ILKE VA301

You ready for some art,design and fashion critique? Here we go!  www.behance.net/likeilke

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Hand-lettered logotypes

This week I would like to talk about hand-lettered logotypes done by an English designer called Ginger Monkey. Frankly speaking I had no idea of him and his work before, however while I was searching graphic design work on Behance I came up with his successful designs. Now I am a follower of him to see his forthcoming inspiring designs.

  The reason why I appreciated his work is that I am also into hand-lettered logotypes however I am not enough experienced to create designs like his. Thus I am following him so that I may get my inspiration from him.

  To me hand-lettered logotypes bring warmth and sincerity to the work and also uniqueness is provided. However it is harder than creating a logo with a known typeface. For hand-lettered logotypes you need to take the pencil and practice drawing the letters that will symbolize the brand it will belong to. And after the draft is over you can scan the work and continue on the illustrator.

  To talk about the pictures that I’ve chosen from his works, I can say that I chose them in accordance with my own taste in logotypes so you may find some different ones of his work on Behance if you search for his name.

  To conclude, I wanted to show you a successful designer’s successful hand-lettered logotypes, I am fascinated by his use of typographic parameters on his work. He has a style. The contrast and the use of negative space brings his taste to the front. 

  I.A.

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The Monster Project

This week I would like to talk about a project called ‘the monster project’. I came up with this project on Behance and I really appreciated the idea of this project, which is done by over 100 talented designers and children from all over the world.

To open up the idea and the concept of this project, I would say that it is a project done with the collaboration of elementary school students. The aim of this project is in order to help children recognise the power of their own imaginations and let them see their creativity potential.

In this project the elementary school children were asked to draw monster figures from their own imaginations without looking at any cartoons or pictures. And after they drew these monster figures,  the  designers of this project made the illustrated versions of these drawings with their own artistic styles. After the graphic designers’ work is over they sent the illustrations to the children who drew the sketches, so that the children could see that they could inspire successful designers with their pure imaginations.

  The main reason why they wanted to help children trust in their own imaginations is that in most of the elementary schools, on arts the children are not given the opportunity for creative exploration. They are restricted by the reality their teachers make to face. And since this case is a well-known and wrong thing, the project leaders wanted to break this monstrous trend with the ironic monster project.

I.A.  

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Yeni Yıl Hediye Tasarımı

Öncelikle planladığım yeni yıl hediyesinde dikkat edeceğim konu , hediyenin aslında şirketimin logosunu hediye edeceğim ürünün üzerinde bulundurmamak olacaktır.Bunun sebebi kişisel tercihim olan , bana gelen bir hediyeyi kullanmak istiyorsam o gelen markanın üzerinde bariz bir şekilde görünen logosu olunca kullanmamam. Ve ben bir tasarım hediye yapacaksam , hediyeyi de kendime gelince vereceğim tepkiyi ön plana alıp ona göre tasarlamak isterim.

Peki logomuz görünmezse bunun şirket adına ne faydası olacak derseniz; ürünün paketlendiği kutusunda veya poşetinde (hangi tür paketlenme olursa) logo mevcut olacaktır ayrıca yeniyıl tebrik kartında da logomuz hatırlatılacaktır.

Peki bu hedeflediğim hediye kime hitap edicektir?Bu sorumun yanıtı markamızın 150 kişiden oluşan vip müsterileri adına yapılacaktır ve yollanacaktır.Ancak benim fiktrim bu 150 kişiyi de özel hisettirmek adına iki hediye tasarlayıp bayan ve erkek zevkinin ayrımını ön plana almak istemektir.Ayrıca bir diğer fikrim ise, tasarlayacağım hediyede bu özel olan 150 müşterimin isimlerini ürün üzerinde seçtiğim bir fontta yazılı olacaktır, ki bu da müşteriyi özel hissettirecek basit bir tasarım seçeneğidir.

Hediyemin bütçesinden bahsedersek ,  düşündüğüm rakam 30-40tl arasında olacaktır.Bu rakamlara çıkabilme sebebim , 200kişiye göndermek yerine 150 kişiyi tercih etmektir.Bence markaya ciddi anlamda kazanç sağlayan VİP müşterilerini kitle olarak alacağımız için , daha ucuz bir hediye etkili olmayacaktır.

İlke A. 

