Blog 15 Beer

Product Labeling

This product label is the creation of a student designer, Nina Reck, from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. It was featured in CMKY Magazine, Volume 52. Normally, I wouldn't look twice at a beer label but this is just enchanting. The assignment was to create identity and packaging for a craft brewery. The designer took her inspiration from English folk tales for the illustrations and beer names. The brewery was named Pretty Things Brewery and the four brews were named Seven Swans Pale Ale, False Foxes Red Ale, Mossycoat Bitter, and Timbertoes Porter. Clever, clever names! The illustrations are equally creative – the colors are soft, the shapes are simple, and the imagery is familiar. The entire package seems otherworldly, ethereal, like it is taken from a fairytale. I find this work enchanting, imaginative, and highly effective.

Source:  CMKY Magazine, Volume 52, 2012, p61.

Blog 14 Shutterstock

Advertisement

I've seen this advertisement in several graphic design magazines and find it particularly creative relative to the other stock photo ads, which generally have gorgeous photos but tend to be serious. Although the layout isn't great, it has other qualities that I find creative and appealing. It stands out to me because of the bright colors, lush textures, and a bit of humor. The bright green background is a great contrast from the black & white magazine page that face it. It really makes the advertisement pop. The photo of the pink-heart-laden rubber duck wearing the boa stands out even more on its white background. The white text is also a standout on the background color. The contrasting textures of the smooth rubber duck, the feathery pink boa, and the scaly snake skin enhance the piece. The site shows off its large variety of photos with the keyword search of boa – an actual boa constrictor and a rubber duck wearing a boa. I also find the choice of the duck a humorous one. It made me smile anyway!

Source: Step Inside Design Magazine, Volume 22, Number 6, p11.

Blog 13 Complexions Ballet

Poster

Again, I'm still a quest to look at as many posters as possible to broaden my mind for the PKN poster. This one is from the student section of CMKY magazine for the Complexions Ballet. A little background was given with the piece to give it context:

Complexions Ballet presents a contemporary and continually evolving form of dance which transcends the limiting traditions of a single style, period, venue, or culture. The challenge was to create a design which would give a nod to the traditional form of ballet while bringing in their ground breaking mix of methods, styles, and cultures.

I find this piece very captivating and creative. The typefaces used are a mixture of hand-drawn upper and lower case letterform treatments, as well as, hand-drawn script. The text itself creates the image of the dancer. The words that were chosen, aside from the names of the principal dancers, reflect the piece to be performed (gone, rise, moon, light &, fall). The designer uses a splash of white to emphasize the lines of the body and magenta for the tu-tu. To add interest and pull the piece together, the designer adds white to the center of some of the letters. This piece is so clever and truly reflects the unusual dance style that is portrayed in the explanation of the Complexions Contemporary Ballet.

Oh yeah, it uses Paul's poster rule for only huge/tiny text - Complexions A Contemporary Ballet (Huge) and the rest of the text (tiny).

Source:  CMKY Magazine, Volume 52, 2012, p61.

Blog 12 FREE WILL

Poster

This is from one of my all time favorite Graphic Design books called Anatomy of Design. Briefly, the book looks at successful works of design and traces how they have borrowed from past works. For example, the authors trace this poster back in time to cave paintings in Argentina from 2000 BC (okay, kind of a stretch – but they did use reeds to blow paint onto the wall with some type of stencil) through 1921 Communist Propaganda posters, World War II posters, and up to numerous modern works. It is an amazing book and it's in the library! So, look it up if you get a chance.

So, with the PechaKucha poster weighing heavily on my mind, I am looking for as many different types of posters as I can find. This one attracted me for three reasons: the image of Shakespeare, the clean, simple lines, and also the play on words of the headline. First of all, the imagery, somehow because of the flat image, Shakespeare looks more human to me – not so pretentious. Perhaps, the imagery of his time period is too fluffy and soulless for my taste. Secondly, clean and simple lines, everybody knows by now that I love uncluttered design – simple imagery, text beautifully placed on a page, a gorgeous color palette to create a piece that speaks to me. Finally (and this is where I find the piece to be highly creative), the irony and play on words in the title. FREE WILL, okay, for the obvious - no charge to see Much Ado About Nothing. Now a little bit of humor, it's a bit impertinent to be so colloquial with The Bard – at least use William! Now some irony, there has been controversy stirring for years about whether Shakespeare actually wrote his works or another (or multiple) author(s) should be credited. FREE WILL can be seen a cry for support of Shakespeare. Clear his name! Give credit where credit is due! I think the stencil lettering gives credence to this – kind of a militant proposal. That's my interpretation anyway!

