Poster Project

Jamie McGlinchey

GRA 217.1

Poster Rational

Design Strategy and Client Information:

The poster I created is for a Jewelry sale held by the Jewelry and Metalsmithing Club. Our product is hand made necklaces, rings, bracelets earring etc. which have been completely fabricated by the members of the club. My audience for the poster would be a student, faculty member, staff or any other passerby. I wanted my poster to stand out amongst the many that hang everywhere all over the Syracuse Campus. But I did not want it to be too overwhelming in design. The prefix for any jewelry class is JAM. We also refer to the club as JAM club. In VPA our department is commonly referred to as JAM. I was inspired by this and knew I wanted to incorporate this idea of jam/ jelly. I also knew this would be a challenge visually to get both ideas across.

Typeface:

For my choice of typeface I chose "Hobo Std". Initially in my search for a typeface I wanted something as similar as I could find to that on a "smuckers" jar of jam, to go along with the jam jars I drew for the poster. None of these "smucker" types were working out as I had hoped and were looking very serious. Instead I switched my search to something quirky and jam- like. I was really using the idea of jelly and jam as inspiration and what would look "right" on a jam jar. My final decision is Hobo Std. Although I feel there could have been many types that worked, visually I was most satisfied with Hobo Std.

Visuals:

I created the illustration of the jam jars by using an image and tracing it with the pen tool. Then for the jewelry, I scanned some necklaces of my own. I then used the pen tool to trace about five beads on two different necklaces. I then copy and pasted these groups of beads to create the large quantity that you see. I also took one of the bead variations and changed the color to create another necklace. Once I had a bulk of beaded necklaces I grouped and pasted even more. The jars have a 70% opacity to simulate the look of glass. I chose to go with a berry color scheme to fit with the jam theme. I kept in mind the color raspberry, strawberry and plum and incorporated these into the design with accents of creme and white.

Color Post

This advertisement image is a great example of the use of many bright colors. This is a picture advertisement for the beverage Fanta. The background is a bright orange which immediately catches the viewers attention. The three four women in the image are wearing different color clothing each however bright and attention grabbing. The colors represent the different flavors of Fanta. This colorful advertisement uses the different colors to grab the viewers attention, and accompanying these bright colors is a very catchy song that is hard for the viewer to forget.

This advertisement image is a great example of subtle use of color. This picture is an advertisement for Gatorade's new G2 drink and color. There is clearly a visual gestalt in this advertisement that is created primarily with the color. The electrifying blue color of the women's bathing suit leads the viewer down the picture to the new gatorade in the lower left corner that is the same color. By taking the true color out of the women and the background scenery, helps the blue stand out even more by making it even more vibrant and bright. The almost platinum scenery compliments the blue and enhances the electrifying value of the color.

McFarland | Color Blog

This picture is a stellar example of the power and persuasion of a monochromatic color scheme and how that influences mood and perception. The varying pink hues match perfectly with the image focused on the bed in the bedroom. This is because bright tones of pink such as magenta and fuchsia are often perceived as sensual. Pink provokes strong emotional responses based on its saturation and value. Monochromatic schemes also frequently create a unifying and harmonious effect, which is evident while viewing this picture. Also, the artist uses direction in a clever way, as the color saturation reads darker on the left and then fades to lighter on the right. As most Western cultures look first at the left side and then to the right, the use of this technique grabs the viewers attention right away. Also, since the human eye sees warm colors before cool ones, the pink in this picture entices viewers even more.

An example of a bold color palette is clearly seen in the famous Andy Warhol printed painting. Warhol was well-known for his dramatic use of color, focusing mainly on complementary colors, or colors that are directly opposite on the color wheel. This not only creates definition within the picture, but also attracts the eye of the viewerand retains their attention. An example found in this painting would be the blue and green combination in the upper left-hand corner. There is a consistent theme throughout this picture of using warm tones against cool tones, as it manifests a deeper contrast. Warhol uses all three color groupings in this picture, including the primary, secondary and tertiary colors that are found on the color wheel. He shows a great deal of innovation in his color combinations as well, examples being his combination of orange, blue and pink. Although upon first thought these tones may not work cohesively together, when orchestrated in the right way make a really beautiful picture with a great deal of contrast and personality.

Claire McFarland | GRA 217 | 3.3.2010.

Week 7 Color | Tocci

The gray shading in this image creates depth and dimensionality. It also provides important contrast between the black and white, preventing the image from becoming too severe. The eerie calm feeling I get from this picture comes from its lack of color. The number of different shades in this image is just enough to create depth and contrast within the image without making the image look overdone. The careful hues clearly distinguish the sky from the clouds from the road, making the image easy to look at. This image would not have worked in color. Had the sky been blue and the clouds crisp white, the entire mood of the image would change drastically.

