photo Book

Create Your Own Great Photo Books

• Have you ever wanted to create your own photo books?
• How do you start?
• What are techniques to make it look professional?
• How do I get it printed?

Download Free eBook 

Just released a few days ago to select list of followers, now available for you.

An introduction to self-publishing techniques to create your own amazing book using your photographs or illustrations.

Discover techniques to create and publish of your own photo book, plus an introduction to self-publishing options (print and digital formats). Ideal for photographers, illustrators, architects, chefs, historians and many more.

Topics covered:

• Image Sequencing & Storyboarding
• Page Layout and Structure
• Cover Design
• Image Preparation
• Overview: Shutterfly, Lulu and Blurb

Start Creating Your Own Photo Book

* eBook format is 21-page PDF, compatible on desktop and mobile devices.
Read Privacy Policy

Great Photo Books Holiday Schedule–There's Still Time

Just did a quick check on the delivery dates for Blurb, Lulu and Shutterfly for photo books and calendars.  

Good news: There's still time to publish your photo book or calendar.

Bad news: Drop dead dates are fast approaching!

Blurb Holiday Schedule

December 11, 2014* is Blurb's date for books (less than 30) delivered via USPS in U.S.the target date to order and take advantage of standard shipping in order to have your book order delivered in time. Blurb is offering discounts of bulk orders until December 9, 2014.
Check the Blurb holiday page for all the details.

Lulu Holiday Schedule

December 11, 2014 is the order date for paper back books and December 10, 2014* for hard cover and calendars shipped via mail with estimated delivery before the 25th. (I don't see a discount promotion, check your email, if you're on their list.)
Check the Lulu holiday page for all the details.

Shutterfly Holiday Schedule

For December 24, 2014* Economy delivery of photo books and calendars, you must order by December 17th. Last day to order is December 19th.
Check the Shutterfly holiday page for all the details.

*Options for Priority Mail, Expedited and Express options are available.
__________________
I have a client last year come to me the first week of December with her sketches and copy with the goal of turning it into a holiday gift for your family. We made it!

I can help you make your book a reality. Drop me an email or give me call to discuss your project.

Start With A Vision of End Product

Recent activity a LinkedIn self-publishing group caught my attention.

Someone asked for a recommendation about the best production method to publish their own book. There were several replies and counter replies. Group members offered testimonials about their own experiences with major players in the self-publishing industry, as well as links to their own services.

No one asked "What type of book do you want to produce?"

The author's answer to this question would have provided much needed information to provide some direction for the the project.

Instead many self-publishing consultants ASSUME that everyone wants to publish a text-only book and recommend that it be published via Amazon's CreateSpace for hardcopy and digital versions.

That's fine, but not all book projects are text only. Other genres include:

• Photo essay
• History of (subject)
• Family genealogy
• Cookbook
• Poem
• Mystery novel
• Business-related

Your book is a product and how it is produced and distributed should be considered in the early stages. 

• Is your book filled with full color images?
• Do you need a fixed layout or fluid layout?
• Hardcopy, softcover or both?
• Will it be available for purchase?
• Are you familiar with printing terminology? 

My ebook "Self-Publishing: Navigating the Process" goes into this topic and provides an introduction to service providers to navigate the process of publishing your book.

Self Publishing: Navigating The Process from Creative Aces

Self Publish a "Look Book" for a Competitive Edge

Presenting samples of your work is an important and making your portfolio stand-out can give you an edge in today's highly competitive (freelance) marketplace.

After viewing a short video about how a NYC photographer still uses traditional prints and cut sheets in the presentation cases or boxes because he had tremendous success getting a face-to-face meeting. Plus, the large format glossy prints SHINE. 

This got me thinking... could I take the best of a traditional portfolio and update using today's technology to produce a book (or magazine) that can be given to a client? 

YES, most certainly.

Ideal for architects & related, designers, photographers, illustrator and more. Self publish a book or magazine, customize content and self publish in hardcopy and digital formats. 

Tell Your Story

Have a vision of the end product? Good. Let's step back to begin with the big picture. Storyboard your book, focusing the message you want your client or prospective client to remember. Build to a crescendo–but leave them wanting more. 

