Week Twelve | LaSorsa

Decision Making

I originally was going to do my magazine feature story on a celebrity who I knew would have extravagant pictures, Lady Gaga. However, after realizing how overused and un-original that idea was, I changed my story to a feature about an indoor cycling studio. I thought that the feature was fresh and I was very familiar with the studio itself, which would lend to my design plan. I love this indoor cycling studio and it really changed my perception on exercising. I figured that this story would inspire others. I included the article I found on soul-cycle.com because the text I used in the magazine is a random text file.

Typeface Information

In staying with the Gestalt principles and creating consistency in my magazine design, I chose to use only a few typefaces. I repeated the same few typefaces throughout my entire design. For my header, byline, pull quote, folios and most of my cover, I used Berling LT Std. I liked the typeface because it was basic but also changed a lot when I used it in different weights. For example, I used Berling LT Std italic for my header because it gave it a softer look, which went with the soulful feel of the spinning studio. I used Frutiger LT Std for my decks and captions because it was a very plain sans serif that would be simple to read. I wanted my body text to be a classic typeface that readers would respect and relate to. I chose ITC Caslon 224 Std in a book weight because it fulfilled these guidelines and was also easy to read. Since I wanted my sidebar to stand out and look more personal, I searched for a typeface that looked handwritten. I used Flood Std because it was a lot different looking and would contrast the typefaces of the rest of the article. Throughout the entire layout, I only used three typefaces. I wanted to keep my design clean and consistent and believed that using more typefaces would confuse the reader.

Images and Color

I did not use much color for my magazine design. I used a burnt orange color (C=7.89%, M=28.63%. Y=49.64%, K=0%) for the second spread background. I took the color from the image on the first spread. I liked the color for how it represented SoulCycle, it was soothing, relaxing but a tiny bit of pop. Other than that I only used black and white. For source and picture size please see attached sheet.

Week Nine | LaSorsa

Design Process

Since I was not blessed with a visual name and did not wish to use a visual pertaining to my future profession, I was going to have to make some kind of symbol out of my given initials. The first thing I became aware of was the line symmetry the letter “D” and the letter “L” shared. I started sketching many possiblities and in the end, chose to use a lowercase “d” and uppercase “L”. Out of all of my sketches, it seemed to be the most distinct and clear use of the letters together. I kerned the two letters until they touched. The top of the symbol now looked as if it was coming from one origin and then diverging from each other to distinguish between the “d” and the “l”. Kerning them allowed the letters to form one bold statement, which would stand as my logo.

Typefaces

For the mark I intended on making with my initials, I knew I had to use a sans serif font. I would need the letter “D” and the letter “L” to match up for when I would kern them to form a single entity. I was specifically looking for a typeface in which the lowercase letters did not have a large x-height. I wanted the audience to see the symmetry on the top of my symbol before they moved their eyes downward, to see the split of two different letters. The typeface I chose for my logo is Bauhaus Std Demi. The typeface stood out to me as I browsed through the library of fonts. It was one of the most unique typefaces, for it was more rounded than most of the other fonts. I thought this typeface made my logo flow.

For my name and contact information, I used ITC Avant Garde Gothic Std Demi. Using it to both distinguish my name and for my contact information, would create consistency amongst my project. This was once again, a sans serif, so it did not clash with my logo typeface. Avant Garde Gothic Std was very rounded and used a lot of circles, which went well with the Bauhaus Std typeface.

Design Choices

Even though I am usually opposed to color, I thought my logo needed it in order to distinguish between my initials. I thought using different tints of one color was the most subtle way to approach the situation. I picked a dark, mellow purple (C=100%,M=100%, Y=25%, K=35%) and used it throughout the entire project. I used a lighter tint for the letter “L” in order to distinguish the two letters within the design. There was no difference in the color, just the tint, so the use of color was very subtle. For my contact information on the bottom, I wanted to incorporate that use of color, in order to have constancy in my project. I would have to use the darker color for the text so that it would be visible over the lightly tinted background.

