To see the cover of a new issue of the magazine, it is not necessary to print a test batch – you can create a mockup. We tell you what this tool is and how to work with it.
What is a mockup
A mockup is a realistic model of an item that helps show how a design will look in context: on a phone screen, on a T-shirt, or the streets of a city. There are different types of mockups, for example, a laptop mockup. It is a digital tool that replicates the aesthetic of a laptop screen and accessory. They are widely employed in graphic design and website development to show, without the need for a real device, how a software or website might look on a laptop screen. Laptop mockups may be used for a number of purposes due to their versatility.
A mockup is sometimes confused with a sketch or print layout. A sketch is a drawing, sketch of a prototype, or finished design. A layout is a file with text and pictures in a printable resolution that is sent to a printer.
How mockups can be used
Print mockups
They are needed to visualize the design on postcards, flyers, banners, books, and magazines. These corporate identity mockups help you check how the design will look like as a whole, and evaluate the size and how clear the font is.
Device mockups
This is an image of a smartphone, laptop, TV, smartwatch, and other gadgets with a design instead of a screen. Such mockups are used to understand how a mobile application or website looks on a specific device.
Mockups of advertising structures
The same illustration will look different from the background of the historical center or the sleeping area. To make sure that advertising fits into the surrounding reality, you need to make a mockup for a billboard or a light box – an advertising structure that is placed on shop windows or stops.
Why mockups are needed
The main task of a mockup is to show the customer or investor how the product will look in real life. For example, a rendered logo might be perfect on its own, but if placed on top of a milk carton, it might be too big or small, or hard to read.
Mockups help designers:
to check the viability of the idea. For example, a specialist designs a sign for a cafe. If you place an illustration in a building facade mockup, you can see how the design fits into the surroundings.
to check how the design will look on objects of different sizes. It happens that the same illustration is placed both on an A2 poster and on a flyer the size of a postcard. If you make mockups in these formats, it will become clear whether the design needs to be finalized or whether it can be printed.
to speed up repetitive work. Mockups come in handy when the design needs to be placed on the same objects, for example, on a site that sells superhero t-shirts. You can not photograph each product, but only change the color of the fabric.
to show branding. Branding helps to increase the company’s recognition in the market. You can place a logo, motto, or other insignia on almost any item. To understand where the branding will look best, you can make mockups for the corporate identity on each item.
How to choose the right mockup
When a specialist visualizes a design using a ready-made mockup, he takes into account several factors:
When choosing a template, you need to pay attention to both the object itself and the environment. The more realistic the picture, the more natural the design will look on it.
Good mockups “adjust” to the object: after the design is applied, there are highlights, creases, shadows, reflections, and other effects that make the image realistic.
When a design is placed in a mockup of smartphones, tablets, or laptops, they often forget about the relevance of the models, for example, they put a mobile application in an iPhone 5 mockup that no one uses anymore.
This is the main information about the usage of mockups. Hope it will help you!