Think About Format

A magazine format is excellent for case studies. Complete with descriptive copy to dig deeper into your approach to the project. Where were the core directive of the creative brief? Unexpected challenges and outcomes? The magazine could be produced on a quarterly or semi-annual basis and made available digitally (ideal for tablet!) and print-on-demand for small quantities.

A traditional coffee table-style book would the option when larger format images need to be used. Wouldn't this make a great gift to a VIP client? Or, a new product to add to your shop. 

Let's work together to resurrect the Look Book for an awe-inspiring impression. 

What kind of book (or magazine) do you want to publish?

Give New Life to Your Archives :: Self Publishing

Deep in the back of big walk-in bedroom closet are three (maybe four) large Rubbermaid storage tubs filled with my family's photo archive; dating back over 100 years. Old sepia-toned and yellowing prints, envelopes of negatives, newspaper clippings, letters, and more. After my parents passed, my siblings concurred that I would be the best steward of this precious archive by nature of my profession and also married to photographer.

Organizing the "stuff" can be a challenge. What do I keep? What can be tossed? How do I scan it? How should I organize it, chronologically?

Since my niece has been doing a bang-up job working on the genealogy including images on our Ancestry account aids her research. (Recently, a distant relative on my mother's side reach out to me and after sharing a picture of my grandfather we discovered that his grandfather was my great uncle.)

Successful Self Publishing: Family Archives

Here at Creative Aces, we have the resources to work with your photo archive to produce a book or series of magazines that could be a treasure – something that will be coveted by family and friends.

These also make excellent gifts!

Collaborate. Create. Publish.

Secrets of Self-Publishing Presentation December 19th

Are you an aspiring author looking for a publisher? 

Look no further than the closest mirror! 

I will be leading a class and discuss to help you simplify the self-publishing system, whether you’re excited about e-books or hard-nosed about hard copies. 

You’ll learn about a wide variety of author services, DIY tools and creative platforms while deciding which method of print and distribution fits your circulation aspirations. And the best part is, you’ll love who you’re working with: yourself!

This free class will be held at one of the community classrooms at Next Door Cafe in Chicago. We'll begin at 6:30p and I'm planning on leaving enough time for Q&A. Next Door Cafe is located at 659 West Diversey. 

In case you can't make this live event, I have prepared an, Self Publishing: Navigating the Process; loaded with description of service providers, tools and pages of resources. 

Available for viewing/downloading via Slideshare.

Self Publishing: Navigating The Process from Creative Aces

REPACKAGE. REPURPOSE. PUBLISH.

• Are you consistently writing blog posts or articles about your industry?

• Is your marketing kit filled with thought-leadership pieces?

• Are you called upon as a 'expert' to address professional audiences?

• Are you using a self-authored book as a key marketing tool?

A self-authored book/ebook as an instrument in your marketing strategy is as old as the hills. People have been doing it for centuries. Today is the day to turn your big pile of content into your own book.

Create. Collaborate. Publish!

In today's 'always connected' digital world, your business book serves as a platform for your ideas and expertise; building on the foundation that you are already a thought-leader in your industry. Use a book or ebook to assist with relationship building of influencers, media and higher-level clientele.

Repackage. Repurpose. Publish.

Sit down, spend the time to review all the articles or blog posts that are stored on your computer or web server. Do you notice a theme?

Let's work together with an editor to organize your articles and construct a book. Freshen up content, double checking facts and sources, adding imagery to enhance the key ideas, crafting a new introduction... and you are on your way to being a self-published author.

Create. Collaborate. Publish!

Production and distribution is now available to everyone. Period. Delivery and distribution to mobile devices has never been easier. The millions, tens-of-millions of smart devices in use today dramatically broadens your reach.

There's no need to order thousands of printed books and store them in your basement. Order what you need for promotional purposes, keeping out-of-pocket expenses within your budget.

Are you ready to publish your ebook? 

Visit the Creative Aces portfolio to learn more about publishing to the iPad or tablet.

iAuthor: iBooks Author Workshop | Registration NOW Open

Fulfill Your Potential as a Published Author!

iAuthor: iBooks Author Workshop
Thursday, October 3, 2013, 5:30p-7p
180 N LaSalle Street (Conf Room)

Apple iBooks Author application is one of the quickest and painless paths to publishing for the iPad. This workshop with introduce you to iBooks Author's features, including: page composition, type & paragraph styles, interactive elements and dynamic content. Keeping the workshop limited to a small group provides the time and attention to guide to creating your own ebook.

