PBDS 502 Good Design

Since we have all been creating logos for Zoos (or tranportation) I thought I would post a few that I found successful.  I like the way the "o"s are turned into turtles and the "Z" appears to be water that the turtles are swimming on.

I like the outline of the giraffee in the "P" and think it can easily become a symbol for the zoo by itself. The color is drab, in my opinion, although it could by my monitor.

I like the colors and the use of the legs to create the "R"

One more good design of a logo. Notice the KEY in the o and d. Clever, isn't it.

Now for an ad that works, This Firefox ad is clever. They use the visual metaphor of condoms to represent their webbrowser and its internet security protection.  

Gotta love Coke, the classic brand

Coca-cola has not had to change their logo in decades, because it is classic and creates a perfect brand that Pepsi cannot compete with.  The color red is synonymous with Coca-Cola. The typeface is unique and works in black and white as well.

Logos, the good and bad PBDS 502

1 Good Logo and Bad Logo .  A great logo needs to be classic; timeless.  The Coca Cola logo is.  I found this timeline that presents the Coke logo along side the Pepsi logo. As you can see, Pepsi kept trying to find a good logo throughout the years, while Coke already had it and remained the same. I like the simplicity and the use of the color red in the Coke logo to brand it.  I consisder the Pepsi logo as a bad logo, since it is not a classic logo. Pepsi is still trying to find a logo that works, ths last one on this chart uses too many colors, three, and would not work in black and white.

Good Logo. I really like the way this palm is used to represent both the tag line " A Helping Hand" and the dove in the title "Dove Financial".  The use of the color blue works as well, blue represents trust and reliability.

Bad Logo.  The first Apple logo was an excellent representation of the concept but there is too much going on for it to work as a logo.  We all know where this lead, to the simple and timeless Apple logo.

Color Use

I like the use of brown in this ad. It reminds me of a library with custom made, solid wood bookcases. It has a sense of a regal environment for top of the line books. 

This is a book cover for Blue Note records. I think the blue is overused. I do like that you can ALMOST piece together a musical note from the rectangle on the top with the oval blending off the left of the page. I would have colored just the musical note in blue to not appear to overdone.

UPDATED PBDS 501 Portrait Retouching for a Mature Audience

I decided to expand on what we learned in class, retouching photos. 
BEFORE IMAGE

AFTER IMAGE 
I only worked on her left half of her face , the side as you face her.

TECHNIQUE

1. I used the Surface Blur Filter to smooth the skin. 

2. I whitened the teeth by using the Quick Selection tool and painted a Quick Mask on the teeth. I refined the edges by using Refine Edge and increasing the Feather value. I then used Replace Color to change the color.

3. I used the Patch tool to retouch wrinkles, moles, and sagginess.

PBDS 502 Folded Brochure

I like this folded brochure, its referred to as a gate fold. When closed you see the hands slightly apart, with a small space between to represent small companies. When you open it the hands are much farther apart representing large "market sharks" companies. The back of the image is simple with needed details given.

Magazine Ad

I like that the designer used Blueprint Special as a play on  Blueplate Special in the article comparing food and architecture. I appreciate the grid, which makes the text easily readable.

Ads with Text



This ad, to the left, is simple yet impactful.   You have to think about it , close it, and it only uses words, actually the choice of one word: drive or drink. Because as Seagrams says here, you shouldn't do both.   The ad to the right is similar in that it uses few words to deliver a meaningful message.

This ad presents the word iceberg in the same position as an actual iceberg. Similar to our last assignment to present text as what we are trying to represent. But they were able to use the color and shape of the ocean ;-)

Creative concepts

I really like the simplicity of this message. It visually represents the possiblities of a lego turning into a dinosaur, what every kid wants, right.

This one made me think; I will help you out, It's actually representing a loaded double barrell shotgun. And a simple message that smoking gives you the same risk of fatality.  I like simplicity and messages with images instead of lengthy words.

This ad gets your attention, and the unwanted "guest's"   attention as well. They actually have a campaign with various scenes of people stopping to watch the CNN news.

