Kelsey McCarthy Poster

Event/Issue: My poster was designed to promote the Vera House's "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" event. The event is national, with different nonprofits hosting it in different cities; in Syracuse the Vera House is the sponsor. The event entails men walking about a mile in women's high-heeled shoes. For the Vera House it marks the beginning of their White Ribbon Campaign, which is a month-long campaign to raise awareness about domestic violence and sexual abuse. I chose this event, because the Vera House is a well-known and respected nonprofit in the local Syracuse area. Also, I think it's important that people be aware of the remaining presence of domestic violence and sexual abuse against women.

Visual Message: I hope that the design of my poster immediately catches somone's attention and brings a slight bit of humor to a very serious issue. I hope that the image of a tatooed man in pink heels initially grabs their attention and makes them smile, but that they then realize the serious nature of the event. 

 Audience: The poster would be placed all around the local Syracuse area. It would be on the campus of SU as well as other local places in Syracuse like Wegmans where there are a lot of adults. 

Design Strategy: I hope the design of my poster catches someone's eye as they wonder why a tatooed man is wearing pink heels. I think the image is very humorous but the questions underneath it "Is he tough enough to walk in her shoes?" gives it a more serious tone. It is meant to remind people that there are still too many instances of sexual abuse and domestic violence that occur. It is also meant to empower women by suggesting that an abused women is "tougher" than a strong man (despite his dragon tattoo). I used all capital letters to affirm the urgency of the situation. 

Poster

Rebecca Strum

Poster

February 23, 2009

I chose to make a poster for a Catherine Russell concert held by WAER. The concert is at the Palace Theatre on April 18, 2009 at 7pm. WAER is a non-profit radio station that focuses on Jazz music. WAER is also the NPR station of Central, New York. WAER is also closely affiliated with Syracuse University, and many communications students begin their professional experience working there.  The station is hosting Catherine Russell in honor of Jazz Appreciation Month. I chose this event because I’m an employee in the Marketing and Public Relations department, and the station manager has given me a large role in promoting the event. Therefore, I thought it would be good to do an event I had thorough knowledge of, and possibly have the poster used by the station.

I intend to provoke a soulful jazz and Blues tone through the design, and tie the poster back in to Syracuse University. I want to convey who, what, when, and how clearly and creatively.

The audience has two main groups, the first are regular NPR listeners—professionals, jazz enthusiasts, retired professionals, etc.—the other is the student body. The poster would be placed around SU and the greater Syracuse area.

My design utilizes color and image to create a mood, and explicitly show what the poster is for. The muted blue and the black convey a sentimental and heavy tone. The silhouette of Catherine Russell, explicitly says who it is, but what is more recognizable are the dreadlocks and strained expression that convey a soulful and emotional message. Her image is also rotated down to make her appear weighed down on. This is appropriate considering the album she’ll be singing from is entitled “Sentimental Streak.” The dark black lines that create her silhouette are unevenly placed to make the tone of the poster a little more chaotic and human, and not rigid. The use of the orange against the blue is supposed to be reminiscent of Syracuse University, which WAER FM is associated with, and will be recognizable for the audience. Finally, the quote in the corner provides further information about Catherine Russell, and is set back chaotically to add to the overall introspective tone without being distracting. I used American Typewriter in everything, but WAER, because it’s a quirky organic looking font that compliments the image.

Hope on the Slopes

Event and Issue
The event I choose is called “Hope on the Slopes.” It is an event held a Greek Peak, a local ski resort in Syracuse. People sign up to ski or snowboard for this event, like a ski-a-thon. Participants raise money through donations and fundraising. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Association. This is the 4th annual Hope on the Slopes at Greek Peak. Other locations around the country also hold this event.


Visual Message
I wanted to convey that this is a fun event to participate in and it’s for a good cause. The poster catches people’s eyes and sets a tone for excitement.

Audience
This poster would be found in stores, schools, coffee shops and other highly frequented places around the Greek Peak area. Also, it would be at the ski resort.

Design Strategy
The color of my poster catches the viewers eye right off the bat. I used red in order to draw the viewer to the name of the event. I made “Hope on the Slopes” look like the bottom of the snowboard, and used a font that is similar to what is on the bottom of a Burton snowboard. I wanted to be simply in my design, and not have too much information in the call to action. I think this makes it more likely that someone will read the entire thing and get the entire message. The call to action imitates the slope of the hill. I wanted the poster to look like a fun and exciting event, which is why I used a snowboarder doing a trick. I also used color to convey excitement.

Poster

Event & Issue

My poster is for the second annual Grin Gala, an event established by Operation Smile to raise money to provide surgeries for children around the world with cleft lips, cleft palates, and other facial deformities. The event is black tie optional, and tickets cost $100. It will be held from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on May 9, 2009 in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. There will be cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, live music, and dancing.

I chose this event because I care about children, and I believe that everyone should be able to smile and share happiness. Children with facial deformities often have difficulty eating, suffer from ear disease and dental problems, as well as problems with proper speech development Operation Smile has treated more than 120,000 children in Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Asia, but there are so many more that need surgery and can’t afford it alone. Promoting this event will help to raise funds and awareness.

Visual Message

I want to convey a festive tone and formal invitation to the Grin Gala event. I also want to communicate Operation Smile’s mission by incorporating a smile to the message.

Audience

My poster is targeted at upper middle class professionals who have the extra income to spend $100 on a ticket and are educated enough to care about this charity. You would find my poster hanging in their workplace, storefronts, and community center or country club bulletin boards.

Design Strategy

The design of the bow tie communicates a dual message. The tie itself depicts the event as a formal affair, suggesting the kind of attire to be worn. The position of the tie in an upward curve signifies a smile, which shows the benefit of attending the gala. The position of the display type mimics that of the bow tie and reinforces the message of bringing smiles to children through the proceeds of the event. The curve brings the eye down to the event title and date, which is followed by a call to action. I chose Trajan Pro Bold because its serif and capital letters portray a formal tone. I used Edwardian Script ITC for the event title to serve as a contrast to the squareness of Trajan Pro Bold and to add a fancy sense of occasion. I centered the body copy to make the poster look like an invitation and separated the organization’s logo at the bottom to make it stand out. I also ran a set of three thin lines at the top and left margins to frame the image with the text and give dimension to the otherwise flat background.