This class provides a thorough explanation of using iBooks Author’s powerful features, including: page composition, typography, dynamic content and interactive elements. The class concludes with an exercise that guides you through the creation of an eBook that includes many dynamic and interactive elements. No coding required!

Create interactive and multi-touch ebooks, embedding images, movies, audio clips and inks to internet. Walk away from this hands-on workshop with the tools to create your own ebook that can be shared on any iOS/Apple mobile device (like an iPad or iPhone). Additionally, we'll cover the pathway to establish your own account so you can publush your work.

Bring Apple laptop with iBooks Author installed (available here)

Suggestions:

• Access to your own content: text, images, video, etc.

• Bring iPad to view your work (or mine will be available)

 * Class size will be maximum of 10. Please email me if you're interested in upcoming classes.

Online Ticketing for iAuthor: iBooks Author Workshop powered by Eventbrite

Cover Design: Why It Matters.

Mon. April 15, 2013 Update: I saw this article from New York Times "T" Magazine, with "an illuminating cross section of 83 years of book design" for F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby."  

____________________________

We DO judge a book by its cover. 

Sad, but true.

The cover is an invitation to "enter" the publication.

The most important sales tool at your disposal is the cover of your book (ebook, white paper, presentation, annual report). Make it noteworthy! 

Your cover design should be approached with the same mindset used by product marketing and creative teams. Product packaging drives purchasing decisions for the thousands of products on the market. A book is a product. The cover will be judged as an indication of the quality of the content.

Good, think GREAT, cover design will make you linger, soaking up the imagery, type and layout. You may even run you hand slowly across the cover. Even in our digital world, pausing ever so slightly to enjoy a cover design and when interactivity is added... it's still tactile. 

While cover design varies from business-to-business (B2B) versus consumer (B2C); the end result is still the same. It MOTIVATES.

Check out Chip Kidd's TED Talk "Designing books is no laughing matter. OK. It is."

Below are a few guidelines that can help differentiate your cover.

• Kindle Interest: The cover is the reaction to "tell me more." It's the invitation to enter, learn more, travel to new places, explore ideas, etc. Good cover design requires research and study. Testing structure, placement of elements, image selections, fonts and color palette. 
• Identifies With Your Audience: Understanding your target audience and sharing that profile with your designer is imperative. Your designer will develop concepts that should appeal to your audience.
• Visual Overview: Is the cover a reflection of the theme? It doesn't matter if we're selling our company's features and/or benefits or telling a fictional story; the cover of the publication should be a visual overview.
• Convey An Idea (Emotion): The cover should be more than an afterthought to package the contents. It should be the forethought. Sparking the motivation to turn the cover is how we get to the "tell me more" motivation.
• Make It "Top Drawer": The accessibility to do-it-yourself is everywhere and we recognize the work of a true professional. As a minimum, invest in a professionally designed cover. After all... it will be your primary marketing tool for your book or publication.

Reference links:

Creative Blog 10 Imaginative Annual Report Designs
http://www.creativebloq.com/graphic-design/annual-report-design-2131905

New York Times Favorite Cover Design of 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/12/19/books/20favorite-book-covers.html

Storytelling ~ It's In Our DNA

We’ve all been hearing the word “storytelling” in marketing and social media conversation quite frequently these days.  I'm baffled why this seems to be the latest fad. After all isn't storytelling in our DNA?

For those of us who have worked in marketing, public relations and advertising, we’ve been crafting and delivering those “stories” for a {very} long time.

• Key messaging
•  Investment appeals
•  Call to action
•  Crisis communication
•  Competitive analysis
•  Market overview
•  Benefits of service(s)
•  Long-term strategy
•  Case studies
•  Testimonials

I don’t claim to be a writer but I do draw upon my experience of formatting and designing “stories” for senior level management, events, non-profits, and start-ups for a variety of audiences.  Nothing new, mankind has been communicating with imagery for thousands of years.

