Author / rjhargrave

by rjhargrave

Adobe Portfolio

Adobe Portfolio is an amazing site to view peoples personal portfolios as well as make your own. It’s incredibly easy to navigate and use. There are four tabs at the top of the page. In overview, you can edit your own site. The menu to edit your site is very user friendly. Fonts, colors, size and everything is straight to the point in a menu bar on the left side of your screen. The photography page is very similar to the overview. The layout is the same but you can view photography oriented examples in it. It also mentions Adobe Lightroom for editing. The examples tab is exactly what it sounds like. Inspiration can be found with different portfolios from designers, artists, photographers, etc… The last page is resources on Adobe softwares and universal tips for creative people. I found Adobe Portfolio during the Covid 19 pandemic. I used my time to create my own portfolio for mostly photography and art. I recommend this site for anyone trying to organize and display work. Here is a picture of my home page below.
Click here to view my portfolio.

Click here to create your own and view Adobe Portfolios site.

by rjhargrave

Self Promo: Reese Cooper

The first time I saw Reese Cooper was through Youtube. The video was about how his clothing and fashion got denied from fashion week. So, he rented a room in the same city as the current fashion week and put on a runway show with his clothing for free. He promoted his personal show and set everything up himself. I found it fascinating how he chose to make the venue look outdoors, especially in pictures, when they are actually in an all white room. This was the first encounter I had with Reese Coopers work.

The second time I saw Reeses work was through Instagram. I saw he put on another runway show, but this time with more exposure and recognition from the first. The models walked on top of this rounded tower in the middle of nowhere. The scenery was beautiful but this looked so bizarre. The way he promoted his work seemed absolutely crazy and out of the box, I liked it.

Most recently, I saw Reeses newest project, a runway on a bridge. The way he thinks of these absurd scenes to promote himself blows my mind. I think that’s the reason why he is so successful. After all that’s what attracts me to his work.

Visit Reese Coopers site here.

by rjhargrave

Information Design

In the winter I love to spend time snowboarding with my friends in the terrain park. For the past 5 years it’s been a big part of my life in the winter months. When entering parks, there is usually a sign to signify the upcoming terrain. Most resorts have the universal color as orange, but some signs vary. Another example is shown below.

The reason I find these intriguing, especially the design above is how simple they are. While snowboarding/skiing past you can read and understand the whole sign very quickly. Some riders are faster than others and urgent readability is a must in order to understand what’s ahead.

Designers are unknown.

Read more about terrain park etiquette here.

by rjhargrave

Seen in Real World: Carhartt

I find the Carhartt logo interesting because of how easily it is recognized on clothing, materials, stickers, etc… The name Carhartt came from the combination of train car + heart. Their original logo represented this visually. Though nowadays, the new and improved design evokes a sense of innovation and moving as a company. The yellow swirl is so simple yet so recognizable in todays society. To me, you know a company/brand did a successful job on their design when a symbol such as Carhartts logo is identifiable with little to no correlation to the actual brand. This yellow swirl everybody knows but it doesn’t directly say what it means, that is what I find so fascinating.
by rjhargrave

Identity Systems – Nike Swoosh

Nike was founded on January 25, 1964 in Eugene OR. Their infamous logo can be spotted and recognized almost immediately by most. At first, their logo design wasn’t the same as we know it today. The original design was bought for $35 from Carolyn Davidson, she later created the swoosh that we all know today.

The original Nike Logo bought for $35

In Greek mythology, Nike is the Winged Goddess of Victory. The logo is derived from goddess’ wing, ‘swoosh’, which symbolizes the sound of speed, movement, power and motivation.

The reason why I feel this logo is an excellent example of a well-done identity system is because of its simplicity. Nowadays, almost everybody in the sports community and everyday people can recognize the swoosh. Its jet black design creates for a perfectly executed, unique, stand out logo.

Read more on the designer and history here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolyn_Davidson_(graphic_designer)

by rjhargrave

Apple Logo

The Apple Logo was created by Rob Janoff in 1977. It’s easily one of the most recognizable logos today. The use of black and white makes the positive and negative space pop. At first glance most wouldn’t realize the technicality of such a simple logo, but when looked at deeper the design becomes genius. The bite out of the apple is perfectly placed and blended into the background with negative space. Rob Janoff has create a ton of other famous logos to date, here is a link to his site: https://robjanoff.com

by rjhargrave

Rodrigo Corral

Rodrigo, who is at the helm of Rodrigo Corral Studio, is a celebrated designer, and is also the Creative Director for Farrar, Straus & Giroux and Creative Director at Large for New Directions. Rodrigo published his own New York Times bestselling book, SNEAKERS, and launched an app called Wutch.

Rodrigo Corral Studio has delivered some of the most iconic visuals in publishing, and creates leading conceptual design and art for books, brands, interior spaces and film.

Your can read more on Rodrigo Corral here: http://rodrigocorral.com/about

by rjhargrave

Beautiful Pages

When I open up a magazine, pages like this are the ones that make me want to flip to the next page. Theres some sort of simplicity but complexity to this spread at the same time. I like it when the words on the pages are sectioned off, like the second. It makes me think that I can pick and choose what I can read based on my interests. If it consists of one big blob, I find that I have to read everything before the part that interests me. Although the text boxes are separated, it flows with the page and the visuals instead of feeling all over the place. The white spaces on the first page could be described as art alone. The image inside the letter keeps the readers eye interested for a couple seconds most likely too. The separation of images on the second page keep my eye bouncing around at first glance, It seems balanced in its own way. All around I love how this page is designed, and if I were reading I would definitely be eager to flip the page.
by rjhargrave

Kyösti Varis

Kyösti Varis is a graphic designer born in Finland. He created this poster named “Your Lifemeter” in 1971.

Kyösti Varis started his career by getting basic training in some printing houses in Finland and Germany. This is what originally fueled the spark to a successful career. Over time, Varis has gained a ton of traction and received countless awards, one being The Graphic Designer Of The Year in 2002.

“Your Lifemeter” represents the effects of cigarettes on your health the more you smoke them. The clever simple design sends a moving message to all that encounter. The numbers counting down by tens on the cigarette display the years disintergrating off of your life the more puffs taken. The combination of the bold title, black background, and simplistic design makes for a straight forward, in your face poster. During this time period cigarettes were more accepted than they are today, and to some the effects were unclear. This message put this life threatening addiction/hobby into perspective for the world to see.

You can find more information about Kyösti Varis’ life and artwork here: http://www.varisoriginal.fi/posterartist.html