more cool stuff

Here's a crazy photo I came across just now to get things started off right.

I know this is a painting but I think it can be really inspiring to look at things other than design and then try and make something spontaneous based on your reactions.

I recently started shooting with my mom's old Pentax, and I can't get over the beauty in the design. And the black and silver color scheme is classic of course.

The composition as well as contrast in Ansel Adams's photos shows great design. Photos can also be inspiring when working on graphic design projects.

logos

Nope, Apple hasn't always had great design. This photo shows their first logo on the far left, designed in 1976. Although it looks like it was made in 1776.

Although Ferrari's logo isn't the simplest in the world, I think it still works because it shows prestige as well as good design.

National Geographic's logo is cool because it actually mimics the cover of the magazine itself.

I like RVCA's logo but it is pretty modern so I'm worried it might go out of style. Although it does have a retro feel so maybe that'll help with it not looking too dated. The simplicity of the letters helps too.

gasoline and shoes

The Parkland library has this amazing book of pictures of Mexican street art/advertisements. I looked at it for over an hour the other day, and I think I might skip checking it out and just buy it. Pick it up if you get a chance, or if I'm not already reading it.

These shoes are awesome.

I love Mobilgas's logo. I don't know if they really use it too often anymore, but it's definitely a great design.

Speaking of gas, here's one that's even better.

more album covers

This album cover is beautiful. The simplicity is so bold. I can't really describe in words how or why I love this so much, but I just do.

This is another great album cover (Jamie xx of The xx was involved with the first album as well).

This poster works, not in spite of the crazy clashing colors but because of them. It's in your face and gaudy, but heck it's cool!

This makes my mouth water every time. I think it's a paper cut. It's loooooovely. I wish Bright Eyes would have used this for the album cover, but instead it's inside the record sleeve. Maybe that makes it more special. Like a little surprise.

more movie posters

I thought this was a really interesting poster. It deals with content as well as design because of the silhouetted head with maze inside it.

I still need to actually see this film because it's a classic, but I always thought the poster had really great design. I love the fact that you can actually see the flaws in the letters at the top (I believe they were cut out of paper).

I think by now it's safe to say the Jurassic Park logo is a classic as well. I especially love how the logo is incorporated into the movie as well as the movie poster in the form of signs on Jeeps, buildings, etc.

I like this poster because in a world where Photoshop and distressed type are abused so much, it's nice to see something simple. And it gets the right vibe across, too.

Banksy

Banksy is an amazing street artist and I consider him a graphic designer. I love the way he uses a medium as simple as spray paint to illustrate heavy social and political topics in an interesting way. Also, I should warn that the first time I saw Banksy's art it blew my mind like crazy so beware. Here are a few really cool designs by him:

 Wow. Just look at that last one a good long time and tell me you don't start to question life's meaning.

Album Covers

Here are a few more album covers I really love. This time I'm going to pick out of records I have here at the house.

Awesome band from right here in C-U. Great watercolor and typography.

There will always be a (large) place in my heart for Willie Nelson. What a great album, and the use of mixed media (I think it's a photo with paint or ink on some parts) is crazy looking up close.

I don't know why I love this album cover so much. It's simply beautiful beyond words to me.

Ok, so this is technically a photo, but I love the design that the organic moss stuff creates out of its own texture. Really weird album.

Who cares if you flat out steal an idea from the King of Rock and Roll as long as you pull it off? The Clash one upped the heck out of him on this one. It's PERFECT.

THE COLORS!!!!!!!!!!!! So awesome. Sure it's not a perfect design, but the beauty here lies in its imperfection and sheer attitude.

Quite possibly the greatest album art of all time. Andy Warhol's graphic designs were ingenious. The end.

Shoes

Here are some really cool shoe logos I've found throughout my many years as a lover of foot apparel.

Such a classic design... This one is just about perfect in my eyes. Mmmmm.

Doesn't this just make you wanna go to the beach? Something about the colors and type always give me a good vibe.

Obviously I had to choose one of the greatest logos of all time for this little list.

Last but not least is the Chuck Taylor All Star logo. Classic.

Hatch Show Print

I really love the designs that come as a result of the printing process used by Hatch Show Print in Nashville, Tennessee. I went there myself a few years ago and it was awesome to think of how many amazing posters have come from one small shop. This company has been in business for a long time and still makes posters for modern clients. They reprint a lot of their old stuff using the same process, and so you can purchase what is essentially the exact same poster you would have had in the 50s.

Here is a print I have in my room:

Wow...... so great. Ok moving on, here's an example of Hatch Show Print's ability to make designs that span a wide range of musical styles and time, featuring two of my favorite artists:

Also, I think the sign itself has some really cool old school (it is old) typography as well:

Gaming Consoles

I don't think some gaming consoles get enough credit for the design that they exhibit in and of themselves. Here are a few examples of some of my favorite consoles, design-wise:

NES

The original! The geometry in this thing is simply perfect. The controllers complement the system, too, and it just looks right.

GAMECUBE

This system is great because of its portability and large buttons which enable a great ease of use.

 Wii

The Wii design is really nice. It harkens back to the original Nintendo Entertainment System, but is updated to look modern nicely.

PS3

The PS3 has a beautiful design. It's extremely sleek, which contrasts with the Nintendo consoles, and it pulls off this shape really well. The simplicity in the design of the PS3 seems to be unmatched by any other consoles.

Movie posters!

I work at a movie theater, so I thought I'd share two of the posters I really like.

One that is pretty good is for The Mechanic. It's a gun shape composed of lots of smaller weapons, like grenades, other guns, and knives. I like the boldness to the design and the contrast of the colors chosen.

My favorite one lately, however, is the poster for the upcoming Jane Eyre film. It's simplicity and washed out colors are really beautiful. The typeface looks great. I think it's Helvetica Ultra Light? Anyways, check this out. The wisdom to know when is too much photoshopping is a good thing to have if you're a designer, and this poster makes just the right use of the program.

Some cool stuff

 I really like the animated Mountain Dew "History" commercial... I love the color palette and style of animation especially.

This is a cool illustration by an artist named Neryl Walker that I think exhibits a great use of design principles. The abstracted peacock feathers are awesome:

And one last image is the cover of Bon Iver's "Blood Bank" EP. I love the framing of the photograph, and the starkness of the image goes really well with the sounds on the album:

GDS week 2

 Kidrobot is a company that sells "art toys," and I think their website displays some great design features. The first page is more colorful, and the bright colors draw customers in. Once they click on a link to enter the site, a more serene color scheme is implemented, to make for a relaxed shopping atmosphere. The sans-serif typeface makes everything seem very clean, and for the majority of the site, the copy is grey on a white background. This gives the site a simple feel. The navigation of the site is extremely basic. At the top there are three main headings: ART TOYS, CLOTHING, and LIFESTYLE, and these are shown in big all caps letters across the top of the page.

These headings darken as you scroll the cursor over them, (other smaller titles at the top turn blue when scrolled over, mimicking the blue of the kidrobot logo) and this makes the site feel at once more solid and responsive. The hierarchy and size of the type makes it easy to know which item to click on first. Every toy photo featured on the site is a square, and also has a very light grey background (the light grey creates a tiny contrast with the white background of the page, which is really nice)—these two features echoed throughout the page help to unify it, while the individual toys within the squares create the variety (even the photographs of clothing follow this system).

Very little color is used on the page besides the color of the toys. This makes it clear to the viewer that the toys are the primary focus here. Overall I think it's a great site that gets right to the point in a clean, fun way.

http://www.kidrobot.com/