More on Color

Continuing the color theme in logo design, I came across a blog post that discussed the excess use of the colors red and yellow in fast food restaurant logos. Bright colors like red, yellow, and orange are said to stimulate appetite. These colors also tend to excite people; therefore, are good color choices for a restaurant that wants to attract more people.

Color

Color is a crucial part of graphic design. Unfortunately, many new designers overlook the power of color in design, especially logo design. Different colors are associated with different things. For example, green represents money, white is pure, black is evil and so on. Therefore, when a business is trying to convey a message through its logo, color must be carefully considered or else the business might be portraying evil and dirty instead of cleanliness.

Carin Goldberg

There are many talented graphic designers in the world. Carin Goldberg does many amazing things with words. She made an invitation to a New Years party at her home that was her life story from the point of marriage. She has made many other cool designs such as the one with all of her previous addresses in the shape of a key.

The Christian Fish

The Christian fish is a symbol that represents the Christian faith. Now the fish can be found just about anywhere: on cars, jewelry, T-shirts, even tattoos. Though it usually just looks like a plain fish, sometimes designers give it a more extravagant design.

 

Design Gangsta

I found this video on youtube called Original Design Gangsta. The "rapper" used his design skills to make this fun video. It is a funny video, but it also tells of what a typical designer is like and what he has to do. 

Politics

                      
Graphic design can be seen in many areas of politics. One way is that of campaigning. Many signs and posters are made for a particular candidate. In the past election, President Obama had a very distinct picture. The picture was on many campaign posters.

Another way graphic design has been used in politics is through the symbols of the political parties. According to infoplease.com both the Republican elephant and the Democrat donkey were originally designed by a cartoonist Thomas Nast. 

Mac or PC?

It has been a long debate about which is better mac or pc, especially when it comes to design. Dan Kaughmen debated this issue in his article, Macs vs. Pcs. Apple's Mac has always been thought of as the "designer's computer," but is this really true? As far as software is concerned, most software can be purchased for either mac or pc. Macs do, however, seem to have better graphics and video. Most people would say that it all comes down to personal preference. However, there seem to be more benefits to getting a mac if you are a designer.

Graphic Design and Sports

A designer can choose to show his personality in design. If the designer likes sports, he may choose to use athletes or sporting equipment in designs. I see a lot of sports designs on posters. designm.ag has a showcase of this type of design.

Portfolio

Every serious graphic designer needs a good portfolio. Even more so if they are a freelance designer. It is very important to get your work out there to be seen by future clients. There are many good portfolios online as examples as well as websites to tell you what a good portfolio should contain. Not only is it important to have a tangible portfolio, but it is also good to have a portfolio online. This definitely helps to reach more clients.

"Make/Think Sketchbook"

In her article "Make/Think Sketchbook" Carolyn Sewell displays her "notes" on an AIGA conference. Instead of writing out every little important word, Sewell sketched the facts that stuck out in her mind.  I do wonder, however, if she drew all of that at the conference or if she came back later and sketched everything. Nevertheless, the sketchbook of notes is awesome; I wish I could take notes like that.

Clothing

Design comes in all forms including clothing. Walking the streets one will more than likely see quite a few t-shirts with some sort of desing on them. Some of these designs or sayings are good while others are just corny. Many clothing companies even put their logo on the shirt and the consumer becomes a "walking billboard" for the company. In his article "Naming Names for Fun and Profit" Ralph Caplin explains how clothing became an avenue for design.

Creativity

Creativity comes natural to some people, but others have to work harder at being creative. However, even the most creative person sometimes hits a roadblock and cannot think of how to design. In this article, Boost Your Creativity, the author gives several ways one can get past the roadblock. His suggestions include changing your environment, asking why, not to be critical of your work, and more. They are easy practical ways to "boost your creativity."  

Billboards

Lately, I have seen some pretty cool billboards. These billboards are excellent marketing tools. The one that sticks out in my mind is a Chick-fil-a billboard I saw in Atlanta. It had cows hanging off the edge and it was really eye catching. There are many other billboards that are 3D and have some amazing graphic design. 

Trends

As I was looking at different graphic design techniques, I stumbled across this article about graphic design trends that are overused. The most overused trend was the use of sun rays. After reading about the different trends, I realized how much I had seen these styles different places. I think they are good techniques and I like the way they look, but there is a problem in the lack of originality. However, sometimes clients request these styles and the designer doesn't really have much choice in the matter.

Punctuation Logos

Logos are such interesting designs. They can be serious, playful, or funny. These logos use punctuation in their design. We use punctuation everyday and it is very creative and fun way to design logos.

 

Design in Print

Graphic design can take form in many ways in print. Restaurants need people to design menu. Other businesses need various things such as brochures, signs, invitations, and anything else they may need. What is really cool about print design is that you can use different textures to help convey the message. While some larger businesses may have a designer on staff, others use graphic design businesses such as Grant Design Collaborative to fill their design needs. Grant Design Collaborative has an impressive array of print design.