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Branding Example

This week I would like to talk about a post that I’ve come up with during graphic design research on Behance. It is a really successful branding design for a tattoo shop that resides on the island of Malta. The designer created them a business card,logo ,letter and appointment paper. And they are also made to design the brand posters in order to show that they are launching the first international tattoo convention on the island of Malta.

Since branding is used as a marketing way which gives the chance for the brand name to be engaged and to express the identity of the shop, it is really important to have certain characteristics created by the graphic designer. Since this tattoo shop work is a really successful one , it is really easy for us to remember the brand name after seeing it and also the style gives us the impression that the tattoo shop is a cool and unique one.

To talk about this graphic design , I can frankly say that it is a really tactile design for it is both eye-catching, fancy and memorable. These parameters are the way to create a successful design, and so did they create. In the design , there exists the hierarchy of significance on the information it conveys, which is the correct way for a working design to have.

And to talk about one of the most important parameter used on graphic design , which is the color ,  I will say that awesome choice of color used for a tattoo shop for it has the warmth and the coolness at the same time for belonging to a cool tattoo shop. I really appreciated the use of bronze on the letter stamp which looks as though the letter is closed by the traditional way. And also the fact that the logo is with the same bronze color as the stamp , it looks really chic and combined.

  To end up with the last comments on the graphic design , I would like to also point out that the poster design is a really creative one , since it has a charcoal sketch on it as though it is a tattoo to be done to someone and the use of typography on it is really professional and unique. I would really say that ‘I wish I had done this design!’

  I.A.

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Creating A Letterhead

This week I would like to talk about the importance of a successful letterhead design used by a corporate identity. The process of designing a successful letterhead is something hard for the designer since it is really important for the company.  I would mention the reason why it is that important and show you some successful examples of it.

To begin with why letterheads are important factor in designing a corporate identity , I can basically say that the first reason is the gap between receiving an empty letter page and a creatively designed letterhead.

A letterhead is used as a marketing way which gives the chance for the brand name to be engaged and also gives credibility to the writings on the page. So it makes the indication that the letter belong to the company. Sometimes before any interaction with the company, the customer comes up with the letterhead design. In other cases the letterhead is used so as to maintain the brands identity. Thus the letterhead should have the correct details about the brand so as to give information about the company.

In order to create a tactile design , the letterhead should be both eye-catching and memorable. The way to create a successful design comes from the idea that the design should be as simple as possible. Since the letterhead is used as a delivery mechanism of the company , not the content itself, it should be easy for the customer to recognize the brand.

In the design process , it should be taken into consideration that there should be hierarchy of significance on the information it conveys. The related info should be placed more accessible than the less important info. For instance the less important info can be in smaller size and can be positioned on a less obtrusive part on the design page.

And the last parameter that should be used in a clever way is the color used on the letterhead since it is really powerful. It should not be used directly to every part otherwise it would really ruin the design. The color should be used sparingly as an emphasis. Like on the letterhead picture above, the color used sparingly and it really helps the design to be both eye-catching and informing by leading the eye.

I.A. 

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Negative Space Logos

As we all know a logo is a symbol or other small design adopted by an organization to identify its products so it is something important to create a design that works itself and gives information of the sort of product. This week I would like to talk about some working logo designs that are done with a strategy.

These logo examples on the pictures are done with one basic strategy, which is using the negative space affectively. To open up what negative space means, it is basically the space that surrounds an object in an image. The negative space is as significant as the object itself since it helps to define the positive space and balances the composition.

Having mentioned what negative space is, I would like to talk about the advantages of well-done negative space compositions on logos. If a negative space logo is a working one, the first advantage is that it would be memorable for the customer. Another advantage is that since negative space logos can achieve two or more images at the same time it would give basic information of the company that uses the logo, so it makes the product recognizable. And also the emphasis of negative space is more artistic than using basically the black logo design. And so nowadays it is something really common to come up with logo designs created with cleverly carve out shapes in negative space.

To talk about one of the best examples of a working negative space logo, I would say that the picture below , belonging to The Spartan Golf Club , is a perfect one. It is a great example of a well-executed negative space in logo designing. In the composition the arc is done to symbolise the top of Spartan warriors helmet and at the same time it works as a golf player’s driving swing.

To conclude, I can say that the logo designs done by the emphasis on the negative space is really artistic and working at the same time if done well. Thus I shared with you some logo designs above that I am really impressed by.

