Week 9: Real Life Inspiration

So I was on my lunch break and happened to walk past Anthropologie. I noticed this display in their window and walked up closer and I realized that it is all made out of those origami fortune tellers. I thought this was such a cool idea. And this was a pretty big display, it wrapped around two sides of the store. I thought this was inspirational because it was such a creative idea. They took a simple piece of origami that kids make in elementary school to play games with, and they made a beautiful display out of it. I think this really shows how you can take something simple and make something amazing out of it. I also think it is very cool that from far away you can't tell what it is made of but when your up close you can. 

Week 9: Inspiration From the Internet

http://edwardsharpeandthemagneticzeros.com/
So, I have another piece of inspiration related to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. As you can tell I really really like them. Anyways, this time it is their website. Surprisingly, I had not actually been to their site until recently. But when I finally went on it, I was surprised. First you have to click on the logo to enter the site, and then when you move your mouse it plays music almost like a xylophone. I thought this was a really fun and interesting way to introduce people to your website. I think it is definitely something that would make this site stand out from others. Although it's not designed very elaborately, it's still a very creative and fun idea that I think will stay in peoples minds. That is why I thought this was inspiring, because it catches peoples attention and makes them remember this website in particular. I think it is such a fun idea, and I love how colorful the page it. 

Art Gallery Visit: Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery

My second art gallery visit was actually on the same street as GalleriE CHIZ, it is called Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery. I love blown glass, so I was really interested in going here. However when I went they were actually in the building across the street because their normal building had flooded (thats why it looks so dark). But we still got to see everything because they were set up in a temporary location while they renovated the old one. Everyone here was very friendly. You could tell they were all passionate about glass and wanted to answer any questions that I had. The first thing that caught my eye when I walked in were these glass birds:

I loved that they were all so similar, but each was painted differently. I this people who can use glass as a medium are so inspiring because it's such a delicate thing, it must take a lot of patience and skill. Every time I go to a glass gallery of any art gallery that has glass in it, I always say I'm going to take glass blowing lessons, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe someday. Anyways, I loved this gallery, each piece was beautifully done and very unique. I would definitely go back here when they have their next show. 

Art Gallery Visit: GalleriE CHIZ

I was looking for art galleries is the area that I haven't been to, and I found GalleriE CHIZ in Shadyside. It was a really interesting place. It was small, but it had a lot of art packed into it. As soon as we walked in the owner greeted us and told us that we were allowed to touch anything, and that she felt it was part of the full experience to be able to touch and hold the pieces. She also let us know that the restrooms were also part of the gallery and to make sure we take a look. There were so many different things in this gallery. There were three floors, each filled with a variety of paintings, sculptures, jewelry etc. 

I really liked the variety of things they had throughout the gallery. And anywhere you looked the walls and the floor was lined with different pieces. They even had a series of paintings done with nail polish.

I thought that was a very creative idea. I would never think to use that as an art medium. I thought they were kind of fun too because they look kind of childish and simple. I also found this ceramic plate...

I liked the simplicity of this and I thought that it was funny because it was about typography. Overall my experience at GalleriE CHIZ was great. I had a great time looking around and talking to the owner. I saw a lot of very unique pieces done in many different mediums. I would recommend for anyone to stop here if you get the chance, it's not a huge place but theres a lot to look at. 

Week 8: Real Life Inspiration

This week I was shopping at Urban Outfitters and this book caught my eye. So I started flipping through it and all of the stuff inside was awesome. There was a lot of band posters for bands that I like. The two that I liked the most were for the Avett Brothers and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

Although Edward Sharpe is my favorite, I would probably say I like the Avett Brothers poster the best. They kind of used figure and ground to show the sunflowers and the boat. I think it really adds to it by just showing the silhouette rather than a detailed illustration. I think makes the image really interesting that they made the flowers so detailed and then the top half if pretty simple. I also love the contrast of the black against the orange and yellow. It really makes the illustrations pop out. I think that it was smart to put the Avett Bros text outside of the shape that contains the image. I think that it breaks it up well, so it is not too overwhelming to look at. I also think that the typeface is very appropriate because I think that kind of ship kind of gives off an old timey feel, and that typeface definitely reminds me almost of an old western poster, and for some reason I think it has a little bit of a psychedelic feel because they kind of aligned it with the curve. But I think that is also appropriate because the ship is sailing on sunflowers so I think that could give off sort of a psychedelic feel as well.

Week 8: Inspiration from the Internet

http://adammoyer.com/inside-usa-1973/
So, this week I ordered myself some sunglasses from Knockaround. I already have one pair and I noticed that they say "Ace On Base" on the inside...

and I was curious, so after I ordered mine, I was looking around the website to see if I could find anything on why it said that. And under the FAQ's I found that this came from when the founder of the company, Ace was in a band in college and he slid from keyboard to bass guitar during one song and people started saying "Ace on Bass" but it soon changed to "Ace on Base". But this is not my inspiration, my inspiration for this week is what else I found on the FAQ page. There was a part on that page that said, Adam "Ace" went to art school, and had a link to his work. So I clicked on that where I found out that he does sculpture, print and books. His work was very unique and kind of strange, but I did find one book that I thought was awesome. It is called Inside USA 1973. Although its not elaborately designed, it has a really interesting concept. He used photography and a simple map. Each spread had one state highlighted and he put a photo of something from that state. I thought it was a great concept, and a very interesting way to display each state. I also liked that the white space around the map balanced out the photograph on the opposite side of each spread. I think this was a very interesting idea, and I love that the photographs look a little bit old and vintage. 

