Brand Art

Halftone treatment can be used to create large-scale images that are inspired by traditional printing techniques. The halftone treatment can change the limits of photo resolution into vector-like shapes that can work at any size.

To Create This Effect in Photoshop

1. Open the image in Photoshop and go to Image > Mode > Grayscale to change the image to black and white.
2. Change the image again to Bitmap with Image > Mode > Bitmap… and then enter the resolution you want your image to be. (Ex. 300 Pixels/Inch) Under the Method: Use drop menu, select “Halftone Screen …” then click Okay.
3. When the halftone screen menu pops up, enter the Frequency of Lines/Inch. (Ex. For a 300 ppi, use around 10 lpi.) The lower the number, the less dots will be used to make up your image. Experiment to make sure the image is still visibly distinguishable and clearly treated in halftone. (See “Incorrect Use” below.)
4. Once you have achieved the look you want, you may choose to cut out the image from its background.
5. You can also clean up the edges of your image by zooming in and removing stray dots.
6. Follow the instructions for the Gradient Map effect on your image. Always use Jefferson Blue as the darker color.
7. Once the image is flattened (Layer > Flatten Image), the image can be converted to CMYK for four-color printing or RGB for web. Your image is now ready for design and layout.

Portrait circles provide an updated approach to presenting headshots while communicating the UVA brand. By allowing the subject of the portrait’s subject to break the circumference along the top of the image, this treatment realizes the concept of “illimitable freedom.” 

To Create This Effect in Photoshop

1. Using the elliptical marquee tool, strategically place an outlined circle over the subject so that part of the head lies outside the circle.
2. Select Layer > New > New Layer via Copy to create a new layer of just the circled content. (Seen with original layer visibility turned off.)
3. Turn off your new circle layer and return to the original layer. Using Lasso Tools, the Magic Wand tool, or whatever your preference, outline the part of the photo subject that will lie outside the circle. You can be generous with overlapping.
4. Select > Inverse and delete the remaining background of the image.
5. Turn on the visibility of the circle layer created in Step 2, then select Layer > Merge Visible to merge the two layers together. Now you have a Portrait Circle.
6. Additional color treatments can be added to your Portrait Circle, depending on your image and its use

The overlapping grid collage uses overlapping images to create depth and interest, paired with a simple monochromatic palette. It is one style of collage that can be created using elements of the UVA brand.

You can use this template to develop your own overlapping grid collage.

To Creative an Overlapping Grid Collage

1. In Illustrator, open a new document and create a grid of rectangular shapes that fills your custom artboard. Use a variety: both large and small, horizontal and vertical.
2. Next, place the images you want in your collage across the grid using the shapes to create clipping masks (Object > Clipping Mask > Make) for the images. In this design, notice how the content and perspective of the images are spread out. And note how people on the left of the collage face mostly right and people on the right face mostly left.
3. Use Photoshop to adjust the color of your image files. First, convert the file mode to Grayscale (Image > Mode > Grayscale).
4. Next, convert the file mode from Grayscale to Duotone (Image > Mode > Duotone). Under Duotone options, create Ink 1. In this example, the color is Cyan (C 100, M 0, Y 0, K 0), which supports and enhances Jefferson Blue while maintaining the overall blue effect of the collage. Using Cyan as a secondary blue helps give the collage visual depth.
5. Still using Photoshop, enhance the difference between light and dark (contrast) by adjusting the Exposure levels (Image > Adjust > Exposure). Don’t forget to save the image as CMYK or RGB depending on the application of the final design.
6. In Illustrator, if the file name of the image you adjusted remains the same, a prompt in Illustrator will ask to replace the image in your artboard with the new modifications. If not, replace it with the new single color image.
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6 for the rest of your images. To create Jefferson Blue images in Photoshop, under Duotone options, create Ink 1 in Jefferson Blue (C 98, M 83, Y 12, K 46). Again use Exposure levels to adjust the contrasts of your image.
8. In Illustrator, continue to replace your images with the adjusted-color images, being sure to use a combination of images using Cyan and Jefferson Blue. Once all the images are adjusted in your grid, the ratio of Cyan to Jefferson Blue images should be around 1:3
9. Back in Illustrator, now that the images are in place on your grid, give the collage more depth by pulling the edges of some of the clipping masks on top of each other.
10. Still in Illustrator, adjust the transparencies of the now top-level masked images to “Screen” (Window > Transparency). This adds visual depth and illustrates the shared energy of the images by literally sharing space between them.
11. Create a new layer on top of your photos layer in Illustrator. Using Cyan and Jefferson Blue, create new rectangular shapes randomly across the artboard. This will add depth and cohesion to the collage.
12. Adjust each color rectangle (or screen) using a variety of Hard Light, Soft Light and Normal transparencies in different percentages (Window > Transparency). To make sure the photos in the layer beneath maintain their visual value, move the rectangles around and adjust their height and width.
13. To add another level of depth, create another layer in Illustrator using words and graphics (Shapes, Dot Screen Aura, We Burst, etc.) from the brand art toolkit. Use Jefferson Blue.
14. Again, adjust the graphics to best work with the photos in the grid and the overall design. Move the graphics around and perhaps tuck them inside and underneath certain images. Then adjust the transparency of each element to “Color Burn” so that graphics will react to the color of the photos beneath them.

The simple grid collage uses squares and rectangles to feature large quantities of images while maintaining simplicity. This collage can employ both UVA’s primary and secondary color palettes. The following examples illustrate how this technique can be used.

You can use this template to develop your own simple grid collage.

To Create A Simple Grid Collage

1. In Illustrator, open a new document and create a grid. Draw a column of squares that fills the artboard vertically.
2. Repeat the column across the space horizontally until the space is filled.
3. Squeeze the grid to fit the artboard perfectly. Try to keep the grid square dimensions within the ratios of 1:1 and 1:2. One way to find the right balance is by adding or removing rows or columns.
4. Make room for images to have more space by connecting some squares together. This grid will provide outlines for clipping masks.
5. Next, place the images you want in your collage inside each shape. Place the grid shape outline on top of your image, then right-click > Make Clipping Mask. The image is placed inside the outline. You can shift the image within the outline using the Direct Selection Tool.
6. Continue until you have filled each space with an image. Make sure subjects and content are balanced across your grid so no two similar things are placed near each other.
7. Now that the collage images are placed, begin to experiment. Leave most images without effects; this particular grid approach is meant to be a more scaled back look than the Overlapping Grid collage.
8. A stroke around each image can be added to create more separation and emphasize the clean lines of the collage. Use it or not depending on your own design strategy.