Extras

Since the Grin Gala is black tie optional, I chose a black background to portray the formality of the event. I used white text to stand out against the black and to create a tuxedo feel to the poster. The bow tie was made red to get the audience’s attention and to correspond to the color of lips as well as the red of the Operation Smile logo. White detail was added to the tie to make it more interesting and to represent the teeth in a smile.

Correct Poster post- Sorry!!

Sorry I uploaded the wrong poster first and couldn't figure out how to delete it. Please disregard the other poster posted!



Rationale

Joanna Hardy
Project: Poster
2 / 23 / 09

Event & Issue:
I designed this event for the Nautica South Beach Triathlon, which is an event supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It is an event that takes place on April 5, 2009 in Miami Beach, Florida. It involves a half-mile ocean swim parallel to South Beach, a 19-mile bike course that crosses over Miami Beach and a 4-mile run alongside the Art Deco District in Miami. Anyone can register to participate in the event as a St. Jude Charity Athlete. This includes participating with corporate teams, professional triathlon athletes and celebrities in South Beach. All participants will be helping St. Jude Hospital with 100% of the profits raised at the event benefiting the hospital.

Visual Message:
I wanted my poster to come off with a clear, bold message but still with a somewhat simple design. The combination of the image of the man and the bold images come across with a strong tone.

Audience:
The poster is designed to target athletic people, mainly younger to middle aged adults. It would be for people who would want to participate in an intense event, but who also are interested and able to donate a good amount of money to a cause. It would be placed in gyms and many types of public spaces.

Design Strategy:
I think my poster comes off strong with the main image the viewer is drawn to as the man. The man is representative of the whole event, a triathlon, because I needed to find one image that could display this. I wanted the muscular man to lead into the large white capital letters, which together they show the toughness of the event. But even more, they both are showing that what the organization represents is even tougher. I made a comparison between what an athlete has to endure in a triathlon to what children who have to fight life-threatening diseases must face. The path in the background is there, but purposely does not stand out too strongly because it is meant to represent the path of the triathlon. The text reading “the strength to endure” is clearly in larger, stronger type of a typeface because that is what the viewer should be drawn to along with the man. It is supposed to represent what the whole poster is about. The small blurb is there to further explain what St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital does and also relate that to the triathlon.

Style Sheet:
DISPLAY TYPE: (The and To): Copperplate Gothic Bold, 65/78, metrics kerning, tracking – 0
(Strength and Endure): Copperplate Gothic Bold, 75/90, metrics kerning, tracking- 0
EVENT TITLE: Helvetica Regular, 47/56.4, metrics kerning, tracking – 0
EVENT DATE: Helvetica Bold, 17/20.4, metrics kerning, tracking – 0
SMALL PARAGRAPH: Helvetica Regular, 14/16.8, metrics kerning, tracking – 0
WEBSITE: Helvetica Regular, 18/21.6, metrics kerning, tracking- 0

Extras:
I wanted the colors to come across with a loud, strong mood that the viewer feels when they think about a triathlon and children fighting life-threatening diseases. The deep, dark red is used as the background because red is a color associated with fighting, endurance and emotion. I feel it is an appropriate color when designing something about a difficult event and more importantly, a tough cause. The metal gray of the man is supposed to further enhance the strength of the character for the cause and the event. The darker red of the road fades in the background purposely and the white and light gray of the text is brought to the front because it holds important information.

Poster

Rationale

Joanna Hardy
Project: Poster
2 / 23 / 09

Event & Issue:
I designed this event for the Nautica South Beach Triathlon, which is an event supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. It is an event that takes place on April 5, 2009 in Miami Beach, Florida. It involves a half-mile ocean swim parallel to South Beach, a 19-mile bike course that crosses over Miami Beach and a 4-mile run alongside the Art Deco District in Miami. Anyone can register to participate in the event as a St. Jude Charity Athlete. This includes participating with corporate teams, professional triathlon athletes and celebrities in South Beach. All participants will be helping St. Jude Hospital with 100% of the profits raised at the event benefiting the hospital.

Visual Message:
I wanted my poster to come off with a clear, bold message but still with a somewhat simple design. The combination of the image of the man and the bold images come across with a strong tone.

Audience:
The poster is designed to target athletic people, mainly younger to middle aged adults. It would be for people who would want to participate in an intense event, but who also are interested and able to donate a good amount of money to a cause. It would be placed in gyms and many types of public spaces.

Design Strategy:
I think my poster comes off strong with the main image the viewer is drawn to as the man. The man is representative of the whole event, a triathlon, because I needed to find one image that could display this. I wanted the muscular man to lead into the large white capital letters, which together they show the toughness of the event. But even more, they both are showing that what the organization represents is even tougher. I made a comparison between what an athlete has to endure in a triathlon to what children who have to fight life-threatening diseases must face. The path in the background is there, but purposely does not stand out too strongly because it is meant to represent the path of the triathlon. The text reading “the strength to endure” is clearly in larger, stronger type of a typeface because that is what the viewer should be drawn to along with the man. It is supposed to represent what the whole poster is about. The small blurb is there to further explain what St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital does and also relate that to the triathlon.

Style Sheet:
DISPLAY TYPE: (The and To): Copperplate Gothic Bold, 65/78, metrics kerning, tracking – 0
(Strength and Endure): Copperplate Gothic Bold, 75/90, metrics kerning, tracking- 0
EVENT TITLE: Helvetica Regular, 47/56.4, metrics kerning, tracking – 0
EVENT DATE: Helvetica Bold, 17/20.4, metrics kerning, tracking – 0
SMALL PARAGRAPH: Helvetica Regular, 14/16.8, metrics kerning, tracking – 0
WEBSITE: Helvetica Regular, 18/21.6, metrics kerning, tracking- 0

Extras:
I wanted the colors to come across with a loud, strong mood that the viewer feels when they think about a triathlon and children fighting life-threatening diseases. The deep, dark red is used as the background because red is a color associated with fighting, endurance and emotion. I feel it is an appropriate color when designing something about a difficult event and more importantly, a tough cause. The metal gray of the man is supposed to further enhance the strength of the character for the cause and the event. The darker red of the road fades in the background purposely and the white and light gray of the text is brought to the front because it holds important information.

