This blog was previously for Graphic Design II and will now be for Graphic Design III

This blog was for GDS 122 (Graphic Design II) and will now be for GDS 222 (Graphic Design III). Thank you for taking the time to check it out.

Packaging & Branding...

I love anything packaging related & this is not only packaging, but branding, too! I found this in Communication Arts magazine (Sept/Oct 2013) in the packaging section.

The designer is Elijah Schroeder (for Young & Laramore ad agency) and the client is Silver in the City. "Silver in the City, an unconventional gift store, needed help getting the attention of new customers not yet familiar with its 'jewelry, housewares and whatnot.' The branding assistance we provided included basic, but bold, package design that also functioned as out-of-home advertising."

They also worked on other items for them, including, packaging tape, boxes for their jewelry, bumper stickers, display cards, etc. All having the same "flair."

The final image I'm including is of their business cards. I like the way the only pop of color is on the top two people, that makes it "pop" even more!

Alex Fowkes - graphic designer, typographer, illustrator...

I ran across Alex Fowkes in Communication Arts Advertising Annual (Nov/Dec 2013) in the "Fresh" section. His bold typography was what first caught my eye. The second thing was his retro flair. Check out the colors on the images I've attached, and the layout, etc. and you'll see what I mean.

The second image has even been made to look older in the way the colors have muted out in places (like chipped paint, etc.). It makes me think of the old drive-in restaurant I used to go to in my home-town. 

The final image is part of a campaign he did for Fila - Japan for their spring/summer line of golf and tennis apparel. They "approached me to help them build a fun typographic campaign..."

Check out some of his other work at his website.

Branding...

I was looking at branding ideas for our most recent project in Graphic Design II & ran across these for Lovejoy Vodka. I found them in Communication Arts - 2008 Design Annual; designer, Jared Milam for his client Integrity Spirits. I was actually pretty impressed by such interesting designs for alcoholic beverages.

They even have pretty snazzy holiday packaging seen in the second image.

I'm not a drinker, but I do enjoy great packaging designs which is why I wanted to share these with you. Hope you enjoyed them!

Dallas Farmers Market

I found these in Communication Arts Advertising Annual (November/December 2013). At first look you think they are fries, skittles, a burger & ice cream. It takes a closer look to see what they really are - the more healthy alternative.

Carrots, beans, berries, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, apples, oranges & cherries all fresh and yummy looking!

These designs were done by Rick Thompson, illustrator at Firehouse ad agency, for Dallas Farmers Market.

Wrong Way?

I found these wonderful images in the new Communication Arts Advertising Annual 54 (November/December 2013). Lidan Ma is the designer for the Grey Group China Beijing ad agency, and the client is Garmin.

At first glance they just look like some kind of oddly designed new vehicles...then, when you look a little bit closer... Oh! I get it! 

Pretty cool way to get the "wrong way" idea across, isn't it. I was sucked right in! Then I started dissecting the images to try and figure out exactly where the images were flipped.

My favorite one is this fourth image. I absolutely love the way it looks flipped like this. It looks like some kind of hybrid Batmobile or something.

Pretty ingenious idea, don't you think? Something so simple, but it works so well. Thank you Linda Ma &  Garmin for taking peoples innate ability to get all turned around and turning it into a cool design.

Carry Out Menus

Since we are working on designing menus in Graphic Design II, I thought I would share a few of the Carry-Out Menus I have laying around. Remember this is just a few of many. Ha ha!

Most of you will recognize this first image; it's for Jimmy John's! I think this design works really well. It's 5x7.25 (not a standard size) and crammed full of information, but, I think it is an overall good design. They have a few fun additions, like the finger pointing, the star burst, and the playful way they put the prices at an angle. They also have a white with black ink version of this, but I prefer this one.

The second image is for Billy Barooz Pub & Grill. Some people don't even realize what GREAT food they have here (my favorite is the Monterey Burger). This is only the front of their carry-out menu. It is actually legal size, front & back, folded to 7x8.5. It's nothing fancy, only one color, but it has all of the pertinent information. 

The last one I'm sharing is kind of an odd size too. It's 11x6 and full color. It's for Fire Station Pizza (now called Fire House Pizza). If you thought Jimmy John's had a lot on theirs, take a look at this one! If they have to have all of this on here, I don't know if I could design it much better. You can read it and it has "Eye Catching" headings, although they're not really my style.