The Grateful Dead bear's bold, vibrant colors instantly indicate a fun, laid-back tone, and the emphasis on the yellow around the bear's neck makes the bear appear incredibly cheerful. The cheerful yellow is the dominant color in this image, with the other colors rounding out a bold, bright, fun image. The darker silhouette outlining the bear provides a bit of contrast to the body, preventing the image from becoming overly peppy or insipid while still maintaining a loud, friendly, fun image.

This image conveys emotion that color cannot. The contrast between the black shirt and the white shirt emphasizes the contrast between Baby and Patrick Swayze, visually demarcating them as opposites. The nondescript, faded black and white background makes the background irrelevant to the moment and tells the reader to concentrate only on the couple. Without any distracting colors or visuals, the viewer's eyes become glued on Baby's and Swayze's faces.

This ad makes the

product it is advertising, the cell phone, its star. The backdrop of the ad is nonintrusive, serving only to emphasize the cell phone. The purple lines wrapped around the phone match the light purple center of the background, adding an extra emphasis without detracting from the phone. The white flashes of light surrounding the phone help it pop off the purple background and clearly distinguish the phone as the main attraction in the ad. Although the colors of the phone do not contrast as sharply as they might with the backdrop, the added contrast between the light purple and white lines make the phone stand out.

Week 7 Color | Pruitt

This image of a bathroom features a color scheme of yellows and golds. The yellow is very soothing and warm and makes people feel comfortable. It also makes a not-so-nice room look nice and pleasant. There isn't really any contrast and that helps to give the room a calm and cohesive look and feel. Bathrooms, and other rooms in houses that many people see, as a rule, have calm and friendly colors that don't distract or confuse people. This helps to keep the rooms and house from being tacky.

This image of a Ray Ban sunglasses ad features very dramatic and bold color use. It has a woman with a blue face and makes the shadows and hair a bright purpley-pink. The background is yellow, so the image in front really pops and grabs the viewer's attention. The bold colors remind me of Andy Warhol pop art and that gives the ad a modern and hip feel, which tells people that these sunglasses are hip and cool and you could be too if you bought them. The colors make the viewer feel excited and happy, which is a good feeling to be associated with. The use of color in this ad is very affective at portraying a cool, modern feel and grabbing the audience's attention.

This Chanel ad is completely in black and white. This affect helps to portray a chic and sophisticated vibe. The gray-scale makes it very calm and makes the woman in the ad look mature and relaxed. Subconsciously, this makes the viewer want to be sophisticated and relaxed like her. This ad targets people who want to be seen as chic and high-class, whereas the Ray Ban ad above, targets people who want to be seen as edgy and hip. The black and white does a very good job of projecting the look and feel that the brand wants to be associated with.

This iPod ad which is one of a series features a black silhouette dancing with an iPod in front of a bright colored background. This makes the dancer pop, but it makes the product (the iPod) pop even more. The bright colors are fun and are usually the colors of the iPods that Apple sells. This makes the product seem fun and happy. This makes viewers want to buy an iPod so they can be fun and happy too. The contrast jumps off of the page a almost forces the audience to look. The contrast is very affective at grabbing attention, drawing the eye to the product and making the audience want to buy it.

WEEK 7 | The Allure of Color Starter Post

COLOR.

Life would be Pleasantville without it. Black and white can be dramatic, but life is so much more exciting with color.

Color really matters. When you select clothes or school supplies - your choices are guided by many concepts - personal preferences, how a color makes you feel, how our different cultures even assign meaning to colors.

Ya’ll have already tried your hand at designing with color – some in the resume project and all with the poster project – and can attest that it's easier said than done.

I found an article at the Color + Design blog that gives some basic info on color theory and designing. Read this post before beginning the below assignment.

Also, for fun check out this Fashion Color Report that Pantone (yes, Pantone) puts out every year with predictions for the season’s favorite colors. Read through the descriptions of what designers are saying about the colors they use.

Eventually you, too, should be able to say why you use a color and think about what kinds of color you should use to add that extra meaning and effect to your design. For that, you have to get into the head of your audience!

ASSIGNMENT
For this week, POST TWO examples of color (image, poster, video – to use video, just copy and paste the embed code on the youtube page):
1. Subtle use of color (monochromatic or very little color)
2. Bold use of color (bright color, many colors, etc.)

Things to think about: are they using one color (monochrome) or many colors, like this relaxing Sony Bravia commercial?



For the assignment, offer brief analysis on why the color used is so effective. What does the color make you feel? Luxury? Aggression? Calm? Speak to whether analogous or complementary colors are used. For that, you may want to look at this Flash application that is really handy for learning those terms and what they mean. It’s also linked from the Color + Design post.

Remember, this is an introduction to each of the elements of color. We'll be taking an in-depth look at color in class soon.

Don't forget to title your post and put labels on it (your name, any elements of your post that would easily identify it - e.g. Tide ad or Wired Magazine layout).

Other sites that are fun:
http://kuler.adobe.com/ – helps you find CMYK, RGB and Hex values for a wide range of colors and also helps you find color themes/palettes easily.

FOR FUN... and inspiration?

Check out this video on business cards...