Memory Walk-Poster Project

Dwiveck Marie Custodio
Project: Poster
02/22/09

Event & Issue:
I chose the Alzheimer’s Association as my non-for-profit organization. Every year, the organization holds “memory walks” across the nation in order to raise money for Alzheimer’s research. I decided to make a poster for the Memory Walk to be held this year in Syracuse.

Visual Message:
My poster should convey a sense of energy; it should stand for something fresh and dynamic.

Audience:
I am directing my poster mainly at high school and college students, as well as people I the beginning years of their careers. These people tend to have the vitality and health needed for events that involve some kind of exercise.

Design Strategy:
My image is a memory disk, which goes along with the idea that we need to help conserve memory (by attending the walk and thus helping raise money for research on Alzheimer’s). I tired to place text on the image in a way that it would replicate a SanDisk. For example, I wrote 100.0K at the bottom (instead of $100,000) because it would resemble the 4.0GB on a memory disk (I also did this because K is also associated with kilometers, which can be associated with walking). I figured a memory disk would resonate with my audience because our generations spend so much time using computers.
I got the Alzheimer’s Association logo and then searched for a similar typeface for the tag line. For the rest of the text, I used more simple typefaces to resemble those used on a memory disk. I also wrote the “Memory Walk” in caps lock because that’s how it appeared on the original SanDisk image and I made “Memory Walk 2009” larger than the rest of the text because it is the event name and it explains what you do at the event. Furthermore, I rotated the letters in “Walk” at different angles to make them seem as if they were walking.

Style sheet:
Tag Line
“Help Conserve Some”—Lucida Calligraphy italic, 39/46.8
“Memory”—Lucida Calligraphy italic 41/49.2
Contact information-- Stone Sans Sem ITC TT semi, 20/24
Location, date, time/“Help us raise over”—Stone Sans Sem ITC TT semi, 21/25.2
“100.0K”—Stone Sans Sem ITC TT semi, 87/104.4
Event title:
“Memory”/“2009”—Stone Sans Sem ITC TT semi, 75/90
“WALK”—ITC Stone Sans Std semiita, 75/90

Extras:
I chose white and different tones of purple because those are the Alzheimer’s Association’s colors. I chose different tones of blue because blue is the color of the SanDisk I was focusing on. I tried to choose relatively bright colors because they are more engaging and are also associated with energy.

Sam MacAvoy Poster

Event and Issue:

I designed my poster for the Battle of the High School Marching Bands.  All the proceeds from this event are donated to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation.  This non-profit organization uses the funds to restore music education to public schools, and raise awareness about the importance of music in the life of a child.  The event is held in the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles.  The national finalists compete in a "Southern Show Style" competition where they are judged on music quality, showmanship, and difficulty.

Visual Message:

My poster conveys a musical and upbeat message that is meant to capture the attention of potential event goers.  The duality of the yellow and purple reflects the flamboyance of marching band uniforms, while the trumpet reflects the type of music being played , and the "Sound the Horn" text alludes to competition.

Audience:

The primary audience for this poster is marching band enthusiasts, families with high school students, and music educators in the Los Angeles community.

Design Strategy:

My design communicates the visual message to the audience by illustrating music in action.  Looking at the poster, the reader is immediately attracted to either the trumpet or "Sound the Horn"first.  If they are attracted to the trumpet first, they follow the marching music notes around the text and down the poster into the event title and information.  If the "Sound the Horn" text catches their eyes first, they will be immediately drawn to the trumpet, and subsequently follow the stream of music notes around the text and down to the event information.  Visually, the first impression the poster makes is that it is advertising something music related.  The detailed trace of the trumpet shows that this event is clearly defined, but the smudgy music notes allude to the fact that the participants are high school students and not marching professionals. The way the notes march around the text also alludes to the activities going on at this event.  The trumpet also provides a visual boundary to the line the body copy up against.  The text furthers the message of the poster by sharing some resemblance to the music notes.  Both are very thick and portray the youthful atmosphere of the event.  This similarity reinforces the concept that this is a musical event being performed by high school students.

Extras:

In using color in my design I wanted to keep it very simple and very clean.  I chose yellow and purple because of their complimentary properties, connection to southern style marching band uniforms, and relationship with the city of LA.  I used white as the color for my text to make it stand out visually and make the reading simple for the reader.  Using yellow also allowed me to have a very traditional looking trumpet.  This helps the reader more easily identify with the poster.  

I chose to use the trumpet for this poster because of its direct connection with the Save the Music Foundation.  Their logo incorporates a trumpet and I wanted this to cross over into the poster.

Did anyone else have to type their rationale into this blog?

denti_posterproject

Event and Issue

I designed a poster for an event held by the Make a Wish Foundation called Walk For Wishes-Pancakes and Pajamas. This year will be the fifth annual walk to be held on Saturday, March 14 at 9:30 a.m.  Teams and individuals can participate in a 5-k walk, 5-k run or 1-mile family fun walk. There are two very appealing parts to this event. One is that there is a pancake breakfast at the time of registration at 8 a.m. and two you can wear your pajamas with sneakers. The event will take place at the Steele Indian School located on 200 East Indian Road in Pheonix, AZ. 

Visual Message

Through my poster, I intended to convey that making a difference is very easy. In Walk For Wishes, one can just roll out of bed, eat free pancakes then participate in the walk. Food is as a very appealing aspect for many individuals so I decided to make the pancakes the dominant visual.

Audience

This poster would appear in schools and family places around the area of the event. Kids would be 

attracted to the aspect of walking in their pajamas and the pancake breakfast prior. Also, these type of events are good chances for families to spend quality time together and bond. 

Design Strategy

Originally, the dominant visual of the poster was going to be a pair of pajamas. Then I realized that food is one of the most appealing things to individuals so I designed a large stack of pancakes as the focal point of the poster. I thought the pancakes would appeal to the eye and the person reading the poster. Also, the slogan “Making a difference was never this SWEET” stands out because the typography is very clean and large. Great emphasis is placed on SWEET because it is in capital letters and more bold than the rest of the typography. Sweet also refers to the perks of the event being the pancakes and the fact you can walk in your pajamas. The typography “Pancakes and Pajamas” is in more of a decorative font and not as clean as the rest. I wanted the phase to look more magical, like the typography of Walt Disney. The reason I did this is because after this event enough money will be raised to grant a few 

children their last wishes and Disney Land is also about making dreams come true. 

