DESIGN CONTEXT: January 2012

Monday, 30 January 2012

100 Things// More Inspiration

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/s720x720/422059_241471025933285_105687816178274_575027_992154561_n.jpg

This 'drive' poster manages to hint towards old 70's American driver films and TV shows while retaining the unique look of the drive posters. It is also an incredibly intricate design with some amazing computer lead artwork and well considered colours. The strange strings in the background resemble a large motorway network which is quite a nice hidden touch.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7165/6793757063_7c3b4670f0_b.jpg

Some heavy text lead design for a university campus. Not the best work every but I want to start looking at designing some work that is dominated by text. Also despite the designers choosing yellow, red and blue to got together these usually clashing colours are tamed by being slightly saturated. The work also has a nice texture to it which adds to the 70's warn out feel.

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyo000HdL41r46py4o1_500.jpg

Using textured backgrounds like this is something I have been doing for my work. I really like the overall design but I'm so weary of using the ribbon myself because it is done so often. Still the colours are very rich and sit well on the page.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lynw7ndXH01r46py4o1_500.png

I would love to find out what this font is called, no luck so far...
The image has a high quality feel but is also quite blurry which would suggest that there is some artificial digital bleed on the lettering. The whole thing looks sort of out of focus and I really like the effect, as well as the dusty texture of the black and the way the letters have been cut into...

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyo3r3pMQG1r46py4o1_500.jpg

I find this image fairly interesting, more importantly I would love to learn how to create that watery mirror image. It gives the design some symmetry and places the two animals in a context. without the need to draw a whole stream and with banks etc.

http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyl40lbavB1r46py4o1_500.png

Some horribly blurred photograph is used to bring the text jumping forward here. I realise that by de-focusing the background, anything that is sharp in the image will jump forward. A good tactic to use if i want to draw the viewers attention to one direct spot.

Saturday, 28 January 2012

LECTURES// Media Specificity

Sunday, 22 January 2012

LECTURES// History of Type

100 Things// Inspiration

These are some designs I have been looking at for inspiration on this 8 week brief. I realised that most of these posters that caught my eye have some very central circular figure that I could transfer into the shape of a diamond for my work...

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lyk82piGa31r46py4o1_500.jpg

This is just an ad for a designer, I like the mystical nature of this work. All different components floating above a desert at an artificial nighttime. It is a strange decision to make the only object with colour the triangle. This is something I could consider for the postcard brief too.

http://behance.vo.llnwd.net/profiles2/105815/projects/2990177/058cc131e700a244fbc4b370f8915038.jpg

This is a smart poster about the holocaust. It is essentially a timeline of 'antisemitism' and the large zone in the middle marks the dates of the holocaust, also creating the moustache of Hitler who is fairly hidden in the background. There is something about this poster that I find quite cheesy. Knowing that this is such a serious subject, the designer seems to have ignored that drawing fake moustaches on pictures of people is comical, and im not sure if this adds to the work of takes away something from it.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7017/6774821985_05b4328ddd_b.jpg

Again some surreal design, another landscape. Not sure if this actually falls into fine art...
But the shape in the middle with its symmetry is something I can take inspiration from on this current brief. Creating something similar and replacing it with a diamond is something I could test out. I like the darkness of this work, its quite mysterious and has some real character for me.

http://tutorialstorage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/b2e2e252be98b5a597219ae4763d73d0.jpg

Another strange space themed design for Nova 9, a pinball game that I assume is based on the sci-fi tank game from 1991. Still the level of Photoshop skills here is pretty inspirational and it continues with the surreal space like theme of some other work I have been looking at. I cant work out if the image is of a ball hitting a surface and shattering something of if it is an image of a planet being ripped apart.

http://tutorialstorage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/take_me_by_kevinarya-d4mk7je.jpg

The same thing again. Black and white landscape which some bizarre central object. I didn't realise when I was picking these designs that I was so drawn to this layout. Its is probably something I should consider when I design some more Posters and Flyers of 100 Things.

http://imgs.abduzeedo.com/files/ffff/137/carton.jpg

Carton is one of many new fonts I have downloaded for this brief, I showcase this one because it is probably the nicest and well rounded out of the lot. It has a quite relaxed but heavy feel to it because it has serif's but is all uppercase as the same time.