George Kafka wrote for Eye on Design that mockups recently became “a field of graphic design in their own right.” Designers increasingly compete to create the trendiest and highest grossing mockups.

This isn’t surprising; the digital age forces us all to judge printed designs through the lens of digital mockups. Last Christmas, I printed holiday cards. I 3-D modelled my own mockup to make it easier to upload the card designs online. While doing that, I wondered: when someone sees these cards, are people really judging the printed card, or just the style of the 3-D rendered mockup?

Maybe people judge both. Ultimately a good mockup draws attention to the work—just like how good typography draws attention to the text. Beyond the bells and whistles of 3-D models, the principles of design apply to digitally rendered mockups, just as they do to anywhere else.