Logo Design Critique

The logo for this company is successful because it is very minimalistic while relaying a message that is clever designed through using the percent symbol to also represent the name of the company, 90 percent. The design is a play on numbers and symbols to create a unique look.

The logo for the 2016 Olympics is symbolic of the unity that is created at the Olympics, where all the world comes together in peace for that special event. The graphic of the 3 figures intertwined as one being represent the message of unity that comes with seeing the Olympic games.

This logo is a clever use a bar code, which represents having to purchase something, but is in the shape of a beer mug for the company that sells bar supplies. The entire design is connected by the image, how it is designed, and the name of the company.

The logo for this animal training program uses simple colors and white space to create images of animals that represent the purpose of the company.

This last design has hit the mark on the level of creativity and originality. The golf club is named Spartan which is depicted in the swinging of the figures golf club, representing the feathers that would be on top of a spartan soldiers helmet. The design incorporates both the name of the gold club and golfing in a sleek and clever design.

Personal Logo Design & Business 

The business I am basing my logo and business card off of is an event planning service, which I would like to call "On A Whim" event planning. My intended audience is private and public businesses, as well as fashion designers that wish to throw events that are very whimsical, with a lot of sheer fabrics, glowing lights, flowers everywhere, basically any company that wants to completely transform a space for an event. As the business owner I want to be challenged while planning these events, I want a customer who has a dreamy, fantasy vision and make that come to life. The logo I plan to create will represent this by having an etherial, dreamy quality to it. Many of my sketches include wildflowers, lights that would look like they are glowing off of the paper, loopy, light fonts that are very scripted, and heavy use of water color and pastels because I love the way it makes an image feel transparent yet beautiful. My business is about creating dreams into reality for my potential clients, on a whim.

Who Says Brochures Have to Be Plain? These Designers Don't!

Organic Doesn't Just Pertain To Chemistry.

The design elements in this brochure flow together to create not only an aesthetically pleasing piece, but something that contains a lot of information in a compartmentalized and concise manner. Starting with the outside panel of the brochure, the deep blue accented with lighter streaks of blue give an aura of class and elegance to the feel of the brochure. Also, the rich colors used are attention-grabbing to the eye as opposed to using just one solid color or pattern. The flow of white helps transition the viewer to the graphic used on cover, which is also clever because the blue from the sky and the accents of lighter blue complement each other to make the color palette calming and symmetric.

Focusing on the inside panel, there is a lot of text but it is broken down into small paragraphs, bulleted lists, and subheadings making the extent of information easier to digest. Each panel is different but the designer nails the design hierarchy aspect because each panel has small things in common that make it look interesting yet still unique. For example, each panel has a picture located across the top, the same symbol residing above the body copy, and the same cool, calm colors that enhance the picture as well as pop on the page.

The text that was chosen for this brochure is successful because it is clear and concise, no fancy serifs or wacky fonts that get in the way of delivering the intended message. The size of the text does not overwhelm the graphics nor do the graphics overwhelm the body copy, the two are harmonious in this design. The designer achieved creating an eye-catching brochure while incorporating a lot of info which is hard to do with so many competing elements.

The most successful aspect of this brochure is how the designer used a lot of white highlights to make the colors more vibrant and not allow the darker text to feel so heavy on the page. The designer was able to capture a glow, which is especially apparent on the front cover where the colors seem to glow because of the stark contrasts of the rich dark blue and light blue. Overall, this brochure has excellent composition and really allows the reader to focus on the text while still being a beautiful graphic piece.

Who Said Social Media Can't Be Clever?

The first glance at this brochure brings the eye to the puffy clouds and the eye-catching title of the brochure which was a smart choice in the design plan because if that is the first thing a reader notices, if it is a topic they are interested in they will pick that up and examine further. The simple yet bold text on the front panel allows the point to be made without adding shadows or callouts to the title that would hinder how attention grabbing the cover really is. The text underneath the title is a little small and would have been beneficial to be enlarged just slightly because the callout of the title really dwarfs whatever is trying to be said.

The use of all the small graphics of each different social media platform resting on a cloud is a very clever creative element on the designer’s part because the social media world is all in the “cloud” and is where each has its home. The pop of all the colors really makes the piece fun and breaks up the amount of blue that is used on the brochure. Lastly about the front panel, how the blue clouds are layered by gradient show great attention to detail as well as sophisticate the theme from what could have been slightly childish to quite artsy and cleverly laid out.

Like the brochure above, there is a ton of body copy that could easily have ruined the ethereal feel of the design but is enhanced through subheadings in colors that match the design and break up all of the black text, as well as the use of more graphics and charts to substitute for text. Not only is the text very organized, but the spacing between the paragraphs helps break up the extent of text.

