Week 1

1
Typography
August 27, 2013

Images I found to supplement our first area, and arguably the most crucial, of study. All these imaged are what I felt best represented what I imagine to be good Typography, and in some cases, bad. Like you said; type can either be a really beautiful thing, or really ugly. 

The above example was good because I thought it utilized the space really well. It wasn't too cluttered or too empty, and all of the different fonts tied together really well. I also felt like the artist did a good job of picking the right fonts for each word or phrase. I also really enjoyed the bright background. 

I thought that this was an interesting piece because of how unique the shape of it was. They varied the size and shape of all the fonts really well and they all tied together beautifully. I also felt like the color scheme worked well together and I love the arrow there to add just a little bit more. I also loved how it didn't just read left to right, but how some words were flipped to add some dimension. 

I loved this one. I love the boldness of the red, and I just love the overall message it is putting forth. It is so true, bad typography is everywhere, but in most cases it tends to be hidden rather than grasping our attention. I felt like that piece portrayed that message well, and I love the way they did that with the overlapping and opacity of the red font. Its so simple, yet it says so much. 

The above example is beautiful to me. Although there is no variation in the font, I love the art they included. This is truly a work of art that portrays a good message and portrays it well. I love how its in grayscale as opposed to loud colors that would overwhelm the simple details. I love how it says so much without doing too much. 

This piece hands down is one of my favorite examples of typography. I absolutely loved this piece right away and thought it was one of the most creative pieces I have seen in relation to type. The colors all work flawlessly together, and although there are so many fonts involved it never comes across as cluttered or overwhelming. I absolutely adore this piece and everything it says. 

This is a lyrical poster of a song by Florence and the Machines and Calvin Harris. I really love the fonts used and how its all in grayscale on an off-white background. I think it utilized the space really well and kind of kept the message of the song going. I also really like how they included the artists name at the end, without it being so isolated that its the first thing you notice when you look at it. 

I thought this was kind of a fun idea for typography. I think that it kind of puts forth that typography can either make or break your piece, and sometimes people tend to overpower their work with bad type or with too much type. So I really liked this piece to kind of remind myself of the fact that type can either make or break you. 

This was a kind of abstract idea of typography that I found. Its hard to read kind of, but I put it in here for more of the concept aspect of it. I really enjoy the idea of incorporating type and art all in one, and this is a prime example. If the artist had made the word just a tad more defined it would have been flawless. I think its a beautiful concept. 

I chose this piece because I love how well it flows together. I love the way they tied the words into it, and I loved how the color changes as the image progresses. I also love how much detail is in the image, within the branches and the text. 

This is kind of one of those generic, cutesy font variation quotes, but I love how simple it is, and how well it turned out. All the fonts tied in really well together and each different font represented its word(s) really well. I also really like how they didn't over power it with color, but rather stuck to the simple color splash decorations. 

I love how bold and attention grabbing this piece is. All the colors work well, and all the big bulky bold fonts grasp your attention right away. It does a good job of emphasizing the key words and kind of maintaing the focus on those words. 

This is another one of my favorites. I love the art on top of the text, I think it takes this piece to the next level. I love how the bolded words, if seen from afar, could mean something on their own. It sends a message very simply, and its not overdone, which is something I feel happens when artwork is involved. 

One of my favorite qualities of text is its ability to be transformed into art like this. I love when people find a good quote or lyrics and find the perfect image to morph it into. This one is so simple and so well done, I absolutely love it. I also love how they added the light saber for just a little bit more dimension. 

This one was another one of my favorite examples I found. I love how it is done. I like how they explored with grayscale opposed to their normal electric Nike Colors, and I love how they included an additional quote to tie it all together. A really well done piece that has a lot of meaning behind it. 

This is one of my favorite quotes, so when I saw this I got excited. All of the fonts tie together beautifully, and it really comes together to make this work of art. I love how its on a textured blue background and all the serifs and details that were added. Its beautiful examples like this that make me love typography even more. 

I included this is example not just because its pretty funny, but because its really well done. I love the simplicity of the silhouette and the color splash. I love how all the letters are just chaotically piled on top of each other to really add that overwhelming feeling. I love the message this piece puts across, and I think it is really well done. 

This piece is here more for humor I guess. I do love how the font just gets your attention, and automatically kind of makes you assume something bad is going to happen, when really its all comedic.  I think its a good idea, and its not overdone by any means. 

I absolutely love this. This is the exact type of typography that I love and I think that this is a really well-done example. I love how all the words tie into the subject, and how they utilized the colors to associate it with Mario better. I also love how the font is morphed a little bit to make it look that much cleaner and more pleasing to the eye. 

This piece really caught my eye. It had this really appealing and welcoming feeling about it, and the font just makes it beautiful. Its a topic that is sensitive and serious, and the font makes it fun and beautiful and really makes you want to read and figure out what its about. I really enjoyed this and thought it was a beautiful example of typography and promotion. 

I really enjoyed this piece because of the details. I love how the brain has so many different textures, and how the background alone is so beautiful. This image has not only a great concept but it was also delivered flawlessly. Its so interesting to look at, and it all flows so well. 

I loved this piece right away because its so simple, yet so powerful. It sends s message really subtly, and yet so powerfully. I love the color choice with just the small bits of color here and there and I love how the font is twisted and mangled to make this mountain that looks like it would be really hard to climb. 

