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You could think this was a real giant tub of Nutella at first glance, but this is an example of great product design. You know what it is as soon as you see it, not just because of the title and image but because of the shape. Opening the book feels like you are opening up a Nutella jar to all the possibilities of what MORE it could be.

The design inside is clean and consistent on every page, text being on the left page and image on the right, you know what to expect at every turn of the page.

This is my last blog post for the semester and I’m off to make some Nutella truffles! Bye 👋

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Examples of clever packaging ideas 

 Chewing Gum: https://www.fonmoo-packaging.com/personalized-product-packaging

Bread: https://a-g-i.org/design/gnome-baguette-bag

Wine Bottle: https://www.packagingoftheworld.com/2014/08/blossom-cava-sparkling-wine.html

Milk: https://www.behance.net/gallery/101926519/DEPOT-Milgrad?tracking_source=search_projects_recommended

Spaghetti: https://cheaps.fashionstore2021.com/category?name=nikita%20pasta

Butter: https://www.mousegraphics.eu/works/sm%C3%B6r-butter

Ketchup: https://www.mousegraphics.eu/works/cook-home-cookin-sauces

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Photo 1: https://pin.it/5zXjPME

Photo 2: https://pin.it/gsFr1j4

Photo 3: https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.pinterest.com/amp/pin/690458186622224216/

White (Negative Space)

White space are areas that are not occupied by text, images, or other visual elements. They are an important part of design and should always be considered. They don’t always have to be white, they are areas left unmarked and uncluttered.

Active white space is intentionally left black for a better structure and clean layout. It draws the eye to the filled areas and creates readability and gives emphasis to the content areas, leading the reader from one area to another. White space also adds a luxurious feel to the design for example the above examples of magazine layouts. The reason fashion and high class magazines feel luxurious is because they have lots of deliberate space in them because they have the money to have more pages than ordinary magazines and don’t need to cram any information together.

In photo 1, the use of white space allows for the text to appear as the rest of the letter K. There is the perfect amount of white space for the idea to work and the white space here it just as important as the areas of text. The large area of white space leads the eys and draws attention to the important text block.

In photo 3, there is a clever use of white space to create a visual illusion of the existence of a wine glass stem. In this way, white space can also be used to fill in the rest of an image.

An example of bad use of white space

The page on the left has terrible use of white space. By not applying enough white space the page appears cluttered and crammed; breathing room is needed. The text is too close to the images and the images look like they were thrown in and the size and placement wasn’t even considered.

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2021 has been a different kind of year for the development of trends, many have been carried on from 2020 and most have been affected or developed by the pandemic. With people spending the last year online, brands and content creators have had to think of new interesting ways to impress viewers, static images and typography is not enough to stand out.

Some emerging trends that we may have missed in the Visual Communication lecture:

LIVE STREAMS

Due to the pandemic and people studying and working from home and not being able to socialise with their friends in person there has been a huge increase of the use of live streams. Not only that but coaches and speakers have turned to this method of delivering their message and introduced online workshops and events.

VOICE SEARCH AND TEXT-TO-SPEECH

More customers are now searching with voice recognition tools such as speech built-in phones, smart speakers such as Alexa and voice enabled chat bots.

Text-to-speech is a Siri-like voice that reads out texts that you have placed in a video. It has become really popular ever since TikTok released the feature. You can now easily find memes and short videos on social media using this feature.

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After learning about movie posters I was really intrigued after finding out about metaphor based posters. I didn’t know this style of posters existed as such but this style really appeals to me so I scrutinised some more of them.

https://trufcreative.com/beautifully-designed-2013-movie-posters/

This poster of the movie temptation is really clever with its visual play. There is 3 things going on in the one image, a face, a snake and what looks like an apple, although that could just be the head. The deep red is very striking and eye catching and grabs your attention. It doesn’t give away much and makes me want to know more about what this movie is about.

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2018/03/02/movies/get-out-movie-posters-oscars.amp.html

This get out poster gives off the perfect feeling for the movie. It almost looks like his head is split open and is being stirred while he has a terrified expression. Although it is very abstract it gives off an uneasy, creepy feeling. The use of striking black and white colour contrast represents the opposition in races that the movie carries.

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I created a logo for an online store offering home decor, phone cases, tote bags, prints and more featuring unique illustrated designs.

The first step was researching their competitors which highlighted the differences and uniqueness that Mosu offers through their designs and products. I found that most of the competitors designs were entirely abstract which resulted in some difficulty connecting with the designs. On the other hand, some were entirely explicit nature designs such as animals. Mosu’s designs are abstract but inspired by nature which more people may connect to. This mix is Mosu’s strong point.

Since Mosu means moss in Japanese and the designs incorporate nature elements inspiration was taken from nature and other similar brands and nature related logos. After conducting multiple interviews with the client I gained a deeper understanding of the company, its mission, vision and target audience before embarking on the logo design research and brainstorming.

