Random Design of the Week #2 May 19, 2008
Posted by Chase in Design.Tags: Ads, Chase, Design, deviant art, Fashion, Grunge, inspiration, Photoshop, Pink, Random, Retro, Trends
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My Inspiration
This design was inspired by a photo of a friend, Sean, who is a painter. The first published version can be found here. This initial version was a bit of a social cometary, but I noticed that there was a definite focus on fashion especially with the bright pink and yellow scarf. So my concept was born, and I decided that pink and yellow would be my palette.
Design Elements
I used stars for several reasons.
- Retro fashion appeal
- They can be used to point to things
- Symbolism / Connotation
If you notice, I make use of a lot of diagonal lines. Primarily, they already existed in the original image. They also form leading lines that guide your eyes in a circular path around the image.
Sean’s eyes are looking at the words fashion star, which is my attempt to create irony. His semi hipster attire might imply that he would shun the label. It was also in my opinion a nice subtle touch.
Notes on Design Trends
- Again I’m making use of halftones, which are still popular in grunge and fashion designs online.
- Bright Colors, pink and yellow are very spring, and 80’s retro like the stars
- Texture, as in material texture, is great in Fashion Designs on the web
As always, I hope this helps with your design queries and quandaries
Random Design of the Week May 12, 2008
Posted by Chase in Design.Tags: Ads, art, Blue, Chase, creative, Design, deviant art, Fashion, halftone, inspiration, Photoshop, stock image
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For my Random Design this Week I chose to do a hypothetical fashion ad.
So I found a cool stock image on deviantArt, which if you don’t know is a great place to pick up stock images. This photo was taken by *faestock. OK, so with crediting the photographer out of the way, which is only polite, back to my idea. **This image can be viewed at full size on my deviantArt page.
I was inspired by a number of recent trends, including grunge brushes, web 2.0 reflections, bright stripes, and the ever popular halftone filter. Initially I wanted to take the girl and reflect her on a glassy “floor.” That was as simple as copying and flipping her followed by a gradient and appropriate transparency.
The pose was my next inspiration, it looked like her Spidey sense was tingling. So I tired to give that life in radiating rings some of which I broke up with halftones to create a visual metaphor for tingling. I was hoping to achieve a subtle touch like I mentioned in an earlier post.
The color palette was drawn from the original image, literally with the eyedropper tool. I tried to keep it mostly cool with a couple of warm accents. I wanted to create the impression of abstract “cool” but keep some sort of earthy, human, or organic touch.
The Circles are supposed to be very feminine in contrast to the straight dividing line, stripes, and cityscape. It was no mistake either that the straight lines and circles inhabit different halves of the image.
I hope this provides some insight into my creative process, and please comment as I love to get input.
Critique of the Week: Discovery Channel May 12, 2008
Posted by Chase in Marketing.Tags: Ads, Chase, Commercial, Critique, Design, Discovery, Discovery Channel, Logo, Love the whole world, Marketing, Trends
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The Commercial
I’ve been a fan of Discovery® since I was 5, back when they mostly showed videos of African wildlife, and I don’t mean to knock wildlife videos because they’re the best!
So that being said, I’m sure that any of you that are fans have seen their new commercials, if not check them out. The song struck me as familiar, in the sense that it reminded me of my youth but also because I had heard it before. However I couldn’t remember where so I asked around and it turns out that it is based on an old camp song used by the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.
I have to give the commercial 5 Stars. Most importantly it hits their whole product line, in this case shows, and that’s always a good idea. The clips are well chosen and showcase the amazing shots that Discovery is renowned for, the attention to detail is amazing. And like any good advertisement, it sticks in your head like that BB from Christmas of ‘94. I digress, the camp song is really catchy as they are supposed to be and paired with the matching clips it not only sticks in your head but you remember it’s about the Discovery channel.
The Logo
The old logo wasn’t bad at all but it was starting to show its age. Black text in logos isn’t really the latest in design trends; it’s very formal and serious. They were well served by limiting themselves to 3 colors, which ensures easy reproduction and clarity at various sizes. The downside: Aside from their recognizable font and globe this logo lacks a single defining trait or shape, which is to say that neither of those elements alone can represent discovery. You need the font, words, and globe.
The new logo is in my opinion beautiful. The font has been updated and looks more modern and clean. They have limited their color palette to just Blue and White. Blue is a universally safe color, there is no culture where blue has a particularly negative connotation, which is why it is used frequently for business media. White at least in a western context is bright and clean. The removal of the bar is a strong choice; they’ve come closer to the essence of their brand without losing anything. The best part: The intersection of the globe and the “D” plays upon the previous incarnation but creates a defining element. If you now see a globe intersecting a “D” from the left it is identifiable as Discovery®.
The Lesson:
- Catchy, pretty commercials have to be identifiable with your brand. People need to be say “hay did you see that [your company] commercial,” not “hey did you see that commercial with [your great idea]?”
- Logos should be designed with print in mind.
- Logos need a defining element.
- When in doubt blue is in. (for now)