Week 7: Real Life Inspiration

I was at Trader Joes the other day, and I found these facial products. I loved the design of them. I thought that the pattern was so appropriate for something that is organic. I really liked the style of the pattern, it looks hand drawn and maybe even like its colored or painted in. I also thought that the color scheme was very appropriate because it looks earthy and has an organic feel to it. I also think that it was very smart that they made it pretty plain and simple around the type because there is a lot going on on the rest of the label. I also thought it was cool that the label of the two different products were different but kept the same style and color scheme. This is definitely a case where the packaging would definitely make me buy this product over another one. 

Week 7: Inspiration from the Internet

My inspiration for this week is one of the new temporary tattoo sets from Tattly, it's the Monster Set. In case you dont know, tattly is a site that sells temporary tattoos made by graphic designers. These ones were made by Anke Van Der Meer from the Netherlands. I thought these were the cutest things ever. I also love the illustration style. I like that there are no border lines, like a coloring book, it almost just looks like cut paper. They are so simple but well designed. I like that they added texture by using patterns on some of them. I  think that the color palette is also very fitting because it is bright and fun. I would definitely wear these as a kid (or even now) haha.

Week 6: Real Life Inspiration

So, I was at Trader Joe's with someone that I work with, and we saw these. I didn't know how I felt about them because I'm not a big fan of ginger, but the girl I was with said that they were so good and she loved them. I really liked the packaging on them, so I figured, why not buy them and see. Well, I was really excited when I was opening them because they had such cute little folded wrappers. I loved that they were folded like little fancy candies you would find at a fancy restaurant or hotel. I also liked the color scheme and simple pattern they chose. I also think that the typeface went well with the fancy theme that they had going on. I do think that the ginger man on the front is a little but creepy, but he does actually look like a piece of ginger so I guess it is appropriate. In the end, the verdict was that I hated them and thought they were gross. Moral of the story, good package design can make someones decision if they are not sure whether or not they want to buy your product. Therefore, the good design almost makes up for the quality of the product. (at least for me, haha.)

Week 6: Inspiration From The Internet

http://www.bonnaroo.com/
I was feeling sorry for myself because I didn't get to go to Bonnaroo this summer. (If you don't know what it is, it's a 4 day music festival in Tennessee that they have every summer). Soo, I was looking at their website, and I noticed how awesome it was. There's a really cool illustrated header, that looks almost like it is hand drawn. Another thing that I really liked was the typeface of the nav, I'm not exactly sure which one it is, or if they created it specifically for this site, but either was I love it and I think it goes with the rest of the site very well. And when you hover over the nav a rounded drop down menu comes down which I think goes very well with the typeface because there are no harsh corners on it. I also thought it was very cool that when you scroll down on the homepage, the color changes and the truck and the clouds move. I think the clouds are extra awesome because it makes it look like the plane is flying. I think that these things will really keep peoples attention when they are looking at the site. The footer is also cool because they have incorporated another illustration that matches the style of the top to tie it all together. I love that the style looks handmade and almost cartoon like, I think that it is very appropriate and gives the site a very fun feel. And the color scheme is appropriate too, they used a lot of purples and blues which are bright and catch your attention however they are mild enough that they don't hurt your eyes.

Week 5: Real Life Inspiration

This week, I was at the store and I happened to come across this. The tye dyed box really caught my eye. It is Annie's Homegrown Pasta. I thought that this packaging was so great. The colors really grab your attention and it all really fits the theme of "peace pasta". I also really liked that they changed their signature rabbit logo and gave him a peace sign necklace. I also think that the color scheme is very appropriate (besides the tye dye) the greens and purples definitely help to communicate that it is an organic product. I think it was definitely a successful design because I wanted to buy it as soon as I saw it. I am broke though, so I decided to wait to buy it at another time haha.

Week 5: Inspiration From The Internet

http://soundisstyle.com/
So recently, one of the main music websites that I use has changed. Formerly known as FMI tracks (Fighting Musical Ignorance) is now Sound Is Style. And along with the change of name, the website has changed a lot too. Starting this past year I have become a lot more interested and aware of web design. And when I first saw that this website changed, the first thing I noticed was the new nav. Although it is nothing too crazy, it is very sleek and clean. there is just a slight change when you hover, but I thought that it was very appropriate for the site. There is a lot going on on each page, so I think that it is very important to have a clean, simple nav. This also helps to make the website very easy to navigate. I also did take a look at the code, and I found out that it was coded in html and javascript. Since I have found this website a few months ago, I have actually befriended the founder of the site. I talked to him briefly when the site changed, and he said that he does the web design himself. I think that it is awesome that he has created and designed this website on his own, and he is not much older than I am. I think this goes to show that if you are passionate about something, you can accomplish a lot. His love of music and his idea to create a website to share music with others turned out to be very successful, and very helpful.

Week 4: Real Life Inspiration

Sorry this ones a little late, anyways I was flipping through my Communication Arts photography annual when I came across this series of photos. They were made for a maximum employment marketing group in Shanghai, and the ad agency Federal-Mogul. The company creates car parts like brakes, bearings, gears and other things like that. The point of the ad was show people the importance of the small parts that make up the whole, in this case, the small brakes and gears that make up a car. In order to do this, they put these small pieces in the shapes of animals. And these animals represented key elements in Chinese culture that also correspond with the viewpoints of the company. I thought that this was such a clever idea. It really emphasizes the importance of these small pieces. And I think it was very creative to incorporate the Chinese culture into these images also. I think it really goes to show how it's now just the whole or the end product that matters, the small pieces that make it up are also very important. This may go against the theory of Gestalt, because it's emphasizing the importance of the small parts rather than the whole. However, I think that they really made a great point and successfully communicated their message.