  I.A. 

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Clever Designs on Packages

This week I would like to share with you some sort of designs used cleverly on the packages. The use of graphics and typography on these products are really successful in both promoting the image and also making a creative selling strategy in accordance with the customers’ demand.

To start with the first creative design, there comes the Morrisons’s tea bags.The image below is a really creative one since the product is a low-priced product and in order to increase the demand , the designer transformed it into a high-value item with the package design. The little game played with the help of typography design and hand drawn illustration created a warm loving product view.Also the tea bags inside are written five different romantic messages on the tags.

To talk about another of my favorite package designs, I would like to say Thelma’s cookie packaging design on the picture below. This is a homemade cookie box created in order to deliver the cookies. This box not only gives a cute view of a mom made cookie store but also keeps the cookies warm.

Another clever graphic design used on packaging is the vodka bottle design of the brand Spine Vodka. On the bottle the bare bones symbolises the spine and  so the brand name is remembered and also easily recognised. It has both an aesthetic design with the use of 3D materials and also a creative one.

And the last but not the least graphic design example on product is the Smirnoff Caipiroska peelable bottle. This design not only incorporate the idea of fruit into their design , but also informs the customer about the flavor of the fruit. It also gives a fresh look as though it is not a harmful drink so this package graphic design is really cleverly thought and aesthetic.

İ.A. 

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The Sims 4 Graphics

This week I would like to talk about the graphic simulation game The Sims 4.The Sims 4 is the latest version of the game The Sims. To briefly talk about The Sims, it can be said that it is one of the best  life simulation video game series worldwide which is developed by EA Maxis and published by Electronic Arts.

The success of The Sims is due to its use of graphics and technical points at its time. And the fact that it is still improving the lacking points by making new version releases , is something indicating us that the success and the demand of it is not a coincidence. In each release The Sims’ world is reset, visuals are updated and the mechanics are changed.

  Even though The Sims had many problematic issues from the beginning , they improved it in every forthcoming versions. So it can be easily seen from The Sims to The Sims 4 , there is a huge gap of improvement.

  To compare The Sims 4 , the latest and the best-called version’s graphics to the previous ones(The Sims 1,2,3), the main difference is the loss of sharpness which is improved in accordance to the request of the players of the game. The graphic design of the people, objects and the landscapes are artistically superior to the graphics in the earlier versions. And also there used much more details both on the people’s appearances and also the world of them. Not only did they increased the details but also they improved the resolution. The vivid view combined with the highest resolution gives us more reality than the previous versions. If I were to choose the most improved part of the game , I would directly say that the faces are really realistic compared to the old versions on the pictures.

  To sum up, I am really satisfied with the new version of The Sims game The Sims 4. I think the graphics are really well done. The shadows , the facial expressions and the highly detailed landscapes with the high resolution makes the player more adapted into the Sims world. I still think that it is the best in graphic design as a simulation game. 

 İ.A. 

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Paper Art

While searching new designs for my project , this week I came up with a really clever and artistical design.It is paper art.To talk about how this art is applied , it can be said that by folding various sized papers and sticking them on a basic background , the artist creates his/her design.Also by choosing different colors the work is given emphasis on the parts that needs more attention.

Another aspect of this paper art work method is that by folding the paper less and sticking from different angles, the artist can give three dimensionality.And the three dimensionality is what makes paper art different then basic paper stickers.

Having searched paper art works by different designers, I would like to say that I am really fascinated by the fact that the artists use only ordinary paper , thus it shows that it is up to talent and visually imagining the result of the work. For if the artist can not imagine the whole work, it is something probable that he/she would make a folding or sticking mistake.In order not to make mistakes during the paper art process, they first imagine their design and then draw it on a piece of paper. By looking at the picture of their design, they can continue their art work and creat a successful work.

To sum up , although design by paper may sound to you a little bit childish , paper art work is a really professional branch , so do not think it is simple.It is really complicated and it need visual imagination so that a design would be created.I really liked paper artwork and so shared my ideas about it with you.Ilke A.

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Eye-catching Cars

Nowadays it is something possible to come up with golden or silver cars on the traffic , but do not think it might have cost the owner a fortune , since it actually is chrome car wrap. Chrome car wrap is a new car modifying design done in order to give the shiny , mirror-like look of the car and turn it into an eye-catching design that I really think is rare and fancy.This new style in modifying the car is becoming really popular these days and especially in Europe.And since the owner of the car has the opportunity to wrap it off when they want , it is really easy to decide on the color and not to worry whether he/she will be bored of the color if they do not like it in the forthcoming days.