Poster Project

Event & Issue: I designed my poster for AngelRide a bike ride across Connecticut that sponsors the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. It is a two-day event on May 23 and 24 of this year. All profits of the event will go to the Hole in the Wall, the organization supports seven camps worldwide for children with cancer, HIV, and other life threatening diseases and their siblings. Paul Newman founded the first camp the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in 1988.

Visual Message: SInce the event is a bike race across the state of Connecticut I wanted to design a tire with the state as the center to make the visual standout and look unique. I also wanted a bold font to make an important tagline to enhance the importance of the event.

Audience: The main audience for this poster would be residents of COnnecticut who enjoy participating in philanthropy and athletic events. The posters would be placed in schools, gyms, and town facilities throughout the state.

Design Strategy: I wanted the font and tire to complement each other and because the tire takes most of the space of the poster I wanted to overlap the font with the tire. I chose Folio Std a bold sans serif because it was a readable font from afar and close up and it was simple and wouldn't clash with my design. To make sure the focus is on a bike ride through Connecticut I made the state a natural green color so it would look earthy and not too abstract. Furthermore because the image is large I wanted the poster to have space I decided to place the event title and information on the bottom left. The information is also aligned with the D of endure in order for the information to not get lost within the design. Lastly, to make the event look important to t he audience I used a deeper red to highlight pain in "Endure the Pain for a Child" to challenge them and get them interested in participating in the event.

Style Sheet: Display type: Folio Std extra bold, 72/86.4, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Event title: Folio Std bold, 24/28.8, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Event Date and Information: olio Std Medium, 18/21.6, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Website: Folio Std extra bold, 18/21.6, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Extra: I also wanted the color scheme of the poster to simple and attractive. The blue background is simple but is much different than a normal white or black background. The blue will catch the attention of the reader if it is placed next to a normal poster. The earthy green I used for the state complements the blue and matches nicely with the green found in the logo. Meanwhile the white font is more visible than a black font and in order to use red for pain I did not want to risk using another colored font because it would lose the simplicity of the design strategy.

Event & Issue: I designed my poster for AngelRide a bike ride across Connecticut that sponsors the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. It is a two-day event on May 23 and 24 of this year. All profits of the event will go to the Hole in the Wall, the organization supports seven camps worldwide for children with cancer, HIV, and other life threatening diseases and their siblings. Paul Newman founded the first camp the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in 1988.

Visual Message: SInce the event is a bike race across the state of Connecticut I wanted to design a tire with the state as the center to make the visual standout and look unique. I also wanted a bold font to make an important tagline to enhance the importance of the event.

Audience: The main audience for this poster would be residents of COnnecticut who enjoy participating in philanthropy and athletic events. The posters would be placed in schools, gyms, and town facilities throughout the state.

Design Strategy: I wanted the font and tire to complement each other and because the tire takes most of the space of the poster I wanted to overlap the font with the tire. I chose Folio Std a bold sans serif because it was a readable font from afar and close up and it was simple and wouldn't clash with my design. To make sure the focus is on a bike ride through Connecticut I made the state a natural green color so it would look earthy and not too abstract. Furthermore because the image is large I wanted the poster to have space I decided to place the event title and information on the bottom left. The information is also aligned with the D of endure in order for the information to not get lost within the design. Lastly, to make the event look important to t he audience I used a deeper red to highlight pain in "Endure the Pain for a Child" to challenge them and get them interested in participating in the event.

Style Sheet: Display type: Folio Std extra bold, 72/86.4, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Event title: Folio Std bold, 24/28.8, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Event Date and Information: olio Std Medium, 18/21.6, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Website: Folio Std extra bold, 18/21.6, metrics kerning, tracking 0

Extra: I also wanted the color scheme of the poster to simple and attractive. The blue background is simple but is much different than a normal white or black background. The blue will catch the attention of the reader if it is placed next to a normal poster. The earthy green I used for the state complements the blue and matches nicely with the green found in the logo. Meanwhile the white font is more visible than a black font and in order to use red for pain I did not want to risk using another colored font because it would lose the simplicity of the design strategy.

Poster Project

Name: Carly Shatzkin

Project: Poster

Date: February 23, 2009

Event and Issue: My event is called “Love, Lost, and What I Wore.”  It consists of a series of readings adapted from Ilene Beckerman’s book and performed by actresses young and old, like America Ferrerra and Blythe Danner. The proceeds go to the philanthropy, Dress for Success, which donates professional attire to underprivileged women and offers them a network of support and career development tools as well.  I chose this particular event because I love performance theater and think that the event itself is incredibly empowering and inspiring.

Visual Message: My visual message is one of femininity, strength, and creativity.  I wanted to use graphics that, when combined, form one greater image t

o represent unity and a common cause.

Audience: This poster is oriented toward women of all ages who support the dreams and aspirations of other women.  They would want to donate to this cause because they recognize the potential success and influence of the female population in the professional world.        

Design Strategy:  My design is very conceptual, but I am hoping that it is apparent to those who view it.  The silhouettes of the women combine to form a zipper, symbolizing cooperation and unification.  The colors I used were black, pink, and purple.  Black because it provides stark contrast for the other colors, and pink and purple because they carry traditionally feminine associations. The text I used was meant to mimic the shape and rounded lines of the silhouettes.  I think that it was rather complimentary and not too gimmicky (the opposite of what I was going for).  The other font I used had a lot of variation in line width and a slightly artistic serif.  Also, the counters are quite round, which I think go well with the contour of the graphics and the font used in my title.  Overall, I am pleased with the visual path my poster encompasses, the hierarchy of information presented, and the layout as a whole. 

Style Sheet

DISPLAY TYPE: JustOldFashioned,12.5/15,  metrics kerning, tracking +7

EVENT TITLE: Gilongo, 69.5/83.4, metrics kerning

EVENT DATE: Gilongo, 27/32.4, metrics kerning

SPEAKERS’ NAMES: JustOldFashioned, 12/14.4, metrics kerning

Extras:  I used pink and purple because they are categorized as feminine colors.  Usually, I would try not to be as cliché, but I think that this event merits their usage, for it is meant to be an empowering performance that celebrates womanhood.  At the same time, this is why I didn’t make the background pink too.  That would have been overkill in my opinion. 

