Graphic Design History

Prairie Gardens

2010-04-05T13:32:00.002-05:00

This is a label sticking out of a potted plant at Prairie Gardens. I was drawn to it because of the flower photograph that was cut and used as a dress. I believe this is a very unique idea for an advertisement for a plant. It is connecting gardening with fashion and makes gardening seem "cool." I also enjoy the use of color and dynamic lines.

Mills Breast Cancer

2010-03-21T19:12:00.002-05:00

I was at Carle for an appointment with the doctor when I studied the Mills Breast Cancer wall designs. The typography is to be expected (traditional, probably Times, serif, calming and trustworthy and all that), but what caught my eye was the use of materials. I like how the type is white on glass over wood. It's so elegant. Use of materials is kind of a second thought to most designers, but when materials are used in an unexpected way, it makes very expected designs to a new level.

Best Buy

2010-03-21T19:03:00.002-05:00

I went to Best Buy to get a chip for my camera (which I use for these blogs) so that I can hold more pictures. This is the chip I got-plus the design on the blister pack is nice! You can't really see it in this picture but I really like how in the background is a camera with lower opacity. I thought it was in interesting way to have a camera picture in there. You know what you're buying because there is a camera in the design but it isn't too obvious. I also thought the color choices were well made. However, now that I look at it, the lower right is a little too heavy compared to the upper left-although the isolation of the logo emphasizes it so you know what brand you're looking at right away.

TSI

2010-03-13T10:01:00.002-06:00

I was doing errands around town and got turned around. I chose the Tile Specialists, Inc. parking lot to turn around in and liked the lit up sign on the building. The "Tile Specialists" part I could do without, the type is very close to brush script and overdone. However, I enjoyed the logo on the top. I thought it was creative how the i was attached to the t in a unifying way and the s is slightly bigger than the other two letters. And guess what, the line connecting the i and t makes a tile! There are a lot of logos for local businesses that are mediocre, but this one was an interesting solution.

A Healthy Snack

2010-03-13T09:38:00.004-06:00

I found these packages of pistacios at Kroger in Bloomington when I was visiting a friend. I thought it amusing that the two packages-one modern but maybe a little more formal, and the other very cartoony and humorous, on the same shelf. I doubt there is much of a difference between the two products-I'm sure when people decide to buy pistacios here they decide which one to get based on which package they like. Both these designs are unique and successful. The more serious one is very centered and the type is modern. The black stripe that thins down the middle might suggest a thin waist and therefore on a subconscious level get people to buy the product because they think it would be a good snack on their diet (it's no lie-nuts are a great way to get good fats and avoid carbs). The more humorous package is fun and eye catching. I'm assuming the pistachio characters were hand-drawn and traced in Illustrator, which makes the design very friendly. Again, the font is appropriate, there is good use of white space so the composition is not too cluttered, and there is clear emphasis in the middle.

The Bridge-CU

2010-03-08T23:45:00.002-06:00

This billboard on the corner of Duncan and Springfield-I love love love! It is such a simple, no frills message about joining a religious group. It says it like it is-it is a meeting ground to start over, to find a path. No doughnuts. No childcare offered. No over the top building. No free confessions (okay, well maybe that one). Just a place for fellowship and God. The type is great-I normally would frown at such a long phrase being in all caps but it says to me, this is important. Read me.

Team

2010-03-08T23:40:00.002-06:00

This sign was posted just outside Carpenter's Local 44. I was taking a walk because it has been so nice out and noticed the sign because it was black and white. I wasn't necessarily crazy about the overall layout but I loved the black crowd used as a backdrop for the white word team. I think that is so creative. Now that I look at it again, though, I kind of like the font also. Usually a sign like this would have a more overused, cliche font like brush script. I can't peg what font this is and I say that's great.

