RE: Get ready to be Scared!

I agree that the logos Stephanie has selected are either 1. Truly awful, or 2. creatively simple. I was looking through the 80 inspiring logos link you provided and I was going to post my favorite, but I realized I liked so many of them that it would be hard to choose. Instead I have decided to post a few of my favorites in no particular order:

Looking at the logos I have selected all together I have noticed a trend. I like clever, but I also like simple. If you look at the logos, each makes you feel a certain way, each has substance to it, each has depth. But if you take a closer look at the logos, you realize that each is merely a set of letters to form a word. They are all black and white (except for the small amount of blue in the last logo). There are no fancy or intricate decorations or designs. So, how can something so simple create so much emotion?

I think it is the simplicity that creates this feeling around the logo. (Note: I am not saying these logos were is to create. I am sure it took days if not months to think of having the word "peeled" look like peeling paper in all the right places, or to have the word "boot" stacked into the shape of a boot...). But think about it. Would Bison have as much of an impact if it was the word "Bison" layered on top of an image of a bison? Or, would the hole in the logo HOLE have as much significance if it was a hole around the entire word? How about if the quotation marks in talkmore were around the entire word rather then made into the "a' and "e?" Maybe, but probably not.

I have learned that when creating a logo, or anything for that matter, less is more. You must learn to compliment and enhance your design with each addition and change you make. And, it can be the little additions that make or break the design. I am sure that The Computer Doctors thought that their computer mouse concept was brilliant, and it probably could have been. But the execution was not there. This is not to say the designer is not a good designer, but as we discussed in class, take a step back to make sure everything is working. I loved my Active sweatband, but I never would have thought it could be misconstrued as a head wound because I was too close to the subject. I am sure that is the same as Shirley's comfy chair design. It is an awful (sometimes funny) feeling when you realize this, but all you can do is grow move on, and make a better design.

RE: Dance or Type?

I think I counted 15 different typefaces, but like Antoinette said, some scenes moved so quickly I may have missed some or counted the same twice. When I first watched this video after reading the blog title "Dance or Type" I was expecting to see people making words or letters with there body. I realize this may have been a kind of ridiculous idea, but I must admit I was a little disappointed to find a typical music video. So, I went searching the internets and found this cool little RickRoll typographical "dance." For your viewing pleasure please click here.

But back to the music video. When I first watched the music video, I honestly didn't think much of it. I saw some cool break dancing, sign spinning, and interesting neighborhood scenes. Nice, but nothing special. But, when I watched it a second time, I realized that everything was shot at a certain angle, in front of a certain sign, for a certain length of time, for a reason. Just like print design, everything was in the screen for a reason. The graffited stores, and store signs, and lettered posters where not in the background just because that was the easiest place to shoot the video. Each decision, each typeface and word and letter help to set the mood of the video. It gives the song and music and dancing another level of meaning.

Re: FLAT out loud: Flat Design versus Skeumorphism?

The more I think about this topic, the harder it is for me to write down my thoughts on it. Flat design on skeumorphism? Crunchy peanut butter or smooth? Toilet paper facing inside or out? Mac or windows? The list goes on and on...or so I thought. When I first read Shirley's post and began thinking about which style of design I prefer, I immediately thought I was a flat design type of girl. I am drawn to clean crisp features in a design, nothing so extreme as to cause any chance of confusion (at least when I am looking at designs, I tend to overdo when I am working on my own first drafts). But as I started researching I found my division between the two styles is not so clear. I too found the article Antoinette sited (Flat Design: An In Depth Look), and I was on board, that is until it got to the "Buttons" section.

As stated both design styles work (Windows created an entire phone line with "flat" buttons), but over and over again I find myself adding those skeumorphic features, the gradient, the drop shadow, the shine, to my web buttons.

Nokia Lumia 1020

After some thought I have come to the conclusion that it just depends on the context of the design. I think you need to know about the goal and overall look of your design before you can choose the style: flat or skeumorphic. With the Windows phone, the entire screen is a grid of buttons. There is no need to make them anything but flat because it would feel too cluttered. To have 12 buttons "popping" out at you on one 4.5 inch screen is more then overwhelming. However, when I design web buttons, the button is usually intertwined with a slew of information. The small rectangle needs to stand out on the page somehow.

Then there is print advertising. I have noticed that a lot of the debate between flat design and skeumorphism comes when talking about designing user interfaces, but why is skeumorphism "tacky" on the web and not in a magazine? Is it because the paper the skeumorphic ad is on is tangible like the design visual? A computer screen and phone screen were initially made for looking (let's not get into the new touch screen fad). Ones initial instinct is not to reach out and touch the screens wooden "texture," but a magazine page or poster has that possibility. I like the advertisements that you have to touch because they are so life like you do not know if it is actually textured or and illustrated texture (as long as it does not take away from the message). I also like the advertisements that are clear and right in your face. Again, the side of the line I stand on is a bit wobbly; I am a smooth peanut butter girl, unless I dip into it with just a spoon - you have to spice it up once in a while.

FLAT out loud: Flat Design versus Skeumorphism?

Terms You Need to Know:

Flat design- simple shapes, colors, and typography to emphasize clarity and usability.

Skeumorphism- visual trickery, or the use of details and ornamentation to make one thing look like another.  Skeuomorphism in UI design usually refers to a digital element designed to look like something from the physical world. 

Consider:

Rumored for September 10, 2013,  Apple will release iOS 7 to the public.  As a result, there is an increasing discussion on flat design versus skeumorphism. Flat designs are more noticeably used in user interface (UI) designs.  I noticed the trend in print advertisements. Flat design is seen in an advertisement for Sephora's Living Proof hair serum (Glamour, September 2013).  Also, I saw the use of flat design in the print advertisement for the Thought Leaders panel discussion (Entrepreneur, September 2013).

Sephora advertisement

Thought Leaders advertisement

Flat design offers crisp and clean design. Nevertheless, it may not always produce the maximum effect intended for the targeted audiences.  I feel that the use of visual trickery, or the use of details and ornamentation to make one thing look like another (skeumorphism) not only helps to present details and beautify the craft but it offers designers the ability to bring new concepts into reality. Mazda uses this method for a print advertisement (Entrepreneur, September 2013). What do you think about flat design versus skeumorphism?

Mazda advertisement

References:

Campbell-Dollaghan, Kelsey. What is Flat Design? http://gizmodo.com/what-is-flat-design-508963228 May 24, 2013.

Smith, Grace. 36 High-Quality Flat Design Resources http://mashable.com/2013/07/29/flat-design-ui-kits/  July 29, 2013