Lin Shaobin

This is a beautiful branding and packaging design by Lin Shaobin for the Xinlin Tea House. The branding identity is very traditional, cultural, and rustic with the feeling of sophistication. This gives a sense of very refinement and elegance to the tea that is being made. This also makes consumers think of high-quality and fine ingredients. 

There is consistency in the branding with the wooden textures, hand character drawings, and minimalistic aesthetics. These particular aesthetics help to complete the branding identity by providing value and a certain personality. In addition, the packaging perfectly mimics the architectural design of the tea house, which keeps to the sophistication of the brand and gives unity to all the designs. I also love how the packaging has very simple illustrations of the landscape and tea house itself. The cover of the package seems like to have a story to make the product more relatable to the consumer. I think this helps to build trust with the clients and gives authenticity to the merchandise. 

Pedersen, B. Martin. "Lin Shaobin, Xinlin Tea House." Graphic Design Annual 2016: 56-57. Editorial.

Studio C

This is an editorial by the creative consultants in Studio C for Konica Minolta Business Solutions. The purpose of the book was to celebrate their new printing system and the concept was to relate it with speed and power that is seen in technology and nature. The printing unit is a high-speed, high-volume, black and white digital press. Therefore all the images are in black and white, and have different concepts to portray speed. All the concepts are visually creative and stimulating. All the images have a sense of movement with the usages of lines and cropped figures. The way that certain figures are cropped allows the mind engage in the design and to intuitively connect the picture, which helps complete the illusion and idea of movement. Specific pictures were also chosen so that viewers can easily reference and connect the idea of speed. The intentional curves and misplacement of type helps to complement the concepts as well. It completes the random unity within each composition. The random and asymmetrical balance makes each concept more aesthetically appealing to draw the eye of the viewers and is necessary since movement is spontaneous and chaotic. However, all the page designs are wonderfully done so that the there is enough balance between contrast and weight so that there is still unity and understanding. 

Pedersen, B. Martin. "Studio C, Creative Consultants. Konica Minolta Business Solutions." Graphic Design Annual 2016: 179. Editorial.

Starlight Music Series

This is a collaboration project between Michael Gericke and Tishman Speyer for Pentagram. The concept is simple and abstract but gets the message across as well as the spirit and ambiance of the concert. The choice of being black and white also gives the poster a more upscale and nighttime, elegant vibe. The straight lines add to the gracefulness of the design and provides symmetrical balance. Additionally, the lines provide a sense of unity to the design. Whereas, the circular stars have a random balance to make the composition more interesting. The heaviness of the microphone helps to create weight to stabilize the design and the stars create depth to form the sky to make the building look like it's floating. This slight illusion with the opaque stars also lets the microphone and building to stand out more to bring the viewers focus to the center of the poster. In addition, the typography is able to complement the line design and provide more unity to the composition by having the same thickness and straight angles. The san serif is very modern and sleek to complete the city night feel.  

Pedersen, B. Martin. "Starlight Music Series." Graphic Design Annual 2016: 151. Editorial.

Gene Siskel Film Center Poster Invitation

This is a poster by Jamie Koval for the Gene Siskel Film Center honoring Morgan Freeman for winning the Renaissance Award. The design is simple and elegant, but till very dynamic and engaging. The coloring, lighting, contrast, and strong portraiture of Morgan Freeman brings about a strong presence and personality to the poster. It definitely grabs attention and gives a sense of Freeman's character. The photo really grounds the design and gives stability. Whereas, the typography brings movement and rhythm to the composition. A serif font was chosen to complement the elegance of the concept. However, Koval does a beautiful job in making the traditional typeface a bit more modern and fun by adding thin diagonal lines to create a sense of motion. To further the perception of motion, Koval purposefully cuts the words in half, but in a subtle way with the lines so that it would not take away from the photo. I also thought the way the typography was done was a great concept for a cinema poster because the moving words feel like a movie reel or title sequence. Overall, this is a very effective design that is able to feature Morgan Freeman for his award in a very stylish and sophisticated way. 

Pedersen, B. Martin. "The Gene Siskel Film Center Poster Invitation." Graphic Design Annual 2016: 147. Editorial.

