XXX

Today's blog post is brought to you by the letter "X". Found this gem of a design at a very funky and funny little shop in downtown Victoria. On first glance I thought to myself "why do they sell pas-----oooooooohhhh....hahahahhahahahhahaa". I think that the design is clever in the way that it is not overtly raunchy or rude by having large cartoony or rude imagery. Instead it is discrete and designed to look like that of any high quality pasta on the shelves of any grocery store. Imagine yourself walking down the pasta aisle at your local grocery store, you wouldn't look twice at this! That's what makes this design so genius! the curvy lines of the type with the soft color of the box and background. Anyway! just thought that this was something funny to share with you in this stressful time. hope to see you all soon....preferably in class!

WINE

I came across this sign walking the streets of downtown victoria. At first i walked by, but it caught my eye and i whipped out my cam and snapped a photo! The logo is so clever and works so well. i love how the logo acts as a bunch of grapes as well as incorporating BC which creates the stem and a grape. its very clean and crisp. great color pallet,easy to read.catches your attention. it is definitely a successful use of graphic design.

Starbucks.

INTRODUCING! the neeeeew starbucks logo! because they need more attention....they don't get enough as it is. It's such a clean cut, refreshing, organic looking design. very crisp. It gives a feeling of fresh, like if you drink this coffee, not only will you be supporting a great organic and green corporation (sarcasm) but you will also contributing to a greener tomorrow! (also most likely sarcasm). I know that I can't necessarily talk shit about this establishment....especially since I am currently sitting in a very comfortable chair, using their internet and sipping an overly priced cup of jo! but oh so delicious... and plus.....the pretty cup :P There seems to be such a confidence that emanates from people holding that Starbucks clad cup. Everyone sitting around me are on their iphones....literally.....if i could take a picture i would. The three people I seem to be sitting in a circle with around a tiny table covered in The Globe, and some other important worldly news outlet, are staring at their screens intently with a slightly furrowed brow. Again I can't complain, especially since I am doing almost the exact same thing, but on my MACBOOK. i seem to fit in alright here:P anyway! enough about the starbucks environment. just thought i would paint you a picture. The design is working great, love the color, love the crisp edges, the sleeve of the cup is a great new design, but I wouldn't necessarily say that it works better or worse than the original designs. Just different. I do like that they are switching it up, maybe they could continue this over and over. generate more attention and more money. then they can finally take over the world. well. that's all for now! from my comfy chair in my starby's cult, see you later. happy striking.

-Nat

ps. so sorry about the rambling. i blame the caffeine. :-D see you guys at the strike!

Beatrice Warde

This weeks blog assignment is to express a quote pulled from an article written by Beatrice Warde. The quote that I chose is "It is sheer magic that I should be able to hold a one-sided conversation by means of black marks on paper with an unknown person halfway across the world." I can't quite put a finger on what makes this statement so beautiful, but it is. I think it is the pure truth in it. That by putting a few marks in a book, you are communicating with someone you don't know, and probably will never meet, and that they will read and take an understanding of your words. It shows the power of type and how by choosing the right or wrong type, you can be seriously impairing the understand and reading experience of the viewer. So that's my interpretation! peace!

ACITEVLEH (sounds more exciting this way)

OMG IT'S EVERYWHERE. quite literally. Wake up in the morning, drive to work in a toyota, stop at a stop sign, get to work and walk past the batteries and cookies. on my break i listen to my ipod, then get home and skype. Just a few of the many instances i have been associating with helvetican products! I think it's pretty neat how these brand logos are all the same typefact and yet act so differently. The skype logo is so cheerful and happy and cute, whereas the energizer logo is very sharp and dynamic and strong. I know that a lot of people feel very strongly about fonts and when they should and should not be used. These examples of the use of helvetica are working quite well i think, they all give off appropriate feelings to their certain product.

my quote is one by william morris, saying "the true secret of happiness is taking a genuine interest in all the details of daily life". this quote just seems so beautifully honest and true. we go around through our day just focussed on our work or what's for dinner or whatever, but we rarely take the time to appreciate the little things. i chose to incorporate futurism and dadaism into my layout and think that it works nicely with the colours and dynamic shapes. let me know what you think!

POSTERCHILD

this is my poster child of peter behrens and william morris. this assignment was a little difficult just because of the huge difference between the two artists. i think it represents both styles because william morris is very decorative and detailed, whereas peter behrens is crisp and clean and simple. i decided to leave it very simple except for the two corner framing designs (inspired by william morris) and the font simple and legible (inspired by peter behrens). and the negative space is my contribution to this design. i also didn't put a geometrical border in just for the reason that this piece was inspired by morris and behrens, but very loosely. please let me know what you think :)

Queen Mary Tea

I came across these beautiful tea canisters online and just had to share them with you :)

the designs are simple yet elegant, clean and sharp. The font used in this design is very decorative and sleek for that period in time, and now. The whole design gives off a very vintage and high end feeling to it. A very specific color pallet was used for this line of teas to make sure that the desired effect was achieved. As seen pre 1900, John Henry Dearle designed a wallpaper entitled "artichoke" depicting a very abstract and decorative flowery design. The Victorian era was inspired by elegant and flowing depictions of flowers and trees, anything to do with the garden or forest was extremely beautiful in their eyes. The inspiration for the creation of this gourmet brand was to celebrate England's rich tradition of midday tea. Overall it's a great and successful design.

My victorian era starbucks logo! This logo represents a victorian style because of the detailed work, as well as the romantic feel that it portrays. Victorian art was all about ornateness and romanticism of the piece. The elegant border that is not in the usual circle around the siren is what I feel would be more likely in the given time period. The font seems victorian to me simply because of the ornate serifs, I would like to have used a more ornate and decorative font but this one works well :)

Żubrówka !!

This is Polish vodka called Żubrówka(zjubruvka). The one on the left is actually from Poland, and the right was bought in Nanaimo. The styles of design are very noticeably different and give off different feelings as well. Each bottle of vodka has a single piece of Bison Grass in it, giving it a sophisticated look, and also show the flavouring (bison grass). The left one seems more artistic and free style, designed to simply add something more to the already beautiful bottle design and detail, whereas, the right one seems to try very hard to convey class and quality. It seems important and stylish having such a simple, sleek bottle as well as the detailed and slightly embossed finish of the labels picture and text. The text on the right seems very straight and cutting edge, embossed in gold giving it again a very sleek, stylish feel. Something else that makes it seem so stylish is the use of a rubber cork, making it seem like a delicacy, whereas the left one, the polish one, simply has a screw on cap. This is because Żubrówka in Poland is already an established brand, where the quality is well known.

This is the team bus for the local skate shop switchback longboards, located on bowen just before cyber city ( if you are coming from the north end like me). this bus gets the team to events, competitions, etc. i really like the use of strong, simple imagery, as well as a clean cut easy to read, dynamic typeface. i like how the movement , shown through the use of linear curves, of the longboarder also represents the stores logo. this bus is used as the teams main mode of transportation as well as a very productive advertisement, it just seems smart, AND its a yellow short bus. classic. what attracted me mostly to this design was how in your face it was. you literally can't not notice it.

POST NUMBER 1

here's my blog.