The design hierarchy used in the inside panels all coincide together in a way that doesn’t jumble all of the information and graphics together. Making the information easier to read and understand through charts and percentages is an aspect the designer really nailed.

Lastly, incorporating the social media bubble graphics from the front cover gives the whole brochure a well thought out and polished feel. Overall, this design could have been extremely elementary but through complex design elements and clever body copy, the design is truly impacting and attention grabbing.

                            

Postcard Prerogative.

The postcard assignment was an essential exercise because it allowed us to merge together the three programs we have been working in through creative suites. This exercise allowed us to showcase the skills we have acquired through practice with Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator and turn it into one cohesive piece. This assignment in which we had to display the element of design communication was important because moving forward with future assignments, because I must know how to merge all of the applications together to create more advanced graphics and show that I am learning and developing a grasp on the programs. If executed well, this exercise shows that I grasp the key elements to design and how to draw in the eye, as well as grasping techniques such as transferring images and text between multiple programs and how to create graphics or silhouette images without issues. Also, this exercise helps to develop an eye for what is appealing to a viewer and how to place certain images, text, and colors where in order to direct the eye to a certain space.

In my postcard I used bright colors that complimented each other. I used the color teal because not only is it my favorite color, but the contrast with the white and magenta bring a happy and bubbly feel to the overall aura of the postcard. The gradient also acts as a guide for the eye, it points the viewer to scan the whole page and view every graphic and piece of text I included. The use of bright teal and a pretty magenta were so I could express to the viewer I have a bright and bubbly personality, as well as being very classy and not too flashy or over the top.

I wanted to keep the fonts simple because I wanted the graphics from my postcard to shine through the most. Also, the use of two simple fonts reiterates the fact that I am very simple and not over the top or have an in your face personality.

The graphics were the focal point of this postcard because I wanted to make it look as if it this was a page ripped out of a magazine with the pretty graphics and bright colors. The hearts were made using a pen tool in Illustrator, I placed them on the side with the white gradient because I feel the colors contrast and the white makes the graphic pop. Also, the white stars at the bottom of my postcard were created in Illustrator. They were placed at the left hand, bottom corner because I wanted the eye to follow the strand to the very end where they would be directed to look at the silhouetted image of myself and the text surrounding me. If the stars didn’t do the text justice, I added a dotted box outlining my short biography because I wanted to draw the eye and make the text look like it was on a marquee sign. The overall feel I wanted my postcard to have was one of glamor, sophistication, and brightness.

When designing the postcard I kept it in mind how this design would look to someone seeing it for the first time, and used elements of staggering text, juxtaposing graphics and centering the largest and most attention grabbing image to make a bold statement. I feel with how I arranged my images, graphics, and text, I succeeded in making my postcard look as if it came out of the pages of a magazine, like a sort of mini article.

I feel the only challenge I faced during this project was how to get rid of the background of my silhouetted image so there was no large white space once I placed it on my InDesign document from Photoshop. I was successful in silhouetting my image from the background but once I placed it in InDesign I struggled with getting rid of the background space. I then learned to use the pen tool in InDesign to make an outline around the silhouette of myself which would then get rid of the background space and allow my text to wrap effectively around the outline of myself.

Overall, this assignment was a great learning experience to help me understand which applications I need to focus more of my time on. Also, it allowed me to showcase all I have learned in the class since the first week of school and developing it into one cohesive design. I feel I accomplished executing well thought out design hierarchy and proved I have come far from the first day of learning InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.

Women Have the Right to Choose.

Research.

For the poster project I have been given the topic of Pro-Choice, which is the stance that women have the right to choose to terminate a pregnancy because of women’s basic human rights to decide what is best for their bodies and personal life. Advocators of pro-choice have been waging a war against pro-life advocators, who believe a fetus, regardless of how underdeveloped it is, has the same rights as any human being and abortion should be illegal. According to Wikipedia, many pro-choice campaigners don’t agree with abortion but support the decision in an effort to reduce the amount of back-alley abortions that cause numerous deaths due to unlicensed practitioners and unsanitary conditions. Pro-choice advocates are supportive of the decision for women’s right to choose because situations arise where having a child is not the best solution. According to AbortionProCon.org, abortions are necessary because of financial situations, women who are victims of rape, failed contraception, unwanted pregnancies, or terminating a pregnancy because of mental or physical disabilities of the fetus. Advocators of pro-choice as well as those who support pro-life are in a constant battle through lobbyist groups, legislative hearings, and even rallies outside of clinics that offer services such as free contraception and pregnancy termination.

Pro-choice is a sociopolitical movement, having roots stemming from Roe vs. Wade in 1973 (link) up through present day activist groups such as the National Abortion Federation and NARAL Pro-choice America (link). The major objective of such activist groups are to achieve greater access to contraceptive methods to reduce unwanted pregnancies in order to bypass the need for abortions in the first place.

