Wine Bottle Label Design

I stumbled on this wine bottle design on the internet. Click the image to go to the site. There are a lot of different wine bottle designs there. I like wine. My favorite's are reds like Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. I think this label is very creative in its use of comic strip type imagery.

The End Is Near

It's coming faster than we probably want it to at this point. Many things yet to tidy up before the semester is over. I have enjoyed this Graphic Design History class this semester. I wish I had taken it years ago when I first began walking on this path. I suppose the old saying still holds true though, "Better Late than Never".  The information reaped from this history class has been immeasurably valuable. Now I have a better grasp of what people may be referring to when they speak of "Victorian",  "Art Nouveau", or even "Contemporary".

So, I was grabbing a bowl of cereal the other day and noticed the font on the cover of this box. It appealed to me because I like sans-serif fonts. I like the interesting way that the lower-case "t" is only crossed on one side.

When looking closer I found that the image on the box was the dominant feature and actually looks delicious. Another feature of the package design that I really like is in the upper right corner where it appears to have burlap peeled back to reveal more information about the nutrients within.

On the back, the same font is used in the same color providing an obvious unity. The circles of information and images is unified by the round white bowl. It surprises me how much effort is put into generic store brand name foods now. It used to be a very obvious generic looking label, and those seeking to save a dollar simply looked for the simple, plain packaging. A little plug; We have had very good experiences with nearly every store brand product sold at Meijer. It saves us dollars, and in many cases the food is more nutritious than big name products without sacrificing flavor or satisfying portion sizes. 

Cult Following - World Of Warcraft

Well spring break is over and it's back to the books. As if I ever left. So many things going on at once, it's amazing that any of it gets done. Well, this is a pretty old now, but it's still on the shelf in my room. I used to play this game quite a bit. I honestly think that the cult following isn't as massive as it once was. There are so many free games out there that are approaching the incredible animation and technology of this game that paying a monthly subscription just doesn't make sense anymore. At least that is where I'm at anyway. I was always taken in by the skill of the packaging design though. It transports you into another realm enticing you to see the realm in the game. Really, the game, it's plot, it's animation and game play is the most impressive that I've ever seen. I imagine that there could be better out there now, but I'm not a real heavy gamer, so I wouldn't know. I had a lot of fun with this game though and always had a great appreciation for the amazing realism represented on the packaging as well as the game itself.

Election Campaign Irritation

It has been a vocal year of campaigning. Most of what we hear and see is in regard to the Presidential candidates as we approach a new term. So much more attention should be placed on local senate and house seats up for election though. This is where we will actually make a difference in the quality of our lives, if it is even possible. I won't go into my personal political views, mainly due to my own confusion and frustration with it as a whole. For many, Presidential election years are the only ones that they contribute a vote toward as if it were the only election to be concerned with. I believe that the men and women who are in the seats of the Senate and the House of Representatives enjoy this and it is why it remains so. The political focus is always placed on the President as if he were the one man running the country. So true is the exact opposite. This is why, in my opinion, President Obama has been unsuccessful in many of his goals, because of roadblocks and political nonsense designed to make him look unsuccessful. So, okay I guess I have let on a bit about my personal views.

We've all seen the yard signs this year for our local Congressmen (or women) blanketing our frequently traveled landscape. One sign gets me every time I see it. Every single time that I have come up on this sign, I have found myself struggling to be certain that I understood what I was reading and comprehending as the individuals name.

If this guys name was Smith or Jones you could probably pull an ultra creative and playful design like this off. In my opinion, all this does is cause confusion. If you want to effectively communicate your name, it must first be readable. Also, consider that most people viewing the message are traveling in a vehicle at a certain speed. The amount of time required to interpret the message is therefore reduced significantly. I find this problem with many large billboard ads as well. To me it would have been much more readable to forego the state shape inside the "U" of his name in favor of just simple Helvetica letters. Who in Illinois needs to know that he is running for an Illinois State Senate seat anyway? We are Illinois residents, seeing the signs here in Illinois. No one from out of state can vote for Illinois candidates, and we couldn't vote for candidates running for seats in any other state in the union. Granted the shape of our state is an identifiable one. I would bet money that no candidate running in Colorado "A perfect rectangle" would attempt this style of design. I think this design is both a failure as well as an apparent success. I have had so much difficulty reading this sign over the past few months, that I find it necessary to rant about it's frustrating design. So, then is it in fact a success?

