Discussion – Utilizing a Template Layer in Illustrator Career Relevancy It is actually rather infrequent that graphic designers create complex illustrations from scratch in Illustrator – they most often put pen or pencil to paper first, scan the artwork in and then using the scan as a template, vectorize the illustration. It is important that graphic designers today understand when utilizing traditional drawing combined with technology will yield a better result, faster.Utilizing a template layer is common practice among designers in the field. Photographic images often allow designers to ensure that proportions are correct while not limiting creative expression in any way. If a designer has some illustration skills, drawing by hand, with paper and pen, it is often quicker and easier than drawing within Illustrator. Then hand drawing, scanning, and implementation of a template layer are encouraged while employing Illustrator.A designer must be careful, though, to properly select and utilize images or artwork in a template layer. You might be familiar with how plagiarism works while writing your discussion posts and papers, but we need to be just as mindful of it in design. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, ?Plagiarism: to steal and pass off as one?s own; to use without crediting the source.? So let?s explore that.In design, plagiarism can be truly unintentional. We see something and are inspired, and remember the inspiration in some back corner of our brain. Many months later, a project is presented, and we remember what inspired us in response to the project at hand, having no idea that the image coming to mind was someone else?s work, not ours. After a final has been produced, designers have been asked to make changes to differentiate the new work from that which was in existence. This proves to be frustrating, embarrassing and expensive to both designers and clients.But, plagiarism can happen far more intentionally, particularly with tools like Illustrator and Photoshop. No matter how many hours are put into a project or how hard you work on a composition, a copy is a copy – and unless you created the original, it is direct plagiarism and absolutely against the law.What if your work is plagiarized? Before getting angry, feel flattered. Then contact the offender in a friendly way and ask to see the situation resolved. Corrective actions might include revising the work, crediting the concept to you or immediately removing the unoriginal materials. If letters and emails don?t work, legal options can be explored and a cease and desist letter sent. But before taking any action at all, make sure that you can establish the original work as yours, with proof of the date it was created.We are going to explore when it is a good idea to utilize a template layer this week, and when it might actually be considered plagiarism. Read the following three scenarios then answer the questions below.Designer A was inspired by a photo of flowers that he saw in a magazine and created a sketch based on one of the flowers in the photo. He scanned the sketch and then utilized it in a template layer to create an icon to be used as part of a logo.Designer B found a photo of a dragonfly on the Internet. He dragged it to his desktop and then created a template layer from it in Illustrator. He used the image to gauge the proportion and overall shape of the dragonfly but simplified it quite a bit. In fact, the final image looked nothing like the original photo except for the overall shape.Designer C found an image of almost exactly what he wanted for a logo on the Internet. He downloaded it and traced it, changing a line or two so as not to make a direct copy.All three designers used a photo for inspiration in their final vector artwork. Compare and contrast their approaches.
