This is a picture of the storefront of the sign and print shop I work in back home. As you can see they have chosen a bright green to be a staple within their identity system. Additionally, they utilize a single, distinct font to be a staple throughout their identity. They have adopted this specific example of typography as their primary logo. The “Decal Designs” name can be seen in the distinct font and green color with a staggered orientation on their signs and trucks. I hadn’t known about identities before this course but now that I do I can see that they have developed one which is a constant within their company. I also know now how important this is for the success of a company. Its very interesting to me to see many of the things I have learned about in class in the real world.

I chose to look at the Green Toad Bookstore’s logo and typography for this assignment. I thought the font that they chose was really interesting since it’s not a super common font that you’d see in the world typically such as serif. I also thought it was interesting that the little bullseye on either side of the toad are the inverse colors of the other. What I also found intriguing is the fact that the image the frog and the word bookstore are placed on top of two shapes that appear to look like books stacked on top of one another. It is such a simple shape but convey’s the store’s identity of being a bookstore. I also love that the tracking is fairly spread apart and makes it even more interesting to look at. This font style is also carried over on their open sign and window.

I chose to look at some student work by Isabella Greco from the digital illustration class. I really like here work because of how simple it looks on the surface but how truly detailed it is when you take a closer look. I like the simple the walk way in the middle is, but how well its able to lead your eye through the poster. then, I really like all of the fine details in the building. the closer you look the more you see when looking at the building, I especially like the top part of the roof. the pattern there is very well done. I also really like the color through. m favorite part is the contrast between the sunset and the green trees. the contrast between the two is very nice to look at.

If you wanna see this for yourself its on the third floor in FA.

Ayannah Newton

I chose a box of contact lenses for this blog post because they are something I use almost everyday and never actually sat and looked at the design of the packaging. The graphics as well as the typography actually provides the viewer with an understanding of what they are getting out of the product. Behind “1-DAY” there is a graphic of the contact lenses themselves. What I found to be even more intriguing, however, was the typography of the word moist. Not only are the letters made to look like bodies of water, but the center of the “o” is shaped like a droplet of water, or contact solution. It tells the viewer that the contact lenses will not make your eyes dry, which is pretty important for contact wearers. Looking at this with a graphic design eye inspired me to take a look at and appreciate the designs and typography on other products that I use on a daily basis.

I chose Nerds for a design seen in the real world because of the bright colors. There is a large variety of vibrant colors to demonstrate that it is the rainbow version of Nerds. This is a candy that is supposed to be appealing to children (and me), so there are lots of fun shapes and characters. It has a playful composition to draw in children who see this sugary candy in the candy aisle. The Nerds mascots, which look like frogs, have very positive facial expressions. They are seen around the title and provide the character sense that children are easily drawn in by. Behind the title, Nerds, there are fun shapes that highlight the name of the candy. These are dark colors, which make the white words pop.

I knew I wanted to do some sort of poster for graphic design in the real world and this poster for O-Factor is perfect to talk about. I found it in the Wills’ dining hall lobby on the bulletin board.

For the design on the poster I would say it’s basic, but it gets the point across. The graphic shows music sound waves, which lets people know off the bat someone is going to be listening to something and it is going to be music related. The surrounding text lets viewers know what the poster is for (to vote) and when and where voting is going to be taking place.

Personally for me I don’t think the title of the poster works well in its favor. The first time I saw it, I thought it just said Factor and then I realized it was actually saying O-Factor instead. I did appreciate them trying to be creative and include the Activities Council symbol within the O, however I don’t think it easy to read at first glance, at least for me.

I was standing idle at work when I realized I had a blog post due tomorrow, luckily Boba Yaga has a really well designed menu that’s perfect to write about. 

I think this design is very clean and consistent. The designer made really great use of spacing and margins. There’s nothing out of place and it’s all even, which makes it very readable to customers. Each section has some visual aid, which is great because it makes customers more likely to add to their order because visuals are much more intriguing than just words. 

I also enjoy the small design aspects, such as the witch character who’s actions match the food options on each panel. A lot of the decor around the cafe is Studio Ghibli themed, so I also like that there’s a reference to the studio on each panel as well! 

When looking for real world examples of graphic design, typography, and illustration in Oneonta, I came across Petco’s logo. I found this interesting because of the illustration in the photograph above. The illustration of the blue cat and red dog hooking ears gives a cute and playful feeling to this logo. Both animals are simple, heavy black lined, and color filled shapes. Having the dogs floppy ear hang/hook between the cats ears, creates one unified image. I think this image is cute, simple, and a nice addition. I also think this friendly interaction between the animals creates a welcoming and caring feel.

Besides the feeling and cleaver interaction between the animals, I don’t love this logo. It feels big and bulky. But, I think Petco achieved its goal that the logo is very often recognized as their store.