It's That Time of Year!! A Seed Catalog Comparison

Well, my favorite time of year has arrived. I begin to yearn for outdoor activities, I plant bulbs and other plants. I start to visit nursery's and plan projects. This year for instance, is to finish some left-over projects from last year. I want to build a fence around the back yard and a brick paver patio. How much of that gets done is still yet to be determined, but never the less, I get excited about being outside and working in the yard. Gurney's is usually the first one to hit my mailbox. Their catalog is always of a more paper feeling paper. Not quite like newsprint, but not like notebook paper either. It's never glossy. Their layout always has Yellow and Green. But from a design perspective, your eye is drawn to the red first. So, you see the starred coupon ad in the upper right as well as the huge red coupon in the lower left. Good balance there.

Through the years, I have placed orders with numerous mail order seed catalogs. I have never paid a whole lot of attention to the designs of these except to notice and sometimes be influenced by their front page deals and offerings. Other times I know what I want and just look for that, but more often, I'm just browsing for ideas. I like to find different or rare plants that aren't in the average landscape.

I like to try to find bulbs that I don't have to dig up every fall. Breck's has a lot of bulbs. Mostly tulips. But if you see my yard in the summer time I always have Elephant Ear Caladiums and Banana Trees and other tropicals. The Brecks catalog always has one large image on the cover and is always printed on glossy paper. The inside is filled with loads of large, full color images of  various flowering bulbs.

I've always wanted to visit this Four Seasons Nursery in Bloomington, IL. Heck, it's just up the road. Their catalog has a Gurney's feel to it as far as design. The boxes with various content advertised is usually an unbeatable buy. Even though much smaller, the red 1 cent SALE! in the upper right draws your attention.

Henry Fields and Burgess are great catalog companies as well. Henry Fields is another with a strong Gurney's feel to it. I see the bright red coupon first, just like with the Gurney's catalog.  Burgess prefers yellow corner tags that draw your attention and they add the little tag also sitting at an angle. 

And last but definitely not least, is my new favorite. Usually a large tropical or citrus plant covers the entire front cover of Logee's, which separates it from the rest (except Breck's). It is also printed on glossy paper. 

In Logee's I can find the Tropical's that I so often covet for my gardens. Everything inside is rare or naturally grown in warmer climates. I don't risk too much when considering a purchase from here. I usually research a variety for hardiness in our zone.  I usually have no trouble growing plants in the summer, but in the winter, when I bring everything inside, if it doesn't like the light or moisture it won't make it till next year. Sometimes one of my cats will give it a death sentence. 

Be the next Van Gogh!!

I found this advertisement intriguing. It was in the MAR 2012 issue of HOW magazine. It is a two page spread regarding inspiration of Van Gogh.

Then, in the second page it says...

I think that the approach is ingenious. First... to the student of graphic design, who is discovering the inspirations behind the historical greats, it is speaking to what might be necessary to come up with your next ideas. Next, it is eluding to a current day solution that obviously wasn't available then. So, if Van Gogh had the opportunities that you have today, why then can't you too be a genius? All you have to do is go to feast.istockphoto.com.   Apparently, it's an inspiration smorgasbord.  I really like the artistic strokes beneath the obviously new and contemporary clean lines of the newer script bold font.  The message is clear. Use our photo database, ... buy our photos,.... and be a genius! Very simple. Very direct. Very well done. 

Vector tuts Highlights Great Design Agencies

Among the 22 deign agencies highlighted by Vectortuts.com, Go Media, based in Cleveland intrigued me with the images that Vectortuts displayed.  Once I arrived at the site and spent some time browsing their work, I found this identity to be nicely done. The font appears to be of a hand crafted design, and the red drop symbolizes what the name says. I would imagine that to simplify this concept even more, if it is desired in the future, that little red drop could become the whole identity. I think this is clean and simple, and the font really gets my attention because I don't recognize it, plus it has a very soft appearance. The brand is apparently for a clothing line that originated as a simple campaign against diabetes.