I thought my symbol in my logo, expressed who I am. The logo was simple yet the typeface was bold. The dark purple “D” and the light purple “L” represent the two sides of my personality. It takes me a while to warm up to people but once I do, they know me as a pretty outgoing person. I enjoy having fun and being silly (the light side) but when necessary, I become that serious, responsible person who gets things done (the darker side). I think my logo shows that balance in my life: how different aspects of my life come together to form one unique individual.

Week Eight | LaSorsa

This outdated Apple Mac logo is a prime example of the use of Gestalt principles. Continuation is when the eye is lead from one object to another. The line used to make a nose leads the audiences from the top of the logo down to the wordmark. The Gestalt law of proximity states that "objects or shapes that are close to one another appear to form groups". Apple uses lines and a rectangular box, which in close proximity, form an image. The use of a face clearly represents the form of communication that Mac computer's offer to the world. The rectangular shape serves to represent an actual computer screen. The face and wordmark are both done in black, which organizes the logo. The blue is a good color choice by the company because of the popularity of the color amongst audiences. The two shades cause the audience to believe that there are two faces. This lends to the image of Mac: a symbol of public communication. This design creatively portrays Mac's functions and features, through the logo.

Week Seven | LaSorsa

Target is a company who has a very distinct color and logo. The red and white bull's eye is fully recognized by shoppers. This specific ad uses Gestalt's Principle of similarity, specifically color. Red is the signature color of Target, so they obviously love to use red in their advertisements. The background adds texture by using different size boxes. The grey and red contrast to make a pattern but because grey is such a neutral color, the red continues to stand out. The white space creates people in motion but still allow the red color to come through as objects the students are using. These white figures not only explain the nature of the ad but show the use of target products by these people. The text and logo are again in red on a neutral beige background. The use of all of this red color organizes the ad and makes it consistent. The red color in contrast with only neutral color keep drawing the viewers eye back to the red and therefore, back to the brand. Target does a great job using color to get their brand name across.

When approaching my poster for the first time, my primary focus was the demographic for my poster’s not-for-profit organization. My poster was advertising for my sorority’s annual “Build-a-Backpack” event, so my main target was a college student. We are usually supported by a lot of members of Greek life but I really wanted to reach out to the Syracuse community as a whole. This is reflected in my poster as I exaggerated the main event rather than the sorority holding the event. College students are known to be busy and rushing around to classes so I aimed for a simple poster, with minimal type. I also used color in my design because I thought it would catch the eye faster. Color gave the poster energy and a more childish feel, which emphasized the mood of the event. Most importantly, the sorority could afford to do this.

For the top of my mountain of backpacks, I knew from my sketches that I wanted an extremely bold, thick typeface. The typeface needed to stand out because it would be placed on top of a clustered and powerful image. Using a slab serif would be efficient. Aachen was just what I had imagined and it really looked like it could represent constructing or building of something. I didn’t even need to use all caps because it was strong enough in lowercase. However, this typeface became extremely hard to read as body text. Instead, I chose to use Myriad Pro, which I also used in my resume. I really like this font because it is simple and plain. I didn’t want to make my poster chaotic with clashing fonts. Both fonts had easy readability for quick reading because the typeface was either extremely large or very plain.

My main image is a cluster of purple children’s backpacks. I first live traced the backpack from an original image and then continued to copy-paste the image until I had enough to fill my intended space. Each backpack was rotated and specifically placed to make the pile look realistic. The event’s title was placed on top of the pile of backpacks to represent the idea of building up to something. I also thought the image led the eye perfectly to the title, which I intended viewers to look at first. I liked the blank space on the top left because it countered this crowded, cluster of backpacks and kept the poster simple. I used my slogan “Packing the tools kids need to succeed!” as a base level. It grounded the whole image above it. Lastly I added the information for the event and placed the logo at the exit point. I was hesitant to include the logo of Prevent Child Abuse America because I was worried about it clustering the bottom of my poster. However, I thought that it made the event a lot more legit and reputable. I chose a light blue background because it was subtle and mellow. The purple was a tiny bit more vibrant in that it stood out yet didn’t overpower the entire poster. Overall, I am very pleased with my poster.

