Muppets!! schemes and gestalts

 

 

The color in this spread is amazing! All of the muppets are back together for the reunion issue of Entertainment Weekly

The many colors of the spread are saturated and bright. There are color schemes throughout the photo such as the purple rat sitting by the Swedish chef wearing a  blue outfit that create a analogous scheme. Other color schemes, spread throughout the pages, allow the reader to be drawn to each individual muppet without being overwhelmed by the amount of color in the spread.

The predominant color is the saturated warm hue of orange and therefore is used as a gestalt. The text is then tied into this color with the text box coloring as well as the little details such as Kermit’s title and the arrow giving credit to the photograph. I believe this orange was a wise choice because it also brings out the reds and pinks that are similar to the orange color.

The dark text was a good choice because it is bold and will not get lost in the chaos of muppets displayed below.

Who doesn’t love the muppets? The warm and bright colors are stimulating and make me feel happy and awake. I think this is completely appropriate for the muppets since they have been making people laugh and smile 1976. These bright colors make me think of my childhood. Many children’s clothes are bright and cheerful, I know mine were embarrassingly so. The faint presence of the sunlight creating a yellow reflection off of Beeker’s hair is also associated with happiness and cheerfulness. The colors remind you why you loved the muppets.

Vintage Blue

This spread is from the most recent edition of Harper’s Bazaar and it caught my eye because it was full of gestalt.  The dark navy blue in the dress on the left hand side is mirrored as the background pattern on the right page, also the cool background compliments the women’s contrasting dark brown hair.

The main gestalt that I found interesting though was the delicate navy and white pattern that is carried through both spreads in an ‘L’ shape, framing the text and drawing the reader over to the right side.  First the pattern is introduced at the top of the woman’s dress on the left side, then it is also carried down the page to the woman’s heels, which is very unique.  Lastly, the pattern is also at the bottom of the right page, underneath the women, on the ceramic vase.

Another element to this spread that I really liked was the way they used primarily blue tones, but used light hues on the left, and bold hues on the right, causing contrast.  On the left the background is a soft blurry blue that appears to be possibly outdoors on a beautiful day.  The text on this side is black, and on this lighter blue is very visible.  On the other side the main color as I mentioned earlier is a dark, bold navy.  This is appropriate because there is not a lot of text on the right page so it stands out without being overpowering.  Then this navy is paired with a bright white text in the upper-right corner.

Overall I really like the simple use of one color just with different tones.

Also, sorry there is a little bit of a shine on the page, the store where I took the picture was really bright.

Orange You Glad You Have Shiny Hair

Although my scanner at home is not very good, I hope this picture conveys a theme of orange. Garnier’s colors are green and orange, but as orange is the warmer of the two colors, it makes sense to use that for the accents. There is a certain youthfulness to the orange that connects to the vivaciousness of the girl in the photo. This also connects to the product in that the blow dry protector will keep your hair looking healthy, another sign of liveliness.

By placing the orange circle in the center of the brush, drawing your eye to the middle of the spread. The orange circle is the symbol of Garnier, so it is repeated around the design. A visually pleasing shape, the orange circle matches the circle of the brush. The round brush very clearly indicates that the product is somewhat involved with blowdrying, so before you read the right side of the page, you know what is being sold. Once you do manage to check out the right side of the page, you see another orange circle that says NEW. The art director made this decision consciously because it ties the page together while helping the person viewing the add remember two things: this ad is for a blowdrying serum and it is a new product.

The girl’s orange shirt is not quite as bright as the orange. I think this was done so that the spread wasn’t too abrasive or unrealistically bright. But had her shirt been any other color, it would have detracted from the set color scheme. The girls hair also has a slighty reddish orange tinge. So although the design is moving away from the exact orange that is seen around the design, there is still use of the warm color.

Good Cooking with Vivid Color

 

I think this spread, taken from Paula Dean’s Holiday Cooking magazine, successfully uses color to capture viewers.  I was immediately attracted to it because of the bright colors and and comforting design.  The images can put you in the mindset of your own kitchen around the holiday time.  I think one of the aspects that makes this design so strong, is the contrast of the background white-ish wood, with the bright red inside the bowl, and also the scattered fruit on the opposite page.  Red is such a strong, bold color that it pops off the page in contrast to the surface it is placed on top of.

