WEBSITE: The Final Countdown

While I do believe that redesigning the website was certainly our hardest project this year (which was probably why it was the last), I also feel that it was the most interactive and informationally grueling project that we were challenged with to date. When we first opened the Dreamweaver program as a class and were slowly introduced to the content that we were to redesign, I felt so overwhelmed. It was slightly more difficult for me personally to navigate through because I was working with a newer version of the program than the rest of the class, which made reorganizing the content and altering the layout slightly more complicated. However, the more we used the program, the less visually confusing it became. I don't want to refer to this slight relief of confusion as “easier”, because it certainly was not easy my any means, but once we learned a basic overview of what exactly we were reading, my brain was certainly less mangled by it all. Once the initial shock of what we were actually doing was over, going through the motions of the program and seeing my website come to life was fascinating, quite frankly. I had never used a program like this before, let alone think that I of all people would be able to successfully complete the project without causing my laptop to burst into flames. I wish I had more time with my professor to really gain an in-depth knowledge of this program because I can certainly see myself creating my own website one day, or even going back and using the one I just made… the only thing missing is my own domain for the site. I felt the software made it easy to change viewing preferences and inserting images and text, although there were several things I could not alter on the site simply due to my lack of knowledge of the program and limited class time. A feature I especially liked was the “preview”, where it would allow you to see the progress you’e made and where you need to make improvements, on the actual internet browser. I felt that was very helpful when aligning and sizing my images for my header photo and portfolio images. The main purpose of a website in general is to get your information out to the public in order to essentially promote yourself. With that said, I thought it was extremely beneficial to us to add in our links to social media accounts specific to us, as well as our phone numbers and emails also linked on the website. I personally used Facebook and blogger, since I do not use twitter nor to I have a Linkedin. As part of the portfolio page, I also felt it was very beneficial to us to add previous project visuals as examples of our work for potential employers to view. By displaying them this way, it not only makes them easier to view, but easier to essentially “distribute” to a widespread number of people, by keeping it all on one medium. Overall, as difficult and at times frustrating as I found this project to be, the knowledge gained not only from using Dreamweaver, but the other Adobe programs as well, has proven to be beneficial to me for work and recreational use and I plan to continue learning about the programs and seeing what else I can create long after the semester ends. 

Logos To Last A Lifetime

Basketball is one of the most recognized sports around the world and this flaming basketball logo makes for a clear representation of the Miami Heat franchise. The logo is simple in the sense that there really isn't much going on, aside from the obvious flaming ball going through a hoop, but it is also successful for that very reason. The use of color, in a sense, triggers you mind to recognize what this logo stands for without hesitation, which is another reason this logo can be considered successful.

The success of this logo can almost go without saying. It is known worldwide and is a true representation of what it means to be an athlete. The five colored rings represent a different area of the world and the linking of them represents a sense of unity and strength around the world.

As one of the longest running television networks, the NBC logo has been an iconic staple to American television for decades. The peacock design was first used as a representation of the network's color programming which has since become the most recognizable logo's in the world. The design is simple, but has withstood the test of time which is why it is so successful.

The Target logo is so recognizable that not mentioning it would almost be a crime. It is only fitting that the logo for Target would be just that, a target. Who knew that something so simple and minimal could become so iconic. The contrast of the bright red and white space makes for an eye-catching image and successful logo for the company.

While this logo is not as widely recognized as the previous logos mentioned, the clever design gives this seemingly simple logo and interesting twist. The iconic New York skyscrapers can be found between the legs of the animals and make great use of the negative space in the logo.

My Logo Design: Keep It Clean

 For my company logo, I will be redesigning a logo that I currently use to promote my cleaning business. The target audience is hard to define because this business caters to every type of person, so there is no defined demographic. The purpose of Keep It Clean is to bring your house to the level of prestine condition that you have always wanted it to be. Whether it be, seasonal cleaning, regular scheduled cleanings, or organization appointments, the options are limitless! We are here to put in the hard work and use our exceptional techniques and experience to make your house envied by all who come inside. Since this is a cleaning business, keeping the layout and overall design simple is very important. I would like to keep the colors soft and minimal, while using an eye-catching graphic to bring balance to the logo as a whole.

A Brochure is Worth 1,000 Words...

Yellow takes the cake:

Although the text of this brochure series is in a foreign language, you do not need to necessarily understand what it says in order to see the true beauty and success of this design. The minimalism of this layout allows the detailed content to flow seamlessly without overwhelming the reader. The use of lines and open space brings the proper space need to accentuate the architecture in the image throughout the brochure. 

