DESIGN FOR WEB// The Good Ones

 1. CREAKTIF - Break and Improve.

A multimedia website where you play as a character. You use arrow keys to run around the world space and hit enter to view the content as you fid it. If this seems like a waste of time t you they include a menu bar at the bottom of the page also, however it is enjoyable to run about if you have some free time.





2. USA Today

Much smoother delivery of news from the industry standard. The new layout run a bit like a social networking site. On top of the clear use of colour and easy to navigate layout the designers implemented new ways to deliver stores to an online audience. The main story text is still all there but they include an interactive image bar which you can flick through before reading the story for some background or extra information.














3. AIGA Competition site

This site runs in the same was as the new Ebay introduction website, with both fixed and moving parts. As you scroll down the circular page shape remains and the images that it frames move. The use of colour is sparse, which really clears up the design for the content to be the most important thing on the page.

4. FA Design

FA Design is a studio design website. It is very simplified with only three main tabs which open up onto a simple list. For example the work page contains a list, this list outlines the studios work and uses a simple tool to indicate how much content is available in each field be merging a bar chart with the menu itself. However I do have a criticism, white text on black is pretty poor.

5. Duex Huit Huit

Still Images dont really do the website any justice and to some degree it would be nicer if the graphics here were better, however from an interactive standpoint this website does do things differently. All of the websites content loads onto one page, a process which is surprisingly quick and efficient. The user then scrolls about the giant page with the arrow keys. The page simulates a sliding motion much like sliding between menu screens on an iphone, so there is a transition but it is quick and the next page fills the whole screen. This gives the website some simple interactivity without loosing too much functionality. 

6. Setetres.st

This is a really fun website to view, it is a portfolio website which is fun to play around on but doesn't compromise with function at any point. The opening page is totally free of clutter and immediately sets the tone of professionalism with a hint of comedy. The site works on this very structured grid format and when you hover over a particular icon the grid square it sits in indents and drops, all very stylish.
The portfolio page is neat and condense, when you hover over a bar it expands into the full preview. This is great, however sometimes it can get confusing if you scroll down a page and everything is opening and closing all at once. One of the nicest and most original features is a fake script editing bar, the portfolio is for a web designer so he added this as a joke, but it adds a real personal touch. You can open it and mess about with some settings and even view some ASCII porn.

7. graphicnovel-hybrid4.peugeot.com/

This was an award winning website designed to scroll as a graphic novel. Ignoring the style, which I like but isn't really different, the key to this websites success has been its coding. The novel starts by scrolling down and then continues automatically. A white scrollbar tells you how far through the 'novel' you are. Then out of nowhere the screen is scrolling sideways through the page from left to right then from right to left, then in reverse from bottom to top despite technically still 'scrolling down'. I suppose that here the innovation in coding is the champion.

8. Chrome Web Lab

Chrome web lab is an experiment by google chrome for the Science Museum in London. They are running 7 different experiments aimed as getting people more interested in the possibilites of the internet. The design is solid, with gradients and plenty of white space. The interactivity and coding is amazing and the layout simple buy helpful. The experiments are also a great thing to take part in.

9. Kinetic V5

The website plays out like a graphic novel again, their is a strong theme but once again the magic is in the coding and scripts. The website remains two tone throughout with black and a single other colour. As you scroll though the content is constantly changing and interacting with the next 'page'.

10. UNIVERSERIES

This is a giant interactive info graphic, a database of the American Film industry. The style is modern with a similar feel to the style of my first entry. Darwina also comes to mind. The universe can be expanded to reveal different areas in the industry and read individual bio's of the directors involved. The links you can see are graphical representation of how the directors influenced each other in the films they made.

STUDY TASK 1// The Century of Self - Sexy Adverts Part 2

This advert is loaded with sexual imagery. It is basically a fantasy being played out in this woman's mind as she travels to see her boyfriend on a train. The advert is fairly brazen in its usage of this imagery and it doesn't take much to work out whats going on. From a psychoanalytical standpoint the use of phallic symbols like the champagne bottle popping and most importantly the giant red train are the most obvious. At one point the red train even drives straight into a big pink tunnel shaped like a love heart (aka a vagina). There are also some more light hearted sexual tones, lip biting, funny signs, muscly men working in a field. You could also argue that the advert aims to appeal to women who wish to be more independent, as it goes the advert puts women in total control, they are the passengers and the waitresses. The only time men show up they are presented as sex slaves for this dominant woman. Saying this the phallic symbol of the train as it crashes through the countryside displays the masculine power of the train and by association the company itself.
Despite at first appearing to be solely directed at a female audience the advert also works for men. Firstly the female character is good looking, she isn't over-sexualised however she does represent sex. As the character rides the train to Manchester she is clearly fantasising. This is amusing for the viewer but it also associates the Train itself as a 'bringer of sex', the train is literally bringing sex to the male character.