I stand on the side of pro-choice and that is the message my poster project will represent. I feel every woman should have the choice to decide what they put their body through and that no piece of legislation should dictate that right. I understand the opposing viewpoint and the value of life even in the smallest of forms, but I believe in human rights and the right to take ownership of your own body above all. I stand with pro-choice activists who demand wider availability of contraceptives and increased funding in sex education classes because educating the public is the first step to reducing the need to terminate a pregnancy. Facilities such as Planned Parenthood offer websites like this one here that offer free education on the various methods of contraception and how to handle emergencies that could help in preventing unwanted pregnancies. Another essential reason that pro-choice supporters work so diligently to continue to keep abortions legal is the thousands of women that have died because of unprofessional, underground abortions. According to Our Bodies Ourselves, 98% of unsafe abortions are practiced in countries where it is outlawed, contributing to rising numbers of maternal mortality. Women have never truly had a voice but this is one issue that should be undebatable, it is their body, therefore it is their choice.

Design Elements to Consider.

The poster is an excellent example of one direction a pro-choice stance could be represented. The mood of the poster is very gloomy, grim, and primitive. The use of the wire fence with the red coloring symbolizes a coat hanger, which once was a common method used to terminate pregnancies, that has a very negative connotation. The coat hanger is a symbol of a woman’s desperation to practice the rights to do what she wants with her body even when no other option is available to her. This poster takes a very serious and borderline unmoral stance on the topic of pro-choice. Using repetition of words, the point comes across that unsafe abortions result in outlawing the right for women to choose. This poster is an example of an extreme viewpoint of pro-choice.

This poster is a representation of how government has torn apart the subject of women have the right to their own bodies, leaving women feeling exposed and without a voice. The contrast of the red text and the white figure of the body embody the harshness and sad reality that women feel when they are left without a say in their own lives. This poster, much like the one above, both depict a helplessness and desperation through the use of symbols and colors, without showing graphics or being as bold as to disgust viewers. The use of red ropes symbolize women being held down by religious beliefs that try to dictate their rights through political lobbying.

 

 

The use of this image would be powerful for a pro-choice poster because the symbol for woman, combined with a fist is essentially a logo promoting women empowerment. The colors are also important in the effectiveness of this image because the two contrasting shades of purple are feminine colors that would attract female eyes if it were on a poster. I feel that using a symbol of women empowerment to portray a message that is based on the rights of women to choose would help relay the information on the poster exponentially.

A Pro-choice Poster Should Be:

Empowering

Dramatic

Voiceless

Demanding

Feminine

Forceful

Edgy

Protecting

Controlled

Submissive

 

Font matters.

Besides the visual images on the poster, the words are the second most important aspect.

Impact

Arial Black

Segoe UI Black

The fonts in the examples above would be good fonts to use for my poster because they stand out and act as a call to action, which is necessary when creating a pro-choice poster.

The theme I want my pro-choice poster to exude is empowerment and strength. I have seen many pro-choice posters in my research that are dark and brooding with a lot of use of the color red and black. Many pro-choice posters often use graphic images to get a point across, I want to explain my message that does not try to guilt people with harsh images, but sense the need to give women a voice for a cause that supports the right to choose. The color palette I am looking to use for my poster is a bright spunky hot pink complimented by softer pinks and ivory tones, to show that women, while being  feminine and classy, can still have the willpower and determination to fight for their rights.

 

 



Playing Critic For the Day

Take a Look, Did You See That? 



The most effective aspect of this poster is the stark contrast of the red tickets located directly in the center which signifies as the purpose of the poster being for a film festival. The use of movie tickets as the focal point of the poster draws the attention to what would have been an otherwise bland poster. Coupling the heart shape of the tickets, the color of red symbolizing love, and the quote at the top that states "All you need is film" allows one to draw the conclusion that the film festival being advertised is about romance movies. The use of multiple sized fonts and various colors indicates the larger sized words hold more importance than the smaller words, and the words highlighted in red are what the artist wanted the public to pay attention to more. The off white color of the background makes the poster look like it has been posted for a long time and subject to dirt or dust.

If you've lived under a rock for your entire life, then you wouldn't know the symbol on this poster was for The Rolling Stone's if you hadn't of looked at the black text covering the lip symbol. For the rest of the world, viewing this poster would be an automatic giveaway to exactly what is being advertised on this poster, a Rolling Stones concert. The varying sizes of each letter and the way they are placed into columns lets the red lips and tongue in the background play equal parts in grabbing a viewers attention. The black text is also slightly opaque so the view of the red lips is not completely lost behind it. The vertical and sideways text of the location of the concert allows the title and logo to take a visual center stage. The background of this poster is an off white color which gives the poster a vintage vibe, where a stark white background would make the black and red too harsh. The off-white color mellows the whole poster out.

