Mad, I mean BAD Packaging

I'm a big Mad Men fan and so seeing this Season 4 DVD and Blu-Ray cover design really, really ticked me off. It seemed like it was just thrown together in Illustrator. The previous covers picked a significant object from the show and came in unique packaging. A lot of people from what I've read enjoy the clean and simple design of the cover, which to be honest ... upsets me. After doing the DVD series assignment, I've understood the significance of cohesion between all the covers. This one doesn't really seem to fit. Take a look ...






Again, It just seems to me that not as much effort went into the design itself. Considering it's a show about advertising, you'd think there would be more effort. I'm wondering if it's because the show has gone on hiatus till March 2012 that the design team got pushed back too?

Very cool packaging

This made me want to go back to elementary school again. Created by a design student, these juice boxes are a cleverly packaged to illustrate the juice that they are holding. Visually, these would be great for kids, especially at a young age and still developing various learning skills. Even the typeface, I love. It fits perfectly with the overall look of the packaging. The grunge look fits sooooo well with the design and looks as if a child sketched it in. Even the colouring ... works so well. The bright colours attract the eye and again, if designed for a child, these would be perfect

Interesting Illustration

When I saw this ... I immediately thought of the game 'Operation' mixed with a little of Mr. Potato-Head. Can you see it? I've been noticing lately that I'm tending to be attracted to designs that have flow in the form of arrows and lines. There was just something about this poster that stuck with me. Maybe it reminds me of many things and that's why I like it. There's a type poster that is almost a 'choose your own adventure' type of layout in which it asks questions and determines which font is best for what you're doing. This poster reminds me of something like that. I really don't think that it's anything in particular ... just all the little elements that make up this poster. It's fun and cute ... and it works.

Graphically Speaking ...

Creativity at its best! The branding for Germany's horror channel, 13th Street, took a whole new turn with the introduction of this new line of stationary. Strategically placed on the document, the areas in which punching or stapling are to occur, traumatized heads lay waiting. Intense, but very clever. I'd hope that these would be for inner office use ... if not, I'm sure that some form of warning may need to be attached before opening!

Toy Design

Moody Buddy - The Mood Swinger
The friendly pal, who shows children all sides of his character and teaches them to recognize different emotions. This game which involves guessing how Moody feels by his facial expressions is fun for all the family. Little guide book included.

I came across these as I was searching around behance.net in its product design section. As mentioned before, I've started to take quite the liking to product design, especially the creative and innovative ones. This one in particular caught my attention as it is a mock-up of a children's toy, which allows the children to learn the various facial expressions of others. It's a pretty cool concept if you ask me. What's interesting is that these figures open up, acting as a holder for all the different mood stickers. I'd almost want this for myself! You know, if you're having one of those days and you really don't want to talk to anyone ... you could whip this out and hopefully the other person will get the hint! So tempting.

I really love when designer's bring their innovative ideas into the design of children's toys and learning activities. This product in a way reminds me of 'Alphabeaties,' which used type as a means of building various animals. As I grow as a designer, I really hope to bring my creativity into creating some pretty cool things for kids.

Bad to the bone ...

As gross as these may seem, I absolutely love them. My obsession with fonts is very intricate and layered. They aren't just letters or pixels, they're a means of communicating ... giving life to something. These images, although they may seem graphic, illustrate the life that the letters hold themselves. I really think people don't see the power and potential a typeface can hold over a design. When it comes down to it, the face can either make or break the design. This images are apart of a whole series in which the type are operated on, exposing the life that is within them. It's a very interesting concept, one that I very much admire.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Evolution-of-Type-Exhibits-6-9-12/1022967

Sexy, Sexy Type

I love love LOVE type posters such as the ones above. When designers take type and make it malleable ... it usually turns out pretty cool. There was one Harry Potter film (I think it was the Half-Blood Prince) where the ending sequence looked like black ink being dropped into water, which really got to me. Frankly, it was my favourite part of the movie (sorry, hope you're not a HP fan). With that in mind ... the above type fits into that image. It seems like a combination between ink and film being burned. Very cool combo.
http://www.behance.net/gallery/Disorder-Type/379966

Spider man! Spider Man!

Some very cool posters to check out. Much like the colours of the superheroes they represent, the illustrations are amazing and the simplicity of the design lends itself well to the heroes themselves. Check out the site for further posters!


http://www.behance.net/gallery/Superherovillain-posters/194362

Text + Sex = WOW!

As a type nerd, I couldn't resist posting this (even as inappropriate as it is). I'm always fascinated by images made out of type and this one ... I'm speechless. I will say this however, I don't like the typeface whatsoever. Clever idea, bad type choice. I also don't like how rigid the image is ... doesn't seem to have much cohesion or flow to it. You'd think that creating such an image would involve flow. I know this was a student's creation and with a few changes ... it would turn out pretty cool. Granted, it would never get printed in North America but ... could have an opportunity in Europe?

A logo that I'm on the fence about ...

With the whole 3D fad in television and movies paving the way for the future entertainment, this logo seemed to stick out in matching that particular theme. I like this and I don't. It's hard to explain what I don't like about it, which is rather odd b/c I'm usually pretty articulate. Being a film girl, I'm not a big fan of 3D ... so maybe that's why this logo doesn't really resonate with me. Maybe I'm staying loyal to the old ways of film?