Award Winning Design Company

In a Google search, I typed "award winning graphic design companies".  The third link down the page grabbed my attention saying Graphic Design Chicago - UpShift Creative , so I clicked and found that the company has designed campaigns for Allstate, Discover Card, and Weber Grills as well as identities for other companies.  I recognized one such company that I just recently saw has been added to our own Champaign area. The  name alone is catchy, but in observing the logo for a minute in it's true and ultimate simplicity, it appears to be a burger. The black on white simple sans-serif font divided by a rounded edged reddish brown line. It is a brilliantly simple and effective design that could almost fit right in with our current chapter study of a Plakatstil poster. 

A well designed logo will inform the customer of what the business does. Often the name of a business with do most of this job and the logo supports it. In this case, the name and logo are one and work in tandem to accomplish the same task. The result is a sure success. 

Beautiful Girls

Maybe Graphic Design does play a part in the decision. Do the following .pdf brochures sell their promise? To me, just about the most beautiful thing in the world is a muscle car. I love the sight of them. I love the sound, the smell, and the feel of a really mean machine. What sells this to the All American Boy? It could be movies. It might be radio. Is it peer pressure or status quo? Maybe it's the influence Dad has on a boy? Or it could just be human nature.  By the time a guy is old enough to responsibly drive one of these beauty's, not to mention afford her, he may need a little extra motivation to choose just the right girl for him. She could be a 

Corvette, Mustang, Camaro,  Challenger, Viper, or even more exotic and expensive. Let's just say he's a regular guy on a budget and every dollar counts. What will he choose? Why will he choose it? Horsepower? Price? Options? Style? Performance? Does the image above sell this car? Click it to see the whole brochure.

 Honestly? For me? No! I love these new Mustang models, but for me she has to be of a rare stock. I like the 550-horsepower Shelby GT500. Otherwise forget the Mustang and go with something like a Corvette. Of course, again here, she couldn't be a plain 430-horsepower Corvette. She would have to be the 505-horsepower Z06 model. Click the image for the brochure. Does it sell the Corvette? Any better than the Mustang?

 Or better yet with gas prices making me angrier every day, I would seriously consider the Tesla Roadster.

This week, I made my second visit to this little Mexican food place in Urbana. (closed menu: left) It shares a building with the new Jimmy Johns on University near Cunningham.  I always like to sample Mexican food places because it is my most favorite food. I like the choice of color in the logo. To me it says desert and cactus.

These are photos of the menu that I picked up while I was there. It's a bit difficult to see it here. The menu, when fully opened up resembles a tortilla. I didn't put that together while it was closed, but it is very obvious once you open it. I think that the designer did a great job with that touch. the edges are cut with an imperfect edge. As far as the Napkin is concerned, same logo, but they add a sombrero and their catch phrase to it. I like the catch phrase. It's perfect for a napkin. Then there is the bi-line "It's all about the Tortilla!". Their claim to fame is apparently their tortillas. And they are admittedly pretty good. I've had their burritos twice now.

It's function is to sell you on the idea that their tortillas are the best around. I think the design and layout of the type inside the menu is well done. The primary thing that you are looking for are the items that they sell. It is a pretty short menu with only 5 items to choose from plus side orders. So, the items names are in the brown squiggly bars with a description in smaller print below. Below that are the options available in the item selected and then the prices. All of the vital quick information is very easy to locate. Of course it is even made easier with the limited selection. I think that the design pulls off the Tex-Mex feel very well. The design is clean and styled correctly for the type of business that it is.

Graphic Design Comes In Many Forms

I have been trying for a long time to come up with something original that says "me". I want to design a logo that  I will use on my blog, website, business cards, etc. So, I've been watching other logo designs for a very long time. My first introduction to the concept of logo's was when I was just a young boy and my parents owned a clothing store and beauty salon. They named their store Beau's & Bell's and it was done in black with a french script looking font. The logo was in black as well of a Victorian era man and woman under her umbrella. I always thought it was very classy looking. I wish I had a copy to show here.

Anyway, I have taken photos of a few business logo's that appeal to me. I think the Outback Steakhouse has a nice and simple text logo. I don't know what font this is, but I was just noticing the other day how unusual it is with the curvature inside the letter "K". I don't know how much it speaks to being Australian, but it is bold and effective.

I have never had a bad experience eating at Ruby Tuesday. The logo on the face of the building is apparently the old one. Everyone appears to be heading in the direction of very simple text based logos these days.


