Belazu Olive Oil

Graphis Design Annual, 2006, p173
Turner Duckworth, packaging

I found this design to be really clever. The "olive tree" is actually an olive sitting in the palm of a hand. This suggests to me the product is fresh from the grower, perhaps even picked by his own hand. The blue is a very interesting choice of color. It's different enough to stand out and seems to draw your eye to the label. The font also ties in well - bold but not overwhelming, pretty classy.

Figure Skater

Society of Illustrators 46th Annual of American Illustrations, p85
The New Yorker, Carter Goodrich, cover

The intent of this cover was to "comment on how vicious the sport of figure skating has become". Viciousness is not the message I got; competitiveness would be a better description. I found this design to be an great example of the design principles working together. Notice how the one little dark, clearly-defined puck balances against the mass of the children. The gradient at the top not only creates depth but provided an nice contrasting background for the magazine title. The use of white font allowed the entire composition to maintain an overall wintry feel. Any other font color choice would have completely changed the composition. The other interesting thing I noticed about the gradient is the subtle texture that was used created a haziness appropriate to winter and helped to integrate the trees in the background. Emphasis is clearly placed on the lone figure skater dressed in red and displaying a very evident expression of disgust. Rhythm is found in the carved circles on the ice. Even the group of children are surrounded by a circle of fairly evenly-spaced hockey sticks. Unity is seen in the proximity of the 3 groups - skater, children, and net. Unity is also found in the repetition of colors and in the repetitive "L" shape seen in the hockey sticks, the skater's bent leg, and the hockey net frame. The complimentary colors complete the harmonious composition by being of equal values.

Identity Theft

Workbook 26, Illustration and Design, p305
Marlena Agency, Tomasz Walenta

I love the symbolism of this "simple" design. It's a perfect icon for identity theft. What better way to represent personal identity than a fingerprint? The bright yellow "caution" background helps to capture the viewer's attention. The added details of the thief's mask and the binary code on the bottom of the illustration emphasize the meaning of the symbol.

Line Drawings

Workbook 26, Illustration and Design, p237
Felixsockwell.com, illustration

I found these simple line drawings interesting because they are one continuous line. This could make a fun project to practice on with the pen tool. :)

The Cost Vineyard

Graphic Annual Design, 2008, p160
The Cost Vineyard, Sandstrom Design, packaging

The common consumer seems to have greater access to a larger variety of wines than ever before in history. With the market becoming more competitive, labels and packaging will continue the campaign for originality. I think these are really interesting labels. They appear to be just random clippings from newspapers with a few key words to grab your attention. For the connoisseur who likes to collect, these would be a unique addition. The Cost Vineyard is described as "a new small winery with limited production for a high quality Pinot."

Warping 101

Graphic Design Annual, 2008, p214
Hewlett-Packard, The Integer Group

Isn't this an interesting example of warping? This is a promotional ad for Hewlett-Packard. Maybe the new fad is going to be "body shops" for computers for custom paint jobs. Sounds like an entrepreneurial idea to me! These are actually Disney Park-themed skins designed to serve as adhesive wraps.

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

Graphic Design Annual, 2008, p220
Eureka Tower, emeroystudio, signage

Here's an interesting use of graphic design This is a garage in a residential building called Eureka Tower. "From different viewpoints, the super-sized letterforms are perceived as either abstract distortions or literal directional information. When viewed in motion, the distorted words...snap into alignment...at key decision-making points." The client is in Singapore so I'm wondering if that's where this tower is. I love the bright bold colors. And by placing the words at angles, the signage is even more eye-catching and directional. If this is the garage, I wonder what the rest of the building looks like?