Week Five | LaSorsa

Absolut Vodka successfully uses the Gestalt principle in this Absolut Citron advertisement. The advertisement is definitely creative, in that it uses the peel of a lemon to imitate the shape of the signature Absolut bottle. The viewer can easily identify with the shape and associate the peel with the lemon-flavored vodka. Even better, the type reads "Absolut Appeal" which again draws back to the lemon "peel." Everything in this as plays upon one theme and keeps relating back to the Absolut Citron. This conforms to one of the parts of Gestalt's theory: continuation. The objects are placed separately: however, they create a visual that means something significant as a whole. The ad is simple, concise but is presented with an edge (mainly, the use of one color on a black, white, gray background). I think this ad uses the principles of Gestalt in a simple way yet proves to be very effective.

Week Four | LaSorsa

When approaching my resume, I was extremely particular about how my personality would reflect through this one sheet of paper. The field of Public Communications is extensive so I tried to stay specific to my style while maintaining professionalism. My target audience is a big firm that would respect my traditional but bold approach. My wordmark makes a statement and I believe that it will be a name that a reader will recognize. I was very inspired by the fashion industry and specifically the "YvesSaintLaurent" logo. I choose Bodoni Std for my wordmark because it is a well known fashion typography. I also liked how the type was clean and classic. However, I was careful about the sizing because Bodoni can easily overpower your work. For my body text, I used Myraid Pro for a softer and more legible type. The contrast between the two fonts was easy to distinuish and read just like a magazine. Even though I see myself on the more creative side of Public Relations, I did not want my resume to be playful and lack sophistication. I did not chose to add color to my resume. In order to maintain my creative side, I did rotate my wordmark ninety degrees. This gave my resume an edge while playing down the length of my name. My resume advocates for both my sense of style and my professional skills.

Week Three | Danielle LaSorsa

Search engines, like this, provide perfect examples of typographic hierarchy. The results from this search follow a format, by Google, that make it easier to find exactly what the searcher is looking for. The results that stand out immediately are the titles of the web pages. They are bolder, bigger and a different color than the rest of the type. These characteristics draw the reader directly to the title. Also, the words the searcher typed in are bold while the rest of the words are normal. These words are still in the title, however, they can be looked over by the reader for a quicker search. From there, the reader follows the type down to read a brief description of the website. In this regular, black type are highlighted words. While the reader skims the text, these bold keywords stand out and relay to the reader how relevant this website is to their specific search. This type is in black for it is probably the least likely thing a reader will pick up on if they are trying to look something up quickly. The URL is in green which stands out and gives the reader a sense of where he or she will be taken to if they click on the link. It is easy for the reader to recognize the URL and see if they have used it before. The keywords are again, in bold. Lastly, if there are two results from one web page, Google will indent the second title. The indent will either allow the reader to learn more about the web page or bypass it if they disliked the first title. If the reader has already visited the site, the link turns purple. This indication is helpful in letting the searcher know that they have already checked out this search and to try a different one. Overall, Google does a great justice to searchers worldwide. By formatting their text in a typographic hierarchy, their results are clear and easy to read!

Week Two | LaSorsa

In theory, this is a creative ad. The company, that sells office space, packed the text tightly together to convey crowded space. I believe that the ad does do a good job in making the viewer feel claustrophobic. However, it draws attention to a cluster of letters that are seen as one item instead of individual words. If I knew I would be kerning the letters so tightly, I definitely would have picked a thicker or wider font. The narrow type is even harder to read when it is on top of each other. I would have probably preferred a sans serif font that would have laid smoother on top of each other. The drop cap seems to work well to distinguish between each word. The problem is that the first letter of each word is overlapping awkwardly, making it extremely hard to read. I think they could have made the ad a lot clearer while still conveying the jumbled and crowded message.

Micro-assignment: LaSorsa

The ultimate childhood cookie meets a New York classic to create a dessert for the ages! Crunchy Oreo cookies are baked into a rich, creamy cheesecake filling. Topped with whipped cream, cookie crumbles or even plain, this dessert is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.