BTS: Atwater Print Mockups
This time last year Sarah Rafferty of Atwater Designs reached out to refresh her online print shop with new mockups that better aligned with the rebrand Sarah Ann Design had recently done for her. It’s no secret here, I love working with my creative friends and Sarah shared her vision of a print shop that really reflected how she views her own work - surrounded by nature, tucked into the everyday.
What is a print mockup?
A mockup is a scene created to showcase digital files in a real world environment. Artists, brand designers and other creatives use mockups to show their customers what a final product will look like. It could be a label for a package, a book’s cover, a framed print, a mug… the list is endless.
The user of the mockup is given a file (most popular is a Photoshop PSD file) that has a layer for the artwork file to go into - a few clicks and voila! You have yourself a mockup.
For Sarah, it was important to show her work in a less static environment by building a story within the new mockup images.
The original print shop page showed available prints against a white background, while the secondary image (top row, second image) was the original print mockup we created in 2019.
Moving forward, Sarah wanted the images to feel more connected to nature and a closer look into Sarah’s own personal style. After a couple conversations of the type of light, props and styling we wanted to achieve, the mood board was created.
The Vibe + Propping
Along with images for our mood board I love to add a written element to our planning. The verbal prompt for the photo shoot was “A british cottage with soft, open light that feels like Fall or early Spring. A home interior just after a rainstorm.”
Ugh. So good, right?
Propping had to be very intentional to pull off this vibe and Sarah was wonderfully specific about the type of plants she wanted in the images and brought me boxes of items from her own studio. I remember feeling giddy looking at all the items that could potentially build out the scene.
Final Imagery
The final images were delivered with the frames in both vertical and horizontal position, as well as the ability to show a print with a mat or without a mat (framed to the edge). In all of my mockups there are adjustment layers added to help blend a digital file into the scene and every client receives a mockup guide to get the most out of their new files.
Additional Images
Along with mockups, we used the scenes to create styled images of other pieces of Sarah’s artwork. These images were created with the intention of them being added to website headers, social media posts and any printed marketing materials.
Final Thoughts
Yeah…obsessed. The images add depth and story to the print shop, rounding out the thoughtfulness of the rest of Sarah’s website. If you haven’t already, please add Atwater Designs into your life!
Instagram: @atwaterdesigns
Website: atwaterdesigns.com
Shop: shopatwaterdesigns.com
