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Humane Society

The Humane Society of the United States is an American nonprofit organization founded by journalist Fred Myers and Helen Jones, Larry Andrews, and Marcia Glaser in 1954. They pride themselves with the fact that they are the nation’s most effective animal protection organization. They fight for all animal rights but some of their biggest fights are stopping puppy mills, ending cosmetics animal testing, banning trophy hunting, protecting broiler chickens, and preventing horse slaughter. They also strive to create a more humane society by ending animal fighting, ending animal cruelty and neglect, going fur free, protecting marine wildlife as well as many other things.

I believe that the Humane Society is really striving to change the way society views animals and how they are treated. They are actively going to communities and showing them the harmful ways that animals are still treated in society today. Also, informing them of the benefits of helping these animals and what we can do to help. They also pair up with various businesses and celebrities to help bring awareness to all of these issues. The Humane Society uses a more informational and beneficial stance rather than a more radical stance that other animal activist groups use.

I am passionate about The Humane Society and changing the way society treats animals because animals do not have a voice. We as humans should be their voice and take a stand when we feel that other humans are not treating them right. Also, the lack of care and emphasis on selfishness we have taken as a society when it comes to animals and entertainment is awful. The abuse and neglect that some animals go through for a lifetime just so we as humans can be entertained for an hour is so selfish. There are other ways to appreciate animals in a way more humane way than capturing them in the wild, ripping them from their families, and confining them to a box for the rest of their lives.

Some ways that I have tried to help this huge problem on a personal level is by not buying any cosmetic products from companies that use animal testing. You can look on the back of any cosmetic product (shampoo, body wash, makeup, etc.) and it if has a leaping bunny icon then it means that it has not been tested on animals. Also, doing my research on zoos and amusement parks with animals, and seeing their values and how they treat their animals before I pay tons of money to go and potentially be a part of the problem. Finally, I strive to adopt, not shop for animals and encourage others to do the same. Sometimes all it takes is a little research to help a huge problem.

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Objectivity

The object that I received is a USB-C to USB adapter. The purpose of this object is to be able to connect your standard USB objects or cables to a computer or laptop that has only the USB-C port.

The perceived value of this object to me is worthless. On my Macbook, I already have the regular USB port. I actually do not even have the USB-C ports, because my Macbook is a few years old. To someone who does have the USB-C ports and not the USB port, this object could be valuable to them. It all depends on the situation in my opinion. It could be worthless to them as well because they already may have one. It could also be worth $10 to someone who needs one but lives near a Best Buy or WalMart. They could easily go out and buy this object or one very similar that serves the same purpose. But, to someone who may be in the middle of no where and is cracking top secret FBI code and all the information they need is on a flash drive, then this object could be invaluable to them. They would be willing to do anything for it, or pay whatever price someone might be selling it for. Like I said, it all depends on someone’s situation.

I am not sure who makes this object. It does not have a brand or name on it. It feels like it is made out of some kind of sturdy metal. It is cold to the touch and is firm. It feels like if someone were to drop it on the floor, it would not break. It is black with chrome edges and the USB-C appendage is chrome as well. The inside of the USB port has a blue plastic piece. It has a sleek, modern style to it. The object seems fairly well put together. Some of the edges are bent in a semi-sloppy manner. They are not perfectly straight and they do not perfectly meet with the USB port. That is just me being picky after staring at it for so long though.

The possibitlies with this object could be endless though. With the amount of information and power of technology in this day and age, this object could take part in creating many things. This could help code the next video game or be the next biggest advertising campaign. Or like mentioned earlier, it could possibly be the missing piece to cracking the top secret FBI code. This object could play a big role into anything that our mind comes up with. As long as it involves a USB-C port of course.

Overall, this object could be worthless to some or invaluable to others. Either way, the possibilites with this object are endless. With the ever growing technology world, this piece could be very relevant today and irrelevant the next. Who knows, tomorrow they could come out with USB-D or USB-E. But for now, it could be the link between what is impossible to possible.

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Historic Fire Station

On the outskirts of downtown in Ruston, Louisiana is the Historic Fire Station. Built in 1926 and fully restored in 2009, it is a smaller cream colored building with lots of windows, tucked away behind a few oak trees. It is across the street from lots of restaurants and shops and next door to where Ruston holds their Farmer’s Market, yet it feels so remote and quiet. Though it is in such a busy area it still holds that small town charm and is truly a great find.

The public is able to walk all the way around the building. In the back there is a picturesque garden. The garden feels like it could go on for miles but realistically behind it is a public parking lot.  In the center of the garden there is a tall fountain, which at the time was adorned with flowers left over from a wedding.

Near the fountain is a paved area that is covered by a pergola, which I’m assuming served the purpose of the altar for the wedding. It was also holding some decaying flowers that were left behind.

On one side of the fire station are two big, brown double doors that once upon a time, served as the entrance and exit for the fire trucks that once lived there. Now they are a notorious backdrop for photographers looking to take pictures in downtown Ruston.

