Graphics In Your Life ( 5 Annoying Graphic Applications ) We Would Love To Never See Again

5 Blah (Still) Graphic Images In The Environment and Online

My favorite logo redo to dislike. I remember the day they launched the new JC Penny logo and my marketing professor and I made a bet. I felt the logo and company was going in a unsuccessful direction, while she liked the new logo. My thoughts were then and now that the logo is in a SQUARE BOX, meaning  square, uncool. This logo and GRAPHICS do not take into consideration the psychological effects of shoppers who may view the negative white space as "Void" lacking in substance and that the "Square" may communicate into what products they carry. I like the red color and the blue isn't horrible, but for a clothing store I would not use a square with white space.

I think the Mellow Mushroom GRAPHICS and logo are too distracting. This sign near my home in Hickory, NC is hard to read and there is a disconnect between the graphics and their store-fronts. The sign and graphics almost seem to be selling tie-die tee-shirts while the building in the background looks like a Systel copy wholesaler. I think they are trying to sell GROOVY fun, but once inside there isn't much going on. I just don't care for the layout and colors used.

Not sure what was going on here, but every time I see this sign I cringe. The GRAPHICS and design are hard to read and none represent the really high-end gourmet food that is sold inside. The typeface looks like that of a machine and welding shop, far from fresh-bakes pastries and crepes. The colors do not work well and don't really communicate a dining atmosphere. They need some awnings and a graphic logo with food, wine and pastries illustrated.

Disconnect is the first thing that comes to mind here. This GRAPHIC, physical and online banner is placed outside of the Hickory Salt Block Museum and is advertising a furniture event that will be held there, The graphics, logo and colors don't work well together. They should have made the logo smaller and in the bottom right corner, allowing for more space to graphically work with some furniture images. Then change the colors.

The use of the credit card GRAPHICS and the hand-made sign are slightly overkill and clutter the message they are trying to quickly communicate " we take these cards." No need to put signs all over such a nice wooden door. This graphic application was seen outside of a country store near Morganton, NC. The hand-drawn graphics missed entirely and only added clutter. They could have used a rustic, aged graphic application and shown the cards only once.

15 Graphics in Your Life ( WEEK 1 - instructional graphics assignment, Dana Mathews )

6 Interesting (Still) Graphic Images In The Environment

This background GRAPHIC { justice for all } in the above black and white photo was taken at a Starbucks in SoHo New York a few years back on Christmas day 2011. I asked my wife to pose across from an older gentleman to communicate an untold message "aging in contrast to youth is often unjust and has little justice at times." Many are treated as if they no longer are contributors to society. The GRAPHIC here is nicely done in bold letters and a sort of urban typeface, font styles contribute greatly to telling stories and messages ( without speaking a word ). I love its simple form and spacing.

This colorful GRAPHIC image was on an older Communication Art's magazine. I love the way they use color, white space and shape in each of the graphic applications. The graphics mixed in range makes the magazine cover interesting and captures a readers attention with little effort. Great job at communicating what is inside of the magazine.

This GRAPHIC image hangs on a wall in my home. I talked my wife into posing for the photo and later I reworked it in photoshop. It is oversized at over 45 inches. I designed the piece after a trip to New York where I was stimulated by all of the art and visual images in the city. The graphic fonts are modern and thin, spaced far apart to represent the modern fashion industry. Off of the "N" I used an ear ring to represent trends in the industry. The colors used were polarizing to garnish attention and highlight the text. The signage was used to showcase "Rockstar Fashion Global" I like the modern look of the GRAPHICS used.

I love the GRAPHIC design used on this storefront in New York City. It was simple; yet, the clean use of type and colors communicate easily what the store is and brings about a level of trust from those entering the store. Graphics should always tell a story without having to guess what they are trying to say. Simple is always best and shows well here.

The simplicity and campaign of most of David Sedaris' work is often laced with bold and simple graphics, many of which are comedic in nature. As in his writings these GRAPHIC illustrations give you a sense of who he is, what he writes and that he is actively involved at telling stories. The richness of the simple images, mixed with sharp comedy makes for a great campaign when he tours. I love the use of basic colors and simple illustrations and photographs he uses. The above were from a poster in downtown Asheville, a theatre poster and a CD cover from one of his audio books.

This is a great example of selling a brand with few words and images. The iconic GRAPHIC logo speaks for itself and the Chanel company. The stark black and white add value and quality to the display in New York City. The logo is very simplistic; yet, powerful in its bold characters used.

6 Interesting (Still) Graphic Images From Online

I love the over all GRAPHICS use in this online landing page for Banana Republic. The use of black and white, the thin type face and conservative use of the wavy lines at the bottom add richness to the brand and site. The over all feel is very inviting to shoppers. CLEAN.

This online GRAPHIC image was used to invite someone to enter a process of registration, to take action and to convert an online shopper to an actual purchaser of the products. The simple use of the red wording "it" is compelling and grabs the viewers attention. The graphics are all clean and the silhouettes add to the look of the design without clutter. I love it's simplicity.

This GRAPHIC has a French feel to it. The use of spacing the bold letters and limited use of type opens the space up and allows the viewer to process what the site is asking them to do "shop, enter here." THis is a great example os less is more and adds to the theme of the brand.

I love the way they used the letters at the top, the colors and italics to add interest. The GRAPHIC works well with the page and the images below. It connects the page and the lower use of multiple images draws the shopper in. The use of the green graphics works well behind the clothing. THis entire page has a campaign feel, but not to heavy on the sale message.

Simplicity wins again! The GRAPHICS used here are perfect! Not too crowded and interesting enough to get your attention. This online invite would easily get someone's attention. The colors used compliment the graphics used and the olive and green work well together.  The white borders do a great job at separating the two messages. Clean and simple.

Instructional GRAPHICS and retaining students/users interests is done really well on this online site - lynda.com. The use of colorful images, easy steps and great instructional videos make for a great experience. The graphics used highlight versatile learning categories and group the subjects very well. The navigation and use of bold GRAPHICS are helpful in the process of learning.
Below is a video explaining color use:  
http://www.lynda.com/Design-Color-tutorials/Foundations-Color/120601-2.html