Poster Project

Event & Issue:
I chose to make a poster for the Race for the Cure event in Philadelphia. The Race for the Cure is a 5k walk or run through Philadelphia in order to raise awareness and money for breast cancer. The Susan G. Komen foundation organizes the event. I chose to make a poster for this event because it is one I have personally taken part in. I’ve seen previous posters for the event and they’re usually very generic with boring text covering a flyer, so I wanted to create a promotional poster that was more visual to attract people’s attention.
Visual Message:
My visual image was meant to pull in the idea of the pink ribbon, which is highly associated with breast cancer awareness, and the idea of a racetrack, to tie in the event. I wanted to convey a simple message that wouldn’t leave the viewer guessing what the event is about.
Audience:
The audience for the poster is meant to be people in the Philadelphia area who could become involved in the event, either by participating or by donating money. The poster could appear as an advertisement in magazines, or posted around the city to publicize the event.
Design Strategy:
My design initially grabs my audience’s attention because of the bright pink colors that are used on it. The pink color theme on the poster and the use of the ribbon connect the idea of breast cancer, since a pink ribbon is the universal breast cancer awareness symbol. The idea of the ribbon as a racetrack pulls in the concept of a race, which is the event being promoted, the Race for the Cure. The ribbon and the racetrack together visually convey to the audience what the event is about. The text visually stands out on the poster because it is white. The typeface also complements the theme of the poster because it is easy to read and is not an overtly bold or overpowering typeface. The type does not scream at the audience and is not larger or more powerful than the visual on the page, because the main image on the poster is the visual not the text.
Style Sheet:
“Fighting” text: Palatino bold, 36/43.2, metrics kerning, tracking 0
“Join” text: Palatino bold, 30/36, metrics kerning, tracking 0
Event info. text: Myriad Pro, 16/19.2, metrics kerning, tracking 15
Web address: Myriad Pro, 16/19.2, metrics kerning, tracking 25
Extras:
The use of color on the poster is mostly shades of pink, because they reflect the color pink that is so commonly associated with breast cancer. The bright background grabs the audience’s attention, and the lighter visual image (the ribbon) pops off it demonstrating the contrast. The white joggers and type also contrast the bright background, which causes it to stand out and be clearly read.

Rationale

Event & Issue

This event is a softball tournament hosted by the sorority, Delta Delta Delta and the fraternity, Sigma Alpha Epsilon. The event benefits Delta Delta Delta's national philanthropy, St. Jude Children's Research hospital. Teams sign up to participate in the tournament, and must pay to enter the tournament. The money each team pays to enter, as well as the donations from fans and those who attend the games are how money is raised for St. Jude. I chose to do this event because I am a sister of Delta Delta Delta, so the philanthropy is very important to me. An added benefit, Delta Delta Delta is now able to use my poster to attract more teams to sign up this spring.

Visual Message

Because my event is fun, I wanted to have fun with my design and convey that the softball tournament is fun by using a large, cartoon-like baseball. However, because the charity, children's cancer research, is so serious, the text I chose to include was more serious than the image on the poster.

Audience

The intended audience for this poster is college students, specifically those interested in sports, athletics or baseball. The poster would appear in any academic building, the gym, coffee shops, any location where college students are likely to be.

Design Strategy

I wanted my poster to be eye catching, yet simple. The large baseball contrasted with the bright red background catches the eye of any viewer, and encourages them to read more. The text, "Play. So they can too." was also meant to catch the eyes of the audience. The bright white text that "Play" is written in pops out similarly to the baseball. Also, the tag-line is fairly vague, making the reader want to read more and find out what the poster is for. I chose to use both grey and white type to create a hierarchy with the poster. The most important text is in white because that "pops" more than the grey, but the grey is still readable and attractive.

Style Sheet

Display Type: Syntax LT Std Bold, type size: 177, kerning 0, tracking 0

Caption Type: Syntax LT Std Bold, type size: 49, kerning 0, tracking 0

Description Type: Trade Gothic LT Std Bold Extended, type size 20, kerning 0, tracking 0

Greek Names Type: Trade Gothic LT Std Bold Extended, type size: 26, kerning 0, tracking 0

Date & Call to Action Type: Trade Gothic LT Std Bold Extended, type size 20, kerning 0, tracking 0

Extras

I have explained my reasoning for what colors I chose, however I think I should also discuss the baseball stitches I have in the background. The stitches are the same color as the background and stitches on the baseball but a lighter shade. The background stitches in this color make the poster not look flat. It gives the poster a little something extra without being distracting.

Amrita Mainthia Poster

Event & Issue
I didn’t want my event to be complicated or have a difficult concept to understand. I chose to design for an American Red Cross Blood Drive—these local drives happen every week in some cities. I wanted a universal event that has maintained a widespread impact for many years.
Visual Message
My poster is mainly abstract—there are no people, the images are simple, and I’ve attempted to use them to showcase the words on the poster. I wanted to show that a few drops of blood really affect lives—the whole cliché “one person makes a difference” idea. The Red Cross boasts that a single donation can save three lives.
Audience
I’ve directed my poster to those who ‘fear the needle’ when giving blood in attempt to give them incentive to just do it (Hence my invented phrase/tagline: A pinch from you means the world to them). Thus, I would probably direct my poster to a generally younger audience, perhaps those between the ages of 16 and 27.
Design Strategy
At first glance, I want my poster to catch attention because of the massive white space that alienates but amplifies the red drops of blood and the outlined heart. Once a person sees my poster, they can see it a variety of ways. If you start at the top, the drops lead you down through the heart to the Red Cross, and straight down to my call to action, “GIVE BLOOD.” You can start at my call to action and lead to the
top while stopping to quickly read my tagline. I used the same font throughout my poster to maintain consistency. The message I tried to deliver does not lie within the text, as I wanted my audience to interpret the poster in their own personal way and to be moved by it by their own accord.
Extra
In terms of color, I use varied opacities of a deep red that I developed myself in Illustrator. Upon printing, the heart looked much darker than it showed on screen, so I had to alter the on screen appearance for a better-printed version of my poster.