To the right of the double doors, directly in the sunlight at all times during the day, is a small rose garden. When I was visiting there were a few small buds still trying to bloom in the warm weather Louisiana is still experiencing in October.

As mentioned earlier, there a few oak trees surrounding the building. All of them having a small garden around the base of the tree. The grounds seem well taken care of, probably because this is one of the more popular venues in Ruston, Louisiana. Like the dying flowers told, weddings are held here. As well as business meetings, parties, rehersal dinners, etc.  The overall atmosphere of the historic fire station is well sought after. Being in the middle of town it is not far from hotels, restaurants, the interstate. Yet is so peaceful and charming, and would be the perfect place for any event.

Overall, the historic fire station in Ruston, Louisiana is a little gem tucked away behind some oak trees on the outskirts of downtown. It has a wonderful garden in the back that anyone could wander into and get lost for hours. Whether it be on one of they many benches in the garden or next the fountain or under the pergola. It also can be utilized as a wonderful backdrop to photos, or a backdrop for any event you are wanting to hold there. The historic fire station is a timeless place and will be for generations to come, as it has already.

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Brand Review

SUBWAY

Subway is a fast-food chain that sells primarily subs and salads. It was founded in 1968, and not many people know this but it is actually the largest fast food chain in the world. They have more stores worldwide than McDonald’s. In 2017, Subway decided to rebrand the company as a whole which included many things in their identity including their logo, stores, packaging, etc. There is not one specific reason that the company decided to rebrand but there is many explanations. The company’s CEO since 1968 passed away in 2015, with his sister taking over the company. So with a new CEO comes a new look, at least that is one explanation. They have also been transparent with the fact that they are losing business to other sandwich chains that also use all fresh ingredients such as Panera Bread, Firehouse Subs, etc. Subway announced the reason for the rebrand was to draw in a younger audience and make it more modern and inviting to the coming generation. They have called it their “Fresh Forward” look. Meaning they are moving forward while still holding true to their values of all fresh ingredients. Finally, one of the more popular speculations for the reason of the rebrand is that one of their old spokesmen, Jared Fogle, was arrested for possession of child pornography and molestation of a child. Many believe that the rebrand comes close after the arrest of Jared because they want to move past that and no longer be associated with that image.

As far as the actual new logo of the company goes, the one on the left pictured above is the logo the company used from 2002 to 2016. The new logo of the company, pictured on the right above, was officially rolled out world-wide towards the end of 2017. The new logo has been getting mixed criticism from the consumers. Many have expressed hatred or love for the new identity. The older logo uses different colors. The green is a deeper, pine green and the yellow used is more of a true, highlighter yellow. The new logo uses more of a emerald green and it is accompanied by a golden yellow versus the true yellow used previously. I appreciate the removal of the stroke from the old logo and also getting rid of the italic type. I like the bolder geometric typeface they used in the new logo and keeping it just the two main colors of the company. One thing I think could have been paid more attention to is the extension of the “y” into the arrow. It makes a hard right turn that seems very forced and not pleasing. Also, I don’t get a feeling of “connectivity” that seems like the company was trying to go for in their new identity. With such bold, block letters that feel like they each exist on their own versus being connected and giving off the feeling of connectivity. Though, Subway did also release an alternative logo using just the “S”.

I do like this symbol on its own and the merging of the two arrows from their larger logo making an S. Also, the use of the negative space in between the arrows creating another S. This one seems like there was more attention to the detail than the larger logo that accompanies it.

Many consumers and designers believe that the new logo is calling back more to their older logo from 1969 (pictured below).

This could be intentional if you recall earlier to what I was saying about the reasons for the rebrand. The typefaces and letter forms are very similar of the new logo and the oldest logo. Also, the arrows coming off the S and the Y. The colors have changed since, but I think the introduction of the color green goes well with the company’s identity of serving all fresh ingredients. Also, with the new identity the company has been rolling out a new series of commercials featuring their founder and original CEO. So the company is obviously trying to take a step back in time and reaffirm their roots and values as a company.

Like mentioned earlier, the company also started to implement new packaging and store looks with the new identity (examples pictured to the right).

It’s obvious that the “S” symbol is a big component of their new store and packaging designs. I think this is a smart move due to some of the backlash with the new logo, though everyone seems to like the S symbol. Also, the new green color is very prominent.

Overall, I think that the new 2017 rebrand of Subway was a smart move. With all of the rebranding that has been happening lately, it was easy to begin to believe that Subway was outdated. Also, with everything going on with Subway internally as a company and in the media, it was time to regroup and start fresh and really get back to their values, a fast-food chain that serves healthy options using all fresh ingredients. I also appreciate the fact that Subway instead of just changing the logo decided to change every aspect of the company to make it a cohesive identity, including their packaging and the stores. Though there has been some backlash, there always will be those people who don’t like change. But I believe this change was for the better. It’s a FRESH look, moving FORWARD.

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Beautiful & Ugly

Beautiful

Vignelli Forever

Anthony Neil Dart

I think this piece is beautiful because of it’s layout. I get so stoked about graphic design just from looking at this piece. Also, it is one of my favorite color palettes, and it’s using one of my favorite typefaces. Just the balance and the flow of the entire piece is what makes it beautiful in my opinion.

