How Aaron Draplin Creates Vintage-Looking Designs in Photoshop

Want more in-depth tips and tutorials? Check out Draplin’s classes and so much more with a 1 month free trial of Skillshare: skl.sh/4bBdREB


Gritty, vintage-looking graphic design doesn't require a printing press or a copy machine. Aaron Draplin recreates those textured imperfections using Photoshop—and here, the legendary designer offers a step-by-step tutorial on how you can, too. Break traditional design rules, explore filters, and blur layers until your work has all the "scrizz" of an old-school poster. For more tips, check out Draplin's full Skillshare Original, Dirty Design With Draplin: Crusty Techniques to Create Truly Original Work: skl.sh/4bBdREB

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AARON DRAPLIN QUICK JUMP MENU

00:00 Introduction
00:25 Design Timelapse
01:04 About the Technique: In-App Copy Machine
01:52 Getting Started: Pasting Your Object and Using Greyscale
02:24 Adjusting the Image Resolution (DPI)
02:55 Increasing the Canvas Size
03:11 Copying, Flattening, and Blurring Your Layers
04:25 Adding Noise
07:07 Exploring Filters: Stamp
07:54 Pushing the Limits with Blurring
09:10 Using Transform to Degrade an Image

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ABOUT AARON DRAPLIN’S NEW SKILLSHARE CLASS

Legendary designer Aaron Draplin has spent most of his career creating work on the computer, but he’s always been inspired by the rough quality of vintage graphics that were created by hand. In this class, you’ll learn all about how he adds that signature “scrizz” to his digital designs—and why those little imperfections can actually make your work better.

First, you’ll learn a bit about the history of graphic design, and explore some of the old artifacts and modern artists that inspire Draplin to add this crusty quality to his work. Then, you’ll dive into Photoshop and Illustrator to learn techniques you can use to add a little grit to your work, including how to:

-Use basic tools to give your work a grainy, low-res look
-Embrace human error to prevent your design from looking too perfect
-Use halftones to create vintage-looking images
-Take your work off the computer to get even weirder with it
-Create the look of old printmaking and design techniques right on your computer

These techniques and ideas are super simple and accessible to designers of all levels. Whether you want to create full vintage-inspired graphics, or just want to add a little bit of crust to make your work feel more human, you’ll finish this class with some new skills in your graphic design toolkit to carry forward and use to elevate your work.

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MORE FROM AARON DRAPLIN


In Design Like Draplin: 21 Tips for Speeding Up Your Design Workflow, learn tricks and shortcuts that will amp up your productivity as a designer—without negatively impacting the final product: https://skl.sh/34632dK

Posters, tees, patches, and other supremely sellable merch can be a great way to share your creativity with the world. In Design Great Stuff: How to Make Merch with Draplin, learn how to choose the best imagery, build relationships with vendors, and save your files for easy handoff: https://skl.sh/2RJ5fca

Build a family crest and learn design tips for simple, eye-catching emblems in Logo Design with Draplin: Secrets of Shape, Type and Color, a Skillshare Original for all levels: https://skl.sh/3hMSRTp