Very Clever!

I love most of Guinness' ads. They've always been clever and iconic. The dark glass with the white head is a universal signifier of the Irish beer. I love how the designer used this shape to bring a monstrous vibe to the ad. This is really using the simplicity of the product creatively. One of those things I wish I'd thought of.

I also think the ads for the first season of Glee is very creative. The ads evoke a "collect-them-all" feeling- once you see one or two, you understand that they are part of a collection. The L being the universal signifier for "loser" helps the viewer understand the dynamic and the main struggle in the show without ever having seen show at all. I'm aware there's a dreaded gradient in these, but I don't think that ruins anything. The colors are so vibrant that they might be too much without the gradient leading you to each characters face and the name of the show.

Symmetry/Asymmetry/Tommy Hilfiger

So maybe I'm just bizarre, but I found it way harder to find examples of symmetry than asymmetry. Maybe it's because I'm drawn to asymmetry more and notice it quicker, but it was tricky.

The example of symmetry that I decided to use is from Tommy Hilfiger's new Fall/Winter 2010 campaign: Meet the Hilfigers. Full disclosure: I'm obsessed with these ads. They're so clever and fun and tongue in cheek- perfect for this American designer.

Also, I'm going to show another example from this campaign, just because I love it so much.

I think the symmetry in these are obvious. In the first, the people are grouped and lined up symmetrically. The two blonde women sitting down in the front are the center, family radiates from either side. This reminds me of DaVinci's Last Supper. 

The second picture is almost a mirror image- the cars, the men, the objects on either side. (Yeah, I just called a kid and a dog objects. Sorry.) I love the rich use of color in these ads- something that I think isn't overwhelming because of the use of symmetry. Similar colors and textures are repeated through the images, but the layout of the picture is simple to understand because of the symmetry.

My example for asymmetry is an ad for Saks Fifth Avenue.

Just as the use of color in my earlier examples seemed logical because of the symmetry, I think this ad is effective in black and white because of the asymmetry. The large, blocky figures on the upper right side contrast directly with the thin text on the lower left side. I think if there was use of color in this, it would be confusing to look at. The use of black and white organizes the information and instructs the viewers on how to read the ad. The arrows point to the store name and then lead you to the remaining copy.

CS what?

So this is my first real foray into the land of indesign- or really any program in CS5. It's fair to say I was very intimidated to begin with. I think the best thing about it is that it is hard to really mess up. Enough searching around will let you find at least one way to get your goal achieved. I'm sure once the projects get more complicated it won't be quite so user friendly, but for now I do appreciate that there are at least 6 ways to do any one thing. I talked to a few designers I work with and asked them how they would make an arrow. Three different people, three different answers. I like that!

Figure/Ground

I think this logo is a really cool way to play with figure/ground.

I love that it's really playful and helps you see what type of business might be using this logo. Of course, I also think that the zoo might be touting an impressive wild cats habitat, but that might not be true. Seeing the bodies of the animal in motion- and then seeing the second animal keeps your eyes on the name and the whole logo. It's smart and exciting.

Oh crap

I saw this invitation (well, save the date) as a primo use of CRAP. The three boxes are repetitive and alligned, but contrast in color. The use of proximity helps you read the information and understand the event and what will take place.

Something like a date (and the use in a save the date) works really well being shown by repetition in an invitation. There is a universally understood format that people read. Filling out forms, selecting from a drop-down menu, dates are formatted and repetitive in the mm/dd/yy format.

The center column of text also helps with the idea of allignment. The words aren't perfectly alligned on both sides, but they do line up with the boxes and then with eachother.

I really like this piece. It's clean, simple, easy to read, but somehow doesn't feel like something you've seen a million times before.

Hot or Cold

So let's take a look at some examples of design that I think are good and bad.

I might be a bit biased with this first one, but I genuinely think it's good. Yes, it's my wedding invitation. No, I didn't design it.

I love the simple, clean, capped text. I love the elegant but not too flourish-ey script font used for the names. I also think the design was great for the actual event described on the invitation. It was at a beach club- the simple reeds evoke the idea of an outdoor, natural setting. The color of the reeds are reminiscent of sunset, perfect for the time stated. 

The next example I love is from Real Simple magazine. I'm sure all designers love it. It's pretty much perfection. This is from the "Trends Worth Trying" section of the September 2010 issue. 

Love that it's billed as something "unexpected" right there in the subhead. I really loved the shapes used here. The lines within the pieces each influenced how the actual item was shown. The bag- made up of rings- is shown as mostly circular, and even in the profile shot, it appears curved and concave. There's so much texture going on here- color is only used in the text and that's all that's needed here. There was so much potential for this page to be a huge mess with all the interesting lines going on, but the use of a totally clean background and simple layout preempted any problems.

This next page, which really hurts my eyes, is from the September 2010 issue of In Style Magazine. I jus think it's terrible- take a look.

This is really what I thought that Real Simple page above could have turned into if it hadn't been handled so masterfully. What a disaster. Nothing on this page makes sense together, other than as a group of advertised products- whose advertisers apparently hadn't wanted to spend too much to advertise. This is obvious at first glance. A reader might think that it's not worth looking at just because it wasn't worth designing well. Everything is overlapping each other, theres not a cohesive message, this isn't targeted to anyone in particular- therefore it suffers overall. I don't want to look at this anymore, so let's move on.

This last one is a little difficult for me to admit is an example of bad design. Like I said in my previous post, I'm a NYC native. Well, for those of you who are unfamiliar with NYC culture, allow me to introduce you to Dr. Zizmor. He's a dermatologist who has been promising "beautiful, clear skin" on subway ads for over 30 years. I couldn't find a landscape photo that would really do this glorious ad campaign justice, but I hope these pictures help get the idea across.

Why the rainbow? Why the oddly placed testimonial? The totally tragic phone number? We could really go on. It's just not good. But here's the strange part. NYers LOVE Dr. Zizmor. Everyone knows who he is, and everyone loves these ads. So let this also serve as an example of a time where bad design becomes a beloved part of a cultural tapestry. I don't seek to understand it- I've been brainwashed too and my love runs deep. 

Hope you guys like these pieces, and don't forget who to call when you find yourself in need of beautiful clear skin.

Intro to Me

I think in order to be a good blogger, I need to lay it all out there. Who I am, what I like- all that. So here goes:

-I'm just a typical 20-something born and raised in NYC, off in Baltimore trying to forge my own path.

-I love to write and I'll read anything- shampoo bottles to supermarket tabloids.

-My role models are Betty White, Jay-Z, and Kelly Cutrone.

-I adore designs that are modern, clean, and have interesting use of color.

-I drive a 15 year old hoopty and love it for its character. New or old- gotta love a convertible.

-Ice cream is a no-go, but tart frozen yogurt and italian ices are irresistible.

-Growing up, my favorite shows were Columbo, Golden Girls, and Happy Days. I was a strange kid.

-I was scarred for life by A Very Brady Christmas when the house collapsed and Mike Brady got trapped.

-I adore Beyonce, Lady Gaga, and Elton John- mostly for the costumes.

-Ballet and running are my favorite full body workouts- mind, body, and soul.

-Marc Jacobs can do no wrong.

-I love chocolate and cheese, but never together. That's just gross.

-I believe that if you don't have everything you want, you're not working hard enough.

I'm sure there's more, but we'll get to that along the way.