Katie McInerney-poster

The event is an annual fundraiser for the Nantucket Boys and Girls Club. The Club is a non-profit organization that provides an outlet for local children after school, on weekends, and over the summer. Programs they offer include sports, arts and crafts, computer instruction, cooking, homework help, field trips, and a games room, among other opportunities. The club charges only $25 a year for membership fees per child, and because of this they depend on fundraising and donations to run their numerous programs. The Clambake is one of their three largest fundraisers; the other two are a huge benefit concert with a relatively well-known artist and a Pro-Am celebrity golf tournament at one of the beautiful courses on Nantucket. This event is unique because it caters to both locals and tourists because of its content (the other two events cater more to the summer visitors to the island). It features local seafood cooked by locals and local volunteers staff the event. Many people who attend send their children to the club regularly.
Through this poster, I am trying to attract locals to the event by channeling the connection between the local seafood and the fact that their children have also grown up on Nantucket. Although the tickets are pricey, I hope to call upon the emotional aspect of the argument and show people that they should spend the money because of all the Club gives to their children on a regular basis.
My target audience is families that have children that attend the club. However, the event can serve summer visitors as well, so in addition to being displayed on bulletin boards at places like schools and downtown, it could run in the local newspaper.
By using two similarly-shaped graphics, along with the tagline “Locally grown…just like yours” I wanted to show the likeness between the two concepts: eating locally grown and harvested food and raising your children on the island. Initially the eye is drawn to the red lobster, which leads the eye across the page to the child, because of the color of the lobster and the placement of the graphics on the page. “Locally grown” and “just like yours” are set in such a large point that they are too conspicuous to be looked over. Also, the serif typeface is very similar to the one used in the Nantucket Boys and Girls Club logo, so that will help a viewer realize this is a Club fundraiser. I chose a completely different sans serif typeface for the body text to differentiate and show that the lower information was specific information. I chose this specific typeface, Clearface, because the large counters and tall x-heights have a clean, classic look, which is a reflection of the image of a Nantucket lifestyle. The hierarchy was difficult to do, because I did not want to have just a bunch of lines with boring, centered text. However, this is an annual event, and because it is tradition the body text does not need to be overly eye-catching; most people already know the details. The typefaces are so different that the contrast works, and implementing two was able to help me convey a very complex message through fewer words. Finally the logo on the bottom, which was necessary, is apparent yet not completely overbearing. I was nervous of that because of the color combination; I feared it would be too obvious and draw attention, so I decided to make it much smaller and put it off to the side on the right. Overall, the poster has a consistency with other advertisements put out for the Club but also updates itself with the catchy tagline and graphics.
I wanted to keep my use of color simple to further emphasize the classic, quaint atmosphere of Nantucket and the youthfulness of the Club. I chose a sand background with a yellowish-brown color underneath it to subdue the busyness of the texture. The color for the lobster was natural—red—and per Prof. Hedges recommendations, I made the outline of the lobster a darker shade of the same red to let it blend with the entire poster more. The font color, I knew, wouldn’t be anything other than black or white because of my audience. I went with black because it looked better on the brownish background. I didn’t choose white because the absence of color looks too awkward in this instance. I was, again, concerned with the logo, and I realize that because they are the only different colors that they draw attention. I tried to subdue them with the size, since I couldn’t edit the colors to fit my color scheme.

kraft changes corporate logo

Kraft foods just revealed their new corporate logo. Stepping away from their classic all bold capital lettered KRAFT in blue with a red boundary, the new logo is in lower case says "kraft foods" and underneath in small font italicized says "make today delicious". Both logos keep the classic navy blue and red coloring, but the new logo ditches the oval shape that boxed in the type. The new font and lack of border looks much more modern, and the addition of a star burst shape with yellow and green included spices up the old logo that everyone knows. The old logo will remain in use on products like mac and cheese boxes because of its great recognition and success, but on all references to the corporation not consumer products the new logo will be in use. I'm glad they kept the old logo on a consumer level because it's patriotic colors and classic look reminds me of the American foods (mac and cheese etc.) that its associated with, and I wouldn't want to see that changed.

Confessions of a Shopaholic is one of my favorite novels. I was ecstatic to learn that my favorite novel was turing into a film. Over the past few months, I have been paying attention to commercials, advertisements, posters ect. to promote the movie that came out this week. I came across this Ad recently and automatically was drawn to it. As you can see, the main graphic is a 3d image of a red shopping bag. Instead of the name of the store on the front, it says "CONFESSIONS OF A 

SHOPAHOLIC" in all white capital letters. First of all, the typography choice is extremely chic, something that would be found in a fashion magazine. This matches the theme of the movie because it is about fashion, shopping and the good life. The white is a great contrast to the red shopping bag. With SHOPAHOLIC being bolder than the rest of the title, it creates a natural line and your eye follows it straight to the end so you don't miss a letter. Also, where the rope like handle lays against the bag, ISLA FISHER, the main characters name appears. It fits perfectly in between the starting and ending point of the handle. There is also kerning evident in both her first and last name to make it fit between the 2 points. 

Overall, I think this Ad is a strong and innovative graphic. If one saw this Ad around, it would definitely garner attention. It certainly reeled me in and captured the theme of the movie. Hopefully I can get to the movies soon to see it! 

Current Event: Lawsuit over Obama's Hope

Artist Shepard Fairey filed a lawsuit last Monday against The Associated Press, claiming it had infringed on his copyright claims. The news photograph he is referring to is one we all know well--the hope campaign poster image of President Obama (shown below).

"Mr. Fairey decided to create the image on his own before contacting the Obama campaign, which welcomed it but never officially adopted it because of copyright concerns. Before the election, Mr. Fairey was best known for his fake-advertising stickers and posters, pasted in cities across the country, showing an ominous, abstracted image of the wrestler Andre the Giant along with the word “Obey.” " -New York Times Article regarding the issue

The law behind design is pretty interesting--people put their work up on the internet all the time, and anyone can take it and call it there own as long as no one else knows about it (illegally, of course). I once heard that if you edit a design by 15% in can be called your own. But that makes me wonder: What defines 15%? Who defines it? The principle is simple but the issue is complicated. It will be interesting to see who prevails in this case.

A Musical Logo

I came across the new logo for the Philadelphia Orchestra which immediately caught my eye. Compared to the previous logo, I thought it improved greatly. It is simple but has a clear idea.