I initially produced many sketches combining nature elements such as mushrooms, lotus flowers, with symmetry and the concept of unity and community. I wanted to focus on soft and round shapes to match the feel of the word ‘Mosu’ and to convey cuteness. After conducting colour and typography research the above was the final logo.

The logo is effective because it is simple in form making it identifiable but also reflects the brand and its message with the lotus flower reflecting nature and the symmetry used representing the art. The circle engulfs the flower representing community. All the colours chosen reflect the brands values putting out the intended message to their customers. The logo is visually appealing by being easy on the eye and attractive in colour.

The font matches the logo giving an overall soft look. Its simplicity makes it functional in different applications. The word ‘design’ could be even bigger for optimal functionality but was compromised for the slick modern look.

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Nike is a perfect example of a well established and respected brand. Nike has an evocative logo and I was fascinated to find out it was created by a 28 year old student and that the least awful one was chosen only to become one of the most recognised logos in the world. Worldwide the swoosh is associated with Nike and has become a visual rhetoric element with one sight symbol. It is a simple brand image with a simple colour palette and it has served to be extremely effective.

Original design of the Nike logo, by Carolyn Davidson, then a 28-year-old student. 1971.

Nike didn’t like any of the designs they were offered, but production deadlines forced them to pick the “least awful” one.

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This IKEA ad by McCann was a smart way to use their brand to highlight how they can help in a terrible global situation. They aim to lift spirits by showing the special moments of being at home and at the same time encouraging people to stay inside. It focuses on triggering positive emotions in the viewers with the gripping visuals of childhood memories and happy moments.

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An incredible photography project by Fabian Oefner capturing our perception of reality depicting a gunshot tearing through the portrait. Such an intricate concept captured visually through taking a snapshot of thousands of fragments of the original print and arranging them together into a new piece.

A strong image such as this can elicit different emotions and perceptions in different people depending on their background, life experience and culture. To me, the images look extremely creative which take away from the dark and serious possible intention of the photographs due to it leaving me fascinated. That being said, when examined further, the seriousness in the people’s faces creates an ominous mood. The use of black and white makes the detail of the fragments clear and stand out more, as well as adding to the seriousness of the images making them look more intense than they otherwise would in colour. The direct eye contact of the figures in the photographs creates a very personal feel and makes you wonder what the subject may be trying to communicate, it encourages you to empathise.

https://fabianoefner.com/explosion-collages/

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In this weeks visual communications lecture we talked about grid system layouts. I have always been aware of them but had never actually looked into them or knew the names of the different types.

I have found some interesting layouts in books that I have at home.

The first page is taken from Type Matters by Jim Williams. This page is in a column grid layout. What is interesting about it is the empty space in the middle almost creating a grid of its own from white space. The column on the right is vertical which is even more unusual but interesting at the same time.

The second page is taken from The Elements of Graphic Design by Alex W.White. This is a very busy column grid system. The main heading and information starts below blocks of text at the top. Although there are numerous different sized modules columns and regions they still all fall into a column grid system.

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This infographic on The Risk of Wildfires Increasing was made by myself to raise awareness about a pressing issue in a cl, easy-to-digest and impactful way. The aim was to tell a story in an easy to understand way. 

The appropriate colour scheme represents land with the use of brown, fire with orange and water with blue.

Illustrated Icons were used to add a visual element along with any text information.

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To take something as boring as spreadsheets and turn it into such a jaw-dropping, colourful and fun animation that evokes an optimistic feeling is simply impressive and beautiful.

I was impressed by the slick representation of a single-click by the use of the bouncing ball tap. The whole animation throughout is smooth and satisfying to watch.

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After learning about colour theory in week 2 of Visual Communication I made 5 abstract geometric designs utilising a high key analogous colour scheme. The designs were illustrated in Procreate on an iPad using an iPencil. I went with pastel pinks purples and darker blue and an off white for contrast. These designs were then turned into A6 postcards.  

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This mural, by a Portuguese artist Artur Bordalo, is located on the wall of the Workshop Gastro Pub in Dublin city. The 3D mural aims to draw attention the the environmental issues in today’s world. This eye catching giant squirrel is made from used waste, visible are  old bicycles, road signs, pieces of cars, radiators, a bunch of trash, that have found a new life.

I remember the day I was walking about in the city center and got stopped in my tracks at the sight of this detailed mural. It fascinated me but also evoked an almost uncomfortable feeling in me because of how strongly it conveyed its message. The use of colour is brilliant as the earthy browns are relevant to the squirrel but also dirt, waste and rust. The choice of animal is interesting and relevant since the red squirrel is endangered due to deforestation in Ireland. it’s also interesting to note that squirrels symbolise planning, saving and stockpiling.

Photo: https://www.pinterest.ie/pin/847380486120695406/