How Gilty?

So I saw this full spread ad in a Victoria's Secret magazine. Yes, I know the picture has a glare and its hard to see, but bear with me here. Anyone see the blooper? Or maybe its a new trend to spell it 

g-i-l-t-y. All I know is they made this blooper twice as big because its on a full page spread. Kind of embarrassing, for being such a top notch designer store. Not only this but I wish there were a wider variety of shoes displayed here. I feel like all the same kind of girl would wear these. And its winter time. Shouldn't they be advertising boots this time of the year. Also why are there balloons in the background? In my opinion it makes the shoes appear dull. Overall I don't feel like this is a very successful design and feel he/she should have checked the spelling.

Meijer Billboard

After this class I have started noticing more and more in little ole Champaign, in terms of graphic arts. And when I drove past Schnucks on the left, stretched over a huge billboard, was this advertisement on the right. I thought what a good idea, pumpkin pie=Thanksgiving and Christmas tree= Christmas. Ahh makes you realize the holidays ARE here! What was ironic is that I saw the pie first, then noticed the tree. In that order. I guess it depends on who you are, but most likely Meijer intended for this effect. The typography is noticed secondary to the images, and I like how its in between the slice of pie and the whole. What I like about the art is that it is easily understood because how simple it is. As you can see the consumer would get it without the words. Overall, I believe this is a grail of advertisement.

Jimmy Johns

As I was driving down University, from the opposite direction I usually go, and noticed this huge 'seal' painted on the opposite side of the Jimmy John's brick building. This is obviously not the exact picture, but I don't think I'll drive and take one. You get the idea though. In my opinion, JJ's has a perfect advertising strategy and is very loud. They used the side of their building as a huge billboard to paint their logo. The Urbana JJ's is not the only location in which they take this approach. It is everywhere, like a branding. Their type style is a clean sans-seriffed font. Something else I have noticed when ordering a sandwich is that they use this as a sticker to keep the wrapping on. Like a nice bow on the packaging, and approved by Mama!

Mucha Menu

This is a menu design in the Art Nouveau style, which is almost too obvious. I came across this when researching some inspiration for a menu design for one of my other classes. The language used on the menu seems to be French or Italian if I were to guess. I absolutely love the font style used for the word Menu. If you look close you can see the bottom of these letters are shaded a little bit darker than the tops to make the word "Menu" stand out. Even though overall I like this menu and is nice inspiration, I really feel the word "choice" on the left hand side is very unnecessary. The drawing of the lady is done by the famous Alphonse Mucha. I have to admit this is what attracted me to the menu  more than anything. She makes the restaurant seem very fancy and detailed, just like the picture of her.

Tucked away

It seems to be the new thing around town to draw with Sharpies on walls..or maybe I'm just now starting to take notice? Either way this particular design was drawn in the ladies bathroom. Yes, exactly what I just said. A little coffee shop off of Lincoln called Cafe Paradiso, that is very much a college kids paradise. There is no exact function that this art serves other than pure aesthetic. I love the style of the artwork and how it is reflected. The style to describe it would definitely psychadelic. The design is not supposed to be any thing, nor does it really represent any thing, I would describe this piece as a refined doodle. What attracted my to it was how well the lines are patterned on each side and had me step closer to admire and picture it.

Checkered Moon

I came across this cute little boutique yesterday in the plaza by Kirby and Mattis in Champaign. They sell furniture and some clothes. But I adore the style and vibe they give off with their decor and design. The name Checkered Moon in itself does not seem to really fit or make sense. When I think checkered, I imagine the 50's with the black and white tiled floor that was so popular in the kitchen back then. However this boutique is far from that. In this aspect the name does not seem to fit. However the owner claims to have picked this name because (as illustrated in the picture on the right) she loves color and those coordinating. When I read this about her, the boutique now makes sense. A color palatte full of funky squares and a triangle to make it the roof illustrates that she mostly sells many colors of home decor.

Tap Good or Bad?

I found this image surfing on Pinterest when I was supposed to be doing homework. Well we all know how that goes..Anyways! This is an advertisement to promote the use of reusable glass bottles. They claim that bottled water wastes and is not as good for you as tap. For every bottle of water you drink imagine it filled one quarter of the way with oil. That is how much it takes for each plastic bottle. What attracted me to this was sadly not the eco-friendly aspect but the word "Tap". I really like the faucet on the top of the "T", and the spout at the descender of the "P". What works is that it doesn't seem forced. Also, The slogan "Bottled water is rubbish" is super catchy because it makes those who drink it seem wasteful.

Farm&Fleet

I pass by the Blain's Farm and Fleet sign about everyday, and every time I look at it I dislike it more and more. Their logo consists of their two F's faced back to back and distorted to look like wings and what looks like a random head sitting at the top between the two. So all together it is a cheesy twist to look like an eagle. I feel it is very unnecessary to the understanding of the business and makes not a whole lot of sense. Why an eagle? Whats the significance? The two F's used in Farm and Fleet are a different font altogether. I think that the company's sign would be more successful and less busy if they did away with the logo. What would make it even better if it looked more stable and sans serif as opposed to the feminine script font for the word Blain's. Over all the components of the sign appear to be quite clip-arty and is a poor design. 