Phallic

Very Cliché.

The train is transporting sex (female character) to the receiver (male character) waiting in manchester. 

The whole point of Virgin as a company is that sexy things sell well. The company is called Virgin. It sells a rockstar lifestyle. The slogan for this first advert is 'Get to where you want to be. Faster' its a metaphor for self success, a direct nod towards Bernays own philosophy that the masses will buy into a lifestyle even if the basic product is the same. On a more conscious level the advert is trying to say that their trains are faster. In the subconscious levels the advert depicts some sort of weird sex trade, where the female is bought directly to the male for sexual satisfaction, courtesy of Virgin.

The second advert is said to be one of Virgins most successful. Once again there are plenty of obvious visual clues related to phallic symbols and sex. Again the advert sells a hyper-sexy lifestyle, exclusivity and eccentricity. But there are undertones of the Id all over this one too.

 People keep appearing through curtains in this ad. On the left a woman carrying 'ice cream' is walking trough the open blouse of a stewardess who we assume is undressing. Perhaps the curtains are also being used in a similar way to the Silk Cut adverts of the 80's? Perhaps they represent the vagina, or perhaps psychoanalysis has broken my mind.

 Men stroking giant fork handles. Why? Its a tongue in cheek pun, also added in my opinion to add some men in to what could be deemed sexist without them. They act like idiots while the women are continuously sexy and dominating.

 In a super Freudian way this woman bends over and tucks the passenger (i.e you) into bed. She is at once a sexual fantasy and also the mother figure.

 For no conscious reason the 'Erotic Gherkin' building stands alone. In a massive twist of sub-conscious manipulation the advert decides not to include the rest of London allowing the phallic symbol to stand alone, and look much bigger. The building also pulsates with light and at one point emits a beam of light from its tip. It is important to note that the use of this tower is not entirely sexual, the connotation of power is much more important for the company as it is the phallic image of masculine power that they want to portray.

 The final shot arguably contains another phallic image. The massive plane. The shot is basically saying, 'look at how big our planes are'. This isn't sexual this time, merely that the phallic image is a symbol of power. The bigger the phallus the more power, the more desirable for the consumer who wants to achieve a lifestyle of sex, independence and power and can only do so by flying with Virgin.

STUDY TASK 1// Century Of The Self Part 1

TEN TOP POINTS:

1. Bernays Showed Corporations that they could sell products by associating them with their consumers unconscious desires, rather than rational thought and reason. 

2. This makes the population happy and therefore docile, allowing the powerful to retain power. 

3. Bernays based his corporate strategy on his succes of 'selling the war' (ww1) to the American public, he used the slogan "Make the World a Safer Democracy". When France was liberated the people felt a personal freedom was restored and Bernays wanted to traslate this into the consumer market. 

4. Bernays used the female desire for equality to sell cigarette's. By calling them 'Torches Of Freedom' women could use cigarettes to challenge male sexuality. A woman who smokes could be powerful and independent. 

5. Irrelevant objects could become powerful emotional symbols of how you wanted to be seen by others. Products could be sold to make the consumer seem more important and individual.

6. Bernays had successfully created an emotional connection between products and people. 

7. Before the war products were sold only if they were needed. After Bernays convinced people that they wanted something more than they needed it, that it was natural to 'desire' something. Paul Mazer said that 'mans desire should overpower his needs'. 

8. Bernays used psychoanalysis to manipulate basic human desires with public relations exercises:
- Convinced film stars to endorse products, with the view that people would strive to be like them on a basic human level. 
- He got celebrities to turn up on the red carpet with his clients clothing on. 
- Persuaded organisations to set up fake 'independent studies' to lie about health or beauty benefits of products. 
- Associated cars with a dominant male figure and also male sexuality. 

9. As society developed it became more important 'to be a consumer than it was to be a citizen'. People became concerned with 'personal freedom' rather than for the good of the majority. 

10. After the re-election of Roosevelt, a man who opposed big business control after the stock market crash of 1929, big business fought back by allowing Bernays to convince the populous that Democracy could not work without Free-Market Capitalism. He did this at the New York world fair, painting an image where corporations drove the progress of society and politicians held it back. Consumerism was reborn. 

STUDY TASK 1// What is Design for Print?

