Logo Critique

Interesting logo, but could use some fine-tuning. What's wrong with it?

Designing T-Shirts

A former student sent this link, for those of you who like to design t-shirts. (Thanks, ND.) Their website states that you can submit your design, get paid for each shirt sold, and retain full rights. The down side is that each design is a limited edition and only sells for 24 hours. But hey, it could be a way to get your designs out there…
www.teefury.com

Cap'n Crunch

Today a box of cereal caught my eye. Not because I was hungry or in need of a sweet fix (although this used to be my favorite cereal long long time ago), but because of its packaging.

This is what I remember when I was a kid:

This is what my kids remember (the illustration gives me the creeps for whatever reason):

And this is the new "retro" look that caught my eye today in Walmart:

How about you? Notice any logos that are getting facelifts this summer? Leave a comment and share how you've been busy observing these past few months…

Just another Sale ad?

Came across this ad in the LA Times. It took up 2/3 of the bottom half of the page. And it caught my eye. Can you figure out why? How many graphic reasons can you name?

Word Spacing

Came across this layout in the LA Times last month. Notice the tight word spacing between SHAPING and HOW. Super tight but still readable, right? NEVER be content with the way your computer spaces words. Always adjust for the best visual effect!

Keep in mind that a newspaper is being held at arm's length when it's read, so you can actually get away with tighter spacing as shown. Bottom line: the computer typically puts way too much space between words. As a graphic designer, feel free to close the gap!

Detergent doesn't have to be boring

Take a look at this "double truck" (2 facing pages) ad, found in People magazine. Font selection, contrast of type sizes (Fresh Air is much smaller and spaced out), type styles (lowercase Method logo combined with all caps), eye-catching colors.

Open leading and a headline in all lowercase has a casual feel.

Now read the body copy. Click to view larger. All lowercase with periods…gives a fun, non-traditional, almost rebellious feeling. This is emphasized in the written text which sounds young, anti-establishment funny. I just might buy this detergent! 

Leave a comment. What do you think?

Great Deal, Ugly Card

Lots going on. Do you see a glaring typo?

INCREDIBLE Website!

www.immersive-garden.com

Make sure you view this award-winning site with your sound turned ON. Go through every single page. It's hard to describe the feeling… but you'll feel it!

Horrible!

I've been noticing more and more ads (especially banners) like this at local Mexican restaurants. The pictures in the background are dominating the body copy. The designer thought if they used an outer glow and drop shadows, that the text would be more noticeable. And boring center alignment.

~Art~

Images & Text to Evoke Emotion

A student mentioned PSAs, or public service announcements. PSAs are usually broadcast on radio or TV, raising awareness about issues regarding various social issues: health, recycling, smoking, the environment, etc. The same PSA ideas of educating, informing and persuading can be powerful tools in creating printed pieces as well. Click here ivieawards.org to view a short video produced by a high school. Does it evoke, or bring up, any emotions in you? Does it feel like a call to action?

Amazing!

Inspiration for you Photoshop lovers. See what you can do, or at least see what this talented artisan does! Click here alltelleringet.com to see more.

Thanks for Sharing!

Thanks for sharing these with me, to forward to the rest of the class. Enjoy and be inspired!

This design and more typographic inspiration can be found at http://typenuts.com. Look closely at the ampersand above. It consists of characters only. Great technique to use for a typographic self-portrait!


Now see below for self-portraits from previous semesters. Click on images to view larger.

And now for more reading material…

Visit http://justcreativedesign.com to read these great articles. I especially agree with "Why logo design is not $5.00" and "10 words you need to stop misspelling" (includes it's and its!).

Submit tee shirt designs for $? Hmm, something to check out.

http://www.threadless.com/

Adobe Creative Suite at student prices. Hopefully they offer CS5 soon…

http://foundationccc.org

QuarkXPress was once THE program for desktop publishing. Retails for $799. Students can get it for $199??

http://8.quark.com/

Free clip art at http://www.vecteezy.com. This one is from Web Design Hot! Before using any "free" artwork, be sure to read the licensing information. All art has usage restrictions.

Do you see the individual 1, 9, 9, 9 in the design on the left?

Designers Simon Page, Moshik Nadav, Andre Roquette—see more work like this at Behance Network (do an Advanced Search for Typography). Website also has graphic design, illustration, packaging, photography and advertising samples…with an occasional piece that probably wouldn't get past US censors.

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Click Drop Cap Oops to see what NOT to do…

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Eye candy from Smashing Magazine's site: This shows a range of what you can do in Illustrator, from the more basic to how-in-the-world-did-they-do-that techniques. Click here for more: Smashing Magazine

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And now you can buy wallets that feature illustrations of up-and-coming artists. Click here for more: Poketo

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MORE BUSINESS CARD INSPIRATION

http://designm.ag/inspiration/double-sided-business-cards/

PHOTOSHOP SHORTCUTS

http://bluefaqs.com/2010/03/photoshop-shortcuts-the-fun-way/

FUN ICONS

http://weloveicons.com/category/mac/

REFLECTIVE TEXT IN ILLUSTRATOR

http://www.tutvid.com/tutorials/illustrator/tutorials/glassText.php

FREE BRUSH EFFECTS FOR PHOTOSHOP

http://www.brusheezy.com/

COMMUNICATING WITH CLIENTS

http://vimeo.com/9084072

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Volvo and Mazda Ads

Observing a Tourism Video

The logo looks fun. Colors look fun. But art direction, lighting, video editing, and the music soundtrack are also important in communicating the right message to the audience you're trying to reach. View this video http://www.ridetheducks.com/. Does it seem fun? Would you sign up for this tour? You will definitely laugh.

QUESTION: I think one designer worked on this layout, and did a pretty good job with what they were given. Then someone added type later (after the design was completed). Can you guess which area a junior designer might've added?

Would this catch your eye?

(Roan spotted this in the supermarket.) What would you think of this… BEFORE taking Graphic Design I? What do you think of it now, as a graphic design student? Would it catch your eye? Would it stand out from the other sodas? Would you buy it? As a collector's item, or to drink?

Do you see a typo?

Click on image to view larger.

Observing Resumes

Click on images to view larger. One of these is quite possibly the worst resume design I've ever seen.

To view the website of the "worst resume design," I clicked on the resume to view larger, then found the url. You can simply click here http://phillipsartstudio.com/

Observing Stationery

Sample stationery by a French designer for a French writer/proofreader. Apply what you've learned in class about visual impact/contrast, color, bleed, font usage, type pairing, letterspacing (tracking/kerning), leading, keeping type away from the danger zone and within the "live area," etc… to your critique of this stationery package. Can you tell what size  the envelope might be (#9 or #10)?

Designer: Nicolas Menard

Client: Jessica Genest