The Value of Learning From the Pros

Tracy Collins spoke about the importance of being inspired by the professionals when designing. Looking at the way layouts are designed for magazines and advertisements has greatly impacted the quality of design in my publication. I really loved the way that Tracy explained that being inspired by the work of the pros is not plagiarism--you can be inspired by their work and make it your own.

In our 2014 yearbook, my students were inspired by this design from Dirt Rag Magazine.

They turned it into this series of spreads spread that made up part of the opening for our yearbook.

                                   

I feel like the students stayed true to their inspiration, and made it their own. Using magazines and other sources gave the students a frame of reference for the designs that they were doing, and put an end to blankly staring at the computer screen waiting for a design to magically come to them. We tried to continue finding inspiration for our designs throughout the year, and it led to a great collection of headline, layout, and photography ideas that ultimately made our book better. 

After Tracy's presentation, I am really looking forward to our annual trip to The Tattered Cover to buy new magazines to use for the inspiration for the 2015 book!

Annie Gorenstein

Arvada West High School

Arvada, Colorado