Source:  Heller, Steven and Mirko Ilic, The Anatomy of Design, Rockport Publishers Beverly, 

Massachusetts, 2009, p6.

Blog 11 Office Max

Promotional Material

I found this while browsing through the 2008 Graphic Design Annual. It was designed by DDB Chicago. In the intricate tattoo, the banner headline says (in an decorative, all-caps font): “SAVE MONEY ON INK.” In the small banner at the base of the tattoo (in a script-style italic font) the text says, “Unfortunately, printer ink doesn't last forever. So, next time you run out, save yourself a bundle – refill your printer ink cartridges at the OfficeMax Filling Station for as little as $12.99.” 

I think this is an incredibly successful and highly creative advertisement.  First of all, I love the irony – the permanence of the tattoo ink versus the printer ink. I think the illustrated did an excellent job integrating a boring old printer and some cash into the gorgeous tapestry of the tattoo. The advert is very eye-catching because the beautiful model, the color palette, and the amazing illustration. It made me take a second look even in a book dedicated to excellence in design. The use of the banner headline and subtext is a great way to present the information – I wanted to know what it said. Finally, the tabbed OfficeMax at the bottom stands out clearly. I know exactly what the promotion is about. Excellent use of design principles (proximity, unity, balance, rhythm), too – just and over great promotional idea for OfficeMax.

Source: Pedersen, B. Martin, 2008 Graphic Design Annual, Graphics, Inc., p 131.

Blog 10 National Actor's Theater

Identity and Stationery System

This Logo and Stationery System was developed for the National Actors Theatre Company in NYC by Christina Freyss Design. I find it an elegant, intriguing, and a creative solution for a theater company. I enlarged the mark and placed it in the upper left-hand corner so it can be more easily examined.

MARK: Comedy/tragedy theater masks are something we have all seen and we know that they are related to the theater. The concept of this mark combines the comedytragey mask into a single unit which is abstracted yet easily recognizable. It is well balanced in its positive and negative space and the series of lines on the left hand side create an interesting edge for the side of the mask.

STATIONERY SYSTEM: The logo itself is very appealing and well-balanced. The serif text in all caps (maybe Garamond) represents the formality of the theater as does the centering of all of the letters beneath the mark. The bullets add a little weight to the text and to balance it with the mark. The letterhead is an interesting combination of right and centered text which seems to work well. The business card has the logo on the left side as well for consistency. The envelope elongates and spaces the address quite a bit which generates an well-designed effect.

Source: Rosenbaum, Alvin, Trademarks, Logos, Stationary Systems & Corporate Identity USA, Graphic-SHA Publishing, Company, LTD., Tokyo, Japan 1993.

Blog 9 Rosemary's Baby

Movie Poster

This is a movie poster for Roman Polanski’s 1968 film Rosemary’s Baby. The poster was designed by Steve Franfurt. For those of you who don’t know about the film. Here’s a super-quick summary. Rosemary and her husband move next door to an eccentric couple. Rosemary fears that the couple is in a satanic cult. The couple offers Rosemary’s husband “help” with is acting career, which comes at a rather large cost. Rosemary ends up carrying Satan’s baby.

Mia Farrow's profile looms over the horizon as if it were the setting sun, as if she were larger than life. In contrast, the silhouetted baby carriage looks insubstantial and vulnerable. This strong visual image is ironic because in the movie the baby is larger than life and the mother is reduced to a fearful, vessel that will bring the baby into the world. The colors are dark and menacing. It reminds me of being in a photo developing room where only certain color frequencies are allowed. The green glow emanating from the carriage gives a hint that something is amiss. To me, this is a highly creative and artistically sound way to deal with the plot of this film.

