2 examples of well executed and creative pieces of conceptual artwork

1) Golden Arches logo typically symbolize capitalism and globalization for McDonald's, one of the most successful franchises in the world. While the current situation in Iran may have changed the effectiveness of this piece, the purpose was to show how any two countries that had a McDonald's location in between their borders have had no war. Everyone loves McDonalds right?! 

2) Bits & Pieces by Lawrence Weiner is a great example of creative concept. He is using typography to create a piece with a meaning that is expressed via the sum of all the parts. His famous pieces from the 1960's helped shape what we know as conceptual art today.

asymmetrical / symmetrical balance - 2 great examples!

1) asymmetrical balance : Juno Movie Poster

This Juno Movie Poster is a great example of asymmetrical balance because while the images are on the left and most of the text is on the right, there is still a lot of balance in this piece. I also like how her belly is in the center and the use of green text help make this piece flow very well. If she were turned with her belly facing the other direction, then I don't think this would work as well!

2) symmetrical balance : Cartoon image

This cartoon image is a solid example of symmetrical balance because all 3 cartoonish figures are evenly weighted! One could easily fold this page in half. Each character has two arms, two eyes, and a single heart that ties them together in one equally balanced composition. 

PBDS 501- re:Indesign CS5 experience

InDesign CS5 is a great addition to the CS5 suite. It basically incorporates all of the functions and tools of the previous versions into a more user friendly interface. My favorite part of the program is the side bar which you can customize to display your favorite tools/windows. This allows me to work quicker because now I don't need to search drop down menus anymore to find what I am looking for! The most useful tool I have discovered from any InDesign version is the "send to front/send to back" which allows you to position your text/image on top of another picture! The only thing I don't like is when you import a picture as a background and you lock the layer so that you don't keep moving it; sometimes you forget that you have locked the layer and cannot figure out why it is not moving! The book does a great job guiding users. I am trying to learn next how to transfer an altered png file directly from photoshop into indesign!

Figure / Ground + "CRAP"! (2 examples)

#1 Figure and Ground

A blank Continental Map of the world is a great example of Figure and Ground! The original image is on the left where the white on the page is representing the bodies of water while the land is the figure sitting on top of the page! I have inversed the colors on the map on the right hand side to show how different this map could appear!

#2 Quiet As A Mouse (my personal art) - using all 4 elements of C.R.A.P.

In my digital image creation "Quiet As A Mouse" the loud speakers in the background contrast the quiet mouse in the foreground! The layout shows repetition of all 4 speakers in each corner trying to make the same noise! The speakers are centrally aligned and the mouse is also centered as the figure over top the loud speaker background. Proximity is created by the sound waves which are getting louder and coming closer together! I recreated the famous idiomatic expression into a digital image for the Maryland Art Place Exhibit in 2005 and received an award for this piece.

2 Examples of Good Design and 2 Examples of Poor Design

Costco.com Good Example of Design

Costco offers thousands of wholesale items to its members through their physical warehouse locations and a booming e-commerce website. Their website layout lists all the major categories of products with a clean design as their main priority. Below, the company is featuring approximately 20 select deals on various products with impressive, large, and colorful product pictures accompanied by prices. It is very easy to navigate this site to purchase any product, and if a customer is unsure of a selection, the  marketing strategy designs with the 20 offers will immediately attract the attention of the customer. They will likely purchase a product that they did not intend to buy before entering the site! Thus, customers are lured into impulsive buying habits.

Bestbuy.com Poor Example of Design

Best Buy is a large retailer of consumer electronics with a domestic and international presence. Their business is worth about 50% the value of Cosco based on market capitalization. Their website is an eCommerce site that is not effective. To find a category, the customer must click on a drop-down menu requiring the visitor to think an additional step. They only promote approximately six items on their front page and are not hitting as many potential visitors as they could be.  If they displayed more pictures, prices, and categories, like Costco.com, the website would further enhance the value of their business. 

.

Good Example #2 Campbell’s Soup Magazine Ad

The Campbell’s Soup punch line, “KIDS CRAVE. MOMS RAVE.” puts a smile on your face.  The text, along with the two spoonfuls of scrumptious looking soup, are designed in the friendly shape of a smiley face. Kids love the flavor of the soup, the mothers do not need to cook, and everyone is smiling! This is a very successful and simple magazine ad that gets the point across. Campbell’s is a household name and stands behind the idea of comfort food.

Poor Example #2 Sprint Magazine Ad

This Sprint ad in People Magazine features the text, “How much unlimited do you get for $69.99?” and a dull bar graph that compares Sprint to Verizon and AT&T.  It is a boring advertisement from a company that barely competes with Verizon’s Droid and AT&T’s iPhone partially due to the lack of an apps market. I personally prefer the Verizon Droid ads that claim that the Droid does it all. This Sprint ad does not capture my attention in any way and it never reveals the pricing of its other two competitors.  There is too much plain black text and most people won’t even understand the confusing chart which is their emphasis.