A Little Redundant...

It's a gun!...made of other guns.

I saw a large ad for this movie the last time I went to the theater, and I must admit, it did catch my eye. It is very visually striking...but a little boring, c'mon a gun, made of other guns?? Couldn't they think of something more creative? I wonder how many guns are in the film?

That's Using Your Head!

This is a great example of an eye-catching advertisement. The minimal type with plenty of white space makes it easy to read (and the play on words is really cute). I also like how they overlaid the x-ray of the skull over the Spartan logo, genius!

I was recently back in Michigan and I saw a well designed billboard advertising the location of Michigan State University's new medical education and research center. This is the best use of a collegiate logo that I have seen in a long time...good job State! Read more about it here.

Information is Beautiful

We are inundated with information every day, but how much of it is visually pleasing to the eye? Not very much, but David McCandless is out to change this using pictograms of data to illustrate issues facing the world today in beautiful ways. Click on the video below to view him in action (it is about 20 min. long, but it is worth it).

Here is one of his pictograms showing the differences between the two political sides. The data and information is organized in a very interesting and visually stimulating way. The reflective way that he designed it depicts the pluses and minuses of both ways of thinking.

For more visualizations: click here

Packaging Spotlight - Justin's Almond Butter

I found this product in the health food isle of my local grocery store. It is called Justin's Almond Butter, and it is amazing!! I love the design of the packaging, and the taste of the product is just as good. Another plus is that it comes in small 1 oz. packages, so you can try it before you buy it (the full size product is kinda pricy at $12.00 for a 16 oz. jar). If you like peanut butter, I dare you to try this product!

Proof that simple packaging works, especially with all-natural food items. The packaging design makes me think that there isn't a lot of nonsense and fillers in this product, and I'm right! There are only 4 ingredients, and 2 (almonds & maple sugar) are featured in the clever illustration. It has been my favorite snack lately...on celery sticks, apples, and by itself!

HH Graphic Design at Target

A little while ago, another designer commented on one of my design comparison posts saying something like "I've never seen those logos, why don't you comment on designs that we see around?". I wrote this post is in response to that comment.

I decided to take my digital camera and my discerning eye to the local Target to see what kind of great (and greatly disturbing) designs I could find...here's what I came up with...enjoy! Oh, and don't forget to leave a comment to tell me if you agree/disagree.

COSMETICS

I really like this packaging...it's says "Pow! Buy this mascara!!!"

This is just...plain...boring...

Sorry the pic is a little burry...but I like this packaging, especially the color scheme and the border. The logo is really cute too!

Ugly, ugly, UGLY!! The grey and light pink are extremely washed out, and they look terrible together. What is with the crackled background? It makes me think of wrinkles...I guess they were trying to echo the shapes of the surface of the product...lame.

HOUSEWARES

I absolutely LOVE everything about this packaging! It has a cool, simplistic design, and I like the bright green and grey color choices. The logo is also very cool, I like the interlocking "u" and "m".

This is sooooo bad compared to the previous one. What is with the line at the bottom of the "t"?? It looks like they were trying to make an interesting logo, but only spent 5 seconds designing it. I can't believe this got approved and produced.

I am a big fan of Method products. My eye is always drawn to their line because it looks so classy compared to other cleaning products on the same shelf.

See what I mean? Cheap and cheesy looking. :(

GROCERY

Beautiful design...everything goes together and flows very nicely.

Weird packaging...I don't like the colorful fruit placed with the stark black and white photo.

CHILDREN'S TOYS

Crayola has had the same packaging since I was a kid. When it is mixed with a TV character that kids love, you get a winning combination, and kids will want it.

Just a mis-mash of colors, gradients, and fonts...too much is going on here.

TECHNOLOGY

Lexar uses color and gradients in a smart and inviting way. I also like the drawings on the front of the packaging that help guide technology inexperienced people.

Come on Motorola...This is boring! It's simple, but not in a eye-catching way. Also, the blue they chose bothers me for some reason...

Well, there you have it, my collection of good/bad design strait form the shelves of Target. What do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Let me know!! :)