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.