The image on the left (the old logo) is plain and bland. I don't see how it represents an orchestra at all. There is no image in the logo depicting something musical and I don't know what the half of circle design is supposed to represent.
I think the new logo is creative in incorporating the musical symbol into the P, clearly representing Philadelphia. On the Internet, it seemed that some people thought the text around the P was too small in comparison to the large P. However, I think I disagree because the large size of the P with its design will already make people notice the logo and recognize it must be for something musical. Then, after their attention is caught, they will look closer to see the what exactly the logo is for. I think the idea behind it really works.

Slumdog Millionaire Relies on Color

Every now and then a low-budget film with unknown actors comes from behind and gives all the major movies with the big-namers - a run for their money during awards season. This season's example is "Slumdog Millionaire." It was a huge hit at the Golden Globes - and after that everyone has been talking about it and whether or not it's a "shoe-in" for Best Picture at the Oscars. Recently, it's child stars and their salaries and continued poor living conditions despite the success of the movie have even made headlines. The movie in general seems to be a topic of discussion across a range of subject areas. 

This encouraged me to look up the movie's poster and I was immediately intrigued by the use of color. This past week we've talked about the use of color and the poster used to promote the video is based heavily on the use of color. Sometimes too much color makes a poster seem "busy" and can be distracting or even tiring to look at - but in this instance it makes it interesting and pulls you in. 

The combination of colors highlights the images of the two actors. It also helps to create a sense of urgency and a race against time. The girl running if so much lighter than the other images and pops out at you. Also the colors streamed across the poster create a sense of movement by showing what seems to be a glare - perhaps through a window or something. Then you see the profile of the boy in the background with the use of color highlighting different aspects of his face. 

Also the two most prominent colors on the poster are yellow and purple, which after this weeks class seems to make sense. As we learned these two colors are opposites and thus create a sense of balance when they're used together. 

I also really like the way that everything is centered on the page, but the girl and boy are different sizes and facing different directions. The boys nose point you down the the line of color which then points you over to the girls face. The girls face then draws you down her body and toward the question that appears toward the bottom of the page. Even though there is a lot going on on the poster it is easy to understand and read. 

I've yet to see the film, but the poster has definitely made the film seem as interesting as the reviews suggest!

Coconut Records' Album Art

Last month Coconut Records released its sophomore album entitled Davy. The cover shows musician Jason Schwartzman's face rising from a body of water. The text looks like Times New Roman and photograph is kept plain, except for the doodle effect on Schwartzman's face. Indie music authority, Pitchfork Media said, "It's etched with spidery white lines like someone's used it as a scratch pad." I think it looks like someone had a little fun with the Paintbrush tool on Illustrator.


The little trees and squiggles look hand-drawn, giving the cover a personal, folk-arty feel. These can be seen more clearly on the cover of the album's single, Microphone, where Jason's picture is replaced by a flat background.

University Logo Made for the Club

A blogger names Armin posted an entry on the Brand New blog about the new Cooper Union logo. 

The orange one is the old one, which I think is hard to read and would only be recognizable, if the viewer were familiar with the logo to begin with. The second is much clearer, obviously because it says under the shape, 'thecooperunion.' 

The new Cooper Union logo does a great job marketing to potential college student because of it's youthful color choices and modern geometric shape. The geometric composition alludes to the specialty of the school, which is architecture and engineering. The school also offers design and art focused tracts, which mixed colors in the overlapping shapes probably represents. 

I also think the designers did a great job in making this logo look urban and youthful. I think that without 'thecooperunion' this design would fit in on an LRG t-shirt--

These are all LRG designs, and I think the new Cooper Union logo fits right in.

Here's some of the new apparel the school is selling. 

This logo might also do well on a rack at American Apparel. 

To sum it up I the Cooper Union has done an awesome job catering to a youthful urban crowd, while maintaining a relevant geometric design. 

And the Oscar goes to...

The Oscars are the most important time of the year for anyone involved in the film industry. These awards have set the standards for any and all films that have been made over the past 81 years. The award show is more elaborate than anyone can imagine. Designer dresses pack the red carpet and anybody who's anybody is there. So naturally the advertisements, posters, and promotion material have to convey a feel of regality. The poster to the left is the for the 2009 Oscars, coming up on Sunday. The design for this poster personifies the Oscar trophy by putting him on stage, as if it was a star receiving an award. The colors of black, white and gold also help give this poster an elegant feel. Previous years' posters has given the same feel of sophistication, elegance and class. Every poster has the signature Oscar on it, but it is always done in a different way. Look at last years poster. For the 80th anniversary show, the designer used film strips to create Oscar. I think this design was very creative and really catches your eye. Going back to the 80s, you can still see consistency in the feel of each poster and the Oscar. The Oscars, and its posters along with it, are so vital to American culture that they are sold online at various websites.

A book turned movie

If you’ve ever read any of the books in the “Confessions of a Shopaholic” series, you know more or less what to expect in the movie. But even if you didn’t, the poster can more or less lead you in the right direction.

The poster starts by capturing your attention with the bold red color, which is of course very dominant. In our culture, his color can also represent several facets of this movie. For example, this movie is categorized under drama, which could be predicted based on the color red’s connotation with drama. This color can be closely associated with clothing and accessories because it’s so popular with women choosing what to wear, which is definitely something this movie revolves around, seeing as how the main character is obsessed with shopping. Furthermore, red is a very vibrant and passionate color, not unlike the main character.

The simple lettering in grayscale contrasts with the rest of the poster, but without distracting its audience too much from the picture that basically encompasses the movie. The picture of the girl dressed in what is obviously a carefully-chosen outfit and carrying several shopping bags represents the movie because shopping is her passion.

Also, the “From the best-selling novel” was probably placed in all caps because it is likely to get readers of the series to want to see it. Although this isn’t usually my type of literature/film, I read some of the Shopaholic books one summer, so when I saw this poster, it caught my attention. I am not sure I’m interested in watching the movie, but if I had enjoyed the series more than I did, I probably would’ve chosen to go see the movie, as well.