I found it interesting that the headline used a deeper hue of red.  I think this was a good decision, because if it was as bright as the other reds, it would be competing with the images.  The saturation of the reds is very intense, but because of the plainer background it is not overwhelming.

This image also takes advantage of using warm colors.  The pears and apples, apart from being two of the main colors that appeal to your appetite, create use warm colors that are perfect for the holiday season.

This magazine spread makes me very happy because it brings me back to my own home.  I associate it with positive memories, my family, and good home-cooking.  To make it stronger I think that art designer could have found a better font for the headline.  I was not put off by it, but I do not think it was as attractive as it could have been.

Obama in the rose garden

 

I got this spread from Rolling Stone Magazine. Though the deckhead says that the interview of the president took place in the oval office, he is pictured here in the rose garden.  At first, that didn’t seem to make sense, but I actually like the decision. Inside the story there is a picture of him in the oval which seems like a more normal setting for an interview with the president. The president shown against a green background is kind of unusual, he is usually pictured at press conferences giving speeches, shaking hands with people in crowds or being escorted from place to place by seceret service. This empty garden background is kind of unusual because it shows him in a part of the White House where most peopole wouldn’t be able to see him or think of him spending time. Furthering this sense of seeing Obama in a different light, there is also picture of him inside playing basketball on the presidential basketball court, which is also outside the White House.

One thing that doesn’t make sense to me about this spread is the headline. While “Obama in Command” is fitting for the content of the story, it doesn’t necessariy match this picture. The president sitting outside in his garden deep in thought doesn’t conjure thoughts of him being “In Command.” This doesn’t mean that he isn’t in command, but certainly the rose garden isn’t the place from which he commands the country. The title of the caption in the lower right-hand corner would have made more sense: “The War at Home.” This makes sense because Obama has struggled to get legislation passed through the Senate (which is discussed in the story), and he is at home in the picture.

A Saddening Grayscale

I found this article layout in the October edition of Golf Digest…yes, I read Golf Digest. The reason that this layout struck out at me for this blogpost is not that it necessarily uses color effectively, but that it uses a lack of color very effectively. This article is an excerpt from a new book about the relationship between Tiger Woods and his father Earl, who passed away in 2006. The article is not a very happy one, and mostly looks back upon the gray areas in the relationship between son and father, their rocky relationship at times, and everything that father taught son.

To any golf fan, this layout is remarkably accurate and greatly designed for this article. Earl Woods was a very serious man, a decorated green beret in Vietnam, and a man who always instilled what he thought were the best qualities in his children. Living in the Woods’ home was like living in a boot camp. This combined with the use of a photo we can assume is originally black and white anyways ensures that the best choice of color to use was gray. The gray and black type and photo makes us feel a bit melancholy, and adds a somber mood entering the article. It makes us understand that this article is not going to be lively, but rather a sad look back upon a man’s life and his relationship with his son. I also think that the use of red is very appropriate for the names and other elements of the layout because one of the things that Tiger Woods is so well known for is wearing red on the final day of every tournament he has played in. This idea was created by Earl, who cited that red was an intimidating color that represents ferocity. This makes it very appropriate to use in this case, and any golf fan would recognize how this color is used and make this connection. In terms of design, red is a warm color that makes Tiger and Earl Woods stand out in the headline, which is an attention grabber for anyone reading the article. It stands out from the gray, and draws any golf fan into reading this very interesting article. The only issue I have with this article is that this certain militaristic typeface works for the article, but makes the red seem a little cooler than it should be. I would recommend using a more vibrant red.

Purple ties it together

When looking at this spread the eye immediately notices color. First the purple color, taken from Prince William’s tie and also used in other parts of the spread. I think this was a good color choice for the spread because the eye often times always goes to the visual first, and there are 3 main bright colors in the visual, the green in the background, the blue of Kate’s top, and the purple from William’s tie. The tie is also at the direct center of the spread. The purple color is used in for the text William & Kate at the top of the right side of the spread, in the drop cap, and also as a circle to enclose and the text for the caption. The enclosed circle gives the eye a bit of color diversity, being that the transparency of the purple used here is much less than the other purples in the spread.