Burger King Keeping Up

Many restaurants, fast-food especially, are redesigning their buildings to appeal more to customers. Fast-food restaurants are improving their interior design in hopes of bringing in more customers. McDonald's was among the first fast-food restaurant to do this by introducing the McCafe. Burger King has recently come up with a plan to remodel its restaurants. The new Burger King will be more "futuristic" and "contemporary". In order for restaurants to maintain good business, it is vital that they also keep a contemporary design. The food might be the same, but the environment could attract more customers.

Drawing

I have always wanted to be a good at drawing. While I know I am not extremely talented in this area I would love to learn how to be better. I would love to see something and be able to draw it. Many graphic designers begin their work with sketches; therefore, drawing is essential for them. Thankfully, there are many ways for one to learn how to become a better drawer. One could take classes or there are many online resources as well. Check out this Designer Today article for tips on how to become a better drawer.

3ds Max Design

3ds Max Design is a software program that allows designers, architects, and engineers create a model of their idea on a computer before the project is actually started. This program can be used in interior design so the customer sees what the room will look like in the end. The images created with this software look like real photographs. It is amazing.

         

Package Design

Package design is a very good way to get people to buy your stuff. I always find myself drawn to the products with the best looking package. This is good for the company, but not so good for the buyer. Many of these products are more expensive and not always the best quality.

Becoming a successful designer

What does it take to become a successful graphic designer? This is a question I have always had. There are plenty of design schools one can go to, but is it really necessary if you are already talented in design. I think it is important to have both talent and a good education to become a successful designer; you could be good without one or the other but not great. 

Smart Logo Designs

Some logos have hidden messages. These logos may look very simple, but they actually have a deeper meaning. The arrow in the Amazon logo, for example, is used to show that the company has everything from A to Z. For more smart logos check out www.famouslogos.org.

Graphic design can be used in all kinds of mediums. I found this video called "Typolution" in which the creator used typography to convey a message. He uses the letters to make objects and to show the effects of pollution.

Web Design

Web design is very important in today's time because the internet has become so popular. News is published almost instantaneously through the internet. Web designers are very talented people. Christian Sparrow is a web designer and has an awesome website. 

Inspiration

I always wondered what happens when you run out of ideas. It is not only in the graphic design business; what about books, movies, and other entertainment sources. there are only so many ideas out there. In graphic design, there have been books made that are full of inspiration as well as online designs that are supposed to be inspiring. The website Abduzeedo was created entirely for design inspiration. The website has all kinds of designs for inspiration. 

As I have said before, graphic designers are very creative people. As I was looking through some videos on graphic design, I found one that was very interesting to me. When graphic designers get bored is a fun video that shows graphic design isn't all professional, it can be just for fun too.

Self-publication

David Vogler wrote an interesting article, called the Danger of Desktop, on the issue of the public making self publication through blogs, youtube videos and other computer resources. There are many photo editing and design programs that are available for anyone who wants to use them. As someone who has made many posters and flyers for different functions and made different picture collages for gifts, I enjoy having these tools available to me. However, I have always wondered, if these programs are available to everyone what happens to designers. Sure companies still need professional people, but I bet many people want to save money and make the project themselves. 

Logos

Logos are an important thing in every company. Graphic designers are needed to make these logos. It is interesting to me that every time a logo is seen, it is automatically associated with that company. The Nike check is an example. Everyone thinks Nike when they see that check. 

Typography

Today as I was exploring the AIGA website, which is the professional association for design, I came across a video I found interesting about a typography designer named Paula Scher. Typography is basically designing fonts and using words to convey a message. I love the way words can speak to a person. The way words are presented can really draw an audiences attention and can be very useful in advertising. 

This picture is one of Paula Scher's works that she created for a dance studio.

What is graphic design?

If you are like me, you don't realize how much graphic design you are exposed to everyday. When a company wants to convey a non-verbal message to its audience, graphic design is used. Graphic design includes everything from a simple computer print out to a company logo. It can be drawn, painted, photographed, or made from a computer program. Everything you see: billboards, posters, magazine ads, even T-shirts were created by a designer with you in mind. This website has an excellent description of all the different forms of graphic design. 

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/guide-whatisgraphicdesign

Bounty

I have always thought it would be awesome to be a graphic designer. However, I've never considered myself to be creative or artsy enough to do so. Still I enjoy admiring the work of other designers. I really love the way graphic design is used in advertising; in this work, Bounty is advertising its ability to clean up big spills.  http://adsoftheworld.com/media/ambient/bounty_big_skills?size=_original

First Blog!

Welcome to my new blog! This is my first time blogging.

In my blog, I am going to explore the art of graphic design. I hope you enjoy what I find.