kabeachler

[kabeachler]

1. This design’s denotative meaning is to tell people who see the sign to “cultivate kindness.” 2. The design’s connotative meaning is but not limited to: Telling people to be kind to one another, showing that the person who own’s this sign is of religious belief since it is a Proverb from the bible, the sign can represent that the area surrounding is full of love and kindness. 3. This design piece is from a brochure that I created for a house for sale. The icons represent the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and how many stalls the garage has. These icons have a physical resemblance to the thing that is signified. 4. This chart is found at every hospital, doctors office, or place of medical care. The faces on the chart are an index to represent how the patient is feeling. 5. This tattoo symbol represents “unalome” or journey to Enlightenment. The connection between the signifier and the signified must be culturally learned, or else the symbol has no meaning. 6. The retired Adidas symbol is a representation of a past “style.” The use of the design in products now is signifying the ‘vintage’ look of the Adidas brand.

[kabeachler]

1. Infographic- “The difficulty lies not in the new ideas but escaping the old ones.” This was written in the readings, and it really stuck with me. Infographics are an incredibly useful in this day and age to provide accessible and sharable information. The previous statement was particularly eye-opening to me. At first glance, infographics are used to do just that- provide information. But more likely than not, the point of them is usually to inform people about a particular cause and to create a following based on the facts that are visualized using the graphic. The way that the “Disinformation Visualization” article was quite fascinating to me and will be put to use in my career in the future to spread facts and good, reliable data. 

2. The Coldwell Banker Realty logo is an intricate piece of design that is part of a much larger identity system. The new “North Star” logo was introduced to the Coldwell Banker brand late last year, causing a positive effect in the brand’s image. The North Star is an icon that is viewed cross-culturally as a “guide” that early expeditors used to navigate. The Coldwell Banker logo uses the navy-blue brand-wide and uses the North Star in a campaign that was launched nationwide to help “guide people home.” I believe that this simple and clean logo has an incredible meaning for a realty logo that is part of a huge identity system. 

[kabeachler]

1. The colors of the logo on this shirt are complimentary colors. Blue and yellow are opposite on the color wheel, which is the definition of complimentary colors. The yellow print on the blue shirt makes the logo pop, causing the logo itself to be eye-catching and creating focus. 

2. This is a piece of graphic design that I created for a football player recruit. The analogous green colors give depth to the original Michigan State hunter green. The brighter blue-green streaks compliment the yellow green of the player’s jersey. 3. While this isn’t the most interesting piece of graphic design, it gets the point across because the designer used all cool colors. The product is a pain relief roll-on gel that cools the skin when applied. The consumer sees the green and blues of the label and knows that this product will be “cooling” rather than say if the product label was red and yellow, which would be misleading. This is a great example of cool colors to represent a product. 4. This is a graphic that was created by me for a cover banner to put on Facebook to promote and represent “healthy relationships.” Healthy relationships should feel warm, joyful, bright, and happy. The use of all of the warm colors were used in this design to connect those feelings with good, healthy relationships! 5. This graphic design piece was to show that the new player was committed to playing football at Michigan State. The word “committed” is in bright red, contrasting against the green of the player’s jersey and the dark background. The point of the graphic itself was to show that the player was committed to MSU, so obviously we wanted that to stand out. The contrast of the red and green draws attention to the word before anything else, which is a great use of the element. 6. This logo was a graphic design piece created by me using the gestalt principle of continuity. The left side of the M is filled in by the eye from the right side of the A. It is a perfect example of how the eye knows that this is an A and M solely based on the gestalt principle of continuity. 7. The classic FedEx logo is one of my favorites because of its use of the figure-ground relationship. One of the most famous logos of all time uses the letters E and X in block letters to create an arrow in the background. The FedEx shipping service uses this arrow to imply that your package will get to where it needs to go. What a creative and great way to use the figure-ground relationship in the real world! 8. The use of the “Uncle Sam Wants You” posters that were made famous during WWI to strike chords of moral responsibility in young men as a recruitment effort for the American forces. Today, the same idea is used to encourage people to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hopefully it works and everyone stays home, safe, and healthy!

[kabeachler]

Contrast// A principle of art that refers to the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a piece so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama.

Photo 1:  Contrast is evident in the colors photo between the background and foreground. The white snow in the background of the photo accentuates the rich olive green of the snowboarder’s jacket. The bright yellow ring of the hood around his face is a great use of contrast to make the focal point of the photo his smiling face, pulled in all together by the rich colorful sunset, which is also contrasted against the white snow on the ground. Overall, the contrasting colors in this photo create a great example of using contrast.

Photo 2: This is a photo of a drawing of mine. Black and white drawings rely completely on the use of contrast. The pencil lines are thicker on the lines of the face, creating a visual outline that our eye sees against the pure white background. We know where her hair is because it is filled completely dark. The hair is not the focal point but actually acting as more of a shadow. We can only achieve this technique by contrasting the black and white lines on the page.