Renwick

This was a collaboration project between Toshiaki Ide, IGI USA Core Group, and IF Studio. They created this beautiful brochure for the Renwick American Art Museum in Washington, DC. They did a wonderful job with the concept of adding a modern touch to history. It definitely appeals to the younger crowd. The photography shows diversity and simplicity with the white background so that it only focuses on the people. Therefore it maximizes the display of their outfits and hairstyles to effectively portray the style of that era. They also chose a very fun typeface with a lot of personality that feels both traditional and modern, which complements the characters very well. The way the numbers are enlarged with vibrant colors makes the design very friendly and welcoming as well. It helps to easily guide the viewers' eye to specific information on the brochure and provides the design a lot of movement with the asymmetrical balance. Overall, the imagery and placement of the information makes a very interactive design that helps to engage the audience and attracts them to what the museum has to offer.

Pedersen, B. Martin. "Renwick." Graphic Design Annual 2016: 62-63. Editorial.

Target

Of course Target would have an amazing design and marketing team. I am constantly blown away at how creative they can get with their logo and how they cleverly incorporate it into different contexts. The possibilities are seriously endless for them. The designs are usually very playful, trendy, and modern. The color palette is typically limited to red and white with one or two additional colors occasionally. This provides consistency for their brand. The chosen red is very vibrant, which grabs a lot of attention and gives off a very happy and energetic feeling. The creative usage of their logo or how they use different techniques to complete their logo also makes their designs very distinct. The shape of the target is very captivating and guides the eye directly to the middle. Additionally, the target logo gives all their designs a sense of unity with the repeating circles and colors . All these qualities make their designs very effective and unique.

Pedersen, B. Martin. "Target Creative - Self Initiated." Graphic Design Annual 2016: 216. Editorial.

Jorge Calleja

This is an Oreo campaign by Jorge Calleja. I thought this was a clever and creative concept with a very well executed composition. The whole theme of the poster is very trendy and fun that aims towards a younger audience. There is a lot of playfulness incorporated into the texture of the milk and type. The milk forms abstract bodies to the oreo heads, which provides a lot of rhythm and movement to the characters. The hand generated type is made from the same texture to give unity and to complement the image. Additionally, the light blue background helps add to the friendly imagery because it is a very cool and soft color. It is also a nice contrast to bring out the milk men figures. Whereas, the bright orange basketball makes a good spot color that quickly draws the viewers' eye. It brings attention right to the middle of the design and guides you towards the milk men playing basketball to quickly understand the concept. Lastly, the play on words with the imagery and the brand identity completes the whole composition. The brand is well known for dunking the cookies in milk, and placing the cookies in this creative context helps the viewers to better relate with the product. 

Pedersen, B. Martin. "Jorge Calleja - The Martin Agency." Graphic Design Annual 2016: 217. Editorial.

Vince Frost

This is a book design by Vince Frost for Penguin Books Australia. It was a good reminder to me that design should be more than a job, but it should be fun and enjoyable. This message is easily conveyed through the cover and pages of the book. The typography is large with kerning that spaces the letters out to make it very inviting and friendly. The little smile for the letter "u" is another element to add to the fun. The second page is consistent with innovative design by elongating the type to play into the message of being fulfilled. I like how these simple tweaks can create such a dramatic effect to the composition. The last page is also really fun, though it's a bit hard to see in this picture. It's a table of contents and each circle is actually a smilie face created by the page numbers. The circles and smilie faces provide consistency to the table of contents but there is also visual interest from the various colors and numbers. Overall, the whole book is very unique and innovative to provide inspiration, clean aesthetics, and fun designs.

Pedersen, B. Martin. "Vince Frost." Graphic Design Annual 2016: 42. Editorial.

Table Man Exhibition

I thought this was such a fun and cute design. I think it's also nice to see artists not limiting their medium of expression so it was refreshing to see design in a different way. The concept is very unique and humorous. The simplicity of the lines creates a very fun 2D illustration and provides unity to the whole composition. It also grabs attention because the figure of a person is used in a different context. Additionally, the design is very interactive with the viewers, which makes it more relatable and memorable. 

Farrelly, Liz and Triggs, Olivia. "Table Man." For Love And Money New Illustration 2010: 172. Editorial.

Si Scott

     

This is a series created for Silent Studios by Si Scott in 2008. The series of animals represented the different areas in the UK. The designs were used for posters and packaging. It was also featured in the exhibit at Beyond the Valley in London and Plus in Birmingham. Scott only used pen and paper to create these whimsical illustrations. The lines provide rhythm and movement within each design and gives natural curves to form each animal. The curves really captures the eye and guides the viewer around the whole composition. Scott also gives a sense of depth with areas of shading or a faint shadow, such as the ones with the deer. There is a lot of random balance but areas with shading provide more weight compared to the blank areas. However, the rhythmic lines within each design connects and unifies them for viewers to understand that it is a series.  