PBDS 502 Asymmetrical Balance and Symmetrical Balance

This ad is asymmetrical yet creates balance with the weight of the fish bowl and the color of the gold fish on one side and the tones of grey in the background balancing the lighter tones in the bowl. I think it has a "wow" factor. The text in the grey space also serves to balance the weight of the bowl and color of the fish.  

 

This ad is simple, balanced and asymmetrical. Imagine if the couch would have been exactly in the center with the plant also centered behind it. Yawn. The visual weight of the keys draw you into the near center but the plant on the right and more of the couch being on the left balances it. 

This may not be exactly symmetrical but its more symmetrical than many ads I have seen. Its very balanced with the four VW Beetles in the primary colors, creating more visual weight,  against the less colorful background. 

I appreciate the use of repetition and symmetry in the PBS logo, with the repeating face that represents a service for the public, a diverse and ever changing public. 

PBDS 501 Indesign

This class , along with 502, is my first exposure to Indesign. When learning any new software there is always a period of frustration, which I have entered.  To combat the frustration, and to enter into a productive, happier zone, I have downloaded a 30 day trial version of CS5, so that I can supplement my lab time at home. I am more than looking forward to learning this fabulous design tool!

AD with Four Principles: contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity.

I think this ad uses all design principles, it is not one of my  favorite ads, but it is following technique.

Contrast: The bright red heading is a sharp contrast to the blue tones in the image and draws in your attention, letting you know the organizational structure of where the heading is.

Repetition: The red circle is repeated

Alignment: The text is aligned, the text in the top heading is aligned with the text in the footer. The page is created with unity, nothing seems out of place, its organized and professional looking.

Proximity:
The related text is placed together; the heading includes the title text and the footer text contains text with a call out to turn the page. The circles are also placed near each other.

Logos using figure ground.

I discovered these logos by performing a google search using the terms: logo and figure ground.
The first logo was his previous attempt, the bottom logo is his "final" logo. 

I like the figure ground in this first logo  but I do not like the square top of the "J" it appears out of alignment and I keep seeing only the square; ignoring the "DJK" letters below. 

I prefer the logo above. The top of the "J"  is created using a colored circle, a perfect contrast to the more square shapes and black and white used elsewhere. The "J" centered gives you a focus point and draws you in.  The dot also adds a splash to a relatively conservative logo yet the logo can also work without the dot. In this logo, the letters are easily read without the top of the "J" pulling attention away from the DJK. It all seems to fit.

Printed Piece 2:Poor Design

This ad was found in the 2010 September issue of VOGUE.  I like that the key words have a larger font than the other words, yet it still has too many words that seem to all merge together; not one word delivering a message with impact.  Even the last words, and the most meaningful words for the marketing campaign, " feel beautiful" seem lost to me.  I like what the ad says but I do not like the visual display.

Printed Piece 1:Poor Design

This ad was discovered in the September, 2010 issue of VOGUE.
I especially chose this advertisement because it is a  contrast to my selection for Printed Piece 1 : Good Design, the Juicy Couture ad.
The typeface and font chosen for this ad, for the name "Lola Rose", is hard to read and lacks impact.  The typeface is almost annoying to me; creating an instance of blurred or double vision. It clearly displays the importance of choosing the right typeface, color, and font of text to create the desired perception for the audience.

Printed Piece 2:Good Design

This Advertisement was seen in the September, 2010 issue of VOGUE.  Although I prefer bright colors, the neutral colors appealed to me because of the textures of the brick and glass. I like the unique logo with the A and M both missing the left side.  It drew my attention in and I kept looking for the missing sides. The logo presents a good use of  stable figure/ground.

Printed Piece 1:Good Design

I found this Juicy Couture Advertisement  in the September 2010 VOGUE. To me, the brand name Juicy Couture conjures up images of femininity and high fashion.  In my opinion the ad  is simplicity at its finest with the chosen typeface saying it all. There is not a need for any more text to generate the desired meaning to the audience. The typeface and font they chose says it all. Stark white on a colorful background in a romantic Old English font. If Juicy Couture would have been created in any other font, I think it would have less visual impact.