Photo 3: The life that is represented in this photo is fun, bright, and joyful. The reason that this photo works so well is because of the dark complexion and the dark dress that the model is wearing.  This photo would not “pop” if the model had something pink or light-colored on, because the contrast between the colors of the model and the bright pink background is at work. The eye focuses on the model against the bright pink background because of contrast.

Photo 4: This photo was taken with a slow shutter speed and a subject moving a light in a pitch-black room. This photo would not have actually worked if it wasn’t for contrast. The moving bright white light only shows up like this because of the black room being in contrast with it. Using this photography trick and through the use of contrast is how photographers can truly capture “movement” in photos.

Photo 5: The close-up photo of this basketball fan creates contrast between the foreground and the brighter, blurry background. This photo uses contrast in two different ways; through color and the focus. The focus is clearly on the basketball fan’s face, but the photo shows the background in blurred vision letting the viewer of the photo know that this was taken at a basketball game, but the focus of the photo is on the basketball fan, not the game itself.  

[kabeachler]

Contrast// A principle of art that refers to the arrangement of opposite elements (light vs. dark colors, rough vs. smooth textures, large vs. small shapes, etc.) in a piece so as to create visual interest, excitement and drama. Photo 1:  Contrast is evident in the colors photo between the background and foreground. The white snow in the background of the photo accentuates the rich olive green of the snowboarder’s jacket. The bright yellow ring of the hood around his face is a great use of contrast to make the focal point of the photo his smiling face, pulled in all together by the rich colorful sunset, which is also contrasted against the white snow on the ground. Overall, the contrasting colors in this photo create a great example of using contrast.

Photo 2: This is a photo of a drawing of mine. Black and white drawings rely completely on the use of contrast. The pencil lines are thicker on the lines of the face, creating a visual outline that our eye sees against the pure white background. We know where her hair is because it is filled completely dark. The hair is not the focal point but actually acting as more of a shadow. We can only achieve this technique by contrasting the black and white lines on the page.

Photo 3: The life that is represented in this photo is fun, bright, and joyful. The reason that this photo works so well is because of the dark complexion and the dark dress that the model is wearing.  This photo would not “pop” if the model had something pink or light-colored on, because the contrast between the colors of the model and the bright pink background is at work. The eye focuses on the model against the bright pink background because of contrast.

Photo 4: This photo was taken with a slow shutter speed and a subject moving a light in a pitch-black room. This photo would not have actually worked if it wasn’t for contrast. The moving bright white light only shows up like this because of the black room being in contrast with it. Using this photography trick and through the use of contrast is how photographers can truly capture “movement” in photos.

Photo 5: The close-up photo of this basketball fan creates contrast between the foreground and the brighter, blurry background. This photo uses contrast in two different ways; through color and the focus. The focus is clearly on the basketball fan’s face, but the photo shows the background in blurred vision letting the viewer of the photo know that this was taken at a basketball game, but the focus of the photo is on the basketball fan, not the game itself.  

[kabeachler]

1. As stated in the Design Observer article, “Graphic design is an international language composed of signs and symbols, marks and logos, banners and billboards, pictures and words.” In this photo, the Michigan Chemistry Council has used its logo on its free giveaways to attendees at the event. The gifts were beakers at their annual conference. The use of their logo on the beakers administers labeling and spreading their brand to relevant consumers. This is a great use of graphic design. 

2. This example of graphic design is the use of characters from the 1992 men’s Olympic basketball team. The use of the design on this jacket is a way to express gratitude and honor to the men that played on this team in a fun and unique way. The design elements are communicating that message to the potential buyers of the jacket and now the people around the wearer of the jacket. 

3. This ad for Word Press was found on social media on my Facebook timeline. Word Press is using social media in order to advertise to potential clients and buyers of the website building platform. The ad is clear and precise, with the Word Press logo on the bottom of the graphic, creating visual branding. Designers must “maintain a delicate balance between clarity and innovation,” and this graphic is a great example of that. 

4.  This map of Grand Rapids is a mural on the side of a building in the heart of downtown. While this is not a specific example of graphic design itself, it is a representation of the fact that design has roots through all forms of art, including maps and icons. Simple forms of graphic design can be found on all maps and street signs. Design and icons are used to portray a single and clear message to all viewers. This photo of the mural in Grand Rapids is a great example of how graphic design influences everyday life. 

5. This photo of a storefront window is a great example of the use of graphic design in a typography setting. While the message it shows to onlookers might be funny, the type used and the font size and format was deliberate. The designer behind this message obviously wanted to keep his or her message very short and sweet, and just wanted to make their viewers day a little bit better.