Watch this!

This creature is cool, but also creepy at the same time!

This is a fantastic branding:

http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/midnight_in_the_garden_of_type_and_image.php

I LOVE the texture, style, and just about everything about this branding.

People you Should Know!

Saul Bass



I found this poster successful because of the color choices and the simplicity of the design. I like the upbeat energy that the style captures.

Paul Rand



This is a collection of Paul Rand's logos. They are simple, clean, and timeless.


Alexander Girard




Girard's work is upbeat and fun. I respond to all of his simple and fun characters and symbols. His use of negative space works well.


Alvin Lustig





Alvin Lustig's work consists of mainly two color pieces of art. They have a certain feel about them that makes them unique and I like the colors he chooses.


Alan Fletcher



I love the block, hand drawn quality of this work.

The Eames




These classic, sleek chairs are awesome. I love the smoothness and the style.


Maria Kalman
Steven Heller

20 Successful Logos

Summerfest Concert Mood Boards

This Means This That Means That: A User's Guide to Semiotics

Notes:

This Means This That Means That: a User’s Guide to Semiotics.

Semiotics is defined as a series of designs.

The word semiotics is from the Greek word “semeiotikos,” which means interpreter of signs.

Signs are important because they can mean something other than themselves

In the western World, we live in a society that is largely mechanistic and consumerist in outlook.

Semiotics is about the tools, processes and contexts we have for creating, interpreting and understanding meaning in a variety of different ways.

There are two basic types of signing, conventional and natural.

For example, it is natural for us to wear clothes in the cold, but it is conventional for shoes like high heels to be seen as a sex symbol.

There are numerous relationships that exist between signifier and signified. For example, an apple can mean temptation, and apple can mean healthy, an apple can mean fruit, an apple can mean apple.

Many of the signs we use to communicate are arbitrary in the sense that they are not immediately transparent to us.

With any icon there is some degree of resemblance between signifier and signified.

The medium many be presentational, representational, or mechanical.

iconic relationship- some degree of resemblance between the signifier and signified, such as a line drawing resembling the place depicted

indexical relationship - is a physical or causal relationship between the signifier and the signified, such as smoke is caused by fire

We need to know that symbols stand for in advance if we are to understand them, for example, a black tie is an arbitrary relationship for a formal occasion.


Synecdoche- using a part of something to stand for the whole thing or the whole thing to stand for a part. This could be using a personal story about malnourishment to raise money for a charity instead of providing abstract statistics as a whole, or showing images of just elvis' hair, and people think of elvis as a whole from seeing that part.

Book Cover Blog

Define:

SIGN: a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent.

INDEX: Something that serves to guide, point out, or otherwise facilitate reference.

SYMBOL: Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible.


What makes a successful bookjacket?

A successful bookjacket is one that will engage the reader and will make someone want to pick up the book to read it. It must have a clear hierarchy and is interesting.

While researching bookjackets, I found many that are well designed. Here are 3 examples of bookjackets I think are designed well.



This bookjacket is well designed because it has a limited color palette. It is clear what the title is and the simple imagery is a nice addition.




I responded to the energy and style of this cover. I like the color palette and the font found on the cover.



I enjoy the negative space and the bold colors used on this cover. It is successful because the angled type and shapes highlight the important text.