More than 10 million Google results are listed when you search “storytelling for business." I love the lead from a prominent social media blogger, “In storytelling for business, you want your reader to take action.”  Drop the word “storytelling” and we’re back to the principles of a communications strategy.  This is where all my copywriting colleagues should be standing on top of their desks, raising their hand with a big “OH YEAH!”

Technology is Today’s Campfire

A few months ago I was in the audience listening to a Chicago Tribune photographer talk about visual storytelling in today’s über-connected environment. Assimilating technology to the time when we sat around the campfire and told stories from one generation to the next. I wonder if YouTube, Facebook or Twitter will be considered this generation’s “campfire.”

There exists, I believe, a hunger for authenticity when technology lacks warmth. As usage of mobile devices, apps and gadgets increases rapidly, stories like the unemployed college grad who made a small fortune self-publishing her books are eaten up like jelly beans on Easter morning. Or, a YouTube video going viral in a matter of hours.

I find unspoken power of marketing and communications in combining images and text to tell a story. 

Effective visuals derived from these five core principles: archetype, face, experimental, emotion and shock. 

The most widely used being archetypical and emotional imagery.

Storytelling for business has a similar structure to that of fiction. (Figure)

What story are we crafting today? I hope it’s one where I/we get to dig deep into the photo archive.

PS: I’m also diving into “visual storytelling” and how we can craft messages and allegories with imagery.  

Here’s a reference from My Modern Met, (may not be NSFW).

Brainstorm With A Teenager For New Insights

My apartment is filled with images captured by husband, Dominic R. Sondy. A lifetime of creativity on film, slides, transparencies, 4x5s, prints and digital files; all stored in archival quality sleeves, bins, DVDs and USB devices.  And he continues to create more everyday.

We began curating collections and publishing books, beginning with “Saigon Shuffle” his Vietnam experience covering his assignment at the front and then as a military correspondent covering Asia.

Since then, I’ve always tried to look for opportunities to extend the products available for each collection.

For The Trees #19 Poster

One of his most recent, “Can’t See The Forest For The Trees” is pure imagery. An esoteric look at the oddities on trees in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. Think inkblot meets horticulture. Naturally, individual prints are available, over 100!. But I was looking for opportunities to extend the product line not only for “Can’t See The Forest For The Trees” (“FTT”) but also for other collections.
 
Publication of the FTT book took several iterations to get the quality just right. Working with image rich content requires higher standards than just “ink on paper”. Everything from size of book, image wrap vs soft/hard cover, paper selection and print quality were examined carefully.  

While reviewing one of the early editions, my youngest daughter started flipping through the pages and free-styling ideas for products.

 Posters! iPhone/iPad cases! Calendars! Oh, my!

For The Treest #093

Productions of calendars was already on my list, but I hadn’t thought about posters and skins for devices. I started to listen intently to my fourteen year old who was selecting images for these products. “Mom, this one would be great for a poster. I’d put this up on my wall.”  “Imagine this one on my iPhone staring at you.”  
I went to work creating the products and building the landing page for the “Can’t See The Forest Through The Trees” product offering.

We were doing the victory dance last night when I blurted out to my daughter that we sold one of the posters!  

My New ‘Youth-Oriented’ Focus Group
Sometimes I get so stuck in my own, old, conventional methods that I fail to realize that my audience may be much different.  It took the off-the-cuff suggestions of a daughter reviewing her father’s work to add new thinking to marketing and product creation. In addition to the product suggestions, she went further, hinting at a pricing structure for each product and poster size. In other words, what she would be willing to pay to hang a poster in her room.

Since my daughters are part of Dominic’s and my social streams and their friends tap into their streams, that presents an opportunity to connect with new markets that I hadn’t seriously considered. I’ll be looking forward to another serendipitous focus group session with my (smart and insightful) teenage daughter.

My Pet Peeves of DIY White Paper & eBook Design

Design matters. Especially when the company name and reputation are involved. A well-designed white paper has the potential to elevate the “importance” of the content. Admittedly, don’t we all place 'value' on the appearance and attention to detail in the items we buy.

By nature of my profession, I view a lot of documents as sources for inspiration, trends, information and fun. However, as the explosion of Information Marketing is taking the web by storm; I’m noticing more DIY or off-the-shelf document formatting.

Design matters, a lot!

Below are just a few peeves that distract from the readability and ultimately, the value of a white paper or e-book. (I have purposely excluded samples from this article because I don't want to embarrass anyone, including myself.)

