Hawks

Hawks are a naturally beautiful bird. I love how the designer took this animal and made it seem even more stunning with the swirls and in black and white. It draws in the viewers right away and allows them to see another side to this piece.

Levi jeans

This design is made for the Levi Strauss jeans line. The whole image is made up of the buttons on a pair of this brand's jeans. I thought that it was an interesting design and a great way to promote the company.

Koi Fish

Koi fish create beautiful designs. They are widely known as tattoo ideas, like this one here. Although this particular design is not for a tattoo, it still has the ability to become one. The details in the Koi usually go with the swirls and bursts of color and floral designs; coming close to a modern day art nouveau style.

My Challenge Met, My Future Set

This piece looks like it was originally for a Seneca Valley High School senior project. The words within the design, "My challenge met, My future set" among the clocks holds an interesting viewpoint. I look at it as the clocks representing the time for the challenge but also for the time ahead of the artist (the future).

Lace and Stripes

This piece had my attention as soon as I saw it. I have a small obsession with lace and stripes these days, so it was something that i really loved. The pop of color and the missing spaces in the whole design captivate viewers and make them more interested in the piece. I love how the fabrics are fading away like they are torn and tattered.

Zebra Stripes

The usual image of a zebra is with its typical black and white stripes along its body. This artist chose a different approach. While there are still the basic fundamentals of the zebra here, she adds something more to it by making the stripes into trees with a bird and just a few touches of orange.

Floral Skull

When I first saw this piece, I thought it was the usual image of a skull. Then, getting a closer look, I saw that it was actually unusual because the whole thing is made up of flowers and decorative designs. A skull is not usually associated with flowers like this, so I thought that it was a good, new way to look at it.

Photo Realistic with Spray Paint

I chose to post this piece because as soon as I saw it, my eye was immediately drawn to the style and colors. The face of the bird is photo realistic, yet the body is far from it. Some pieces of art may not work well like this, but for this piece, that is not the case. I think it was a perfect way to design the bird. Also, it's amazing that the artist used only spray paint to create the whole thing.

"Graphis" Magazine

Here is a copy of my History of Graphic Design "Graphis" magazine essay:

“Graphis” Magazine

            Magazines serve a larger purpose than to just entertain people. “Graphis” is a magazine that was first published in 1944 by Dr. Walter Amstutz and Walter Herdeg in Zurich, Switzerland. It presents the work of fine artists and illustrators and highlights the formative years of graphic design to present day. This magazine has published hundred of articles and books but was discontinued after its 355th edition. “Graphis” is a widely known magazine with stable, eye pleasing editorial content, contains a relevance of design to students interested in the subject, and presents an appealing art direction to its viewers.

            Sometimes other design magazines are filled with words or a limited range of ideas in its content. “Graphis”, however, is unlike those other magazines. Inside its cover page, the images range from: furniture, animals, design, advertising, photography, annual reports, poster, logos, branding, and new uprising talents. Although there are many parts to it, this particular magazine, especially on its website, mainly focuses on photography and art. Its images are large, clear and take up the whole page, making the viewers instantly drawn into the magazine. Its layout consists of little to no words, making the designers work the main focus. “Graphis” also displays works for brand names like Nike (see printed image) and many others. Aside from its stunning images, the magazines editorial content itself is fairly simple.

            Students who strive to become a designer often look to this magazine. Previous editions are available, but it also has an up-to-date website with information for use. Students can easily look to this magazine for inspiration and ideas about how their designs can be displayed in the future. There are also many brochures, books, and portfolios available as well on its website since there are few words on the magazines printed pages. Each one of these aspects of this magazine can easily help someone aspires to be a graphic designer in their future encounters.

            “Graphis” takes on a specific art direction of visual imagery. Each and every page is fully filled with usually one image or several. Since the viewers of this magazine mostly refer to it for its visual content, it does not have many words. Bold and striking colors capture peoples eyes and draw them in, but in a pleasing way. Usually too many colors can distract a viewer, but in “Graphis”, soft background colors are used to offset the contrast. This makes it more intriguing to viewers and therefore more successful in its area. The designs and images displayed are many designers like Amil Gargano, Josef Muller-Brockman, Peter Kraemer, and Albert Watson. There is a wide range of what styles are displayed, but each has its own unique look and feel to it that viewers seem to love.

            There are similar magazines in the world that compare to “Graphis”. One of them is “Baseline” magazine. “Baseline”, unlike “Graphis”, fills its pages with a few small images and mostly words describing the works displayed. Both use bold colors decorating their pages, but “Baseline” seems to focus more on geometric shapes and designs while “Graphis” is more on photography and life images. Magazines that have more words filling its pages are usually not as interesting as ones with mostly images. Its like children with books; would they rather look at the pretty picture or read hundreds of words describing what they could be looking at with their own eye.

            “Graphis” is an aesthetically pleasing published magazine. Although it is no longer printed, it keeps up its success through its website. Its wide range of images and designs keep viewer interested in its content and keep its online business alive and successful. Viewers can easily be inspired by its design layout, advertising techniques, and stunning images by talented designers. Books from this magazine are for sale to help designers along their way, and people can still access older editions as well. It shows how works of art should be displayed; taking up the full page and letting the images speak louder than the words describing it. 

