Viral Violence

adsoftheworld.com

The image above is a ad that is against viral violence due to all of the social media bullying incidents that have resulted in the loss of children's lives. To me this really hit home, because I've been growing up in the start of social media and it becoming a problem. Also, I like many have been a victim of online bullying (obviously not as extreme as other cases). This a contemporary design that uses photography and a minimalist approach. It is very blunt towards what it is about. It uses photography (with some effects and what not of course) to really draw you and pull at your emotions. I was pulled in immediately because I was curious what the picture was of, only to realize it was what seems to be a dead child who may have been pelted by phones. I finally fully connected the dots whenever I read the text message-like box that reads, "Don't share the hate." Although the image can fully explain the the idea of the ad, I feel like the textbox is necessary because it is a strong but short statement. With it, the design still remains very clean as well; it doesn't interrupt the photograph due to the placement. Although this design is for/from Guatemala, I feel it should be publicized in every country. It would really get across to kids that what they are doing is taking lives from other children.

Psychedelia Features

adsoftheworld.com

The design above is an advertisement from Brazil that promotes learning English, since it is a more universal language. in the description it explains, "Of course speaking another language helps your career. Who else kisses up to the boss in two different languages?" The company Yazigi is like Rosetta Stone except it teaches English. Of course I had to do some research on the company and found their website. Whenever I went to it, it is strictly in spanish. 

I was really drawn to this ad because of the play with the type. The type reminds me a lot of the Psychedelia style. The type uses a lot of kind of like tendrils that branch off the letter forms into swirls. Overall the text isn't made to be legible, which is a major characteristic of the Psychedelia style. If you take notice to what's going on towards the edges of the design, it has some silhouettes of different animal/creature-like figures. Silhouettes is another characteristic of the Psychedelia style that was pretty popular.  

Coffee

adsoftheworld.com

The design above was created by a Turkish design company that is pro coffee. In the description is says, "Coffee is a perfect solution for a scattered mind." In some cases this is true for people and sometimes not. I was drawn to this ad because of how distorted the photograph is and it is definitely not easy on the eyes. Although this a newer design, it reminds me a lot of deconstructivism. Deconstructivism style does exactly what it sounds like, it "deconstructs" or takes apart the elements to make it look morphed and not completely recognizable. 

Pantones

adsoftheworld.com

Above is an ad for "Rabel," a skin bronzer from Saudi Arabia. This image caught my attention because it was labeled "Summer Pantones." The image uses different pantone color slides (like the ones you would look at in the color books or when shopping for paint) to create an image of a part or a tan woman on the beach. I remember in my classes talking about Pantones and looks at the color books. This design uses those little color slides in a very unique way like the images that uses a bunch of other pictures to create one big one. I have always really liked that concept, but this seems a bit more unique. This design remains very clean even those there are so many different colors and their labels. Although the design is from another country, the design is also straight to the point to what it is about. I really enjoyed this contemporary ad.  

SWA

sagmeisterwalsh.com

Above is an identity I had found for a project in another class for a project I did on Stefan Sagmeister. I decided to blog it because it is a very creative and successful contemporary design. SWA is a landscaping company and knowing this is very helpful (hints the mountainy letters). The play with the text in this is a great example of illustrative text as well. Also the design is very clean but also has that jagged mountain feel; that's impressive that those two characteristics can be in one design.

Guitar

Printmag.com

The image above is of a  stationary set, plus more, that is another winner for the regional design aways for Print. Overall I thought this was a very simple and "to the point" identity. The guitar-pic logo was a great choice and it is a very recognizable item. 

Forestry

Printmag.com

This design kind of caught my eye because I use to be in FFA and forestry was a CDE (in other words plant/tree competition). I really like the design because of its play with mixing  borders, type, and illustration into almost like a logo. Although it is really kind of clean, symmetrical, and nicely spaced, the building in the design doesn't make much sense to me. Also tho too, I didn't look for any background information this time and it is hard for me to see all the small type. 

Calligraphy or Typeface?

Printmag.com

The design above I thought was really intriguing because the type in this design is so flawless that I personally can't tell if it was a calligraphy or a typeface that has added glyphs. Also, the design has a very vintage type of fee due to the product. It definitely has that hand made feel. 