Peeve: Frumpy, Dumpy CoversCreating a compelling “tell me more” cover is an art and skill. I typically reserve finalizing the cover until the interior is complete. If you’ve ever taken a small child grocery shopping, you’ll understand why he/she picks up certain (high priced brand) boxes off the shelves while ignoring others.

Fix-it Tip: There isn’t a quick fix tip for designing covers. In my opinion, one of the most challenging aspects of the project.

Peeve: Text That Hurts My EyesThis is one of my biggest frustrations. I give a company my email address to receive their ebook and I can’t get past the first few pages because the font and paragraph styling is best suited for a birthday card. As a reader, we tend to scan groups of words when reading and anything that creates a barrier to this process erodes the value of your content.

Fix-it Tip: Use serif typefaces for body copy. The finishing strokes or serifs on typefaces like Times New Roman and Garamond aid the eye as we move from word-to-word.

Fix-it Tip: Add extra line space. The default ‘single’ line spacing is not the best choice since it tends to make the lines of text too tight. The addition of some white space between lines guides the reader left-to-right.

Fix-it Tip: Avoid long lines of text by increasing left and/or right margins or adopting a multi-column format. Could you imaging reading an article in the New York Times that was a single column of nearly 23” wide? Eye strain!

Peeve: Lack of Visual Cadence
Documents of continuous blocks of copy without headlines, sub headlines, call-out boxes, and even bullet points are just plain boring. Let’s be perfectly honest; you’re skimming this entry right now trying to glean the best stuff. The goal is to increase readability & readership.

Fix-it Tip: Use subheads, formatted with a complementary font and color.

Fix-it Tip: Add white space between ideas or sections.

Peeve: Disordered Page Layout
Rag-tag, zip-zagging content is ugly. Ugly to look at and easy to dismiss. A call-out box here. Chart inserted there. Close file. Total waste of my time.

Fix-it Tip: Using a multi-column format can provide the containers for text and other elements to be placed efficiently and neatly.

Peeve: Blatant Disregard for DetailsRunning spell check is easy, but actually printing a hard copy and reading your own white paper is a big payoff in catching small details. Here are a couple more:

Fix-it Tip: Two spaces at the end of a sentence is very old school. Consult today’s style guides.

Fix-it Tip: Fix awkward line breaks on formal names, dates, locations and numbers by keeping on same line.

Fix-it Tip: Stop using the Return key to add unnecessary extra line spacing between paragraphs. Use paragraph styling instead to automatically format paragraphs with approx. 1 ½ lines of text between paragraphs.

Peeve: Using Every Color AvailableI was trying to read an online magazine today, but couldn’t get past the first few pages because the ‘production artist’ was using just about every color of the spectrum more suitable for a birthday card. An experienced publication designer will establish a color theme, rendering editorial content consistent; thus emphasizing images, charts and adverts.

Fix-It Tip: Stop the overuse of color by developing a limited color palette. A less is more mentality is needed.

Peeve: Ignoring StylingFormatting text as you go is inefficient and amateurish. Even MS Word has the ability to create styles for text and paragraphs.

Fix-It Tip: Select typefaces and attributes once and apply consistently throughout the document.

Spider In Your Engine, Oh My!

I read the article about a recall from certain car manufacturer because spiders are nesting in their fuel line vent filters.

Truth is stranger than fiction...

My husband, Dominic Sondy, wrote a book with a related theme. It is titled Used Buggy Parts: A Field Guide To Automotive EntomologyUsed Buggy Parts: A Field Guide To Automotive Entomology. His book is a spoof.

The title is play on words based on the idea that early automobiles were once referred to as Buggies. Dominic's parody features insects that have evolved, after intimate contact with automobiles, and now live in cars. Used Buggy Parts features creatures like Radiator Bees, Lifter Ticks, Milage Millipedes and a Manifold Mantis. The book even has illustrations of the bugs. These fictional insects are composites of actual automotive parts. Used Buggy Parts is self-published and is currently available on Lulu.com. As Dominic says, "I wrote and illustrated the book for fun. You might enjoy it too. This story demonstrates how fiction really can become reality."

Individual "Used Buggy Parts" photographic prints are also available.