Let Graphic Design Make You NOT Break You

A lot goes into graphic design that goes unnoticed to the untrained eye, but after learning about graphic design techniques and taking the time to analyze graphics in our lives things start to jump off the page.

Emma's Impact

Immediately eyes are drawn to the center of the page because of the big S in the middle. There is plenty of white space utilized to the left of the S that gives the eyes a rest from the content located at the lower portion of the magazine spread. The font at the top of the magazine is bolder than the font at the bottom of the magazine.  Although both contain content the bolded font at the top is effective because it gives the reader an accurate background to Emma Watson in her Harry Potter days and transitions into the purpose of the magazine, her high fashion spread. This information is critical to understanding the whole piece thus the bold does justice. Continuing with the transition of Emma Watson in her career the title “Siren Call” has a bubbly, cursive like font which mimics the softer prettier side she is now embracing versus her nerd like reputation from harry potter.  Taking a look at the information on the left and the picture on the right everything works well together because the picture of Emma Watson is leaning in towards the left versus the S in the title which is leaning in towards the right. It creates a triangle like structure and draws your eyes to the center of the page.

How to Be Remembered

The size and the boldness of Christina Jones is effective because it is the first thing that pops out and it is important for the name to be memorable.  The extended line of the i going down the page is creative and also works well because it separates the page into two columns uniquely. Although the contact information is located at the top it is almost overlooked because the name is so big.  There is clearly more information on the right half of the page then the left which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but the resume does look somewhat cluttered on the right versus the left. In addition to less information on the left there is more whitespace which gives the eye a rest that is well needed.  The subheads stand out amongst the content within because they are a bit larger. The text of the left column is aligned right which surprisingly works well because there is only a small amount of information it isn’t hard to read. There are bolded sections under the sub heads within the content such as company names and university names.  Keeping the content all one size and boldness would look like an information overload. Having the names of the companies bolded separates the information within the whole bunch of information making it easier to read and prioritize into smaller groups. There isn’t a need to have the contact information a different text than the content it would look less chaotic if it was the same font used.  After changing the contact information to the same size and font as the content it is just the right amount of font boldness and point size.

Not everything is going to be 100% aesthetically pleasing to the eye, nor will we all agree on which graphics work the best.  There are however critical dos and don'ts that can ultimately make or break the message/information displayed.

Consciously Natural

Humans are conscious beings, yet they communicate unconsciously all day long.  Whether something is said by word of mouth, read through text, illustrated in a picture or not said at all, there is something being communicated.  It comes so natural that most people don’t think twice about how in which they communicate. Many people are naive to the fact that effective communication sometimes has to be a conscious effort.  In particular people forget that visual communication is a deeply thought about art form. When people look at pictures, flyers, websites etc. they don't actively think about what’s being communicated and how it’s being done.  It either works or it doesn’t, that's the simple beauty of visual communication. Visual communication isn’t contingent on one aspect, rather a combination of techniques. Color is typically the first comes to mind because it is the first thing we see, and if colors are chosen wisely they have the ability to pop out on the page.  White space is unnoticed, because it’s a white absence but it is something our eyes pick up on instantly. Whether things are geometrically shaped or not is something that can make or break how pleasing it is.

The Pandora logo is also iconic due to its simplicity.  The choice to keep the logo black and white was smart because in this case simple is better.  The logo has a tiny crown over the o which is a tiny but effective. The crown is supposed to convey the message that Pandora is universal, but it also reminds people of being a princess or a queen and that speaks directly to jewelry and their projected market.

The Buffalo Bills logo is a solid blue buffalo charging through the air with a red stripe going through it.  Red and blue were chosen because those are the team colors but no other colors were added because it would take away the emphasis and make it look more cluttered if so.  Boldly floating underneath the logo is “Bills” written clean and crisp. Alongside the Bills logo is the newer version of the Buffalo logo. This logo is also a picture of a buffalo, slightly different in shape, and all red. This logo captures simplicity only utilizing one color, but the outline of the buffalo is more detailed creating more complexity in its form.  Both of these logos are simple but effective not only for their simplicity but for the untouched white space. Continuing along with the bills theme an iconic pattern is the red white and blue Zubza pants. Zubaz pants can be found for any team and their coinciding colors. The pants appear to have zig zagged striped lines in alternating colors. This is more of a messy approach but it works because it conveys a sense of madness, and football fans are usually a bit wild.  The cluttered arrangement is catching to the eye because of how out of the box it is making it perfect for a tailgate and sporting event.