SMartin6's GDS 122 blog

branding

2009-11-20T09:27:00.001-08:00

hello all, i got a few great examples of branding and its use on some stationary. The first was created by Duffy and Partners for a company called Ratchet. From the get-go this one really stood out....i wonder why? Probably because i think this is the first piece of black stationary i've ever seen....with the exception of maybe a funeral notice. Anyhow, the type treatment is excellent as well and the whole package has a beautiful innovative, sophisticated yet dynamic look.

The second piece is by Templin Brink Design who have, unfortunately, disbanded. But i guesss this work stands as a record of what the firm was capable of. Anyhow, orange was the color chosen and i'm beginning to see the trend here. Obviously orange is going to stand out against really anything but especially against a pile of white envelopes. The use of space on these are great and i really enjoy the off-kilter placement of the return address. Very nice. These were done for Art Real screen printing.

Lastly, Work Labs did their own letterheads....as they are a design house and should be responsible for this. This is a great example of professional solutions applied to make something ordinary seem extraordinary. I really like the grid and the feel of something technical going on. I find it a little too heavy for my tastes, as far as graphics but it defiinitely works.

These were all found in Graphis Design Annual 2008

2009-11-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

Hello, well, the semester's almost over and i gotta say, i'm stoked!

i found these in Graphis magazine jan-apr 2005

OK, the first set of posters were done by a group of design house located in the center of the design world....nebraska. Bailey-Lauerman have a rich history of working with big name clients but these are designed specifically for the annual marathon that takes place in their backyard. Both ads are simple and rely on the incredible imagery to say everything. I really like that. The lighting and composition help attain a sense of calm which is weird really, a marathon is normally bustling with activity. Anyhow, it works and it gets the attention of the intended audience.

Second set of posters are almost at the opposite end of the spectrum rely on dynamic imagery and the same treatment for their text. Of course, Nike being the client, you expect that. The use of loud and saturated colors helps maintain this feeling of action aswell. These ads were done by w+k labs and specifically under the direction of John Jay.

Ok thanks!

2009-11-05T18:15:00.001-08:00

Howdy,

I was cruising around the Print magazine's website and found a great design firm named Hey! studios. Wow! Great use of typography and basic colors, much like the design studio i talked about in this week's homework. I really enjoy the simplicity and clarity which really gets me think that it really is less is more. Attached are a few examples. Thanks for looking.

delicious

2009-10-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

Hello, got a little bit of everything here. Firstly, I don't know if you like Jones Soda but you will now. Designed by Superbig creativeI got the Jones Soda Halloween cans from this month's print magazine. I really enjoy the clean, playful illustrations and also the great typeface...it looks hand drawn but y'know prolly not.

I found a few more examples to show. All of these came from a book from your friendly Parkland Library. The book entitled "White Graphics" was put together by Gail Diebler Finke and was published in 2001. The book centers around the use of white as a tool in design. I myself think of white as a painter thinks of his canvas.....to cover it all. After reading and looking through some of the examples, I know better. White space can serve as an organizational aid, as seen in the drug label, it can be used to create a sense of elegance as seen in the Chinese music and dance poster. It can also be used to create emphasis on the most important pieces of information or assets in a design as seen in the Smoke Signals poster. I highly recommend this book to anyone that might think the same way i did about their canvas.

books!

2009-10-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

This week i chose to do some examples of great book cover design.

Firstly, i thought the photography and use of type in the book "The Healing of America" was very eye catching. Simple to read and a very well thought out idea, this composition uses a almost-symmetrical balance which, in itself, really sets itself apart. The designers are Keenan and Dagger Herren.

Moving on, I couldn't help but be pulled to this next one. High! spelled with a joint! Yeah, it was probably one of the quicker things that made it into the sketchbook but i really like how they treated the type and also the placement of the authors and subtitle. designers.

Lastly, I can't help but be enticed to the hand-made feel of this. The placement of the sentences and fragments also make this design work giving it a feeling of movement which in turn lead the eye toward the bottom of the page. Designed by Peter Mendelsund.

packaging

2009-10-15T19:07:00.000-07:00

Hello, well.....I chose to do a bunch of examples of excellent package design.

