Mockups are imaginative, often photorealistic displays that show how a concept could look or work in real life. In other words, using each of these four professional mockup techniques provides a look into the future that is a logo design printed on a backpack held by regular shoppers, an interface scrolled by an unseen hand, or even a professionally branded storefront. Freelance Bazar will explain to you the 4 amazing techniques-
- Build a one-of-a-kind mockup from scratch.
A customized mockup is entirely customized to a specific specification. If you would like to create creative mockups, this is the methodology we suggest for the best performance. Given that a mockup aims to present and eventually persuade, it stands to reason that the most convincing mockup is one that is customized to a particular customer. Creating mockups from scratch for each project, on the other hand, is not the most realistic solution. It necessitates a significant amount of work for what is a one-time presentational commodity. It is indeed only helpful if the mockup idea is extremely original—pointless it is to go to all the trouble if the product is distinct from a prototype. It is eventually up to you to determine whether you are invested enough in the project or customer to go the extra mile to build a one-of-a-kind mockup. Original images are needed for a fully customized mockup. This helps you to produce a mockup scenario that is much more accurate to your design vision, while stock images are designed for traditional sets and scenes. You can take your photographs if you have the necessary equipment, skills, logo design, and time.
Tools required-
- Photography equipment
- Editing software -Photoshop, Gimp
- Animation software
Cost-Moderate to high level.
Pros-mockups that are more precise and truer to the designer’s concept are created.
Actual images: no watermarking or licenses needed.
Cons-Costly and time-consuming; need advanced software skills; time-consuming.
- Develop reusable mockup models.
Personalized mockup models are mockups created by designers that are generic enough to be reused for different projects. As we mentioned in the previous segment, making custom mockups for each project can be inefficient and expensive, but this methodology helps the designer to build mockups that are both exclusive and reusable at a lower cost. The method for designing mockup models is the same as for creating customized mockups: you must also procure photographs and add the concept using a picture editing application. One distinction is in the approach to mockup photography: it must be generic enough to serve a variety of customers. Some designers produce blank product renderings for real products using 3D applications such as Adobe Dimension, which also allows you to create rotatable, interactive mockups.
Tools required-
- Photography tools
- Photoshop, Serif Photo, Gimp
- 3D software for product renderings
Cost is of Moderate range.
Pros
- Original image or logo design; no watermarking or need licenses.
Cons
- Requires advanced software knowledge.
- Sometimes results are not sufficiently distinct from a third-party template.
- Make use of a mockup generator website.
A mockup generation website is a web tool that uses stock imagery and AI software to generate a mockup from a third-party blueprint. Typically, what the designer must do is submit their idea, and the app can handle all the technical aspects. This method is by far the simplest and fastest to implement, but it does have certain disadvantages. The resulting mockup would be unoriginal, and since many designers would have used the same tool, it is not unusual to find the very same mockup images sprouting up ad nauseam on portfolio sites. When choosing a service, keep the following factors in mind: price, cost, and relevance. In terms of cost, many mockup generators are free to use, but be careful of hidden costs such as watermarking or minimal template availability. Otherwise, pricing is usually dependent on a payment model. Quality is subjective, so you can spend some time reading mockups used by other designers and rivals to get a sense of what is clever and what is normal. Finally, some of these sites specialize in specific types of mockups, so select one that is important to your projects, particularly if you are buying a membership.
Tools required-
- good internet connection
- Subscription to a mockup site
Cost- Can be very low to free of cost.
Pros
- low effort; no prerequisite knowledge necessary
- Quality can be around to a custom mockup.
Cons
generic look with images shared across the internet.
- The subscription model is only useful if mockups are required.
- Make use of a program plugin for mockup development.
Mockup plugins are third-party collaborations that work with design applications to produce mockups. These applications essentially enable the team to create and mock-up within the same package, with the added advantage that the designer can use the software’s resources to make changes to the mockup after it has been created.
This is like getting the best of both worlds: a low-cost, low-effort template with the option of customization. Having said that, this approach is typically reserved for visual designs, with many other plugins aimed at app prototyping applications such as Sketch, Adobe XD. You must follow the guidelines for the specific location to download and update the plugin into your app. You will then be able to add a specification from your program to a mockup. After that, the approach is close to that of using a mockup creator website: the plugin will generate the mockup and you will use configuration software to finalize it.
Tools required-
- Design software
- Plugin license
Cost-Low cost
Pros
- low effort and little software knowledge
- Mockups are created as part of the design process.
Cons
- generic look with images shared across the internet and other platforms.
- not significantly distinct from online mockup builders.
Conclusion
Project mockups are extremely effective presentation techniques that not only market a design concept but also provide the audience with a glimpse of a future in which the design exists. When done correctly, the customer would be almost forced to make the future a possibility. As this article By Freelance Bazar has shown, there are several methods for making mockups, each with its own set of advantages and drawbacks. However, regardless of how you create the mockups, the final product will be determined by the artist and their contribution to a practical mockup rendering that jumps off the screen.
