Graphic Design: Reasons to Use Thumbnails

Back to the Business of Graphic Design...

"Thumbnails" are a way to view or print a multi-page document.

They allow you to get an overall view of how the project is progressing.

Here is a magazine that I recently designed.

Seeing the pages this small shows the pacing at a glance,

so you can see what order the features and columns should flow in.

I also use this method to check to make sure that the

elements of my design have a consistent look, from page to page.

Aren't the tiny pages so cute!?

Back in the day, at the big publishing companies, we had "wall meetings."

We would spread out the entire issue (life-sized) on a wall and

decide where to move the ads and stories around.

These meetings were usually either really fun,

or knock-down drag-out.

There were staples & thumbtacks involved.

Here's a 96 page catalog I'm working on now...

omg... look at all this work I did!

You would think I had no time left to do twitter &

blogposts & watch Mad Men & Glee.

(let alone make sure all the varmints get to the bus stop on time.)

This client requested to see thumbnails.

I often forget that even though I have the whole layout in my head,

the client does NOT.

Seeing it this way, will give him all sorts of ideas about moving sections around.

And maybe changing some heads & section titles. He'll probably break-up some spreads

and want them put back together differently...

And i'll do it. Because it's my job.

I'm blessed to have this work, that allows me to stay in my pj's

and see my kids get off the school bus every day.

And even on the bad days, and even though I might complain,

I still love being a graphic designer.