H & R Block

2010-02-28T10:34:00.002-06:00

As I was sitting, waiting to do my taxes, I studied the graphic design on the wall and noticed it was very well done. Like anybody, doing my taxes is a little nerve racking and I noticed how the images H & R Block uses are perfect for helping the customer feel they are going to be cared for. The green color gives a sense of peace-a color often used on the walls of offices of psychologists. Round, circular shapes with no jutting or sharp lines or edges give a more relaxed feeling. Plus, the picture depicted is a family of all ages smiling. You always have to put that one in! One complaint I have is while the information on the translucent white circle is a very interesting graphic design solution, at the same time it is completely covering up the little boy's face on the left. I think the circle could have been placed differently or resized. Now that I look at it again, I know what I would have done. I would have moved the family farther down to the south east portion of the canvas and moved the circle slightly up. We don't need to see Mrs.'s knees or Mr.'s shirt so much, it's unnecessary. By doing these changes the little boy's face would be completely visible.

Jimmy John's

2010-02-28T10:23:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite restaurants! I have always enjoyed the graphic signs Jimmy John's uses in the restaurant. They have many of the characteristics of the food and the people who work there-simple, sometimes loud, friendly, goofy. This sign in particular is interesting because to me it is reminiscent of the Futura/Heroic Realism movement, with the "fist/bread of power." The sign also displays characteristics of the Art Deco movement with the rays emanating from the center, the jutting sharp shapes and type which makes the image feel "speedy" and the bold, limited use of color. Jimmy John's signs tend to use centered layouts where primarily red, black, white and some yellows are used and there is clear emphasis. These characteristics are powerful and fun and because of the clear layouts, they are comfortable to look at. Therefore, whenever I'm eating there I find I'm reading the same signs over and over.

Za's

2010-02-22T22:35:00.004-06:00

If you haven't noticed, I like going out to eat. I've looked at these pictures on the wall at Za's for a couple years now but now with this assignment I actually looked at them with design elements in mind this time around. Both pictures (the third picture is a close up of the second) hint the subject matter without nailing it to the ground with detail-which reminds me of the early modern movement, when artists strived to get a point across as quickly and non-frivolously as possible. The flat planes of color of the first reminds me of Toulouse Latrec's work; the second is almost an impressionist approach landscape depiction (from afar you know exactly what you are looking at but up close it is a mix of splotches and lines of color-not a whole lot of extra sharpness or detail). Anyway, in class we are talking a lot about how the need for realistic depiction of subject matter has gone by the wayside in the twentieth century because of serious social reasons, and here I was looking at these pictures, thinking how we take for granted the immense change that took place in art and how now we don't think anything of an ambiguous or abstract work of art. It's commonplace. I was looking at these pictures thinking of how when artists first started trying out these more abstract techniques, they were often rejected or thrown out of art school. Fast forward: photography now can use very life-like images to communicate something, so art and design are not needed for this goal. In the present, the message is more important. If an artist creates an exact copy of a subject, that's what it is considered-an exact copy, big deal. The audience then asks, so what? What's the message? What's unique? What are we to feel?

Station Theatre Advertisements

2010-02-22T22:14:00.003-06:00

At the Station Theatre in Urbana, there are always posters on the walls advertising past or future plays. I chose a couple I liked for this blog. The first is a very simplified but structured and symmetrical design that is very attractive to the eye. The second is what I believe to be a photograph of a small town close by. I've never been a fan of the town but this shot makes me appreciate it more because there are some beautiful things in this photo-the trees, the lines. I also felt the typography, even though embedded in what would normally be considered a busy background, is readable, which is an accomplishment for a black and white intricate photo. The Station Theatre's posters always attempt to depict the personality of the play they advertise, so I like to look at them and guess what the play is about.

Uncle Jack's

2010-02-10T19:30:00.005-06:00

Another restaurant I have been to recently is Uncle Jack's, another one of those restaurants where they try to be hip by putting fruit actually in your juice, for example. Well, after looking at these pictures (on the flippy thing on the table), can you tell me you don't want some juice from there? The color management, the typography! I thought the layout was so beautiful. If you look close, you can see the bands behind the type of the second picture to coinside with the colors of the image but it is so well executed because they don't interfere with the overall layout. Very professionally and creatively done.

