Daily Exercise - Soft Drink Packaging

Era: Old West

Name: .45

Flavor: Root beer

Establishing Hierarchy

I have always been taught about hierarchy in my design classes and have heard it repeated by many of my fellow designers throughout my education in graphic design; yet I still feel like I need to learn more about it. Reading this article has really helped my understanding of it.

One thing I learned was the importance of contrast. I didn't realize it was so important to creating a successful layout. A layout with little to no contrast would be boring and uninviting to viewers, and would appear static. The intended message would not be received by the viewer. However, by creating visual differences on the page, such as changing type size, juxtaposing negative space to a bold image or headline, or changing colors, the viewer is invited in to the page. Their eye should be led around the layout with ease in a logical manner.

Another important element I learned about is scale. Scaling different visual elements on the page should be done with purpose; it should make sense and support the design to establish hierarchy. If done haphazardly, it will only confuse the viewer. Scale changes should relate to all other elements on the page. They help to direct a person's eye around the layout as well as create hierarchy.

Finally this article made me think about the quantity of elements on the page. I had always thought about repetition being used to create hierarchy on a layout, but never really thought about quantity. I've found through a process of trial and error that oftentimes, for me, at least, it's better to reduce your layout to the bare essentials. I love negative space so this approach appeals to me a great deal. I've tried the additive method of design - intentionally adding the amount of visual elements on the page to better communicate the message I'm trying to get across. However, this often ends up with still too many design elements being added, resulting in a cluttered-looking composition. More negative space and less visual elements on the page just appeals to me far more.

Poster Research

While doing poster research for our third project, I came across a ton of great poster designs. Not all of these are for musicians or bands; some are for movies or TV shows too. I'm going for an almost minimalist approach, with a simple color palette and basic shapes, patterns and silhouettes to make up my poster, so finding these was a great help and inspired me to make my own posters. I love how simple, yet clever and effective they are. Hope you enjoy them!

Clever, simple imagery can make a poster very effective

I really liked the basic shapes and silhouettes

Love this color palette/scheme

I liked the simple hint at a holiday theme without being obvious about it, which may be something I'm going for in my poster designs.

Love the negative space!

Very clever and amusing. Definitely something I'd like to achieve in my poster series.

Basic shapes illustrate the power and legacy of Lady Gaga as a pop culture icon as well as a musical artist

Love this pictogram!

I liked the typography and how the type locks up so well here.

Basic shapes and a limited color scheme tell a story.

An interactive poster series in the physical world. The viewer is invited to shake the poster and make noise with it; crinkled paper for the fire icon poster and aluminum foil for the thunder icon poster. I thought this was really neat and a really cool, different way to draw attention to your poster.

Portrait Typography

Again, I'm going to make a post about typography (can you tell how much I love it?), this time about portrait typography. I think this is absolutely amazing. I've always loved using and manipulating type in an interesting and aesthetic format; but this is taking typography to the next level. I'd love to attempt portrait typography some time, or even include something similar to this (creating shapes out of type) in the next project. I've included some amazing examples of what others have done. Gives a whole new meaning to the word 'typeface', doesn't it? Enjoy!

Intuition: Trusting the Inner Voice

I was so glad I was able to read the article given in class about intuition. This is something I am always working on, to be more trusting of my instincts and go with my gut more often, in all areas of my life, and not just in design. Reading the article made me re-think how I approach design and the beginning stages of concept development. I had never really thought about using your intuition in designing; I would always just use rational thinking to develop concepts. I would even over-think my designs until I'm not sure about them at all anymore. I didn't realize that being so analytical could actually hinder my designing skills rather than improve them; I can now see how important and influential trusting your instincts can be.

Another thing I learned from reading this article was that it's okay to trust your instincts. Going with your gut doesn't mean your design is thoughtless or careless. It means you are going with your heart rather than your mind, which can make your designs all the more stronger for it. You cannot rely on it by itself, though. You must stay focused on the project and still be able to take constructive criticism from others. Rather than relying on one or the other, both intuition and learned knowledge must be combined together in order for the designer to release their inhibitions and be truly fearless.

