Die Line Creation With Craig Winzer

Print projects come in all shapes and sizes. Custom Die Cuts are the perfect way to break out of the box and give your product that unique boost. Jakprints wants to make creating a beautiful, one-of-a-kind product as easy as possible, so we offer free die line creation. That’s one less thing for you to worry about when you’re looking to knock out a truly unique product.

We turned to Craig Winzer, a member of the File Creation Team and successful illustrator, to break down die lines and tell us about himself.

What did you do before you joined the Jakprints Design Team?

This is actually my first job out of school. I went to Kent State for Graphic Design, and being able to start working for a company with a ton of creative opportunities was an opportunity too awesome to pass up.

What sparked your interest in design and illustration?

I’ve been drawing my entire life, and it just made sense to go into a creative field. I’m always doodling and dreaming up ideas to turn into designs. So nothing really sparked it. It’s always been a passion of mine.

What artists do you draw inspiration from?

Sam Weber is an amazing painter. Josh Cochran can really draw, and Jim Stoten can produce some pretty whacky, cool stuff. He makes music that’s pretty great, too.

All of those guys have incredible creative voices and each are really visually appealing to me for different reasons. Sam Weber, at a glance, is crazy realistic but surreal at the same time. His stuff always requires a second or third look to get the full effect. Josh and Jim have thought provoking, detailed pieces that you can look at for a while and still find little bits here and there that you didn’t see before.

You’ve worked with some big names like Cosmopolitan and Hustler. How did that come about?

I promote myself to art directors with Posters and other promotional materials like Postcards and Stickers. I send these Postcards out to art directors and sometimes I get lucky and they hit me up to create some designs. Hearing back from Cosmo and Hustler was a definite career ego boost, and I owe it all to the promotional materials I sent out.

What print materials help you promote yourself the most?

I recently made some Pocket Notes that were a big hit. I remember hearing that if you send someone your art on something they can use and actually benefit from then they’re more likely to remember you and your design. It might make them take another look at your work and give it a little more thought. Stickers are another good way to promote yourself. They’re like the permanent marker of promoting yourself. It’s hard to get your name out of someone’s head if it’s literally stuck to something they see on a daily basis.

What’s your usual work day like?

Updating files, scanning original artwork and creating die lines is a lot of what I do on a daily basis. I help customers update information on their print file like address changes, inserting new logos and design tweaks to help get their files print ready.

The File Creation Team creates die lines, the line used to cut along for Die Cut Stickers, Business Cards, Circle Flyers and a whole slew of different products. It’s a free service here, and it’s one less hurdle for customers to worry about when they’re working with Jakprints on a project.

Can die lines get a little tricky to create?

Really intricate shapes and designs sometimes have to be simplified so that die cutting can work for the product. You want the die cut to work for and with your design, not against it. You don’t want the die cut aspects of your product to be cut so thin that they get damaged and don’t hold up.

What are the benefits of a die cut product?

Die cut products are a great way to make a print product stand out. Die Cuts are professional attention grabbers. A good die cut can enhance and really complete a design.

Do you have any design words of wisdom?

A lot of people try to put too much information on flyers, posters and business cards. A simple design is really the most effective one. You don’t want to overwhelm a person with too much information or make it hard for them to find the important stuff. A business card should stick to necessities like your business name, your name and contact info. Anything too text heavy isn’t going to hold someone’s attention.

What do you like to do when you aren’t doodling or knocking out some killer designs?

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia and An Idiot Abroad take up their fair share of my time not spent drawing. Trivia night at BottleHouse is a good way to relax and have some fun, too! If eating is a hobby then The Rib Cage in Cleveland Heights is a pretty time consuming hobby of mine.

Check out more of Craig’s work  and get inspired to promote with paper!