I like skateboarding magazines, so while I go through them or hop onto the internet to see articles in the editions I miss, I check out the distinctive designs they tend to have in design. For one, fish-eye lens photography and a DIY look usually fit the bill for these type of mags, and I have to say that skating zines wouldn't be what they are without those elements!
A good example of these are found in Thrasher Magazine and their site. They have a very unique logo, just a simplified graffiti-style type that also curves upward and center. Even skate terminology adds flair to their distinctive look and mag layouts; someone who doesn't really fit into the skater demographic could still get the idea based off of the designs.
Well, I suppose that wraps up week 8's inspirations! Let me know your thoughts, guys! Not to many people posted last week, and I don't want to be greedy and have all this inspiration to myself!! :P
Okay, see you all for next week's inspirations!
--Evan
Friday, July 27, 2012
Week 8 (pt 1)
Hello all, finally work is done for the week! Onto the blogging! Today, I was flipping through the Target employee business guide and I realized that it's actually designed pretty well! Obviously not everyone works at Target, so I figured this could be a way to show you all how nifty Target really is (design-wise).
So, for the most part every section resembles the cover design. The table of contents was pretty cool because the color of the chapter corresponds in the table's type. The imagery is vector based with no outlines anywhere, just solid colors. The type crisp and legible, and the color scheme is solidified by the extra space it has. Let me know your thoughts on Target's design decisions!
So, for the most part every section resembles the cover design. The table of contents was pretty cool because the color of the chapter corresponds in the table's type. The imagery is vector based with no outlines anywhere, just solid colors. The type crisp and legible, and the color scheme is solidified by the extra space it has. Let me know your thoughts on Target's design decisions!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Week 7 (pt 3)
Okay, last of this week's inspirations and last of anything Ocean City related (I promise). These images are from the internet because I wasn't about to walk 6 miles up the road to get to this hotel, but after all the years I've gone down there this place has always stuck out. It's the Pyramid Hotel, and it is the only one of its kind in OC (I also think in the world, if I'm not mistaken).
The architectural design of this hotel is phenomenal! This is proof that design of a building can really curve someone's decision when planning a trip. I also find the line-work and geometric shapes within the design layout enthralling to look at and get lost in! Let me know your thoughts guys!
Thanks for being patient this week! Until next time!
--Evan
The architectural design of this hotel is phenomenal! This is proof that design of a building can really curve someone's decision when planning a trip. I also find the line-work and geometric shapes within the design layout enthralling to look at and get lost in! Let me know your thoughts guys!
Thanks for being patient this week! Until next time!
--Evan
Week 7 (pt 2)
Besides the Ocean City Gallery, I wanted to share some inspiration from the boardwalk in general. There were so many shops, products, and signage that you could get a headache not knowing where to start! I took a few pictures of some signage, and even got to check out another gallery called the Park Place Gallery! A little more conservative, the Park Place Gallery was a cool "extra" to my art gallery experience at OC!
Once again, it was an open entrance and filled with fine art, but I refrained from taking pictures of other artists' work.
Here are some examples of signage going down the boardwalk. They all follow a Maritime-Summer color palette or iconism, and I tried showing the angle most boardwalk-goers see of the shops. There were a lot of t-shirt graphic shops that would make your t-shirt of choice right there on the spot on a press, but in all honesty I think the graphics/work effort were shoddy and lacked the passion the craft needs. But all in all, it was still worth it to see an abundance of good and bad designs in the real world.
Once again, it was an open entrance and filled with fine art, but I refrained from taking pictures of other artists' work.
Here are some examples of signage going down the boardwalk. They all follow a Maritime-Summer color palette or iconism, and I tried showing the angle most boardwalk-goers see of the shops. There were a lot of t-shirt graphic shops that would make your t-shirt of choice right there on the spot on a press, but in all honesty I think the graphics/work effort were shoddy and lacked the passion the craft needs. But all in all, it was still worth it to see an abundance of good and bad designs in the real world.
Week 7
First Museum Trip!
Hi guys! Back from Ocean City, MD and I have a few things to share with you all for inspirations. I know I'm a little late here than usual, but I couldn't find any WiFi at my hotel! Anyways, let's get this first part of inspirations rolling.
