assignment 1: 2 good, 2 bad

GOOD DESIGN 1:

smyth jewelry: natty boh and the utz girl get engaged

This billboard always makes me smile whenever I see it. It is so effective because it is speaks directly to its audience: Baltimore residents. The Natty Boh guy and the Utz girl are recognizable and also unique to Baltimore. The billboard retains these icons in their original form, not adding bodies that don't belong to them--choosing a stick figure for Natty Boh and not embellishing the Utz girl at all. This keeps these icons simple and identifiable. In addition, the rendering of Natty Boh in the recognizable position of popping the question gets the point across quickly and easily. The name of the jeweler does not obstruct the main picture in any way, making it feel more like a special moment between the two. Smyth's name is big enough to be seen and tied with the lovely picture of a ring, but the commercial part of the sign doesn't take up too much space, which allows the billboard to almost just serve as an inside joke. This billboard is very effective and enjoyable to see.

GOOD DESIGN 2:

banana republic's trench coat ad

I like the simplicity of this ad. The one line of text tells you what the product is, and the picture itself is aesthetically pleasing. The woman looks happy, and she looks nice in the coat. The name of the company doesn't obstruct the image. I'm not overwhelmed looking at this ad as I am with some other ads. I know what the product is, what it looks like, and where to get it. All the information I need is there and presented in the most efficient way. And it's nice to look at.

BAD DESIGN 1:

anthony bourdain's 100th episode of No Reservations

I love this show, so I was pretty disappointed with this ad. The design of the words in the shape of a knife is corny. I think many in the audience would associate this sort of list of words with word exercises they did in elementary or middle school. Anthony Bourdain has been so many places and done so many interesting things that a list of words that describe him in the shape of a knife for his 100th episode seems insufficient, it doesn't capture the show at all. It doesn't make the audience excited about seeing the show. Anthony Bourdain is cutting edge, so maybe a design involving a knife would have been appropriate, but this isn't it. In addition, I don't think the line "100 is not enough" clearly communicates what this ad is about.

BAD DESIGN 2:

a wedding invitation

The other day someone showed me a bar mitzvah invitation that used so many fonts in a bunch of different colors--it was a bit of an assault on the eye. So, I thought I'd look at invitations to see good and bad designs. I found this one. Let's start at the top. I suppose the crest is their last name, but it looks more like a school logo, as do their first names. Usually, with wedding invitations, a light, airy font is used to give a feeling of warmness about the occasion. I find this font and design choice for the names to be blunt and hard on the eyes. Comic Sans as the body text is also an odd choice, especially following the design of the header. Comic Sans is curly and fun (though I must say I hate it), whereas the font at the top is harsh. The colors of the fonts do not complement each other. Also, there is no separation by use of different fonts or styles of the different sections, date, location, etc., that would help the reader quickly get the information they need.