Rocky

Grzegorz Domaradzki

I think this piece is beautiful because of it’s illustration. I appreciate the attention to detail. Also, the layers of images and graphics in the silhouette of the fighters is so well done. It’s just interesting to look at and look at the details.

Mickey Mouse

Kate Moross

I think this piece is beautiful because of it’s graphic illustration. I like the simplicity of the illustrations themselves and the repetition making a pattern. The pieces all together as a whole is cohesive and exciting. I enjoy the bright colors and the fun tone of it.

Aktiv Grotesk Specimen

Carlos Jiménez

I think this piece is beautiful because of the typeface it is using. Aktiv Grotesk is one of my all time favorite typefaces. So this specimen is beautiful simply because of the typeface it is using. Also, the layout is well done and the way he showed all the different weights and sizes is nice.

Mondo X Cyclops Print Works Print #20V: Peter Pan (Variant)

Tom Whalen

I think this piece is beautiful because of its illustration. Illustration is not my strongest skill so anything that is able to use illustration well is beautiful to me. I also enjoy all of the details and the color palette used. It’s very eye catching and fun.

Ugly

Cheese Promotional Card

Widmer’s Cheese Cellars

I think this piece is ugly because of everything going on. It has so many different images on top of each other. Also all the different type on top of the images. It’s just so busy and hard to read and understand the purpose of the card.

Weekly Program

St. Jude Catholic Church

I think this is ugly because of the text. All of the body text is one line length, not broken up into columns. Also, the body text is all in a decorative typeface making it not very legible. Finally, the colors are a bit distracting as the background.

Candy & Drink Promotional Photo

Walgreens

I think this piece is ugly because of the text overset on the image. You can not even read what it says because of where the text overlaps certain parts on the image. Also the all center aligned text staight down the middle, there is no real layout or grid.

Family Night Informational Graphic

W.T. Lewis Elementary School

I think this is ugly because of all the different typefaces and colors. Its just so busy your eye can’t focus on just one thing. Also, the images with the white bow still around it are horrible. Finally, all the stretched text makes it not hard to read.

T-shirt

Lamb of God

I think this ugly because it uses Papyrus for all of it’s text. It gets harder to read as the text gets smaller. And it’s slightly funny that so many peple approved of this shirt and not one person warned them about the use of Papyrus.

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Message, Tone & Format

The piece of design that I have chosen is a mural designed by the studio Eight Hour Day for the Target in downtown Minneapolis. I chose this piece because it closely relates to the type of design I enjoy doing. Also, I appreciate the simple illustrations of the figures and buildings, they are easy on the eye and fun.

The message of this piece is the history and iconic representations of the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota. There is a viking ship to represent the football team, the Minnesota Vikings. There is also a Dayton’s shopping bag which was a chain department store that started in Minneapolis and became the parent store to Target.

The tone of this piece is through fun, cute, and simple line work illustrations. They are easy on the eye and meant to add to the environment of the Minneapolis Target. Though, not stand out too much to distract the customer or be off putting to their shopping experience. Also, if the customer wishes, it could be informational about the city of Minneapolis and the state of Minnesota. Even when I first found this work and was looking into it, learned so much about Minneapolis and Minnesota.

Finally, the form of this piece is a mural placed through out various places of the downtown Minneapolis Target. It was carved into large sheets of wood, which were then stained and placed on the wall in panels. It was also printed on wallpaper to put in other places of the store.

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Why am I a Designer?

I am a designer because I love art. Growing up I was always the kid that wanted coloring books for Christmas. All four years of high school I took art even though it wasn’t required. I enjoy going to museums and art festivals, and I just have an undeniable appreciation for art. It took me a while to realize that I could take the thing that I love and actually turn it into a career. My art teacher would always tell me that I should look into graphic arts, and hearing that I would immediately think starving artist. There was no way I was going to get an art degree. When I started taking business classes, thinking that I wanted to be a marketing major, I realized I could do what I love AND make money. The advertisements are what stood out to me, and I knew I wanted to be the person to create advertisements, flyers, and packaging; not the smiling face passing all that out. Also, I could tell there would be a lot of people needing things like that done. Everywhere you look there is some form of advertisement that someone spent time and money on. Being part of an advertising agency would be what I hope to do after graduation. Overall, I am a designer because it is a way for me to marry the thing that I am passionate about with a job that I am drawn to and love to learn about. Like everyone always says, do what you love and you will never work another day in your life.

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100 Words on Design

Design is a process that requires time and effort.

It’s also creative freedom. There are numerous words that are used with the word design. Graphic design, interior design, fashion design, etc. 

It’s a safe space, with the ability to free your creative mind. Do the things that you have always wanted. There is no right or wrong way to design. Failures happen, but there is no “wrong” way.

It’s a way of life. If you are a “designer” then you have an eye for design. Once you learn the fundamentals your way of thinking or doing is affected by design.