Design Eye: Stress Relief For Your Mind
Graduating in June, I am a mixture of anxious, eager and restless about what the future holds. Striving to have a career in design, my mind is jumbled with all the possibilities and approaches I can take to get to that ultimate goal.
I have so many dreams.
Needs.
And wants.
So I find myself having to focus on inspirational ideas and concepts that give release and peace to my constant stress. Appropriately, I tend to find this stress reliever in the design world because it soothes my mind and soul.
I continue to go back to three different designs. These three are extremely different – but all full of disruptive details, bold ideas and elegant simplicity that confirms my ideal career as a designer.
1). The cover of The New York Times Magazine for May 1st demands your attention while pulling at your heartstrings. It represents a story of how U.S. soldiers are turning into murderers – showing just how large the emotional, physical and mental impact war has on every man.
From a design viewpoint, this cover was realized impeccably.
The simple color palette of white, black and red expresses the vibe that the story engulfs – while also signifying blood and hardship. The black silhouette of a soldier against the red base color automatically tells the viewer what the story is about due to the cultural symbols of what these colors mean.
What is most beautiful:
The white text and font that overlays the image – kept clean and blunt.
“A beast in the heart of every fighting man,” is hard to read and creates emotion in the viewer, driving them to read more. This cover is one of my favorites because of the emotional impact and cultural clues; it makes the viewer see – while continuing to stay precise and clean.
2). A Portuguese animal rights group brought a new approach to this particular target audience with this powerful campaign by visually representing their fight against the use of exotic animals in circuses. They focused on three animals – a lion, a seal, and a chimp – to show the viewer that they are not clowns and were not created for our entertainment.
This is a powerfully strong campaign because I emotionally agree with the cause, but also, I am reminded of how absurd it is for humans to use animals for our pleasure and joy.
The designer used capturing images where the viewer is making direct eye contact with the particular animal. The tone used, colors chosen and intense bars make this ad affective.
It reminds me of the importance of shades and tones used within an ad – while ringing true to my own personal beliefs and passions.
3). Currently, our world is full of love for infographics – no matter what media they are shown through. This particular example is one of my favorites because it reminds me to always look at the bigger picture and disregard what individuals believe an infographic is.
Even though this graph represents the death causes in the UK, it is clever with the symbols and words chosen.
The designer pushed the limits by combining words, numbers and images to represent a cause of death – but also worked toward a larger picture:
You can choose to focus on the “road accidents” or “Influenza and Pneumonia” – but if you take a step back, then you will see that all of these sicknesses or accidents lead to death.
Death displayed in the skull that the mixture of images and words create.
From soldiers on the cover of The New York Times to animal rights. Intense personal passions to bigger picture ideals inside of inforgraphics. Where does your designer’s eye see iconic beauty and powerful brand messaging – and what colors, tones and images serve as your personal stress relievers? Share your thoughts below, or message Madelynn on Twitter.
Share:
- by AWSC
- posted at 11:43 am
- April 4, 2012