Famous Dave's

2010-02-10T19:22:00.003-06:00

I go to Famous Dave's a lot not just because I love the ceaser salad but because of the atmosphere. It's a fun family oriented restaurant and the music is bluesy. The advertising design the place uses is great, every time. Sadly, Lil' Porgy's (Champaign, IL) tries to use the same kind of characteristic pig to advertise their restaurant, and while their food is good too....too late, it's Famous Dave's trademark. This in particular is a sign that was hand-painted and hangs inside the restaurant. Like all the other Famous Dave's brand designs, it's fun, colorful, lively, welcoming and approachable. I think I see all these values in this painting because the type is large and the elements fill the canvas...it tells me I will be full if I go here.

Midas

2010-02-05T20:32:00.006-06:00

I have gone to the local Midas for my vehicle needs for years and recently they did a "Graphic Makeover." The new pictures on the walls make the place polished and professional and give one the feeling that these mechanics know what they're doing with their intricacy. While the graph-feel of the images give one the feeling of comfort in organization, the images of the cars are tilted and there is a lot of warm colors, which makes a dynamic and alluring design.

Advanced Aestestics

2010-01-30T15:28:00.002-06:00

It might be hard to see this billboard because I was at a stoplight at the time, but ever since this ad came out I've loved it. On the left side, there are two lemons and the caption reads, "If life gives you lemons...." On the right side, there are two large cantaloupes and the caption reads, "trade up." It took me a second but then when I got the message I was laughing out loud. This advertisement is a very interesting spin on breast augmentation/plastic surgery. If you saw the billboard you would also see that the lemons point in random directions and are in shadow; the cantaloupes have attractive lighting and are pointing up the same direction. So many subliminal messages here! The ad is very nicely layed out; extremely symmetrical (except for the fact that the cantaloupes are a lot bigger than the lemons.....a weight difference that is done on purpose and helps bring home the message).

Stitches

2010-01-24T16:21:00.002-06:00

I chose to capture this design because I am creating a Goth website mock up in my Graphic Design I class and am looking for specific ideas. This design is on a T-Shirt I won on Halloween (I got runner-up in the costume contest!). Stitches is a Thursday night Goth event at Clark bar in Champaign, Urbana. The music focuses on dark wave and goth rock but not on industrial, electronic or other "dansey" genres.

The design fits well with the personality of Stitches because the picture of the man's face has stitches and is a little grotesque, a little different, usually something one may look away from. The design is cleverly white on black background, which adds pop, so it is hard to look away! It is a simple design with the face being the focal point and the lines of text set tastefully on top and bottom with appropriate typefaces.

Ayria CD Cover

2010-01-24T15:49:00.000-06:00

This is the cover of the latest CD I have from the electroclash genre band Ayria. I didn't think much of them when I first found out about the band because they were opening for the band I was really there to see. However, I immediately was taken by their poppy, pretty but slightly angry and smart-alec sound and lyrics. The design of their albums reinforces their desire to be taken seriously in the goth/alternative arena. I am not a huge girly-girl but I have always enjoyed the almost over-stylized intention of the design. The cover fits very well with many of the album's lyrics ("shiny violent killing toys"...meaning guns..taking something serious and making it seem absurdly pretty???).

In a grass-roots, low budget community, either someone in this band or an outside hire is a great designer! The design is very professionally done, showcasing unity through proximity, color and pattern. Even though I read the elements of the design as a full group, Jennifer, the singer is emphasized because she is in front of the pink elements on the right. Secondary emphasis, I believe, is on the rhinestoned "gun" she is holding because it is dead center and slightly elevated, plus in the far background lines literally draw the eye to it. Typography is appropriate for the album because there is no more than two typefaces and the one chosen for the name of the album, "Hearts for Bullets," fits with the tongue-and-cheek theme with its extremely stylized cursive tails.

Hello!

2010-01-20T21:15:00.000-06:00

Hi, I am Kelly. I am excited to learn many things in my Graphic Design History class, and hopefully gain some quality inspiration too. Posted will be photos I have taken of things that inspire me.