Source: King, Emily, A Century of Movie Posters From Silent to Art House, Barron's Educational Seriea, Inc., 2003

Blog 8 Beasts of No Nation

Book Cover

This is a book cover designed by Mary Schuck for Harper Collins. I read this book a few years ago but it had a different cover–a photograph of a grassy hill with some young men in silhouette standing atop the hill. Why they changed from the cover posted in Print Magazine, I will never know!

I love simplicity in design–when a designer can convey the message of a piece with uncomplicated illustrations, great color choices, and minimal text.  This cover is reminscent of one of my favorite designers, Saul Bass. It has lots of his trademarks: hand-drawn text, clean lines, simple graphics, and thoughtful use of color & space.

The main reason I am so attracted to this cover is that it evoked an emotional response for me. I remembered just how I felt when I was reading the book (as narrated by Agu): the overwhelming sadness as he sees his father murdered; the horror as he becomes a child soldier; the grief when he looses of faith in humanity; and the mixed-emotions of the unresolved ending of the book. I don't really like remembering the book because it was very hard to read nevertheless, the cover is highly successful since it triggered such an emotional response. I guess you might ask if I saw the original cover would I also have such a response? I have seen it several times while looking through my bookshelves and haven't given it a second thought. But who knows, it could be just because it has been there for years.

Source: Print Magazine Regional Design Annual, November/December 2007.

Blog 7 artwagen

Illustrative Logo

This is a design by Marcus Hewitt from the design firm Hopper-Hewitt. I was initially attracted to the piece because of the simplicity and the cleverness. I like the implication of individual creativity through the use of fingerprints which make up the “wagen.” Creating the “wagen” in seemingly in primary hues of red, blue, and green, creates and image that will appeal to artists of all ages. The title treatment is straightforward yet extremely appealing, emphasis on the word art. The use of Futura (I believe) is reminiscent of primary school printing which fits perfectly with the overall scheme of the logo.  All-in-all, this is an extremely successful and creative logo.

Source: Budelmann, Kevin, Yang, Kim, and Wozniak, Curt, Brand Identity Essentials, Rockport Publishers, Inc. Bevererly, MA. USA, 2010.

Blog 6 Peace

Luba Lukova

This is a design by Luba Lukova. I was initially attracted to the piece because of the message - I am a great believer in peaceful, nonviolent solutions. And I love when artists and designers use their talent to speak out for social justice and change. This work does just that - its function is to speak out for peace through the use of irony. The peace dove is made up of agents of war - bombs, tanks, fighter plane, tanks, soldiers, explosions. The incongruity is apparent. Sadly, the audience who will take the message from this work are the people that agree with the point of the composition. Conversely, I think it may offend or be ignored those who disagree with the meaning.

I think this piece is very creative in the way it presents information. The dove is the focal point. Lukova uses the Gestalt principle that humans see the whole first and then look deeper at the individual parts of a work. So, we see the dove first, and then we see it is made up of instruments of war. After that the irony sets in. She also plays on a common object - a symbol - to represent peace to help us understand the meaning of the work. The use of the soft blue, soothing background also plays into this ironic solution. Looking at a dove, one would expect a soft, calming color but delving deeper into the image, dissonance occurs - this is not a comforting piece, it is just the opposite. I believe this is a highly effective piece and works creatively on many levels.

Source: Gomez-Palacio, Bryony, Armin, Vit, Women of Design, Fraser Direct, Ontario, Canada, 2008.

Blog 5 Where There's Awareness, There's Hope.

Allergan Advertisement

I was thumbing through the Print Magazine's Design Annual 2007 and this piece was a standout to me. It was designed to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and promote breast cancer awareness and breast reconstruction options. The pink ribbons that represent breast cancer awareness are commonplace - even overused - however, using a model shaped like the ribbon is brilliant. The pink radial gradient starting darker at the edges and lightening as it moves inward highlights the subject. The female form is the one and only focal point and her shape is instantly recognizable. The tag-line is simple and to the point and the sponsoring company even takes a backseat to the message. I was so intrigued that I looked up the company. Why would they be so selfless? Not quite. They do make products for breast reconstruction surgery. But at least they didn't totally take center stage, right?

Source: Print Magazine Regional Design Annual, November/December 2007, Agency: Lehman-Millet, p19.

Blog 4 Power By Design

What Kind of Influence do Designers Actually Have?