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August 29, 2013

Album Art

One of my favorite things in life is music, another one of my favorite things is art. How does an artist make a statement outside of their music? By having some kick ass cover art. Its what grabs your attention immediately at the record store, makes you stare at your i-pod just a little bit longer and makes a statement for artists outside of their lyrics. Some Artists are bolder than others, some turn to complex designs and bold colors, others stick to fonts and portraits. But either way album art gives musicians just that little extra edge they might need to win people over. Its like their logo in a sense. 

Hence, why I want to design it. 

I really enjoyed this album cover because I think it took a simple concept and made it very unique. I also loved how they threw some red in there which helped add to the overall mood of it. The font is simple but still flows well with the piece. 

I absolutely love the color in this piece. They took a color scheme and utilized it really well. The art is really well done, and I love how it is all kind of intertwined together. The layout of it also helps guide your attention to the album title underneath the artist. 

This was a very unique album cover to me, because it involved so much text and so many different colors. Normally things that are this busy can be distracting or overwhelming, but I thought this album cover was really interesting, and I found myself looking at it and finding more and more details I enjoyed each time. 

This is a really well known album cover by the Muse, who usually has pretty unique album covers. I love the simplicity of it, but then there are more and more details that you pick up as you look at it. For example, right away I didn't see the gas mask in his hand, but as I looked at it I noticed it and its shadow on the ground. A really well-done and creative album cover. 

This is a really interesting piece. It really makes you think and dig deep as to what it might mean. It does match Owl City's style of kind of fairy tell, fantasy like music. Its simple, yet so complex all at the same time. I love the gradient fill in the sky, and in the ocean. Its so interesting, but I still don't understand it 100%. However, it leaves a sense of mystery, which makes you want to know more. 

I really love this album cover because its so powerful and so creative. I really enjoy how the World is right in the middle, and how the colors are kind of randomly distributed rather than in some direct pattern. Another nice touch is the starry night sky in the background. 

Chaos. Thats what I think of when I see this album art. It has so much going on, so many weird shapes, and colors and just a weird feel to it. But, in the end that weirdness is what makes it so great. Its bold, and attention grabbing and just insane. I think it sends the message of overexposed in a new and unique way. I really enjoy this piece, and I love how you can look at it forever, but every time you look you pick up new details.  

This is another one of my favorites, because it is the exact style I love. Bold lines, weird curves, and just abstract overall. I really like how it is black and white, and the title is in red. It draws your attention to the title right away before your eyes head to the left and then the man guides your attention to the right. It is a really busy piece, but it flows really well and is easy to look at. 

A really basic concept, but it is truly stunning. The color in her scarf and her lips really pops to make this image incredible. I love the background color and how it interacts with the other components. It makes you feel the beauty behind Yuna, even before you hear her voice, you just know its gonna be great. 

This one was interesting to me, because its so simple, yet it works so well. Its a really basic idea, and I could probably pick it apart layer by layer. However, sometimes simple ideas are the best ideas you could have. It comes together to kind of bring forth this sense of confusion or makes you feel kind of lost. To me, emotion means more than details. 

This is one of my favorite album covers. Not just because it is Ben Harper, but because this is the epitome of my style. I love lines, and curves and simply beautiful pieces like this. I love how the font is over top of the blue, and how they layered all the different components. It would have worked fine without the cityscape in the background, but it really added a lot to this image. 

Mind Bokeh by Biblio is one of my favorite album covers. Its so simple, and so incredible. I love the color, the shape and the detail. I think this is an example of art capturing the essence of a musician perfectly. I really hope that I can design something that accomplishes that someday. 

This example is a little different than the other pieces i've included. This is an effortless cover, yet it is so strong. It matches Ellie Goulding's style perfectly. I love the glow they set behind her, to add just a little dimension. I also really like how the font is a really pale pink, its hardly there, but it does add to the piece. 

If someone mentioned good album art, I would immediately think of Torches. Ever since I first saw this piece I have loved it. I love the detail and the color splash and just the overall feeling of chaos it provokes. I love how they bolded Foster and People, and how they used yellow for the album title. It's a wild and risky piece, but it matches the artist perfectly. I love this album. 

This is a really interesting piece to me. It fits Iron and Wine perfectly. However, it made me kind of sad.  It matches the album, and the mood his music provokes, but I don't think album art should provoke such emotions. Its amazing artistry and the details are incredible. But I just wish it had been altered to fill the feeling of emptiness it provokes. 

This piece is right up my alley. If there is one distinct thing I love, its abstract curves like this. I love the color, the details and the mood it sets out. The font works really well with the other details. I also really liked how it was on an off-white background rather than just a stark white one. 

I didn't really know how to feel about this album art at first, it was kind of too-weird and trying to hard in my eyes. However, there are many details that I do like from this piece. I love the background, it adds texture. I also love how each person kind of has their own personality in the design. I think its a great concept, but it could have done much better in my opinion. 

To many this album art may be seen as weird, but it makes so much sense. If you listen to Santogold you know she is wild, and weird and just kind of obscure. I loved that this album accurately depicted her style and made a statement. The font is perfect and the details are just amazing. 

Maroon 5 is amazing within itself, but they really outdo themselves with their album art. This album is my favorite of all of them and it is so well done and so abstract. The colors used really provoke this kind of sultry and temptress feeling and the texture in the background adds more dimension. Its great album art to accompany an amazing album. 

This is hands down one of my favorite album covers of all time. Its kind of goofy, but its so well done and goes along with the title so well. I love the off-white background and all the different colors used in the people.