Think outside the card

A business card can say a lot about an individual. Some people might think, "they're only pieces of card stock with your name and contact information on it," but I would have to disagree. I think these small objects hold more power than one may realize. Those who have seen the movie American Psycho with Christian Bale probably remember the scene during which the stock brokers take turns showing off their cards to one another. Each takes pride in his own design and the distinct, refined characteristics that make the cards their own. Color, tone, lettering, shape, and other design elements can all be utilized to send a desired message. This is because while they may be physically 2 dimensional, they are intrinsically multidimensional in nature.

So, since our next project has to do with crafting personal logos and business cards, I thought this current events post would be appropriate. I was looking on a graphic design blog and came across these awesome designs.

<--This is for a piano repair company. The artist used color, perspective, and imagination to make this a truly memorable and relevant card while still maintaining some of the traditional aspects as well.






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This card is for a lawyer who handles adult and criminal defense cases. It is meant to look like a jail cell, and as the insert is pulled out, information previously hidden by the bars is revealed. Color can be seen as rather symbolic in this depiction. The black bars give an air of rigidity and solemnity. The person is looking upward and colored white, perhaps signifying innocence, optimism or faith.



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<--Lastly, these are for a Greek restaurant. They are made to look like ancient pottery shards, which I think adds a touch of authenticity to the business. Restaurants are tricky because there are sooooo many to choose from, and it is necessary to stand out from the clutter. While I'm sure they're not edible, these cards may be ultimately memorable, and thus, bring in more business.

I hope I was able to get some people to start thinking about how they want to represent themselves. Who knows, you may even get a job if a prospective employer sees that you can think out of the 2 x 3 box that are business cards. Do you think these examples are too over the top, or do you see them as advantageous marketing strategies?

The Cooper Union

The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art is comprised of the Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, the Albert Nerken School of Engineering and the School of Art of New York is one of the most prestigious and selective program in the country.  For its 150th anniversary the program hired Stephen Doyle an alumnus to redesign its logo. Doyle decided to make a three-dimensional shape showcasing the abreviation of C U.

When comparing the old and new logo, I think Doyle has done a great job of modernizing the logo because it stands out with color and its 3-dimensional shape is something unique and different. The older logo is hard to understand and just looks like its composed of pieces of a pie. It is also outdated, the logo clearly looks like its from the seventies with the awful orange outline and color. A school that teaches prestigious engineers, architects, and artists needs to pay attention to the times and its logo should show that they pay attention to detail and the new age. I think Doyle used the concept of the school to make a unique logo that works well with the program.

Ben Blank, Innovator of Graphics for TV News, Dies at 87

Even being a Newhouse student, I have to admit, I have never thought about the graphics used in television news reports. I'm pretty sure most students would feel the same way. But if it wasn't for Ben Blank, we could be finding ourselves bored with television news reports. 

Ben Blank introduced illustrations, graphics and symbols to television news. According to Steven Heller's article in the New York Times, "[Blank] believed that to pique and retain the viewer's interest, it was necessary to provide a visual mnemonic that would serve as a logo for the story. This was especially useful when a photograph or film was difficult to obtain on deadline. The image, known in TV news-speak as the "over-the-shoulder" graphic, could be repeated as needed to show narrative continuity from day to day. Mr. Blank also called it the "think-quik visual".

Before Blank improved television news with these graphics, television broadcasts were black and white and quite boring. 

Unfortunately, Blank died February 3, 2009 at his home in Teaneck, NJ. Blank was 87 years old and survived by his wife, his two daughters, his son and his four grandchildren. 

New Kraft Logo

Kraft Foods unveiled its new corporate logo Tuesday, February 17.  The company will retain its traditional logo for consumer products and use the new logo only in corporate instances. Kraft made the change based on a new "fresh direction" in the corporation that wants to more clearly deliver "delicious."  The new design incorporates a smile, "the natural reaction to the delicious foods foods and experiences associated with Kraft."  

I personally think that the new logo is a little distracting.  The addition of new colors and the smile draw my attention away from the name.  I also don't think the smile looks much like a smile either.  It looks more like a flower that is exploding .  Maybe Kraft is bursting with new recipes and ideas and this helps to illustrate that.

WTF?!?!

As I discovered from researching the numerous links, myfonts.com recently released a new application for the iPhone called “WhatTheFont.” It automatically identifies an unknown font from a picture taken on the iPhone. When I was searching through hundreds of articles trying to come up with an idea for this current event post, this caught my eye, but I think for the wrong reasons. There is a review from ilovetypography.com and designworkplan.com.
What I instinctively thought was, who could ever possibly take this application seriously? Like, honestly? Fonts? However, because I wanted to get the full story, I kept researching the app and its creator. Myfonts.com was created ten years ago as, well, a database for fonts. One can type in a keyword and the search will bring up a number of related fonts that they deem usable for your task. For example, the example they give on the website is that you can search “invitations” and they will come up with fonts typically used for invitations. The fonts are all available for purchase. Another structure on the website is the WhatTheFont feature, where you upload photos and their database scans and matches the unknown font with the most similar types in their collection. They are usually right, too, because they have over 10,000 fonts.
Clearly, myfonts.com saw a demand for a WhatTheFont application on the iPhone, and they delivered. Even though I read through and examined the format of the website, I was still a bit skeptical so I looked through the reviews in the iTunes store of the application (all 28 of them). The application is free, and as one user described it,

“At $5 an app, it would have been rad. As a free one, it’s like a Christmas present.”

I guess I completely overlooked the huge graphic design industry, and didn’t realize what a valuable tool this could be for graphic designers. I also forgot to realize that all graphic designers would have iPhones…obviously, how could I be so stupid? No, but seriously, from the rave reviews of the actual application (they are on the iTunes store, I don’t know how to link to it though, sorry!) I gather that these designers see fonts that they like while out and about. Finally, they have a way to identify them immediately. One designer used to take pictures and upload them to myfonts.com later to identify on WhatTheFont. However, that is no longer necessary, since myfonts.com came out with this application.
This application was released on the third of February, and I wish I could tell you it’s on the iTunes top 100 list for free apps. However, if I did that, I would be lying. It would not be a lie, however, to say that after this research, I realize why this would be a successful app. The market is clearly there, and I guess that once you think like a graphic designer, different fonts and designs catch your eye constantly. As Professor Hedges constantly says, we need to be start thinking like designers and these are the types of things designers notice. This app may not be on the top 100, but I’m sure it’s number one in the hearts of designers everywhere!