Farrelly, Liz and Triggs, Olivia. "Resonate." For Love And Money New Illustration 2010: 248-249. Editorial.

Paula Castro

This is a fashion illustration for Gas Jeans by Paula Castro in 2007. I really enjoyed how the intricacies of the lines bring about an elegance to represent the brand, especially the image that it composes altogether. The varying line widths and distances creates visual interest and dynamism to form a more appealing imagery. It also creates shadows and depths without needing color. Additionally, the lines give a sense of unity and formality to the elements used in the composition. Therefore all the different components are seen connected and blends all the elements into one design. 

Farrelly, Liz and Triggs, Olivia. "Lines 2." For Love And Money New Illustration 2010: 62. Editorial.

Juri Zaech

This is a typography design by Juri Zaech. This was beautifully executed with how the type is so unified with the bike. The type helps the viewers interact with the design and their eyes will naturally see how the type connects the whole picture. The texture and rhythm of the type also matches perfectly to the shape and curves of the bike. Zaech did a great job in forming and kerning the letterforms as well. The type is definitely easy to read, and it is more emphasized in the design since it is the only area with color. Additionally, the concept of forming names makes each bicycle more personal because it shows each bike belongs to someone. 

This was found on Juri Zaech's behance page - jurizaech

Air Max '17

I have been noticing a trend in 3D illustrations lately. Of course Nike would have amazing design and branding. I really enjoyed how they used such different elements to create the shoe. It's very visually interesting and these various textures give the sense that the shoe is very light and comfortable. The blue and white color theme was strategic in representing air, clouds, and water to add to that idea. Additionally, the 3D effect really brings the design to life and helps emphasize the product. All the design elements were easily translated to other marketing platforms as well. As expected, Nike provided beautiful mock ups to promote their brand, which was done in a very consistent and congruent way. This specific design is very unique, but it shows how the Nike brand is reputable for always having exceptional and innovative designs.

Stitch Design Co.

This is a branding design for Fleet Fox by Stitch Design Co. It is a very, very minimalistic design with very subtle details that make it unique. The illustrative fox logo creates a strong and literal graphic element that represents the simplicity of the brand. The very neutral black and white color scheme also gives a more modern, quality look. Additionally, the chosen serif typeface gives it a sense of class and reliability to the product. Another subtle detail is the rounded edges of the stationary and business cards. It makes it distinguishable without making the product look too playful. Overall, I think the simplicity created a strong and consistent branding design. 

The Republik

I really enjoyed the creative concept of using the color yellow in this project. The vibrant yellow in every page definitely grabs attention and creates a focus for the viewer. The yellow is always the area of emphasis or distinction to make each page more interesting. It creates a nice imbalance to draw the eye. The yellow also gives consistency and dynamism to unify the concepts of the book since it is so minimalistic. 

Vice and Velvet

This a design I found from a small business that makes handmade soaps and other bath products. I really enjoyed the simplistic packaging design and creative cloud icon to represent their brand. There is a lot of consistency from the logo, cloud imagery, and text. I also like how the pastel colors represent different colors of the sky, and it gives variety to the brand to showcase the scents. The neutrals colors chosen gives a sense of the soaps being naturally crafted, which is important in how they are marketing their product. Additionally, the packaging is environmentally friendly, which goes with the values of their brand identity.

You can view more of their products here - http://www.viceandvelvet.com.au/

Magnificent Beard

This was designed by Magnificent Beard for Noble Rey Brewing Co. I thought it was a very fun and clever design concept to stack and package the cans. It really makes the design hard to miss. I also love how each different beer can has a certain illustrative persona. I love illustrative designs so this definitely caught my attention.

Additionally, the designer chose mostly bright analogous colors which compliment the amusing illustrations to make the design more entertaining. A very bold and clean san serif font was also chosen to balance out the busy details of the characters. However, the boldness of the font still draws the viewers' attention. Overall, it's a very fun and unique concept for the brewing company that wants people to enjoy their time when drinking their product. 

You can visit the site to see more about the design - ohbeautifulbeer.com

Ollanski

This was an award winning design that was insanely crafted by hand. I love the incorporation of different styles of design and how much creative freedom was given for this advertisement. The artist Ollanski handcrafted everything out of paper and intricately pasted each piece together. It was just very refreshing and enlightening to see an object in a different element. The juxtaposition with a burger and shoe definitely grabs the attention of the viewer because it's baffling, which makes it visually stimulating. The creativity draws the audience to bring them to the attention of the brand and event.  

You can view more on the artists personal website here - ollanski.com