Monday, March 16, 2015
Smashing Pumpkins poster
This poster for a 1997 Smashing Pumpkins and Fountains of Wayne concert looks pretty cool at first, but then the colors start to cause a bit of eye strain. I do like how the text is formed around the image, although with the lines running behind everything, it makes it a little difficult to read the thinner letters. The poster also consist primarily of purple and a greenish yellow, which causes a sort of vibration effect that again makes it a little harder to read everything that is not "Smashing Pumpkins." It would have been good to use a different color that goes good with purple or with the greenish yellow that wouldn't cause that vibrating effect and would then make it easier to read the text over it.
Saint Louis International Film Festival 2012
The illustration on this poster for the 21st Annual Whitaker Saint Louis International Film Festival looks almost like an old-fashioned movie star with the giant glasses and scarf made out of film. The yellow-orange of the background flows right into the script-style text on the actress's head. The text has a kind of feeling of sophistication generally possessed by the type of people who attend film festivals. Some of the letters do not quite resemble what they should be, but this does not make it impossible to read, and it still works with appealing to its audience. The names at the top are presumably the locations in which the festival took place that year. The color of the font is good, and it fills in that space nicely without drawing attention away from the design. The poster also quite kindly provides a website at the bottom for more information.
The Rift
People who walk by a poster for the short film, "The Rift," might be pulled right in by the large title, the dirty off-white text certainly being a stand-out on the poster. This, of course, is a good thing because people should definitely notice what it is right away. They might also notice the "rift" created between the 'i' and the 'f', which really ties itself in with the title, and the font fits well with the sci-fi/thriller genre of the film. Adding "a film by Robert Kouba" on top of the title also helps balance it out, and it fills in some space that might seem off-putting otherwise.
Governors Ball 2013
This Governers Ball festival poster achieves a very cute, old-time Disney/Warner Bros.-style cartoon look in both the illustration and the bubble letters used in the larger font. With this cute style, however, like many festival posters, it seems, comes a decrease in readability, particularly in the names below the headliners that have been given very little room. The dates and location are also around the same size, and those are also important bits of information. Because of this, people would have to look very closely at the poster to really be able to read who is playing there, what days the festival is held, and where the festival is held. Granted, we are in the age of the Internet and can simply look these things up if necessary, it proves rather inconvenient and contrary to the overall purpose of a festival poster, even though many people probably only care about the headliners, anyway.
"Twenty-Five" - Rachel L. Hamm
It is pretty clear from the cover that Rachel L. Hamm's novel, "Twenty-Five," is a romance story. Even the script font of the title and the main characters' names on the back brings to mind someone writing or signing a love letter with that personal and almost-fancy appearance that script fonts and cursive handwriting provide. I think the placement of the title and author's name is fine in respect to the illustration, but I wish there was something occupying that negative space. I like that the lines up top become less opaque on the spine because otherwise, with the title up there, it would be a real mess.
I like the idea of making the main characters' names stand out in the synopsis with script font, but I don't think it would be any worse off if that had not been done. I am also not sure why there is an invisible box that the synopsis wraps around at the bottom. I am assuming it is making room for a bar code, but of course, there is nothing there, so it just looks like unnecessary planning.
I like the idea of making the main characters' names stand out in the synopsis with script font, but I don't think it would be any worse off if that had not been done. I am also not sure why there is an invisible box that the synopsis wraps around at the bottom. I am assuming it is making room for a bar code, but of course, there is nothing there, so it just looks like unnecessary planning.
"The Mayor's Tongue" - Nathaniel Rich
This cover for "The Mayor's Tongue" by Nathaniel Rich is very interesting. It almost seems like it should be confusing to read with the letters kind of all over the place, and for a split second, that is the case, but then the brain adjusts to the positioning of the letters. In terms of design efficiency, maybe this is not the best idea. For example, it might look less confusing in that split second if the 'r' and the apostrophe were switched. But then, maybe it is best to keep it that way because it draws interest and catches the eye with its design. I just think it would be better if it looked less cramped.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Mullum 2011
The illustration and the text are mainly working side-by-side in this poster for the Mullum music festival in Australia. This is good in that neither one interrupts the other, which would have rendered the text potentially unreadable, although it almost makes them seem unrelated by creating an invisible wall between the two sides. It is a nice touch to add abbreviations of the countries to the artists that are presumably just the ones not native to Australia. The names go down in size gradually, which suggests that the Dynamites with Charles Walker are the headliners. It provides dates within the sun illustration, which is an interesting, eye-catching place to put them. Contact information is also provided, though the phone number is a little harder to read.
