2 October 2011

What is Graphic Design? Part 1

5 examples of GD appearing in different contexts


 Yeah Burger
http://www.designworklife.com/2011/09/14/tad-carpenter-yeah-burger/


Wedding Invite.
http://www.designworklife.com/2011/09/06/three-steps-ahead-lisa-marty-wedding/


Dominique Falla 
http://prettyclever.tumblr.com

Children's Onesie. 
http://dribbble.com/shots/268445-Total-Babe-Onesie

Barbara Kruger
http://www.anothermag.com/current/view/362/Barbara_Kruger


Each of these pieces of Graphic Design have been created to appear within different contexts. Yeah Burger's branding has been created for a large audience, whilst the wedding invitations appear only in the context of the wedding invitees home. This means that whilst Yeah Burger's designs had to fulfil some very specific needs that meant that they would appeal to a large market, whilst also creating a unique image that helped them stand out, the invitations only had to fulfil the needs of the couple. 
Yeah Burger's branding is successful because it feels contemporary and fun, thanks to the use of bright colours, the cute illustrations and the use of typeface, one that is modern and simple, but communicates the quirky cool USP of the restaurant. 
The total babe onesie is a very simple and small piece of graphic design screen printed onto baby apparel, and is marketed more at the image conscious parents than the child itself. The miniature illustrations of iconic baby-themed products, set against the very graphical and bold Total Babe text make this a very appealing piece of graphic design. 
Barbara Kruger and Dominique Falla's works are debatable as to whether they are art installations, or pieces of graphic design. Both appear in a wider context, Falla's in an art gallery, and Kruger's on a billboard in a public environment, but both use text and a strong overall image to communicate something to the viewer, which I feel means they are more situated within graphic design, particularly Kruger's, whose impact relied on the bold but simple use of font and text, and a black and white image that related to the message and also caught the eye of the viewer, this case possibly because it is a little unsettling. 

5 examples GD performing different functions




Road Signs
http://www.driving-test-success.com/uk-road-signs03.htm

Dark Knight Teaser Poster
http://www.qbn.com/topics/597332/?page=2
Save the Panda Poster
http://smokingdesigners.com/38-fresh-informative-infographics/













Apple Inforgraphic
http://smokingdesigners.com/boost-creativity-30-significant-infographics/


















Saxton Packaging
http://www.designworklife.com/2011/09/12/supply-saxton-packaging/

Each of these pieces of Graphic Design have been created for different purposes. One of the most iconic designs are the british road signs, created in strong bold colours so that they attract the attention of the driver, whilst the images inside are simple and easily identified by both british and foreign drivers, making it universal so that everyone understands the rules of the road, and adheres to them. 
Certain obvious shapes are used in their design also that each shape represents a certain thing. The circular ones above are designed to give an order, such as stop or maximum speed limit. 
The two posters are there to fulfil the purpose of promotion, the Dark Knight teaser is designed to create interest in the movie months before so that a level of anticipation and hype can begin to build around it, and hopefully secure a large audience, whilst the Save a Panda poster is informing the audience of their decline, and willing them to do something about it. Both designs have been created cleverly, with the Dark Knight using a collage a joker cards to create the image of Batman, but with a jokers smile painted on his face, creating a very disturbing but strong image, and also one that alludes to the iconic Joker's character. The Save a Panda poster presents it's information so that the text makes up the image of the panda in a very simple but graphically led manner, and this reinforces the message they are trying to communicate. 
The apple info graphic is a very humour led piece of graphic design, and whose main function is to entertain the viewer with a sort of story of Apple, using charts and graphs typical of this style of design, and also timelines and clever illustrations that use pieces of Apple products. Everything contributes to make this an entertaining and funny read, but in a factual manner.
Finally the Saxton packaging serves the function of selling that brand to it's target audience within a shopping context. The name of the brand is clearly visible and rendered in a classic and formal typeface, whilst the design of the label is clean cut, and featuring only the main ingredient of the product. The result is that the design looks fresh, something that appeals to drinkers of cider who would want their drink to be refreshing, and it also looks classic and upmarket, appealing to a more middle class customer.