Branding And Identity

Take Dr Pepper vs Monster. Dr.Pepper relies on its name typed out on the side of the can, monster has worked for a much less time but is much more visually recognisable because of its distinctive monster logo. The colour of the monster can is much more contrasting so really stands out on the shelf. Dr.Pepper, whilst being a classic is really pushed into obscurity. I believe this is because Dr.Pepper is owned by coke, who rely on classic brand identity to sell products and are scared that if they changed the design of Dr.Pepper to bring it up to date they would loose this.

 iTunes gift cards don't have a single apple logo on them because of the massive campaign they ran with this style on TV. As a result customers can instantly recognise iTunes from this image.

 Morrisons body spay is a rip of deodorant based on Lynx Africa. This is not because of the smell, but because of the colours used on the can, the green black and red is associated with Lynx Africa as a brand as well as certain African cultures themselves.This is the power a well known brand can have over consumer choices.

 G.I Joe's DVD is covered in the red white and blue of the American flag, with a fat, militaristic font on the cover. This alludes to G.I Joe's mission; to bash communism and raise good American children with television.

An unusual place to find 'print' but this keyboard has been printed with brand identity in mind, as the Alienware gaming computer range has to have a more unique and specialist feel than any regular dell.

Packaging And Promotion.

This Kindle box has a really smooth varnish effect printed across the front in Black on black. This shows us as consumers that the product is of high quality, the minimalism alludes to high class and sophistication while the box is printed on an uncoated cardboard showing us that the company is environmental conscious and caring.

 Crash records didn't brand their store with any high end graphics studio, however the logo does command some respect in the area, or it used to. The solid black on yellow really puts the bag out of place amongst other shoppers so it is always easy to spot, generating interest in the shop.

Games of thrones packaging is a three tiered ordeal, the outer sleeve is most decorative with de-bossing and foiling over the text and illustrations, the inner sleeve is much more basic as it carries the DVD's, so is built to be sturdy. The cover gives the buyer a sense of high quality and a small amount of the mystery of the story in many ways.

In exactly the same way as the kindle box this wine box shows the customer that the wine is of high class and sophistication whilst also being responsibly sourced.

This small local branding and packaging work is all about handmade crafts and clean graphic design. It's for a pop up store and is obviously aimed at the hipster crowd.

 French biscuits packaging, shows a Parisian style. The idea here is to show the customer the kitchen tiles of the bakery the biscuits were made in, this gives the products a more professional, not home made, but individually made, feel.



Publishing and Editorial

 This is the instruction manual which comes with the keyboard (and computer). Its huge and rather unusual shape hints at the size and shape of the computer case itself. The text is embossed into a rubber and card cover and there is a metal emblem on the cover also. This is all designed to show the customer that this machine is a serious gaming computer, not like any other PC around, the feel of the book is heavy duty and large metal screws bind it, its is designed to feel like it is out of a computer game itself
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 Colours Magazine apocalypse special was printed on recycled paper and card because of the principles expressed in its content which was to use the little resources you can scrounge in the post apocalyptic wasteland. This gave the magazine a very utilitarian feel whilst retaining its attractive cover.

 Designed by Noma Bar the cover of Richard Dawkins 'The God Delusion' works on many levels. It represents an explosive new idea, or a sudden realisation of the truth. The text reigns in the otherwise fairly mental cover and gives the overall design a more scholarly look. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5b0723c6-65ab-11dd-a352-0000779fd18c.html

 Interesting placeholder type cover for a newspaper/ magazine layout, the spaces will be filled in a a later date but it shows the construction without the content.

 Typography book, typography on the front, varnished in woth a light foiling on the header. This all shows off the books good quality and the designers skill, which we assume will be reflected in the content (it is).

Cheap magazine with cheap content. Short list is a free editorial and the over look/ texture of the cover shows that to the audience straight away. Printed on a nasty newsprint stock and bound with metal staples. This isnt all bad, but is shows the budget the magazine has to operate at.


Information and Wayfinding

Not exactly the clearest wayfinding, but it is aesthetically good looking, with a simple earthy colour scheme and smooth lines, which is unusual for wayfinding which is usually very sharp and direct.

 Which is exactly what happens here in this London 2012 wayfinding plan. These boards stood like giant obelisks out of the park and gave all sorts of information at different levels. The information higher up would appear in a heavier font, designed to be seen from a distance, while the stuff down at eye level was a smaller font so visitors could walk right up to the sign and look at information in more detail. 

 Very simple and modernist park design for a Zoo. The numbers are very subtle illustrations that refrain from being childish, whilst retaining flair, eccentricity and a futuristic vibe (for 1981).

Stark contrast between heavy black flooring and the super bright yellow. This is more about interior design but the level number is very visible as a result of the colour combination.

Trainspottingesque wayfinding. The colour combination is rather unusual and the text is very small so I wonder if this was a student project. There are useful pictograms on the poster to identify what sort of amenities are on each floor...