The designer did a good job in maintaining a minimalist theme while also bringing color to the design. Aside from the colors in the photos, this bright yellow color is the only other use of color in this brochure. The color is bold, but is placed so strategically that it does not distract or overwhelm the reader. By using this as a highlight color, it brings just the right amount of contrast against the detailed architecture in the photos, which remains consistent throughout the series. 

The repetition of the yellow color maintains a strong consistency,along with the layout of text which keeps the flow of the brochure easy to follow and read. There is a distinct separation of text from the images that is consistent throughout and the clean lines and separation of content brings unity and balance to the brochure.

The typeface and font used in this brochure was an excellent choice by the designer. It is too small to tell in the image what exactly the body text is, but from what I can faintly see, it looks fairly similar to the larger, sans serif headlining text. The use of this "clean" style of text supports the design by adding to it's minimalistic theme. The different placement of text (along the bottom of the page/opposite sides of photos) keeps the eye in constant movement, preventing the reader from becoming easily bored with the text content. 

The strong architectural structure of the images within the brochure are so detailed and complex that the minimalistic layout is necessary to keep balance throughout the brochure. The image size and placement also plays an important role in balance. The images must be sized properly because of their graphic content so the reader does not become overwhelmed by the image, resulting in them skipping over important text near the image. 

The design hierarchy was well thought out and executed in the design of this brochure, and you can see that through the organization, and consistency of proper text, color, and use of images throughout this series. 

Stone Cold Winner:

The extent of this brochures simplicity, along with several design elements including minimal color, clean fonts and backgrounds, enticing graphics, and a consistent layout make for a very successful brochure design. You can certainly tell that the designer of this brochure paid close attention to the layout and formatting in order to ensure an easy reading experience.

Typically with this much minimalism, a design can easily become dull and boring. But in this case, the simplicity is what makes this brochure so appealing and attractive. Especially on the cover, where the lack of color and an image altogether, allows the text to simply stand on its own, which in turn creates a clear "image" of what the designer is attempting to visually communicate. Aside from the color in the images throughout the brochure, the only other color used is in a three-tired triangular arrow, which I would assume to be the companies logo. The three colors used in the logo also coincide with the three showroom locations the company has worldwide, which is shown towards the end of the brochure. 

Repetition is carried throughout the entire brochure and is really the main element that makes this brochure design so great. This is shown through the use of two distinct fonts, continued use of the same colors, and the consistency of the colored triangle logo throughout the brochure. Another noticeably consistent element would be the use of clean lines and white space, which allows for the images and text used to flow in an aesthetically pleasing way. This plays an important role in keeping the brochure uncluttered and easy to follow. 

The typeface and font styles the designer chose are used flawlessly throughout this brochure. The use of proper kerning for larger text brings great definition and emphasis to an otherwise "boring" font. Because of the manipulation of this font, it is able to keep strength throughout the brochure while also maintaining its simplicity. When it comes to the cover, the decision to use all text and no graphics was, quite frankly, the right choice. By itself, the world "stone" is able to speak for itself and capture the attention of readers to look inside and see what's in store. The font works cohesively with the images within the brochure and make for a perfect match. The most important aspect of this font is that it is sans serif, which really helps prevents the content and layout from becoming cluttered and visually confusing. 

From the front cover, to the back, the layout of this brochure remains simple and minimal with the use of clean lines, easy-to-read text, and properly placed images. The visuals throughout this brochureware strong, yet do not take away from the coinciding text. The proper design hierarchy that is used makes for a beautifully balanced brochure that is bound to be successful. I know I'd read it!

    

Yes, No, Maybe....Will you be attending?

Yes, No, Maybe...Will you be attending? 

The Good:

     I am ALL about this slogan. For real. Simple, in only four words, yet incredibly effective. When reading this banner, this phase brings you a sense of suspense and excitement all rolled in to one. Despite the lack of "exciting" visuals on the banner itself, "The Hunt Is Coming..." really gets the imagination going with all the possibilities of what that could possibly mean. So many visuals run through the mind; football, crowds cheering, masses of people having a good time, etc., etc. The use of an app to promote the homecoming is incredibly smart for a couple reasons. 1. It cuts to the chase 2. It uses minimal space and 3. It allows the reader to, ironically, read less, which is always good cause who has time to read a banner/flier? (kidding). Kids these days (myself included), run by the idea that "less is more" and the promotion of the app allows us to do just that; visit the site when it is most convenient for us. The consistency and repetition of the three main colors in the banner, white, orange, and brown, really bring it all together and let that "bengal pride" shine through.  Go Bengals!