The large sized fonts that bring to attention all of the most important pieces of information on the poster such as who is performing, when, and where bounce the viewers eyes around so that each aspect of the poster is seen. The background indicates a musical performance will take place through the use of guitar and keyboard icons which further help highlight the fact that the poster is for a concert. This poster uses a bottle of hot sauce as the focal point, which is contrast with the colors that are used for the rest of the background. There is a small hand that points to the words "In Person" which draws attention to that phrase as being something people should remember. The design elements used in the poster exude a rock and roll, crazy eager event and also give off a patriotic feel with the use of the white starts and the red and blue colors.



These Ones Missed the Mark a Little.

Where to begin with this poster? Lets just work our way down this craziness. First, the eye is drawn to the word Zac Brown Band in the bandana(?), so it would be normal to assume this poster was for a Zac Brown Band concert. When you let your eyes wander a little you also begin to see the names of about 30 various artists, some too illegible to read because of the wacky fonts. When your eyes reach the bottom of the poster it is then introduced that the poster is for a southern music and food festival, something that should be brought into a more focal point instead of as an afterthought on the bottom. The purpose of the poster would be better suited in place of the Zac Brown Band at the top of the page or even in the mouth of the skulls head would be a better place than located at the bottom. The 30 or so artists are squeezed in every corner of the skull that can possibly fit a name which one, makes it hard to see because of the small font size, and two, there is so much information to digest atoll clustered together at once that it overwhelms the viewer. The font size makes it difficult to read even the larger words as well. Lastly, nothing about this poster exudes food besides the fork in the hand of the skeleton which just seems as an afterthought due to the rest of the poster being focused on music.  

The poster has a psychedelic feel that would stand out amongst other posters if it wasn't ruined with the almost illegible text. The words in the banjo all string together even though they are in different colors and various sizes because the shapes of the letters are so distorted. The visual hierarchy would work well if the writing was clear. Also, the time and place of the event seem like an after thought that was just thrown at the bottom of the poster. The text is in extremely small plain font that does not pop against the background. The girl in the background and the array of colors is a strong attribute of this poster that is lost in the poor choice of text fonts and placements.

The poster has no visual qualities that should signify this as a Beatles concert. The grayish background gives the entire poster a boring, bland look that is egged on by the use of plain black text. Also, the text is not switched up much and gives the poster a monotonous feel. The image used in the photo looks like it was exposed to light and is washed out with continues to complete the boring and sad vibe of the poster. The Beatles were an iconic band and this poster says the complete opposite of that. The tour dates are so miniscule, they have become illegible. The design elements were not thought of in this poster whatsoever because nothing about this would draw in a viewers eye. If some of the text was enlarged and switched to a more festive font, as well as an introduction of color, it would change the feel of the poster.





What A Sight To See

 
In my 20 years of exposure to communication, I have found that I connect most highly with forms of visual communication; mainly because visual communication has the ability to communicate a message almost instantaneously while also being clear and concise. This is something I have found that I respond to more quickly, as opposed to digesting a published message or listening to a radio commercial, which I have found I am also less likely to remember in the long term. Also, visual communication resonates with me more profoundly because I am constantly on the move; I do not have the time to sit down and interpret the meaning of a printed publication or listen to an entire audio message. Visual communication is designed to communicate quickly and clearly, which is a great fit for me because I do not have time for much else.

 

For visual communication to be effective I feel there are a variety of essential tools, but one that rises above all others is the use of images. The image a company uses as their brand's logo can make or break the success of that product based on whether or not people understand that image. If an image is not culturally relevant or outdated, there is a high chance the message that is trying to be communicated will be lost on a certain number of people. On the other hand, if an image is relevant and easily identified, communication can reach many people easily, which ensures the message is being communicated successfully. Another benefit of using an image is that if that image is successful in conveying the message that specific brand, band, company, person, product, will be universally recognized regardless of the context.

 

When I think of companies, bands, people, or bands that have a strong media presence through visual communication, I automatically think of Nike. Their iconic symbol of the "swoosh" mark brings to mind all the commercials I have seen for their products as well as their slogan "Just Do It". One simple logo brings to mind images of people competing in sports, training, sweating; everything the brand is because they have promoted their logo so successfully. A second company that has established a prominent reputation using an image is Apple, conveniently using an apple as their logo; when I see the Apple logo, I instantly think of the company's line of iPhone's, iPod's, iPad's, music software and continue to wonder when they will release the announcement of a new gadget. Lastly, an image that has sprung up in recent years that I feel is widely recognized around the world is the Starbucks logo; the coffee shop has branded itself by creating a logo that they print on their cups, coffee sleeves, and coffee stirrers that plant their company name in people's minds every day. The companies I have mentioned are just a few of a thousand different companies that have taken a simple image and made it into a universally known company image.