Some things I am taking away from the article are how to nurture your own intuition and help yourself feel more comfortable with trusting it. Having an OCD-type nature, this is going to be difficult to temporarily put aside rational, analytical thinking and just go with the flow for once. I'm going to keep telling myself to not be afraid to take risks. I'm going to keep a better ear out for that inner voice, small and soft as it may be at first. I'll take periodic breaks to help freshen my mind and come back with a clean slate to work with. But more importantly, I will seek out inspiration. If I feel inspired by something, the feelings resulting from that inspiration are so strong that I feel the need to express them in some way, either through visual means (drawing, photography, design, etc.) or otherwise (singing, dancing, etc.). If I can incorporate such strong feelings of inspiration with my intuition, and combine that with learned knowledge like I mentioned earlier, I know I can have a really great design and concept!

Progress on Project 2

I took everyone's critique and opinions into consideration and revised some of my designs. I put in the white splatter behind the logomark to make it stand out and not get lost against the colorful splatters. I also changed the cupcake cutout on the print ad and redid the outdoor ad as a billboard instead of a bus bench. I am leaning towards white backgrounds more than black, now. It seems cleaner and more customer/food friendly, and yet the logo, tagline, and splatters of color still give it a funky kind of edge.

Revised business card - front and back

Revised print ad

Revised outdoor ad

Revised packaging

Envelope

Letterhead

My Design Hero - Archan Nair

For my Design Hero blog post, I chose to write on Archan Nair. Nair is experienced in illustration and mixed media in addition to digital art. Born in 1982 and from New Delhi, India, Nair originally started in the fashion industry working in his family business of apparel manufacturing and export, and developed an interest in digital art later in 2006. He has collaborated with companies such as Pepsi, Canon, Nike, Sony, Tiger Beer, and Microsoft. He has also been featured in many publications, including GQ, Vanity Fair, Digital Arts, Juxtapoz, Behance, Advanced Photoshop, Computer Arts, and has even been recognized by musicians such as Kanye West.

What I love most about Nair is how he is inspired to create such works of art. Like me, his artistic talent is driven by emotions and feeling. Art that is created with this is mind is what moves me the most. Even music can be amazingly inspiring and lead to whole new creations, digital, illustrative, or otherwise. As a huge fan of Romanticism and the art from that era, I can really be motivated by his work. (In fact, he reminds me of my favorite painter, J.M.W. Turner, a 17^th century English Romantic landscape painter, who also utilized the emotive power of color to create remarkable works of art.) Nair uses such beautiful bursts of color that harmoniously intertwine to create a unified work of art. His works are so creative and unique, yet they all have a common unifying theme of color, repetition, and harmony of lines and shapes. I can see his art and really feel something that is personal to me. They are beautifully surreal and imaginative. I love this type of art, and I feel like it sort of fits into how I tend to design and approach art, whether it is graphic design, drawing, or photography. It is whimsical, emotion-driven, passionate, has lots of color, and is even surreal sometimes. His work is also one of my inspirations for my current project for the class. His culture, the people he meets, and the events he experiences are also all contributing factors to his creation process.

I wish I could tap into the reserves of my mind like he does, and pull out limitless creations to express my feelings and emotions. I feel like that is why I love art so much; it is the best way to communicate what it is you are feeling, to let it all out rather than be kept caged. I think it would be really interesting to be able to sit and down and talk with him about his creation process and how he seems to find a way to digitally express exactly what’s going on in his mind. And I love the positivism of his pieces; they are usually bright with lots of color, and are often dream-like in appearance, though some will express feelings such as anguish and pain, and are perhaps even more visually powerful. You can really feel something when you look at his work, which really is the ultimate goal of any work of art, in my opinion.

Illusration produced for GQ Magazine

You can view more of his art and learn more about him at http://www.archann.net/

Bibliography

"About Archan Nair." Archan Nair Creative Showcase. 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2011. <http://www.archann.net/pages/info>.

Dos Santos, Alessandra. "Interview with Illustrator Archan Nair." Abduzeedo | Graphic Design Inspiration and Photoshop Tutorials. 17 May 2009. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.             <http://abduzeedo.com/interview-illustrator-archan-nair>.