What Are Mockups? 

This is the first question you should ask, and many of you reading this probably came here for the answer to this question. By definition, a mockup is almost like a trial or a replica. For example, if you are designing a car, your mockup could be a model car. If you're designing a t-shirt, you may opt for a digital depiction of what you hope the t-shirt will look like.

In this sense, you can think of mockups as a prototype. They give you a glimpse of what a product is before you actually create it. You can have mockups that are full and give you a life-like example of your product-such as making a sample t-shirt with a design to test it-or a partial mockup-such as building a model car when trying to plan the next great car. Whatever you choose, mockups have great benefits to both you and eventually to the consumer.

From this definition, you may be able to see why mockups are so important in design. We'll talk about that more specifically and then talk about the creation of mockups and the different types. That way, you will know everything you need in order to get ahead in the mockup business. 

Why Are They Important? 

In short, mockups are important because they let you see your design before you actually finalize it. This, of course, gives you a better chance to catch errors or unsightly parts of your design so that you can change it before branding it on your product.

Let's stick with our t-shirt example. Let's say that you're put in charge of making t-shirts for your company, and you will be selling them at a fundraiser in order to help get a few extra dollars towards your business. While this sounds great, you want to make sure that your design is catchy enough that people are willing to buy the shirt even though they don't know much about you.

To make sure that you design is good, you decide to run a few tests on an actual t-shirt in order to get the best-possible idea of how your design will look. These trial t-shirts can be considered your mockup.

When seen in this light, it's clear that mockups are a crucial part of the design process. Let's say that you wanted to choose between a few different alternatives in your design. By creating a mockup, you can see which design actually looks the best when put on your product and distinguish between which designs are best. Maybe you'll find that the colors just don't work the way you though they would or that your design appears too stretched when used. These are things that you'll notice when you use a mockup.

After you notice these, you'll be able to make the changes you need to so that you can perfect your design. The good news is that you can make as many mockups as you would like until you're confident in the design you've created.

Now, let's get back to our t-shirt example: by creating a good design for your t-shirts, you increase the chances that people are willing to buy them, giving your brand a better name and reputation. This helps boost business and raise profits. Without mockups, however, you may not be able to create the winning design.