For this assignment, we had to take pictures of signs, images, etc. that we saw during our daily endeavors and find elements in them that we look for (or don’t look for!) in design.
The first sign I found was in Gaylord, and is a poster advertising the upcoming career development fair. I thought that the poster had good typography. I liked the use of different fonts where appropriate; the variety of fonts next to each other made the words stand out and painted a clearer picture of what the message is. I thought the typography was a good mixture of elegant and clean.
This sign is located in the Starbucks in the library. While it is colorful and attracts the eye that way, I felt that the proportions on the sign were off. I didn’t like the use of space for the sign, and felt as though one of the more important elements, the times the shop is open, was hard to read and crammed at the bottom of the sign. I would have liked to have seen a more proportionate layout so I could enjoy the design but also get the information needed.
Walking around campus, everyone sees the OU banners hanging from the lights. However, I noticed for the first time why they stood out to me so much; the white and red contrast of the sign makes it visible and esthetically pleasing. The OU signs are a great example of successful colors to help with branding because they contrast and pull the eyes of those passing by.
This is an informational poster hanging in an office discussing a forum for the Affordable Care Act. While I think the image is powerful, I felt as though the form, function, and message were off. The poster is filled with a lot of information, and while it is a powerful subject, I believe it get’s lost in the shear amount of text. I liked the form of the poster, but I think the function and message get lost once the text becomes heavy.
The final ad I saw on TV, and went onto the Apple website to capture it. I think this is the perfect example of brand as well as minimalism and use of space. While there isn’t much on the ad, simply the phone and 4 words, it is captivating and uses the space wisely. I think this will make people intrigued and interested in the iPhone 7, I know it captured my attention!
