Social Concern Posters

Social Concern Posters

One thing I noticed when looking at posters dealing with social concern is that they tend me be very simple and straight to the point. They also often use clever re-workings of things we see every day in order to grab the viewers attention. Below are some examples of great social awareness posters.

I find this poster to be extremely effective, it is done

for the Women's Aid Organization. When you first see these posters you simply see beautiful women's lips.

However, the first image is really fists, and hidden in the second image are images of men beating women. It is subtle but it clearly and effectively shows its meaning. Underneath the first poster is says "Lips aren't punching bads. Nor are other parts of the body. If you know someone who is suffering from violence or abuse. please call Women's Aid Organization at.....Speak Up. And silence those who speak with their fists. Underneath the second poster it says, "Silent lips mute the sound of beatings. And muzzle unspeakable pain. Give voice to victims or violence or abuse....Deep as the wounds may be, healing begins by being heard." The simple subtle messages in the imagery combined with the powerful words create a very strong social concern poster.

This second poster is another example of the subtle message that works really well as a social concern poster. Soccer player Loco Abreu is "kicking away racism" by wearing two shoes of different colors (he also played in a soccer game with these shoes) It is just a simple image but it received a lot of feedback from the press and had a huge impact.

As you think about social concern posters think about the context and the message that you are trying to bring across. It does not need to be an elaborate poster in order for you to get your idea across.

One final example for you to look at :) Have a great Monday :)

logo design

Logo Design;

Through designing logos I have learnt that the best logo is not always the most beautiful logo. It is the logo that represents the company/client and symbolizes what they are about. Below is an article I found about the process that went into designing the very memorable Nike logo.

The origin of the mark goes like this: Knight wanted to differentiate BRS's custom product from the ones they were importing from Onituska in Japan: "...so Knight turned to a graphic design student he met at Portland State University two years earlier." One day in 1969, the student, Carolyn Davidson, was approached by Knight and offered $2 per hour "to make charts and graphics" for his business. For the next two years Davidson managed the design work on BRS. "Then one day Phil asked me if I wanted to work on a shoe stripe," Davidson recalled. The only advice she received was to "Make the stripe supportive of the shoe." Davidson came up with half a dozen options.None of the options "captivated anyone" so it came down to "which was the least awful."

Well, the rest is history. And the Swoosh emerged from "the stripe" and is one of the most recognized logos in the world.

http://imprint.printmag.com/branding/swoosh-40-years-fly-by/

- I find it interesting that no one particularly liked the logo that Davidson came up with at first, but now the Nike swoosh is well known all over the world. While perhaps Davidson could have created a more "beautiful" logo, the logo she created was memorable, it worked. I enjoy looking at the pictures below and seeing how she played with the placement of the swoosh and with how many swooshes there were. In logo design it can be helpful once you have the general design you want, to play around with it, its positioning, ect. because that can help you come up with something even better. Input from others can also help a lot!

(if you go to the website you can see the images in a larger size)

Typographic Syntax;

the process of arranging elements into a cohesive whole. The point of typographic syntax is to not rely upon illustration in order to give meaning to the word. Rather, it is bringing meaning across through the arrangement of the elements, the type.

The two logos below are excellent examples of typographic syntax. The arrangement of elements (letters) or lack of letters, helps further the meaning of the word without the use of illustration. Both of these examples show the type of stuff you should be doing for class.

In the first example, blank space the lack of the a in blank and space create an empty space,

thus bringing visual representation to the word without using illustration. Simply just leaving the letter out works great.

The second example, minus takes the I from minus removes it and flips it on its side to create a minus symbol. This combined with the the empty space that is now left from where the I was also helps enhance the meaning of the word.

An important thing to remember, which I mentioned previously, is to not use illustration to bring about further meaning. You should rely on changing the arrangement of the letters to help enhance the meaning of the word, not using illustrations.

Logos

logos

“Some wonder what’s so difficult about creating a good logo. They’re small, they look easy to do, so no problem, right? When you only see the result of a designer’s efforts, the logo creation can look like it was a simple task. But it’s not. A logo takes thought and creativity, and many elements combine to make a good one.” -Harrison McLeod

The process of creating a logo is not always easy, for one must consider more than just whether the logo looks good. You must understand the purpose of your logo – who you

are designing for, what their company is about, you must research. A logo is a visual representation of what a person or company is about – it should therefore require careful consideration.

Further, it is extremely helpful to take the time to sketch out all your ideas. It does not matter if they seem stupid or generic, get all your ideas out. Fleshing out your ideas can lead to combinations of design or simply allow you to get your first ideas out of your head allowing you to move onto more designs.

Below are some examples of great logos and what makes them so good:

Popchips

This logo uses negative space in order to bring attention to the pop.

MC: "This is a nice use of negative space that adds some fun to lettering. The missing 'o' and 'i' mess with your eyes and give the mark character.

RH: "A nice use of positive/negative space that has a relevance to the product. More animated bounce might help (although that is somewhat of a cliche in snack lettering). It looks somewhat formal as is. The white line clipping the c' indicates there may be even more invisible white elements to be found if we looked
more closely."

AW: "Proportional thickness defines the ring of the 'o' and the circle around the smaller dot - a sign of the designer's control over every detail of this tasty mark."

Creative firm: Turner Duckworth SanFrancisco, CA
Client: Popchips
Industry: Food

Silverhook Alaska Coffee

MC: "This illustration skillfully incorporates several images into a wonderful whole. The type is a nicely selected mix that works well together...

RH: "The colors are coffee colors, which is entirely appropriate, and the blue is a nice, harmonious counterpoint."

Creative Firm: IE Design + Communications, Hermosa Beach, CA
Client: Silverhook, Alaska Coffee
Industry: Coffee

WELCOME GRAPHIC DESIGN 2 FALL 2011

Welcome to the Design-Deliberation blog for JBU’s Graphic Design 2 class. I pray that this will be a fun and inspiring semester for all of us. Please remember to comment on posts on this blog at lest once a week. Below is a great quote, substitute ‘money’ for ‘grade’ and you will be well on your way to a successful class experience.

“Don’t spend too much time planning, release early and often, some things will work, others won’t, refine and move forward and above all forget the money, just make sure you love what you’re doing.”

— KEVIN ROSE 

The 50 Things Every Graphic Design Student Should Know

Lizz White sent me the following link to a good blog about  ‘The 50 Things Every Graphic Design Student Should Know’. It is pretty good—check it out.
http://www.jamiewieck.com/visual-essays/the-50-things-every-graphic-design-student-should-know/

Amelia Klemm’s Post

“Aaaahhhh!! It’s a GIANT ANACONDA!!!”

That is probably the reaction that this advertisement gets about 20 times per block. This is what I call EFFECTIVE ADVERTISING. It is important to remember when designing for someone, to express the feel of the client while leaving a lasting impression. Of course, it has to fit the client and not all are as exciting as this one. As fun as a giant anaconda is, it may not be appropriate for a pediatrician’s logo. We wouldn’t want people screaming while taking their children in for a check up. You know, common sense stuff.

As far as this logo goes however, it definitely is wild! Which is just right for a zoo! It especially works since it’s big, in your face, and not something one might see every day. The fact that they incorporated it into the public transportation system which millions of people see every day works for them all the more. Very awesome, so very awesome.