Warm Harmony

Society of Illustrators 48th Annual, p179
Jonathan Barkat

This design is an example of warm color harmony created by using red, orange and yellow. The artist was hired by Court TV and instructed to use a specific building for his model. To fulfill this request, he went to the building "with his Pantone book in hand to match the color." I found this rather humorous since I seem to be wrestling with those little Pantone swatches doing the color exercises. The design uses all of the design principles. Unity is established by repetition of colors and rectangular shapes and by proximity of the images. Emphasis is made by contrast in color with your eye being drawn to the "yellow" window. Balance is both symmetrical and mathematical with the gridlike placement of the windows. The evenly spaced repetition of lines and rectangles creates a clear, staccato rhythm. And, finally, depth is developed by shadows.

Depth by Size

Society of Illustrators 48th Annual, p201
Milton Glazer

This design is an example of depth created by size. The diminishing size of Target frisbees leads the viewer to feeling as if frisbees are being tossed from outer space to land on the building's spire. The placement of the largest element at the bottom of the design and the diminishing images trailing off to the top of the design helps to enforce the illusion of space. Unity is established by repetition of the red disks. Emphasis is very evident with the bright red color standing out on a grayscale background. I think balance is approximately symmetrical. The trailing red disks in the upper corner don't appear to have enough pull to throw the design off balance. Rhythm is established both with the equidistant spacing between the large frisbees and with the circular cutouts on the frisbees. The designer for this composition posed the question "Did you know that in order to depict either the Chrysler Building or the Empire State Building, you have to pay?" I didn't know that.

Color Discord

Society of Illustrators 48th Annual, p521
Hye Jeong Park

This design is an example of color discord. The two dominant colors are of equal saturation and one "spoke" off of being complementary colors. Unity is established by proximity of the girl and the chair. The focal point is the bright red chair, created by contrast in color. Asymmetrical balance is achieved by the figure of the girl being offset by the shaded wall and small dark window. Depth is established by perspective with the two convergent lines meeting in the corner of the room. Shadows also help to enhance the illusion of depth. The title of this picture is "Sometimes Hope Has Two Faces". I was really intrigued by the colors and the title until my husband pointed out the noose and analyzed the picture as the girl was contemplating suicide.

We The People

25 Years of Book Cover Art
Wendell Minor Art for the Written Word, p46

This picture brings out the patriotism in me. It's such a strong image. Just 3 hats and 3 words - but, oh, what those 3 hats and 3 words represent! Unity is found in the repetition of hats and the proximity of all of the images. Emphasis is created by contrast in color with the bright red popping out. Balance is asymmetrical by postion. Rhythm can be seen in the pleated pin on the American Revolution hat. Depth is seen by the shadows. And color harmony is found with the earthtone colors.

Negative Space

Society of Illustrators 48th Annual, p113
Richard McGuire

I loved the use of negative shapes in this design. Depth is created by size with the diminishing figures. Shadows also help to create the illusion of depth. Unity is found in the repetition of shapes and color. Emphasis is created by the contrast in value with the bright white eyes standing out in in the dark and contrast in color with the one tiny spot of red in an otherwise monochromatic blue harmony. Some rhythm can be seen in the repeated diagonal lines throughout the design. Balance is asymmetrical by position.

Monochromatic harmony with a twist of cool

Society of Illustrators 48th Annual, p478
Leo Acadia

This is an example of monochromatic harmony in a cool color. Unity is established by the continuation of the same hue throughout the design. The emphasis is placed on the tiny red boat by contrast in color, the spot of red standing out in an ocean of gray. Depth is established by shadows on the iceberg which give it dimension. A slight rhythm can be found in the ripples on ther water's surface. This picture makes me feel cold just by looking at it!

Parkland Student Gallery

I chose a graphic design by Kathleen Skamel used for self-promotion.

Subjective critique: The design at first glance appears to be a picture of a Hershey's candy bar but your eye is drawn to the light-colored textbox at the bottom of the label that says "INTERN FOR HIRE". This causes your eye to refocus on the word "HERSHEYS" which in fact says "HERE SHE IS". The designer very cleverly used the same font type and size as the real candy bar. Her spacing of letters in the title is perfect. It's close enough that your eye doesn't really notice the space between words until you go back to read it the second time. Most people in our society will have an immediate association to a Hershey's candy bar as an American icon in itself. The chocolate bar is representative of our desire for something special. Chocalate is a luxury. How many people turn to chocolate when they're down, stressed, or anxious? By presenting herself on a chocolate bar, the designer is saying I'm special and I can help with your problems. Overall, I think this designer was very clever. In a basket full of resumes, that chocolate bar is going to leap out. I'm hoping she actually handed out the real things with her information on the back of the label. I would like to see how she would present her information - perhaps like the nutrition facts?
Objective critique: The design is symmetrically balanced with equal visual weight on each side of the vertical axis. Unity is well-established by continuity and proximity of font. If this is just a graphic design, not an actual candy bar, then depth is created by shading of the front edge and highlights on the "foil". The text box at the bottom of the label also shows depth by the overlapping of black letters on white letters. Emphasis is placed on the textbox at the bottom by contrast of shade - the white popping out on the gray background. Since the letters are so large and so close together, a little rhythm might possibly be seen by the slight breaks between words.