Speaking of very simple text based logos, when I see the Game Stop logo, I see Grand Theft Auto written all over it. I don't know if this was the intent or if it was accidental or incidental. Maybe there are other games out there that have a similar look and feel to GTA. I'm not sure, I don't play a very wide selection of games. The White and Red in kind of a comic book style font says game.  I wanted to get a photo of the bank inside of Walmart. The green and black and white layered in a three dimensional layout is very intriguing. A Walmart manager decided to inform me that they did not allow photos to be taken inside the building. If you get the chance, next time you venture into the massive retailer, check out the large banner logo above the bank.

I love tea - especially Chai Black

Several years ago I significantly reduced my coffee intake because my Dr. said I'm allergic to it. So, I found tea, and eventually found a favorite flavor. So for years I have been drinking the Black Chai made by Stash. I love the flavor, but I was also partial to their packaging design. They used to have a half round hole cut in the box. Once I unwrapped the plastic wrapping and stored the box in my cupboard, I could very easily pull a tea bag out of the box while the box remained on the shelf in my cupboard.

I'm not sure if people complained, or if the company decided to pinch a penny, or maybe just desired a new look, but they did away with my favorite design in favor of a similar box that required me to tear out a perforated  area to reveal my favorite access portal. Not happy, but maybe some Yahoos were slicing the plastic in the stores and stealing tea through my convenient access portal. Okay, I dealt with it.

That design only lasted for about six months, maybe a full year. Then Stash decided to completely reinvent its packaging with these photos as a result. As far as the imagery and text layout, I see it as cleaner, sleeker, and perhaps a bit more elegant than my older favorite packaging design. The trendy, fashionable, sleek, new, contemporary, look has always been what I see in their packaging. This is possibly why I'm attracted to it, thinking that this isn't the same old "Celestial Seasonings" tea that Mom always bought.

So, this newest design is kind of neat, but I'm still adjusting to it. You push in on the little thumbtab, and pull the whole lid up while tearing the perforated corner seam. It isn't very intuitive or obvious what to expect when you do this, but the lid is designed for future closure and reopening pretty well once you get past the initial step.

One day, the store shelf was out of my favorite tea. What's a guy supposed to do? Well, I wasn't about to go chasing from store to store to find it, but I was completely out at home. I'm adventurous,   and I'll try anything once. So, I noticed the Twinings brand version of their Black Chai Tea and bought that thinking it would hold me till I could find my favorite Stash on a shelf again.

Twinings is another old school brand that Mom had on her shelves. But, this packaging design isn't "Classic" looking. It appears fresh, clean, contemporary, delicious, and new. I am particularly fond of the font choice used for the word "Chai".  It has an Asian feel to it, giving it an even more convincing authentic impression. My absolute favorite part of this new design though is the box mechanical design. It is hands down the most innovative and impressive package for tea that I have ever seen. I can't even imagine that it could ever be improved upon. It has a flip top. As you open it, you feel a slight resistance as if it is being held shut with something as strong as velcro. Then it instantly releases its light grasp and your box is open. When I examined the closure design, I found two tabs that swing or fold up or down with the opening and closing of the lid. These tabs fit snugly into a little pocket in the lid when it is closed. This is the simplest and most effective design I've ever seen. Maybe I've been hiding under a rock, but this is new to me and I have a new favorite package. Sorry Stash, I'm a Twinings drinker now. I love the packaging but the flavor of the tea is actually a bit richer with the Twinings too. 

University of Illinois Credit Union Mailer

This came to me in the mail as similar ads often do from the University of Illinois Credit Union. I think that the style book that they work from is well designed and very nicely applied every time that I see the newest ad that they send out. I actually had the opportunity to shadow Sarah Brenner, the graphic designer who is responsible for these layouts one day last summer. It was a very interesting glimpse at a day in the life. She showed me the style book that is applied to every ad and campaign that she produces for the company. That was my first experience being enlightened to the concept of a "Style Book". The font choices, exact colors, as well as other styles are precisely adhered to every time they create anything for the public eye. It's all about identity.

Front

Back

In this particular ad, I'm very interested in the reflection inside the goggles. It looks like there is even a bit of curving wrap applied to the logo, but I think it should actually be a bit stronger than it appears. The actual size of this is about 10" X 6", each image is one side of that dimension. 

Test Test ... tap tap ... is this thing on?

I just recycled an older blog in my blogger account to get this up and going. I hope that I haven't created any complications by deleting all the old posts to clear the road for the new spring semester. So, here goes.