Hidden Levels

I chose this to post because I really like the different fonts of the same word underneath. The different levels of ripped paper make it so much more interesting than if it were just any quote with the same font.

Colorful Bird

I chose this piece to publish on my blog because of its eye catching colors. The designer took an ordinary image of a parrot and made it even more vibrant than it already was. The colors draw the viewer in and it makes them think more of the bird and helps them see how beautiful it really is.

Alice in Wonderland

I have always been a fan of Alice in Wonderland, and I feel that the artist chose the right theme here for this drink. Although there is no brand name for the drink, viewers may be able to get the feel of what kind of drink it may be: possibly an energy drink or soda? It shows most of the elements of the movie which not only portrays the story itself, but how the drink will affect someone.

Humorous Messages

Most people truly do need motivation or to be bribed to exercise. I'm not going to lie, but I am one of those people so that is why I found this poster amusing. I feel like the designer made this for that purpose: amusement. Along with that, it makes a good point, but in a humorous way.

Marketing with Color

This image reminds me of the Apple IPod commercials and other products of theirs. The colors are a great way to grab viewers attention which make them want to purchase the product. After all, who can resist pretty colors? The designer chose the right path if he was sending this to a marketing company.

If you feel like it

I chose to post this stop sign because this is how many people actually see them. Most just roll right through them or ignore it all together. I feel the designer was trying to send the message that people do just that, ignore it and say that it needs to "stop".

Blowing Fish Away

When I first saw this piece, I immediately loved it. It is so different from what you would usually see. With the image of the girl blowing something out of her hand, you would usually expect her to be blowing bubbles or kisses. But here, it shows the artists creativity. I am unsure why he or she chose fish, but I feel that that is what makes the piece all that more interesting.

Art Nouveau

Like my last post, this image could be seen as a modern view of art nouveau. The flower and swirls in the woman's hair represent the movement in most art nouveau styles. I felt this post was a way to show our previous lessons and to familiarize myself with the style more.

Poster Design

I chose this piece to add onto my blog because I felt that it went with a poster design that we recently did as a class project. We were to design an add poster for a shampoo or some kind of body care product. I felt that this could represent something to do with lipstick or a perfume maybe. It has the Art Nouveau style that we have been studying lately and fits well with the lessons.

Living Controllers

So many teenagers these days are obsessed with video games. They come home from school and automatically load up the system and will play for hours. Some even say they feel as though they would be "unable to live" if they had to give the games up. I feel this artist captured that dramatization perfectly with his design by making it seem as the controller has a life of its own. I was automatically drawn to this piece when i saw it because of how many people I know who are gamers.

Universal Sounds

This image immediately made me think of a quote that I have heard a few times: Music in the soul can be heard by the universe. The notes and the end of the word floating among the clouds blends in with the "universe" element of the quote while at the same time it is bold and send the meaning clearly. 

Free Typography

In class, we've discussed typography and when I saw this, it made  me think of our lessons. The message with the words itself explains that designs are supposed to be free and creative. Its layout relays this message with the different sizes and placements.

Tigers and Roots

Animals have always had a place in my heart; especially tigers. Their stripes are so beautiful and I love how this artist captured them.  It seems like he or she used tree roots to make the tiger more detailed and seem more interesting than the normal photo of this animal would be. The roots mixed in with the stripes seem to symbolize that animals like this tiger are part of the earth in the same way we are and that we should capture their beauty in any way possible.

Natural Movement

When I first saw this picture, I was pretty drawn to it. I love how the artist used the objects to design her hair, and how much movement it has. The swirls, colors, and circles in the designs give it more life and interest that what this would look like if the artist just made it look like ordinary hair.

Meaningful Graffiti

Although this is considered graffiti, it gives a powerful meaning. The fact that these words are painted in a not so "beautiful" place, it gives them an even stronger impact along with the paint dripping from the bold lettering. Things like this are put in the most unexpected places to make an even larger impact on its meaning.

From Words to an Image

Making an image out of words has always fascinated me. I find it incredible how so many words can make something like this. Some are used to document people, like this one, and others are used for advertisement.

SMILE "it pisses people off"

This T-shirt is something I got on vacation this year.  Every year, we go to this sports bar/grill once we get into town.  Every time we go, they have new shirts promoting their business and this was one of them. The sad thing is, is that this saying is true sometimes aha.

Royals

This is a handbook cover is something I designed for a contest in my old high school for our handbooks for the next year. Although mine was not chosen, I'm still proud of the work I did.

Future Business

This logo is what is hoped to be the tag label for my parents future business. Every year we vacation in a small town in Western Maryland with our animals. It is always a pain to pack their crates so they came up with the idea to eventually open a business of their own where vacationers are able to rent dog crates for their vacation time. Since I am always playing around on Adobe Illustrator, they asked me to be a part of the business plan by designing the logos and this is what i came up with. 

Old Times

This sign was painted into the brick on the side of a building a long time ago to advertise the Coca Cola company. When i walked past it, it caught my eye. I have always loved old, worn down signs and this to me was exciting. Old advertisements aren't everywhere anymore and I thought it would be cool to share so that people get the chance to see it.