This was an illustration of an article in Print Magazine entitled Power by Design by Rick Poynor. It caught my eye because it reminded me of symbol for black power in the civil rights movement in the 1960's. So, as someone who grew up with this symbol having such a powerful, important meaning, I couldn't help but relate to it in a passionate way. To me it represents struggle over establishment, willingness to fight for what is right, believing that working together can cause social change.

Interestingly enough, the article does talk about Graphic Designers as being “lesser than” and at the bottom of the pecking order of design. But hope is not lost! The author suggests ways in which we can regain our “hard power.” No more from me, you'll just have to read it and see for yourself...

Constructing the fist of upward pointing arrows is very clever indeed. It embodies the very essence positivity. The fist is a excellent choice to represent the power of the individual, but also because of our shared history, it also represents a group working together to take power. Furthermore, each individual arrow constructs the fist representing the group's collective power.  A simple symbol used to create a powerful illustration - amazing!

Source: Poyner, Rick, Print Magazine, Print 66, February 2012.

Blog 3 Stephen King

Men of Letters People of Substance

“People want to know why I do this, why I write such gross stuff. I like to tell them I have the heart of a small boy... and I keep it in a jar on my desk.”

-Stephen King

While looking for blog postings for another class, I found an article in a CMYK magazine about this book. It was so interesting I had to order for myself. The book is entitled Men of Letters & People of Substance by designer/illustrator Roberto de Vicq de Cumptich The entire book consists of letterform images of important historical and literary figures. I found this book captivating and the art that de Cumptich makes with text and a bit of color is just unbelievable!

This particular piece is an image of author Stephen King using the typeface Grimshaw Hand. The image that de Cumtich created of King really capture the facial features of the man himself. Of course, I've only seen him interviewed on TV, read some of his books, and seen some of his movies. But the moody, dark, disconcerting features of King can be seen in this text image as easily as a photograph.

This book is really amazing. Definitely take a look at it if you get a chance.

Sources: De Vicq De Cumptich, Roberto, Men of Letters and People of Substance,

David Godine Publisher, Boston, Massachusetts, 2008.

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/stephen_king.html

Blog 2 Nuclear Power

Nuclear Power is Not Sustainable

This piece was in CMKY's Pro-Showcase section and was designed by Joe Scorsone and Alice Drueding. The quote beneath the poster is: “Catastrophic events in Japan have raised the alarm once again over the danger of nuclear power to the local and global environment, making the search for sustainable energy technology even more urgent.”

I found this ad particularly chilling, effective, and creative. The skeleton is shockingly detailed to the point where the white space almost glows. Obviously representing the death of humans by nuclear radiation. The bicycle is a simple, stick drawing with the radiation symbol used instead of the spokes. It represents a form of sustainable energy. The contrast between the two brings to light the dilemma we face - finding a sustainable form of energy that won't kill us.  The text is effective because it is san-serif, all caps, and no-frills. The stark imagery with the text really drives home the point of this advertisement.

Source:  CMKY Magazine, Volume 53, September/October, 2012, p14.

Blog 1 Rogaine

You're More You With Your Hair - Outdoor Campaign

Since we are working with billboards, I found this one particularly clever and creative. Initially, I was attracted to using letterforms as the artwork - in lieu of photos of men losing their hair. (Who wants to see at another Hair Loss for Men infomercial? Or a big bald come-over?) The outlining of some letters representing hair loss is a clever way to represent the dilemma of hair loss visually.

The particular adjectives used on the billboards are frequently used to describe the “masculine” ideal in our society and in the fairytales read to us as children - charming, handsome, enchanting. These words touch deeply into our subconscious belief systems (at least initially). Charming, handsome, enchanting men must surely have a nice full head of hair, right? But you there driving by - you are losing your hair? Well, the solution is offered right here at the base of the billboard - ROGAINE.

I also appreciated the used of the monochromatic color schemes in masculine colors - orangish-brown, blue, and green. 

Each billboard in this series can stand alone but the three together make a powerful advertising campaign.  Heck, I'm about to go out and buy some for my brother-in-law.  However, I've heard it makes your nose hair grow and he doesn't need any help in that department...

Source:   CMKY Magazine, Volume 53, September/October, 2012, p60.