Page 4 - Giordan on Graphics - www.webreference.com

Watch that light source

Remember that all shadows have a direction that is dictated by the light source casting the shadow. For example, if the light is above to the left, the shadow will fall below and to the right. If you're adding a shadow to an object, look for where the highlight is falling on the object and position the shadow opposite it.

This gets tricky when you want to place a shadow elsewhere for design reasons. At that point you need to weigh the decision based on how badly you need the shadow position, versus how much you think people will notice that descrepancy. As long as it is not a glaring contradiction, you are probably safe. You may also decide to alter the object, removing an obvious highlight that might give you away.

Another more common factor to be aware of is making your shadows fall in the same direction when used on the same page. If you place multiple items on one page they must share the same light source, and have shadows that fall in the same direction. Make sure you consider the bigger picture of the entire page design,and make your drop shadows consistent.

Next page...