The first of which is the for a product called Bear brand fruit/granola nibbles. The company boasts being 100% all natural and i think the design elements and look reflect this. Given the rough, almost hand-cut look of the bear and also the letter forms it gives off a handmade/homemade feel to it. The limited color palette really lends itself to a nice clean design. This was designed by http://www.bandb-studio.co.uk/

My second example is for a men's beauty product line named Kyoku. I really admire the decisions that the designer made regarding using clean elements and a minimal look. Type and line. Black and white.

the last one is probably my favorite. It's for an outstanding product, cheese! Wooden box, great illustration printed right onto the wood....these all work together to give a look of being made the old fashion way. What sets this apart from the total look of victorian is the excellent, and insightful, use of a modern typeface on an older package. I personally think that i couldn't get away with this but these guys can.

Well, i hope you enjoyed these. I sure as hell did.

handmade!

2009-10-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, well once again, i'm updating my blog. Of course, noone's left a comment on a single fucking entry but whatever.

As we are working on posters I've tried to post (for the most part) examples of great posters with the theme of handmade. Whether that be the type or illustration or the actual construction of the posters. Which is the case of the first set of yellow posters.

the yellow posters were done by a french designer for a client called the cultural cellar. the best i could find on the designer was his blog here! Anyhow, the only real materials used in making these were pencil, tape, ink and marker. I really like the difference of each one and knowing that these are handmade gives me a renewed charge in GDS.

The second set of posters area actually wine bottle label for a winery called Michael Austin wines. Again, handmade feel and each illustration tells a story of the people that made the wine. the design firm, Templin Brink Design, is no longer in business but the site has links to the designers who work elsewhere now. The thought process is one that tells a story but does so in a way that makes them stand out from the rest of the wine on the shelf.

Lastly, (OK, there's only one real set of posters here) are coasters that were sent out by Design Army for the sake of simple self-promotion. The great thing about these are the feel of unification among the differing illustration, hand done of course.

I got all of these examples out of an outstanding book entitled "Fingerprints: the art of using handmade elements in graphic design". The book was put together by Chen Design Associates in 2006. Going through the book (which was available from your friendly Parkland Library) there's references to any kind of advertisement known including excellent examples of websites. Enjoy!

week5

2009-09-23T14:40:00.000-07:00

Well, we're past the 1/4 mark of this semester. Here's my offerings/findings of the week.

Not sure if anyone's familiary with Bear Grylls or his show on discovery but the premise is that he's thrown out into the wilderness and has to make it back to civilization on his wits and knowledge alone. Well, the matches promote the show and upon closer inspection there are NO matchheads....pretty clever.
I found these in CMYK Vol 44 and belongs to Tom Kropp.

Secondly, I wish i would've found this example for our last assignment. A clever piece of advertising i thought for the boyscouts. I just like the idea.....Again, CMYK Vol 44. Done by Vessela Valcheva/Linus Parr.

Lastly, a great piece, especially for any OU/UT fans out there....obviously i've got the right side up!

Venture bros! (....and herbs)

2009-09-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

Gutentag. Well, here we are. again.

The two examples of excellency in design came from the same issue of Communication Arts, Design Annual from this year. I chose these two for a few reason. The first being The simplicity of each one is really fantastic, especially the herbs. Essentially the herbs sell themselves so the design is clean and doesn't detract from the product. The second one, Venture Bros season 2, is not only one of my favorite shows it also helps tell the story of the show. Oh, the new season starts Oct 12. FYI.

billboards pt deux

2009-09-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

Hello, once again it's bloggin' time. (like the power rangersss..nm) Well, these selections came from the fine pages of Communication Arts, the December 2004 volume to be exact. I chose these based on their cleverness in both the message and also the placement of these ads. I thought it only appropriate since we are still on the billboard assignment. I think all of these ads do a great job of enticing the viewer to look closer or a second time to get the full message. Enjoy!

2009-08-27T10:48:00.001-07:00

Howdy!