On a university campus you run into a million examples of how design is used to convey messages, attract attention or simple please the eye. For this assignment I looked into multiple ways, color, typography, balance, contrast and other kind of concepts were used.
Color/Contrast/Proportion:
When I tried to think of the most colorful places on campus, the IT store immediately popped into my mind. Next to vibrant posters and graphs, this amazing seating area caught my eye. The chairs in the four base colors blue, green, yellow and red really pop against the grey floor and give off a playful vibe. In context of the store, the choice of color reminded me of Google and the way the seats were shaped in really playful proportions goes well with the many games and fun gadgets the store offers.
Color/Typography/Contrast:
This poster caught my eye because it reminded me of the typography games we played this week. One of the major lessons was to pick fonts that clash but balance each other. While the “download” font is very bold and calls to action, the word “Tapingo” is more subdued and plays with shade and contrast. After looking at the poster for a little longer, I was actually surprised that the designer didn’t pick the same font for both “Tapingos”, but I guess the second one is different because it’s a logo. The color scheme is consistent in orange and black tones, which create a nice contrast.
Form/function/message/use of space (everything, really):
One of the things I definitely wanted to feature, because I work with it every day and because I think it’s absolutely pleasing to look at, is this brochure page taken from Gaylord promotional material. It combines ideal proportions of text to graphics, plays with different font sizes and even includes visuals, without being too overpowering.
Although there is so much information crammed onto this page, the usage of dividing lines and sections create a good sense of proportion and is a shining example for ideal use of space. The white on black for the body text is easy on the eye and makes an official look. Numerals are emphasized, while text moves to the background, which makes it easy to spot information you’re looking for. The use of the Gaylord colors blue, white and crimson is consistent throughout the entire page and used to highlight certain words. Overall, I think this is one of the most well-done designs I came across and hope I can create something like that one day