Sleeves

Printmag.com

Above is another regional winner from print for a CD sleeve. I really liked the design because I haven't personally seen a lot of CD sleeve designs. Also, the covers feature a illustrative element that is really fantastic. The mix of different ways the type is mixed fits together perfectly, which is harder than it looks to pull off (I've tried). But that is something I have loved looking at, mainly on pinterest. It is cool to see that used somewhere else other than pinterest.

Tampa

Printmag.com

I really liked the design about that was obviously created for Tampa Bay. The color scheme has high contrast in cover, which makes the words really pop. The design is very balanced and clean. Overall this is a great contemporary design and it really caught my eye when I was looking through 2014 winners for the south region awards for Print.

They design above is a  magazine cover for "Print" magazine that I found on their website. I chose this because I really liked the how the design was illustrated along with the small decorative elements like the mushrooms, the apple with a arrow through it, etc. 

Labeling and Packaging

I found this design in Fall 2016's "How" periodical and I chose it because I really like the packaging of the product. Overall I really think it is very well designed package because it isn't too busy and it uses the space effectively. There is just enough detail to where it still has a clean design. Also the packaging has great use of type. The typefaces work great here and the way it is slanted I feel contributes to the cylinder shape of the product.

Print Awards

The photograph above is of a print design that was featured on howdesign.com in there Typography and Lettering Awards. I really liked this design because it is very elegant. It reminds me a lot of the Art Nouveau style because of the organic feel it has from the flowers and vines (which could also be seen as tendrils). Also the golden brown like color palette contributes to the organic but elegant feel. The type is a little hard to read, but I think for this design works and once you look closely you can read it.

Banksy

The design I chose to share with all of you is a magazine cover done by one of my favorite artists, Banksy, and I found it on Print magazine's website. For those of you who do not know him, he is a fairly newer artist and he is 'infamous' street artist (loved by citizens but hated by the police). Anyway, this is obviously a modern design. One of the things I really like about this design is not only is the character not realistic, but I really like his use of typography. The title "Swiddle" is in a font that I feel is very fitting to his style of work. I also really like that he included his signature because that is something that a lot of street artists do and also because it makes the cover very unique.

Outdoors

         

The design I choose is from originally from a Miami Ad School and it is featured on Ads of the World's website. I chose this because I really like the typeface in this design and the pictures of the animals, looks like it was drawn out maybe. The ad for a company that makes outdoor gear. I thought it was a very interesting way of trying to persuade someone to buy outdoor gear.

Misconception

I chose this ad from Ads of the World; it was done by SOS Ideas, an ad agency in India. At first I thought it was an animal ad, so that is why I clicked on it to read more. As I looked closer, I noticed in the right hand corner it says "Save Kolkata's Endangered Architecture" and repeated it in the description. Of course my curiosity lead me to search it to find out more. 

Long story short, Kolkata is a town in West Bengal, India. West Bengal is has been going through a depression, so since the 90s the government had been selling homes families could no longer afford to people who were not even residents of India, they were abroad in countries like America. Due them not living there, the non residents of India do not maintain these houses. I got this information from theguardian.com, and there is a huge article if your interested. A little history lesson goes along with the ad.

Back to a graphic design standpoint, the pandas in the middle of the image were definitely deceiving. I am not sure what purpose they really serve. They could enlarge the text a bit as well. Overall, now that I know the history behind it, there could be a lot of ideas that would help get the point of the campaign. 

Red Hot Chili Peppers

So I chose to put this in my blog because first of all I am a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and this is literally what I picture in my head whenever I hear their name. The design was done by an advertising agency in Brazil called Acesso; I found it on Ads of the World. I just thought it was a very cool interpretation.

Creativity used to describe something overlooked

The design above was created to describe the journey of coffee from the plants to the consumer. It is a 2017 winner for the International Design Awards for Infographics from howdesign.com . This design drew my interest because coffee is a luxury that I would have to say is somewhat taken for granted. It never dawned on me until I viewed this design that I realized how complex the journey coffee goes through before it reaches consumers. This is a very creative way to show consumers what the process is like in way that is easier to understand than reading about it.