This is the Ocean City Gallery down on the famous OC Boardwalk. It's unlike any other gallery/museum I've ever seen; just look at its presentation! I love how it's unorthodox in manner, and it has an open entrance and completely free to walk through. However, I felt extremely bad taking pictures of other's hard work in there and I thought you all would understand.
I absolutely loved the simplistic hand-rendered type used to display the gallery's name! The addition of flags and random assortments of signage really help its flair. I think this museum was an excellent choice to stop in to get inspired, especially because I want to be better at painting and sketching.
I hope you all get a chance to come down to Ocean City and experience this awesome display of fine artwork by the beach!
Hi guys! Back from Ocean City, MD and I have a few things to share with you all for inspirations. I know I'm a little late here than usual, but I couldn't find any WiFi at my hotel! Anyways, let's get this first part of inspirations rolling.
This is the Ocean City Gallery down on the famous OC Boardwalk. It's unlike any other gallery/museum I've ever seen; just look at its presentation! I love how it's unorthodox in manner, and it has an open entrance and completely free to walk through. However, I felt extremely bad taking pictures of other's hard work in there and I thought you all would understand.
I absolutely loved the simplistic hand-rendered type used to display the gallery's name! The addition of flags and random assortments of signage really help its flair. I think this museum was an excellent choice to stop in to get inspired, especially because I want to be better at painting and sketching.
I hope you all get a chance to come down to Ocean City and experience this awesome display of fine artwork by the beach!
Friday, July 13, 2012
Week 6 (Part 2)
To wrap up this week's inspirations, I figured that I'd end it with a high note. When I need an uplift in the creative department, sometimes I will just listen to (or simply look at imagery of) the Beatles. They are the perfect blend of raw superior talent, amazing music, vivid personalities, and they have some of the coolest photographs and art. I would be shocked to meet someone who hasn't heard of them or listened to one of their many awesome tracks.
They have some of the most iconic imagery, brands, music, and their personalities unleashed creativity that might as well be unparallelled. The Beatles' logo uses height and a sort of pseudo-serif to differentiate their logo from other type. The miniature "The" fits in well with the length of the A and T, and the T is utilized as a descender to make up for the added height of "The." The B is an ascender to emphasize their name, but also to help anchor the logo into a box-like plain. Overall, and needless to say, this logo is no stranger to the limelight, even in today's world.
The Beatles always had a knack when it came to photography. They were very photogenic and some of their snapshots have basically immortalized in the annals of history, such as their Abbey Road album cover or their iconic "action" shots. Because they followed their dreams, they crafted such amazing music with equal imagery that can inspire the whole world. Whether it's the Walrus, the Yellow Submarine, The Meanies, the Apple, or even Revolver's album art, the Fab Four never cease to inspire creativity to me and I believe that there never will be a time they don't. Hopefully their music and their canon and the culture they spawned can inspire you all too. (Either that, or you all can respect their messages. I can't tell you how much I sing "A Hard Day's Night" to myself during the school year; hours of hard work from classes really catch up!!).
Alrighty everyone, until next week! Let me know what you all think!
--Evan
They have some of the most iconic imagery, brands, music, and their personalities unleashed creativity that might as well be unparallelled. The Beatles' logo uses height and a sort of pseudo-serif to differentiate their logo from other type. The miniature "The" fits in well with the length of the A and T, and the T is utilized as a descender to make up for the added height of "The." The B is an ascender to emphasize their name, but also to help anchor the logo into a box-like plain. Overall, and needless to say, this logo is no stranger to the limelight, even in today's world.
The Beatles always had a knack when it came to photography. They were very photogenic and some of their snapshots have basically immortalized in the annals of history, such as their Abbey Road album cover or their iconic "action" shots. Because they followed their dreams, they crafted such amazing music with equal imagery that can inspire the whole world. Whether it's the Walrus, the Yellow Submarine, The Meanies, the Apple, or even Revolver's album art, the Fab Four never cease to inspire creativity to me and I believe that there never will be a time they don't. Hopefully their music and their canon and the culture they spawned can inspire you all too. (Either that, or you all can respect their messages. I can't tell you how much I sing "A Hard Day's Night" to myself during the school year; hours of hard work from classes really catch up!!).
