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Graphic Design & Illustration

Terry LawrenceOur services include computer graphics, publications, and miscellaneous art services. Rough sketches should be done neatly and attached to the work request form. More complicated projects should be explained directly to the artist to insure clear interpretation of the work request. Upon completion of the art work, the client will be given a printout to check and approve the work before it is reproduced in its final form. Please refer to our Policies page for more information.

Artist (available by appointment)
Terry Lawrence
231-9005
talmdill@vt.edu

Medical Illustrations

Illustration Medical illustration and original art work is available. Photographs of the subject or the actual specimens should be submitted with a work request. More complicated jobs will require a meeting between the client and the artist. The artist is available by appointment for field illustration with sufficient notice.


Publications

  • The material is to be organized and edited by the client.
  • The client then meets with the artist to discuss the design, layout, length of the publication, photography etc.
  • A completion date will be scheduled and quotes obtained from the print shop, etc.
  • The artist will design a rough draft and ask the client to review and approve the design.
  • The artist will finalize the art work and make arrangements for reproduction.

Poster Sessions

Poster SessionsPoster session protocols are as follows:

  • The material for a poster session will be organized and edited by the client.
  • Material submitted to the Media Center should include the specifications and guidelines (especially the size of the display area) that the client received from the organization where the display will be presented.
  • The client then meets with the designer who will create a layout.
  • The edited material should be produced in Microsoft Word and graphics should be submitted separately.
  • Once the typed material has been received, a two week deadline will be assigned depending upon the complexity of the job.
  • As the work progresses, the artist will ask the client to review and approve the art work, photographs, and the final layout.

We highly recommend that clients bring the poster contents to the Media Center to have our professional artist design the poster. Your hard work on research deserves it. The normal poster takes only about 3 - 4 hours to design, and we have a $10 per hour computer fee. The final design will involve client and artist input with the ultimate goal of positive and eye-catching representation of the client's research and the college.

You may want to create your own poster in PowerPoint if:

  • the client does not have sufficient time to prepare materials for artist rendering
  • multiple posters are being presented and the artist's schedule can’t accommodate the demand
  • there are student posters that are in competition

Some helpful tips and issues about posters designed in PowerPoint:

  • For those who want posters printed from their own file, please allow at least a one-week turn around.
  • PowerPoint poster layout is defined by going under file > page setup and identifying the poster size.
  • If the poster is over 54 inches you will need to make it half size and then it will be printed at 200% because PowerPoint has a limit of 54 inches.
  • Our large format printer has a special print driver which renders PowerPoint files in lower resolution than it does for Illustrator, which is the program used by our artist.
  • If your poster contains micrographs or anything with critical detail or color, it would be best designed by the artist.
  • Different PowerPoint versions and platforms (MAC or PC) can cause translation problems with the artist's computer. Addressing these translation discrepancies will require more time.

Compatible Software

The Biomedical Media Center supports the following software: Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), and PhotoShop.

Miscellaneous

Dry mounting, laminating, enlarging and reducing any flat copy, and small signs are available through the Media Center.