     This flier certainly makes a bold statement. The contrasting colors of orange and black really brings the idea and concept of this poster to life. The way the lettering of "diversity" is designed, with the text inside of it, really draws attention not only to the word, but what the organization identifies diversity as. The layout gives enough blank space so it doesn’t look messy or cluttered. Because of this, the flier is easy to read despite the large amount of content it has. The content is set up as an easy-to-read calendar of events, which allows students to skim through and quickly find what would be of most interest to them. Putting their biggest event on the bottom of the page, separate from the rest of the events, draws the most attention to the event which will most likely make it the most attended (which I would assume is what the organization is going for). The repetition of the three main colors, black, orange, and white, and the use of minimal fonts keep the flier simple, yet also eye-catching.

First of all, LOL. What a clever way to promote the newly “free” smoking state. Without being too obvious about what they’re advertising, they do a good job of getting their point across, while also giving the reader a good laugh. The constant color used throughout the flier is also a good indication of what exactly it is that they’re promoting. Part of me feels like this is only part of the ad because it is lacking any and all contact information. Also, it is unclear WHAT exactly they're selling. Is it an actual airline? or is this just a pun to promote the high? I guess we won't know, but aside from those two aspects, this flier gets the job done. 

The Bad:

       First of all, W.T.F.??? When I stumbled across this flier online, that was my exact thought while readying this. Let’s start with the enormous graphic of this grown woman demolishing a piece of cake. Why? Yes, this flier is advertising a “show”, but there is absolutely nothing appealing, or even funny, about that image. However, it is the perfect image to make me NOT want to go to this soirée/sh*tshow. Street meat? Gross. The colors used remind me of Christmas, not a party in the middle of June. The very little white space left makes this flier cluttered, hard to read, and just an overall mess. Also, the fading balloons in the background? Just another element to add to the disaster. This could be a decent flier if you changed literally every design element that is incorporated into it. Dan Zimmer, I think it’s time to reevaluate some things. 

      Open House? More like empty house. Talk about BOR-ING. With the use of design hierarchy, the content of the flier flows well and is definitely easy to read. However, it totally lacks any visual design and excitement. It kind of defeats the purpose of even posting it because who is going to walk to a white sheet of paper with words on it? No one, that’s who. With some simple re-spacing, adding in a little color and a graphic or two, this flier could serve its purpose a whole lot more.  

   
        Hold on, let me get my glasses….What does this even say? I can’t tell if this flier is so old that the colors have just faded out, or if someone actually created this and thought it would be legible for any one other than those with super spy glasses. It is not until you actually read the content that you are able to get the gist of what the heading says. For something as important as a notice about receiving your mail on campus,  the flier should be bright and eye catching and not, this.

Visual Communication

Communication is everywhere. You cannot be human unless you eat, sleep, and use some form of communication. The beauty of communication, is that it allows every person to communicate differently, which is a big contribution to what makes us such unique individuals. The different types of communication, which include, visual, verbal, audio, and written, lead us to respond to information in different ways. 

I respond best to visual communication. Visuals are easy for me to remember, almost like a photographic memory. This happens the most when I’m driving. Over the years I’ve earned the nickname “Tom Tom”, after the popular navigation device, because of my great sense of direction and ability to locate any destination that I’ve been to, even if it was only once. I “blame” that on my response to visuals (signs, street names, intersections, etc.) which act as triggers for my memory. 

In visual communication, in order for the information to work and to be interpreted correctly, the tools must be designed and used properly. Tools like images, symbols, directional cues, are imperative to insuring the accuracy of the visuals you are trying to follow. It’s hard for me to hear something verbally and then transcend those set of directions into visual cues. The help of visual tools add that extra guidance due to my need to have to physically see something in order to “get” it. 

In today’s world of “tech”, there are companies, people, brands, etc. all over that utilize strong visual logos. The success of these logos depends on the way they are communicated and marketed to the public. 

Lulu Lemon, an athletic apparel company, is a great example of this. With fitness and clean eating currently on trend, “doing” the part is just as important as “looking” the part as well. Spending $98 dollars on yoga gear is a little lavish, but for some, wearing an outfit that has a popular logo on it gives the consumer that extra boost of confidence. I think Lulu Lemon does a great job at marketing themselves using just the right balance. When you see their logo on a pair of pants, sweatshirt, or gym bag, etc., you automatically think of what they are selling; trendy athletic wear while promoting a healthy lifestyle. 

Gatorade also uses strong visual communication. The lightening bolt and orange cap are the only two things you need to see in order to know what you're drinking. They do a great job communicating visually with the public with their consistency in visuals in their ad campaigns. And lets be honest, nothing tastes as good as a Gatorade does after a long night out…or a game, practice, work-out, of course. 

The last brand that I feel uses strong visual communication would be Nike. Typical, I know, but what athletic company is honestly doing it better than this one? From their sponsorships of successful athletes, to their ad campaigns, this logo is EVERYWHERE and most people know it well, unless you live under a rock.