Journal #15

Product Design

I chose my hair straightener as my favorite product design because it saved my life. I have curly hair and have always hated it. It just never does what I want it to. My life changed forever with the purchase of my first hair straightener. Finally I could wear my hair down without looking like a lion! I really enjoy this straightener because it is thin, making it easy to hold and maneuver, but still works very well. It has also lasted a long time; I have used it almost every day for the past 3 or 4 years and it is still going strong. Before this one I used to go through straighteners like crazy because they would get burnt out after using them every day. I finally decided to buy a name brand one and it has worked great. If I was stuck on a deserted island (with electricity) I would definitely bring my hair straightener with me. 

Journal #14

Papyrus


Before this assignment, I didn't realize that Papyrus was used so often. In fact, I only saw a couple business that used it. I did however, search the internet and found that numerous people not only don't like the font but HATE it. I even found websites dedicated to hating Papyrus and exposing it's over-usage. Take for instance www.papyruswatch.com, a blog dedicated to making fun of those who use Papyrus font.

Honestly, I don't think that using Papyrus is a bad thing. If someone decided to make a big deal about the over-usage of Georgia or Arial there would probably be others who followed along. I think if it fits with the design it's fine, however, knowing the amount of hatred their is out there, if you are going for originality perhaps Papyrus isn't the way to go.

One business I found which uses Papyrus is Dolce Salon here in phoenix. I was unable to get a picture of the salon, but found their logo on their website.

I have seen this logo many times and never though that the font choice was unoriginal. I suppose now being in the design world I will take notice to things that others don't. 

Journal #13

Computer Generated

Journal #12

Handwritten

This ad for Kashi cereal features simple handwritten text. Kashi sells natural foods, so a natural text is very suiting. Handwritten text is definitely effective in this ad as consumers will associate the characteristics of the text to the cereal. The type is informal and expressive, just like their products. It also works to illustrate the simplicity (all natural) of Kashi products.

Journal #11

Myth

This ad features a myth because it is built around the signs of success. It works to illustrate the status associated with someone who purchases Tiffany products. If you want to be classy, buy Tiffany. 

Denotative value: This ad for Tiffany Sunglasses features an attractive woman wearing Tiffany sunglasses, jewelry, and nice clothing riding in the back seat of a nice car. 

Connotative value: When we see that the woman is riding in the back of the car, we know that she is being chauffeured - a sign of success. The fact that she is gazing out the window implies that she is in a beautiful and possibly exotic place. Being able to travel to beautiful and exotic locations is also a sign of success. 

Journal #10

Metaphor

This is a very effective use of a metaphor in an ad for The Roy Castle Lung Foundation. By modifying the cigarettes to make them resemble a gun we associate the characteristics of a gun to cigarettes. This clearly conveys the message that cigarettes can be just as deadly as guns. 

Journal #9

Logos & Color Meaning


Pepsi

Pepsi's use of red, white and blue creates color harmony as the colors elicit feelings of patriotism. In my research I found that Pepsi switched to red, white and blue after WWII to show support for the war. These colors are similar to the triadic color harmony, only Pepsi incorporates white into the logo as opposed to yellow. 

BP

I find BP's choice of color very interesting. According to their website the colors used suggest "heat, light and nature."With BP's lack of environmental conservation, choosing colors that represent nature seems like an attempt to improve their image. This logo uses an analogous color harmony as yellow, yellow-green and green are spaced equally from each other on the color wheel.

IBM

According to Wikipedia, Big Blue is a nickname for IBM. One theory explaining the origin of the nickname is that it refers to the mainframes IBM installed in the 1960s and early 1970s. This was an interesting fact that I was unaware of. The color blue is a big part of IBMs culture. The blue logo creates color harmony as the color blue is soothing to the eye.