BAD design

Source: http://rateyourmusic.com

 These images are all album covers that are completely AWFUL. First of all, why would you want to make a baby look like a creepy devil. I don't even understand the album with the hot dogs, if it's supposed to be funny...it's not. As for the last one, it is a good pun, but it shouldn't even be considered "design".

Retro

Source: spoongraphics.co

I wouldn't consider this retro, but I thought it fit for this week's blog assignment. The photo, business cards, and tag look very dated or historical. I'm not sure if they were going for this or not, but the name goes along with this style of design. Re-cycle makes me think of recycled, old paper.

Contemporary design

Source: http://momadesignstudio.org

Contemporary design can include a wide variety of art in my opinion, but cutting edge means "now". And I like design that's subtly in your face, so to speak. Since there is so much art out there today, it is hard to create something that stands out. So a good way to do that is through scale. Even for people who don't appreciate art, they would have to notice 20 ft. signs in bold colors that they may walk by every day or just once.

Logo Design

Source: www.wolda.org

This logo caught my attention because I really like the idea of logos not actually having the client's name on the logo anywhere. What makes a good logo is that people can easily identify it without any text. This specific logo was designed for Ventura Cafe. The designer was very creative with making the letter V (for Ventura) into what looks like a cup.

Packaging Design

Source: New Packaging Design - pg. 119

I really liked the use of a different texture on this design. The silver stripes on the packaging gives a good contrast against the plain white boxes. As well as the contrasting boxes that are all silver.

Typography

Source: Typography Referenced - pg. 284

This image is a design for wrapping paper. There are a lot of designs that incorporate this overlapping of typography, but I thought it was interesting to use it for wrapping paper. I think the colors are great, as well as the combination of overlapped colors.

Comix

Sex, Rock & Optical Illusions - pgs. 72-7

Victor Moscoso is known for his posters and "comix". Personally, I'm not a fan of any types of comics, so I didn't choose this for the content. I am doing my T-Shirt design on Victor Moscoso and really like his use of extremely bright colors, as well as his very unrealistic style. Moscoso's illustrations for his comics or posters are typically very crude, and not everybody can appreciate them. I do like his illustrations though, they definitely caught my attention

Photography 2

I really liked this side by side comparison of two photographs of basically the same product, but giving a totally different vibe. Both pictures are very inviting in different ways. The Jack Daniels photograph is a very warm picture, which will allure the targeted audience in itself. The Bombay photograph is a cool picture, advertising the "cool" taste of the alcohol, along with the social scene in the background which is always something people are looking for. Both of these photos were taken by the same photographer, and I thought he did a really good job of "selling" both of them in different ways.

Workbook 33 - Fall Photography - pg. 246

Workbook 33 - Fall Photography - pg. 247

Photography

Workbook 33 - Fall - Photography - pg. 243

I have always really appreciated the photography that is used for restaurants or food and drink advertisements. I think it's a matter of "what you see is what you get". When I go to a restaurant and I'm looking through the menu, I look at the pictures first. If I see a picture of something that looks good I'm more likely to order it. There's definitely a lot that goes into this kind of photography. Like graphic design, it is also used to sell something.

Shit Happens

New Packaging Design - pg. 12

This was designed by Nina Dautzenberg and Andrea Gadesmann in Germany. There really isn't anything special about the design, I just thought this product was enhanced with the photograph. The puppy definitely draws people in, making you want to find out what the product is. And since you're still probably wondering what this product actually is...they are environmentally friendly dog poop bags.

Soap

Design: Paper - pg. 145

Although it took me a minute to figure out what this product is, I liked the simplicity of the design. And that's the thing with good design; it really doesn't matter what the product is right away, because you're drawn in by the design first. Once I noticed that it is soap, I liked that the colors coordinated with the scents. The purple is a lavender scent...orange is a tangerine scent. It's a nice simple design with the repeated text engraved in the soap itself.

Vcube2

Design: Paper - pg. 136

This product instantly caught my attention because of the packaging. The product itself is easy to pick out because everybody knows what it is, but it's presented in a much different way to make it look even more interesting. It's definitely something that I'm sure everybody has to go pick up and touch as soon as they see it because of how different it looks. It makes me wonder if there is even anything inside the box? Or if it's just made to counter balance the placement of the cube? It's a very bold design.

Melt

Design: Paper - pg. 148

I really like how the design company JJAAKK made this packaging look like there is actually chocolate on the wrappers! I assume the designs on the wrappers are elevated and probably feel like dried chocolate drizzled over the wrappers. I do wish they would have tried inverting the colors though: having the wrappers be a chocolate color with "white chocolate" coloring design. I really like the fact that they incorporated the product within the design itself.
This book, Design: Paper had a wide variety of Graphic Design in it with things from everywhere around the world.

fastjet

Communication Arts-Illustration Annual 2012-pg.77

FastJet is an African airline company. The African Grey parrot actually has a lot of meaning behind the design too: it is a very intelligent bird that many keep as a pet. What caught my attention first was the color scheme, I love the bright yellows and oranges accented with neutral greys. I admire how the designer created the parrot so that it doesn't look cheesy, but has nice shapes so that you can still make out what the design element is. I think this logo or identity really shows how diverse Graphic Design can actually be. It's cool to see that it can be as big as an airplace and as small as business cards. 

Malina.AM

Computer Arts-July 2013 issue 216-pg. 39

 

This design was created by StreetArt agency. Their client is Malina.am, which is an internet TV channel that I have never heard of. They were looking for a new "identity" which came to this. The color stood out to me first because of how bold and vibrant it is. I really like how this design is simple and explosive all at once. When I see designs that have a lot going on, I usually skip over them because there is too much to take in, simple designs like this one really make me stop and appreciate what the designer has done to catch my attention.