5 examples of GD delivering different types of meaning
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/hommedia.ashx?id=94685&size=Large
Anti smoking poster campaigns 
http://dopetype.wordpress.com/2010/03/05/anti-smoking-campaign/

http://www.equalsign.co.uk/fire/firekills.gif
http://www.ups.com/img/ups_logo.jpg


http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/posters2.htm

These all portray very specific meanings to the customers through their designs, delivering very strong messages that are designed to make the viewer take notice, and perhaps in some cases shock them. 
With both of the Anti Smoking posters, the image used is the main tool, and both have a shock factor that is meant to disturb or disgust the viewer into quitting, or staying away from cigarettes. 
Whilst the british one is perhaps slightly more focused on presenting something factual, with the image of tar and it's clever use of wording, the french poster alludes to the idea that children are being pressured into smoking in the same manner they would be to oral sex, which is a more disgusting and controversial image to advertise. 
The two logos, Fire Kills and the USP, deliver a different type of message about themselves. Fire Kills is a strong logo designed to warn of the dangers of fire, and which gets its message across very simply within the logo, but using the words FIRE KILLS, placed within an image of a burning house. The UPS logo is more subtle and stands out as a classic and iconic brand, communicating a message of reassurance and reliability, with neutral but recognisable colours, and an inoffensive and universally recognised type face. 
The final pieces I have chosen,  2 Nazi Propaganda posters, were designed to convey a very particular and hateful message to a broad audience in Germany. The illustrative designs create two very different images. The one of the boy and Hitler create a feeling of strength designed to give Germans faith in Hitler, whilst the cruel and stereotypical illustration of a Jewish man is designed to threaten and frighten the population into believing that the Jewish were not to be trusted, and awfully, not allowed in their country. The fonts employed are simple and strong, but they do not detract from the message being delivered.

5 examples of GD produced using different media

http://mattchase.bigcartel.com/product/nothing-past-nothing-future


http://www.welovemoulesfrites.com/index.php?/new-works/ladies--girls/



An Alphabet By Alessandro Novelli
http://typography-daily.com/2011/09/07/typographic-rugs/
http://cheriecity.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/karl-pic-coke.png


Each of these pieces of design has been created and presented differently. Both the Ladies and Girls logo, and the video presentation of the alphabet, have designed something very unique, using an unusual  method designed to catch a viewers eye, and make them think that their product will also be something unique. The use of the chain to design the typeface for Ladies and Girls contradicts the title of the brand, as you expect a more girly design as opposed to the more masculine use of the metal, whilst the video of the alphabet is an original and cool idea that has attracted a lot of attention for this designer in the past few weeks. The way he has animated the letters to bring them to life is far more interesting than simply having them their to look at in a more simple format. 
The print is another strong piece of Graphic Design, created as a screen print, which feels a bit more personal, as if this print has been designed for a home. The text used is a sort of motivational quote, but executed in a much cooler and stylish manner, and the use of text is very graphically conscious, making it stand out as a strong piece of design. 
The typographic rug uses a classic black and white style, and a very strong typeface to create something for the home that is a little more original and interesting than the usual ugly patterns you see on some rugs, and its scale means that it could stand out very well as a piece of design to give impact to a room in the home. 
Finally the Karl Lagerfeld designed diet coke bottle has been created using digital illustration, and has been created to sell diet coke by making it a collectable object, because whist the branding and label of Coca Cola is iconic, it is too mass produced for it to be thought of a piece of collectable graphic design. By using Karl Lagerfeld, the Chanel designer, it creates a very female led target market, as they are the most likely to drink diet coke. 



5 examples of Graphic Design produced at different scales
http://www.welovemoulesfrites.com/index.php?/works/the-essential-nothing-more/


http://www.gdhta.co.uk/wordpress/2009/10/feel-good-factor-kentish-town-health-centre/ 
 http://www.anthonyburrill.com/archive/look-at-the-sky
 http://www.anthonyburrill.com/recent-projects/happiness-for-daily-life
http://www.gdhta.co.uk/iebe.html

To reach different audiences and to fulfil different briefs, graphic design must vary in scale in the way these pieces do. The smaller scale pieces, such as the education leaflets and the business cards, which have  a smaller space to utilise, do so in very different ways. 
The business cards are very simplistic, using only black, but embossing their business onto it, makes it a very original and conceptual business card, meaning that their business stands out as a strong and creative led company. The leaflets serve a different purpose, to inform, and are much more about presenting the information in a clear format that is appealing to readers, whilst also presenting the company in a very professional and well constructed way. The leaflets are very clean cut and also quite clinical, showing that they have been designed to inform.
The larger scale pieces each employ the use of colour as a very strong element of their design. The 4 building blocks use the strong colours and images of instructional signs to create a piece of work that is based around classic sign design, whilst the medical centre design has used colours and a design that puts the patients of the practice at ease, and adds a new level of interest to what can be a very sterile and unfriendly place.
The Happiness for Daily Life work uses pattern and design to make something that is more cute and fun, whilst also retaining a sense of classic and cool design, making it somewhere very appealing to eat and relax, whilst the bright colours complement the brand by being positive and engaging to view. 

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