To the teal-ish blue in the headline, this color was taken from the background of the inset photo. The main use for this color was in the headline, but it is also found on the spread as the circle for the & in William & Kate, a small triangle at the end of the previous mentioned text, a line separating the body text from the headline and deckhead, and lastly as a circle enclosing the caption for the large visual. Again, like the purple, different transparencies of this color were used through out the spread.

The purple and teal-ish blue are both cool colors and seem to really work well together. The entire spread seems to be made up of all cool colors, the purple and teal-ish text, the blue of Kate’s top, the purple of William’s tie, and the green of the large visual’s background. I think this really makes the spread work well. The spread was found in the direct center of People’s Nov. 8 edition, and was also the cover story. Being a huge Prince William fan, I know I stopped and read the story, but I think it is a decent spread that would want to make others read it also. Although the colors are cool colors, I think they are playful with their brightness but also welcoming in the hopes to draw readers in.

I love that the main colors used in the text section of this spread were taken directly from the two visuals on this page, but if I could I would change one thing. The inset photo is a terrible photo, blurred and a bit pixelated,  and I would have not used it if I had done the spread. This then affecting the teal-ish color, but because the art director decided to use the photo using the teal from it works. I think another option would have been using the blue from Kate’s top, being the headline is “Ready to Wed!” I think incorporating a color from each William and Kate could have been a playful way of bringing them together.

Maybe its color, Maybe its intensity, Maybe its Maybelline!

I found this magazine spread in the Cosmopolitan Magazine November 2010 edition. With one look it immediately grabbed my attention.  I think this has a lot to do with the primary color red that jumps of the page.

On the left side of the spread the first thing that I looked at was the womans lip stick because it is the most bright and vibrant feature of her face.  Not only is the lip stick shiny and glossy, but the picture also looks like the models lips are in the shape of a heart.  This goes along with the slogan “renew your love” across her face.

I also think that this spread has an easy transition.  For example, the red lipstick on the left side guides e down to the Maybelline wordmark which leads the readers eyes across to the right side of the spread as it bleeds. 

The right side of the spread also does a good job with using the primary color red.  As a result of color context the red appears more brilliant on the black background.  The text on the right side displays a “crisper, richer color” which is shown in the floral visual made from the lipstick.  I think that the real flower pedal hanging from the top right of the page displays the natural ingredients in the lipstick.  

Lastly, this spread is portraying a sensual feeling, not only with the dark shade of red that they chose but also with the title of the lipstick “color sensational.”  Also the slogan “Affair with red” expresses that this lipstick will make a woman feel irresistible.  I think that this spread will make people think of kissing because the image of a woman kissing someone and their red lipstick rubbing off on the other person is pretty well-known.

I think that one of the main associations of red that goes along with this spread is passion.  With the emphasis of sensation, luxuriousness, and irresistibility.

If I had to change anything about this spread it might be the color of the lipstick floral pattern on the right side.  I would probably make it a shade darker so that it could more similarly match up with the woman’s lip shade on the opposite page.

Allen Adamson

I like the way Mr. Adamson began his presentation by defining the difference between a brand, what a product stands for, and branding, the meaning a brand signifies or the story it tells.  A lot of his good points tied together such as the importance for good brands to both differentiate themselves from their competitors and also have enough relevance in the market to appeal to a broad audience.  As for actually branding a product or company Mr. Adamson said that the theory should be simple and the execution is the difficult part, this I have found to be true, especially during my time is GRA 217.

Another main way that Mr. Adamson discussed branding was through creating an experience, and as an advertising major this is a compelling idea.  He used the example of Virgin airlines offering motorcycle transportation through London to their customers, this concept not only illustrates the adventure associated with Virgin but also provides an experience that will be talked about later.

My favorite advice that Mr. Adamson gave though was, “Sometimes you need to not listen.”  Not listen to the consumers, but instead see what is missing, what the consumers don’t even know they want.  Here he used the example of Diamond Sheddies, a company that rebranded a boring, average cereal around a silly idea and viral video campaign.

All of these concepts can be translated to both advertising and graphic design.  The notion of simple yet powerful messages are crucial in both industries, as Adamson put is “simple and sticky” ideas translate to branding the best.  Also understanding the balance between giving consumers what they ask for and what they actually want is very important, finding a balance based on observation and intuition.

Carly Getz what your company needs!