Burberry

Burberry is one of the biggest high-fashion and sought out labels currently. Their famous pattern (the nova or brit) is even patented by them and very often plagiarized. As you can see in the black and white photo it is marketed to the best dressed, hence the suit and ties. And the company makes it well known to its consumers that you will get what you pay for, which is high quality.  Your average joe would probably not appreciate the Burberry brand because he has most likely never seen it or even heard of it. This is the edge their company has on others, it's almost a hidden treasure only found in a few department stores and the inner city. The style of Burberrys type is a serif font very simple and usually branded noticeably on their quality for the proud Burberry wearer. Usually their company's style of design is much the same, simple and streamline. The quality of their advertisements are also cohesive with the style of their clothing. Little embellishments and close attention to fine craftsmanship. What attracted me to this ad was the internet, it is easy to be sucked in by their ad.

Planet Fitness

Planet Fitness. Where there is no judgement allowed! This is an ad for a gym, if you were not already aware. I believe this is a great way to market themselves, because in this day of age there are a lot of people who want to loose weight but don't want to be surrounded by a bunch of judgmental meat heads pumping iron. Planet fitness has done a great job of designing their logo. This illustrates a gear, in outer space, with a very muscular thumbs up. If you have ever visited their gym all of their equipment is styled in this same manner. Everything is purple and yellow! Their choice of type is a very simple clean white. The logo and the look of their equipment creates a fun and energetic environment where everyone who is anyone would like to work out.

Aussie

I have always loved the way Aussie has advertised their product. From their fun TV commercials to the design of the bottle. I believe the Aussie design team always goes above and beyond to make their hair care products stand out on the shelf. It appeals to consumers because Aussie is marketed to the every day consumer by selling their products in grocery stores, so it is easily bought. Aussie creates motion-like images on their bottle to show people the effect that it will give their hair. Look at the "sprunch" bottle for example. When I think of sprunch, i think of what your hair would look like on a day at the beach. They use this unique method to advertise their label. The type that is used on the packaging looks carelessly written, quick, and appears anything but thought out. However it demonstrates at the bottom of the bottle (in dots) on a one to four scale how well the particular product will hold your hair. 

Juicy Couture

Juicy Couture is an icon for high fashion labels and they're advertisement for their products work very well for them. They sell a wide variety of items from perfume, as shown in the first picture, to glasses and handbags. Their company targets the female population aging from 15-25. What I love about their technique when they advertise is that they make you forget for just a minute that they are trying to sell something to you. Juicy Couture holds their brand to royalty with excessive amounts of bling and embellishments therefore that is how they advertise themselves. If you look around the mall, mostly department stores, there is a good chance they try to sell you Juicy. What I also like about their style is they have a unique way of combining their royal looking type to colorful girly details to get their point across, which they do quite well. 

Tropon poster

The image above is the famous Tropon poster created by Henry van de Velde. The poster was printed in Belgium around 1897 and introduced a new way of commercial advertisement. Can you make out what is product is trying to be marketed to you (the viewer)? Neither could I until I looked it up! Velde constructed abstract forms and color to sell processed egg whites. He used the fluid lines to suggest movement such as those when you crack open an egg right out of the carton. Through this poster people were able to see a bit of two-dimension and it appealed to them. This is one of the identifying posters from the Art Nouveau era and it successfully demanded attention from the viewers of the time. The type tells the products name and has nice hierarchy. I like that there seems to be a maze around the word Tropon and gives a nice decoration to the text. The typography is strictly straight lines and the image is very fluid and organic. What attracted me to the piece was because it looks really vintage and exotic. This is what the Art Nouveau is known for. I came across this image in a book called New Retro by Thames & Hudson. This book is super funky and definitely worth checking out!

Literacy Project

This is an ad designed by the Literacy Foundation.  I came across the first one as I was browsing Pinterest then did some research and came across the second one of Rapunzel. The posters are trying to get the audience to compare sick people with illiteracy. What I hardly notice on the first one is the type, it is hard to see what it says. I believe the designers illustrated the posters this way to truly make the audience study the picture. The goal for the designers is to make the viewer feel sorry for the people shown and then ask themselves 'what is this all about' then read the sentence at the bottom. In my opinion this is a very risky way to advertise because a viewer could have someone close to them in the hospital and for the designers to make an analogy with being on your death bed is taking it too far.

Ice Scream

This packaging was recreated by Reach to own up to other ice cream brands and look just as classy as its top competitors. The focus for the packaging is to portray the luxurious nature of the product as well as its professional urban Britishness. After all, it is a fine organic ice cream. My favorite of the five designs would have to be Honeycomb. The argyle goes hand in hand with the idea of honeycombs being the diamonds on the vest. The color combo is also appealing to the eye and it is scientifically proven that the colors red and yellow make the consumer hungry. I found this image in the book New Retro as I was looking for some typeography inspiration.  However the type in this piece is not what I first noticed in this piece. What attracted me was the awesome idea to dress up ice cream tubs in shirts, how clever! 

9/6/13

Advertisement Unfinished

     As I was waiting in a reserved parking spot at McDonalds, for a coffee, I noticed this old junky truck parked next to me.  My eyes jumped to the lettering on the side.  From a distance it looked like beautiful cursive but the more I looked at it the more it came clear that the letters were anything but appealing.  I find it ironic that these people are advertising a cleaning company. It is obvious that they are the ones who need the cleaning. The quality of this artwork, if you could call it that, is horrible and not effective at all.  It is hardly legible and I still have yet to make out exactly what these letters say.  Not to mention that the word 'an' is unfinished.  What originally attracted me to this piece of 'artwork' had to have been because it was right at eye level with me and parked next to my truck.  Other than that I would have only noticed the terrible choice of letter colors driving down the road.