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.