Alrighty everyone, until next week! Let me know what you all think!
--Evan
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Week 6 (Update and Part 1)
Hey guys, so I have 2 quick updates for you all! Firstly, this post is a little behind schedule because I've been training at my new job. And the big one: all next week I'll be away on vacation, so that week's posts will be postponed possibly if there is no wifi at the hotel. However, I will be visiting the Ocean City Gallery to share their art and designs with you all!
Ok, onto the first part of this week's inspiration! So I have been musing along at Half Price Books, and I came upon this cool book in their Design section. It's called "What is Packaging Design?" and I have to say, it really does its job at showing some awesome design decisions and amazing packaging executions.
The top-most image is just displaying the cover. I like its simple palette and straight-forward message. The inner-most image is a really awesome exhibit of typography shown in this book; I can't stress enough how cool type can be! The last image shows some package designs and their alternative designs. All of the contents within the book are discussed and/or also shown in several forms. It's a neat book, so come classtime I can bring it in to share with you all!
Ok, onto the first part of this week's inspiration! So I have been musing along at Half Price Books, and I came upon this cool book in their Design section. It's called "What is Packaging Design?" and I have to say, it really does its job at showing some awesome design decisions and amazing packaging executions.
The top-most image is just displaying the cover. I like its simple palette and straight-forward message. The inner-most image is a really awesome exhibit of typography shown in this book; I can't stress enough how cool type can be! The last image shows some package designs and their alternative designs. All of the contents within the book are discussed and/or also shown in several forms. It's a neat book, so come classtime I can bring it in to share with you all!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Week 5 (2)
Okay, while browsing on the internet the other day I came across another speed painting video that I really enjoyed watching. It's kind of long, but it has a lot of commentary and information, and it's a tutorial so naturally it would be as such. It is by FZD, which I'm not sure is the artist's preferred name or the business. Anyways, I thoroughly enjoy concept art and so this video shows how to photoshop fantastical worlds, but my reason for sharing this with you all is because the methods present in the film could help out if one decides to design their own backgrounds for a project or just to touch up on their photoshop abilities.
I am definitely a nerd, so this was right up my alley, but for those who don't want to watch all nine minutes of it, simply watch the first thirty seconds, then click on the (roughly) 7 minute mark and watch from there. I hope this inspired everyone like it did to me. Until next time everyone!
--Evan
I am definitely a nerd, so this was right up my alley, but for those who don't want to watch all nine minutes of it, simply watch the first thirty seconds, then click on the (roughly) 7 minute mark and watch from there. I hope this inspired everyone like it did to me. Until next time everyone!
--Evan
Week 5 (1)
Hey everyone, I hope everyone had a happy 4th of July. As usual, Thursday has come around and so has some inspirations that I'd like to share with you all. So recently, I went to the Waterfront in Aspenwall to a place called Burgatory. It's the first time I've ever heard of it and went there, and upon arriving I saw a lot of really cool design decisions for its business. Its theme is based on Heaven and Hell with a twist: they apply to burgers. Here are a few images I took while I was there:
The logo is pretty self explanatory; a B for Burgatory, a halo to play off of Heaven, and flames to represent Hell. They had such things on the menu as a Heavenly Shake and a Devilish Burger, plus many more items.
The logos above were on the doors to the bathrooms. I saw them from across the restaurant and I really liked the idea of simply changing one element of the design to keep all the branding and signage close together, to prevent any sort of design disconnect.
The top image is of the actual menu, which was bound with thin wood, metal hinges, and fabric sleeves. The second picture is of the inside of the menu, which displays some really cool typography and a wood-type style to the layout. The bottom image shows the DIY burger menu, in which you make all the calls on how you want your custom burger. There's even a place on the bottom of the tablet where you sign it! Overall, I thought this restaurant really stuck out from other food joints solely because they really emphasized their look and design to almost tell a story around their burgers. It's pleasant to see good design being appreciated and brought to the table. Sorry for the bad pun there, by the way.
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