Event Poster

I really love this concert poster I found online. It's for a band called Lumedia and I really love the color scheme. The artist used bright colors and and font that gives it a "psychedelic" look. It looks like it could be a poster for Woodstock, or like the Grateful Dead posters we saw in class. It makes good use of the font, it's large but doesn't take over because he also leaves room for a picture. I also like the filter he may have used that gives it a stamp like look.

Magazine Design

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I love this cover of the New Yorker because it's simple yet beautiful. One of the great things about the New Yorker is that they're always pushing the limits. With this design, they turned Michelle Obama into a Barbie doll and dressed her in classic Barbie outfits. I like how the New Yorker uses illustrations and not photographs in their cover designs. It makes it more original and gives the magazine a style. I also think the use of bright colors if effective, as well as the style of the old generation Barbie doll. I also like how there are no cover lines, because none are really needed. The image speaks for itself, all you need is the title.

Good Logo Design

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One of the best logos of today is the Apple logo. Having gone from the multicolored logo to the silver and futuristic look, the new facelift of the Apple logo gives it a whole new feel. The silver shiny apple represents exactly what Apple is about today. The apple looks edgy and sleek, like a lot of Apple's new computers and Ipods. The logo tells viewers that Apple is a company that's creative and whimsical (hence the fruit) but also sleek and sophisticated. Looking at the logo, you get a sense that Apple is a high quality brand, but that it's also friendly open to everyone because everyone can recognize what an apple is. I think the Apple logo is simple and smart, and has gained international recognition very quickly.

An example of bad design

Although Community Warehouse is a great organization that really gives back to Milwaukee, this flyer of theirs is unfortunately very poorly designed. Having interned there over the past summer, I know for a fact that Community Warehouse has been working really hard to revamp their promotional materials. This old flyer is an example of bad design because there is nothing about it that immediately grabs your attention. The "75% off" is larger than the organization's name. There is a strange large box around the middle section of the flyer, which makes for poor use of space. The organization of information on the bottom, the hours, phone number, etc. are crammed into a small space and it's difficult to read. Balance wise, the flyer is good, but there are no photos or interesting graphics that entice readers.

By simply adding a photo or two, increasing the organization size, and also including a logo, the flyer would be a million times better. Also, by not including a map and simply stating the address of the organization, more room would be available for a more appealing graphic.

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Twitter, Toyota and Twilight. All totally different things, yet they all share something in common. Yes, they all start with the letter T which is the letter I have chosen to explore for this blog post, but the more important thing they share in common is how they use typography to create brand awareness and emotion.

By now we’re all familiar with Twitter. When we see the T symbol we don’t even need the words. The teal blue background with the white lowercase “T” are enough. The creator of the Twitter logo was smart. The colors are contrasting and eye catching. The characters in the word Twitter are also all lower case, and the typeface used is more bubbly, rounded and bold, rather than light. The Twitter logo and simply the “T” app button are a perfect example of good typography.

Another “T” logo that popped into my head and has been in the news a lot recently is Toyota. The Toyota logo is interesting to me because they chose to not only use a specific typeface for their wording, but they also created a symbol out of the letter “T” that is even more recognizable than the typeface. The font used for the word “Toyota” is simple. It is all upper case letters in a regular to bold weight in a Roman form. It’s simple and clean lines give the audience the feeling that their cars are simple and clean too. If they were to use a script font, audiences may get the idea that their cars are fancier or higher class. Using the basic font gives off the impression that Toyotas are for everyone. However, when it comes to their letter “T” symbol, they give it a modern twist. This gives off the impression that although they are clean and simple, they are also modern and ahead of the game. Toyota’s use of clean lines and simple typography is/was effective. Now they’ll just have to convince people that their cars are simple, clean and SAFE.

The final typography “T” example I chose was this Twilight poster. The title is in a serif font, and is all lowercase. The font is also a Roman style and is a regular weight. The black background and the white letters give a spooky effect. What makes this work is the effect on the letters. The letter “T” looks like there are moon beams shooting out of it. The beams from the "T" shoot up to the vampire Edwards face and give the audience a glimpse of what’s to come in the movie. The letter "T" in Twilight is much different from the Toyota "T". Rather than being clean and simple, it is more elaborate and creates more emotion.

The color red; passionate and lucky

When we think of the color red, many feelings come to mind. Red represents lust, love, passion, and also danger. As a culture, we have come to associate some negative connotations with red, and also some positive ones. For example, red represents sin and guilt. A classic example of this is in the novel the Scarlett Letter. The woman who is punished with adultery has a red letter ‘A’ sewn into her clothes. This comes from the belief that red is associated with the blood of murder. Take a look at the book cover for the Scarlet letter below, and it's easy to see that red means sin and danger.

However, red can also represent love and lust. With Valentines Day right around the corner, we’ll all be seeing a lot of red roses. You wouldn’t buy someone a red rose unless you loved them…and ladies, if you receive a rose that’s not red on Valentines Day then he jut wants to be “friends”.

In China however, red is perceived in a totally different way. According to Chinaculture.org, red is seen in a very positive light representing courage, loyalty, honor, success, fortune and happiness. In Chinese weddings, it is customary for people to wear red dresses including the bride because it is thought to bring luck. This would seem strange at an American wedding, as white is the traditional color for the bride. If a bride were to wear red in the United States, people would most likely be taken aback and possibly offended. In this photo, even the wedding cake for a Chinese wedding is red.

Red is also used in big holidays such as Chinese New Years. In this photo you can see how red is one of the prominent colors for decorating and is symbolic of celebration. It is the main color of the dragon, and those underneath the dragon are also wearing red.

Red is a color that around the world has no exact definition. That is why it is important for us to always pay attention to our target markets and who we're delivering our messages to. We wouldn't want to offend anyone out of pure ignorance.

Color in advertisements

While black and white images can be beautiful and expressive in their own way, I’ve always been a fan of color. Not just color, but bright color, and lots of it. I even have a pair of yellow pants. That’s why I find this movie poster for Alice and Wonderland so beautiful. The ad immediately grabs your attention because of the use of bright colors with lots of saturation. The red of the Mad Hatter’s hair is a complementary color to the bright green of his hat and the background.

The purple and green makeup on Johnny Depp’s face along with his bright green eyes really stand out in comparison to his skin that has a lot of tint to it, making it almost white. The colors in the tie are also triadic colors making them stand out each individually while looking good together.

This movie poster gives out a playful and young message. At the same time its oddness and saturated colors make it intriguing. It makes a view want to see the movie, in hopes that it is just as bright and fantastical.