"Scarred But Smarter: Life n Times of Drivin n Cryin"
The DVD cover for the Drivin' n' Cryin' documentary, "Scarred But Smarter," is pretty well designed. The title is place up top where it stands out and is most fitting in relation to the overall design. Due most likely to the drop shadow, the red of the subtitle manages to stand out even over the red in the photo. The bottom text lists the "stars" and the director. My issue with this section is the lack of a comma following 'DNC'. It really bugs me that the designer clearly forgot the comma and it reads "DNC Peter Buck," as though "DNC Peter Buck" is one entity. I also do not really like where "An EVH Pic" is. It is too small and perfectly centered and it just does not look like it belongs there at all. Maybe fitting that somewhere on the back or the spine would have looked better.
The back features a synopsis below several pictures of the band. The font all fits in well enough with the design and nothing seems out of place. I think the back cover worked out almost perfectly.
The back features a synopsis below several pictures of the band. The font all fits in well enough with the design and nothing seems out of place. I think the back cover worked out almost perfectly.
Kids Food Fest poster
This flyer for a kids food festival is fitting for what it is. It is colorful, which makes it seem more kid-friendly. Nothing seems too out-of-place and it provides a lot of necessary information, including the dates, time, location, and website for more information. It even provides a little information about tickets on a ticket stub that smartly runs off the page rather than hanging very close to the edge.
Sweetlife 2015
This is a good example of a festival poster that does not provide more design than necessary. It has a simple illustration, the festival name is up top and is the first bit of information to be read, followed by the dates and the location. Below that is the list of artists performing at the festival, all ordered, most likely, by significance in regards to the festival. My only issue here is that there is no indication of who the headliners are. On the website (which is provided at the bottom; also a good thing to have on festival posters in this day and age), Calvin Harris and Kendrick Lamar are in black while the rest of the artists are in gray, so something like that or a larger font size to separate them from the supporters would be good to have. The good thing about having less than 30 artists here, however, is that nothing becomes unreadable on this poster. One thing I might add, though, as it would be useful to festival-goers, is the time that the festival starts.
"Still Rockin' around the Clock" - Marshall Lytle
This cover for former Bill Haley backing band bassist Marshall Lytle's memoir almost looks like a joke cover, like something that is not an official release, but rather something someone made for fun. This isn't necessarily a bad thing if that were the case, but it hardly looks professional. The title uses three different fonts that make it look fun, sure, but also rather silly. Then there is the clip-art-like explosion behind Lytle and a flame-like frame around a black-and-white photo of Bill Haley and His Comets, both of which seem unnecessary or could have been used differently. The use of a Sans Serif font almost like Comic Sans also rubs me the wrong way here. The whole cover looks like something a ska band would use on an album cover to show that they are fun and silly as all modern ska bands should be.
On the back cover, the synopsis is centered the entire way down. It would be better if it was lined up to the left, but I suppose it fits in with the already campy cover.
On the back cover, the synopsis is centered the entire way down. It would be better if it was lined up to the left, but I suppose it fits in with the already campy cover.
Fremantle Street Arts Festival Poster
This poster for the Fremantle Street Arts Festival in Australia has an interesting illustration that might make people want to check out the festival, but it does not provide much information. It simply provides a names and a date, and they certainly are important, and the placement of the text is pretty interesting in relation to the design. However, it does not provide any additional information people might like to know, like, for example, any sort of contact information. Adding a website, at least, would be pretty logical as a way to suggest visiting for more information about the festival in question. They are simply left with the hope that people are curious enough to attend the festival regardless.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
"The Varieties of Scientific Experience" - Carl Sagan
The cover for Carl Sagan's book "The Varieties of Scientific Experience" looks fitting for the type of subject matter he is (was) best at discussing. Typically, the white font would stand out in front of a black background, and it does in parts, but at times, it almost seems to hang back with the background. I think if the font were a little bolder, it would stand out a little more. It would also be good to adjust the positioning of the title so it does not fade into the white light in the background. Moving the text just slightly to the right would also keep it from looking like it is about to fall off the page.
"Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?" - Lorrie Moore
The cover for Lorrie Moore's novel "Who Will Run the Frog Hospital?" is basically everything I just said. It is simply a white background with the title and the author's name (and "a novel by" in between). There is nothing at all interesting about the design, although it does do a good job of making me wonder exactly what this book is about. There is probably a better cover for a different edition of this book, but in this case, this is all there is. It is, however, easy to read and nothing really bugs me about the font used or where it all lines up. So this is not a bad cover; it's just a little boring.
Jimi Hendrix, etc. poster
This poster for what seems like a Jimi Hendrix Experience headlining concert, although there is only a photo of Strawberry Alarm Clock in the middle, again uses that typical psychedelic '60s font. The entire poster has so much going on that it is very difficult to read. Some of these words don't even look like actual words and the poster is just very confusing and there is no clarification at all regarding who the headliner was. I guess this all wouldn't really have mattered to anyone who would have seen that this show was only $2 in advance, anyway.
Janis Joplin poster
This Janis Joplin poster, like many concert posters from/inspired by this time period, uses a "psychedelic" font because that seemed to be the trend of the '60s. Unfortunately, like everything else that employs this type of font, it is hard to read right away and often requires using context clues to figure out what each letter is. Some of these letters look like other letters, and in fact, the 'i's and 'y's share the same character as the '1's and '4's with this font. The monochrome is a little boring, too, but at least nothing blends in with anything else.
James Brown concert poster
This is a James Brown concert poster made almost entirely out of text. I am assuming all of the text is not actually "important," and all of the necessary information is in the bottom left corner. Otherwise, there would be a lot of head-turning and squinting to figure what it says. The design is very good in that it's pretty easy to tell that the image that the text creates is James Brown, and it was a good idea to make his name yellow so it would stand out more for anyone who doesn't immediately get it, though it is awfully small compared to the design of his face. If it says where the concert was held, it is not at all apparent, unfortunately. The date and time are also a little hard to read at first. It seems that, overall, efficiency was sacrificed for style in this poster.
"Winger" - Andrew Smith
It is my understanding that on the hardcover copy of Andrew Smith's "Winger," the title is embossed and, therefore, stands out a little more, but in this case (and likely on the paperback edition), the color choice is not the best. The white letters stand out over the boy's face, but when it goes over the sky, which fades into white, it blends in and becomes difficult to read. The same can be said about the author's name, except in this case, it's more readable on the sky and a little less readable on the face. I like the cover photo and the placement of the text, so the only thing I would really want to change is the color of the text. "Winger" could use a different, darker color, like black, perhaps, and the author's name might be good with a gray or a purple or something that won't blend in as much with the face.
Friday, March 13, 2015
"Tomorrow May Be Too Late" - Thomas Marino
This cover for Thomas Marino's memoir "Tomorrow May Be Too Late" could have been better. I like the font chosen for the title, but either the text or the image needs to be darker because parts of the white text blend in with the highlights on the body. Also, "a love story" starts to blend in with the shadows, so maybe a different font color would be better there. I am also not particularly a fan of the white box across the bottom with the author's name, but at least it's more easily readable than the rest of the cover.
The back cover does not really share the cover's issue, although the heart dripping over a part of text is not really necessary. The spine of the book is actually more interesting than the cover and I don't really have any issues with it.
The back cover does not really share the cover's issue, although the heart dripping over a part of text is not really necessary. The spine of the book is actually more interesting than the cover and I don't really have any issues with it.
Sasquatch 2010
This poster for the 2010 Sasquatch festival has a cute, colorful design, likely to show festival-goers that they will be happy and have a good time. It is clear right away what and when this festival is, but inexplicably, the very reason people go to these events is the least readable part of the entire poster. I certainly would have been excited to see that Pavement, Drive-by Truckers, and Jets Overhead were at this festival (if I were in Washington around Memorial Day weekend in 2010), but this poster would not have been my best source of this information if I did not want to stand right in front of it for five minutes. Even the "Esurance presents" at the top is bigger and more readable than all of the artists at the bottom, as if to suggest that some insurance company, regardless of its sponsorship, is more important than the artists for which people would attend this festival. It's almost like "Sasquatch!" was a ton of bricks and all the performers' names were a giant cake just minding its own business when "Sasquatch!" just came out of nowhere and squished them into the shape of a really thick pancake.