To talk about the color chart of chrome wrap , it is mostly preferred in gold and silver however there are also other eye-catching colors such as navy blue, fuchsia , green and red.It is also possible to request a special color for your car yet it would cost you an extra amount of money. To mention the process of it , it is a really hard material to work with , so applying the chrome film takes much more time than applying the standard vehicle wraps. And since it is really hard to apply , professionals are needed for the process and thus it increases the cost.

When it comes to the protection and maintanence of the chrome film , it can be proudly said that , it lasts as long as standard automotive color last on the car. Another advantage of it is that it keeps your car cooler since the sun is reflected off its surface rather than being absorbed into your car.And the last but not the least advantage of it is that , it protects the real car's surface in case of small accidents and harsh weather conditions.

To conclude , a fancy look is provided by the chrome car wrap design and the best part of it is that it is not only estetical but also functional.To have a unique car is really easy with this wrap. I am really fascinated by this car designing product and would love to have a fuchia shining car.Had it not been really expensive , I would not think for a second and go have my car covered with this chrome film!

Ilke A. 

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Flower Dresses

A couple of weeks ago, I came up with three dimensional works of an artist called Lim Zhi Wei on instagram. Her works really attracted my attention since it is something really unique. She created a concept for her art and promoted it with her instagram hashtags on her art works.

Her art consists of watercolor and acrylic color combined with different kinds of flowers.The beauty and the uniqueness of her art comes from these real flowers that are sticked on the paper and completed by her watercolor or acrylic drawings.

Her drawing technique is really subtle and soft which is a technique mostly used by fashion designers , yet the unique thing about her art is that she not only draws body figures and sticks real flowers on it , but also creates dress designs by her art process. So most of her flower work collection consists of works on fashion , which can be seen on the photos. That is the difference she makes ,I have never seen a fashion designer who designs clothes by the influence of real flowers.

When she is asked 'How could you find that different art style?' in an interview , she replied that nature used to be her inspiration for her previous works , so she tought using directly the nature would maybe be really fancy and so she did it.

To sum up , I would like to say that I am really fascinated by her works. The way how she applied the color on the paper , the choice of colors and the choice of the flowers creates a fragile look and I think it brings up femininity to the work. I believe that the softness combined with femininity creates naiveness and I really appreciate it. Lastly I would say that I am thinking of trying her technique with real flowers as well ,since it really worths trying!

Ilke A.

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Michael Kors , influenced by Louis Vuitton , Chanel and Dior

  Even though Michael Kors is a designer luxury brand that I really think has the style and uniqueness combined with its dynamic choices of colors , I am  really disappointed to come up with its two new(2014 model) bag designs which give me the impression that Michael Kors is highly influenced by the famous luxury brands; Louis Vuitton , Chanel and Dior in the sense of model and pattern.

  The reason why I came up with this idea can obviously be seen on the first comparison pictures above which are showing that Michael Kors made a new bag design by combining the bag designs Dior’s ‘Miss Dior promenade pouch bag’  and Chanel’s ‘black leather classic bag’. Only by the small details of chain and the lock of the bag , we can say that it is different , yet this is not enough as I am used to seeing  ‘perfection’ in Michael Kors. Thus it is something really natural for me to expect more than an average influenced design . I expect a unique design from them as they used to create.

  The other instance of Michael Kors’ 2014 design similarity between other luxury brand can be seen on the second comparison picture above showing the bags; ‘Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM Damier Ebene’ and ‘Michael Kors Jet Set Travel Medium Multifunction Tote’. The damier pattern of Louis Vuitton has been used over many years and it is like an ID of Louis Vuitton used in most of its bag models .This year Michael Kors created the multifunction square design as their pattern , however it really resembles to Louis Vuitton’s damier pattern.

  To put it in a nutshell , this year Michael Kors’ two new  bag designs really did not satisfy me. However I must say that I really liked their rest of 2014 year designs. So I am hoping that they will not continue using their new square pattern on their forthcoming bag designs and hoping that they will not be influenced by other luxury brands in their forthcoming bag models.

Ilke A