Designer Captions

Anyone working on TG captions know that the basic model is the two panel cap: a picture to the left and text to the right. The fact is, many brilliant captions are made this way. It works well as long as the typeface is readable, the photo is good and the story makes sense.

Click on cap to enlarge!

I have made many caps of this kind myself, but I must admit that I sometimes find the format too limiting. To right you can see the first cap I published over at Rachel's Haven in 2007. That white canvas just begged to be used for something more than photo+black-on-white.

Using Photoshop, Photoshop Elements or similar software packages it is possible to use the lay out of the caption to expand the story.

The fact is that doing something like this isn't that hard. If you use Photoshop Elements, as I do, you will have to learn how to handle layers and transparency, but that is quite easy to do.

Respectfully stolen from Modern Goddess

Those who cannot afford to buy software, can use Gimp. Heck, you can even use Keynote or PowerPoint to make "designer caps".

Lately I have found several captioners who are moving capping to a whole new level, design wise, using the design to expand on the story.

Originally published on Codex of Corruption.
Click on cap to enlarge!

Take a look at Miss Simone's Concealing the Truth to the left. Look at how the horizontal line of the headline balances the vertical line that goes down to the logo. She does, of course, fetch her back ground colors from the photo.

I just love it!

Below I have also included her Perfect Package cap. The contrast between the red and black rectangular fields are perfectly balanced. Mmmm.

Victoria Hyde takes this up one more level, using the typography to express the difference between the inhuman computer and the bewildered victim in Bonding Process.

From Modern Goddess

The black, grey and white color scheme is made more exciting by a dash of red. Notice how the red of the "evil" computer font is reflected in that red stripe in the headline. Woow!

I definitely have some catching up to do.

By the way, Victoria's site Codex of Corruption is a good example of how you can use the Tumblr blog platform  (instead of Blogger) to design a great blog.

For my next post on designer caps: Can you tell me about cap designs you have found exciting or interesting. Include the URL, please!