As much as I like the illustration, I think it should be adjusted to give the artists' names some more room so people can read them, and something should be done to make it clear who the headliners are. A larger font size or a different color would work to differentiate them from the supporting acts. Maybe making the festival name just a little smaller while adjusting the tracking a little so it still lines up with everything else would also be useful here.
As much as I like the illustration, I think it should be adjusted to give the artists' names some more room so people can read them, and something should be done to make it clear who the headliners are. A larger font size or a different color would work to differentiate them from the supporting acts. Maybe making the festival name just a little smaller while adjusting the tracking a little so it still lines up with everything else would also be useful here.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
"Where'd You Go, Bernadette" - Maria Semple
Maria Semple's "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" is one of many books released with different covers as they may appeal to the target audience in both the U.S. and the U.K.. The cover on the left is the U.S. release and the one on the right is the U.K. release. Both covers were clearly going for the same idea, and I like and dislike both for different reasons. In the U.S. release, the font is bolder and easier to read, but I do not like the separation between "Where'd You Go," and "Bernadette." It makes it seem as though "Bernadette" is the name of the author (a pseudonym, perhaps) and is not related to the title in any way.
On the U.K. version, the title is closer together, so it is clear that "Where'd You Go," and "Bernadette" are related. The cover also uses that handwritten-looking font that is often used on album covers and indie movie posters to appeal to young hipsters who yearn for an Instagram-filtered summer to spend outdoors with their other young hipster friends, which is not necessarily terrible. However, the text is awfully close to the edge, as in it is actually touching it. The font size should be adjusted a little so it does not run off the cover. At least it's clear who the author is this time.
On the U.K. version, the title is closer together, so it is clear that "Where'd You Go," and "Bernadette" are related. The cover also uses that handwritten-looking font that is often used on album covers and indie movie posters to appeal to young hipsters who yearn for an Instagram-filtered summer to spend outdoors with their other young hipster friends, which is not necessarily terrible. However, the text is awfully close to the edge, as in it is actually touching it. The font size should be adjusted a little so it does not run off the cover. At least it's clear who the author is this time.
Cloverfield
The poster for the film "Cloverfield" uses an interesting, albeit rather monochromatic, image that might draw curiosity in regards to exactly happens within the film. It also uses fairly appropriate fonts for the kind of audience it wants to appeal to. However, although it is fairly large, I do find it odd that the tagline is clearly larger than the title of the film. It seems like it would make more sense if "Cloverfield" was larger than "some thing has found us." Of course, "Cloverfield" still does stand out more than that tagline because it employs brighter colors that are more visible on top of the background, and it is probably the designer's intention to make the viewer see the tagline first, but its larger font size makes it seem as though it is more important than the title of the film itself when it should most likely be the other way around.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
The Lawnmowers - "Fearless"
I should make it clear first that this is not a review about the music within this album, but rather its album artwork (which is not a reflection on the musical content, anyway). The first noticeable thing is the photo of a rabbit, which glows to the point of looking rather blurry and overall like a picture anyone could have taken (well, anyone who does not scare away the rabbit). Then the photo is topped off with the band's name in a very boring Century Gothic font. Maybe boring is too harsh a word, but I can definitely say that this font does not belong here. Also of note is that the album title, "Fearless," is missing from the cover, but perhaps it is for the best. It probably would not have helped design-wise, although this does mean there is some missing information on the cover.
Maybe the album art would have been better off if the band name was also missing (both the band name and the album title appear on the spine, anyway). It would not really change the fact the photo is not particularly pleasing to the eye, but it would help prevent the cover from being worse off in the way of its design.
Maybe the album art would have been better off if the band name was also missing (both the band name and the album title appear on the spine, anyway). It would not really change the fact the photo is not particularly pleasing to the eye, but it would help prevent the cover from being worse off in the way of its design.
Rain Dragon
This book cover is very calm-looking, and I like the hand-drawn/hand-written style it possesses. The placement of the text in relation to the design works well, and there is nothing obvious that I have an issue with. Nothing is too close to the edges and the text works around any of the illustration that might prevent readability by either making room for it or using a different color. There is not really any important information being sacrificed for design, and it would definitely be easier to read the synopsis on the back if I were looking at the book in person rather than online.
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