ericlauterbach-blog

[ericlauterbach-blog]

For the well known designer, I decided to do this Designer Spotlight on Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv.  As one of the most well known graphic design firms, they also have designed probably a collection of the most recognizable company logos.What I really enjoy about their designs is that they very effectively utilize the minimal amount of forms however each logo is still extremely effective.  They also very successfully use the negative space as a form of its own in most of the logo designs.

Then for the lesser known designer, Thomas Kronbichler’s designs stood out to me.  What I find very successful about his designs are that he manages to use an abundance of extremely vibrant colors however still remains minimalistic, which is an impressive feat.  In my opinion there are too many cases of color being used to an extreme where it becomes distracting from the design itself.

[ericlauterbach-blog]

I think there are two main aspects of a website that can make it successful, and this Website showcasing San Francisco features both.  First and foremost, this website is very intuitive and easy to navigate.  With the drop down menus always at the top of the website, it is very easy to find what you are looking for.  Then more importantly there is an abundance of links to navigate the website right on the front page.  There is everything one could think of, ranging from popular attractions to hotels, Restaurants, maps, etc.

Another reason why this is a well designed website is due to the fact that every piece of information is accompanied by a a photograph showcasing the city itself.  This is important both to hasten the viewers navigation throughout the website, however also visually photos are much more appealing that purely text.

[ericlauterbach-blog]

Week 8

After visiting the Barnes foundation, there were two specific aspects of the graphic design there that surprised me.  First and foremost I was very surprised at the amount of finalized designs that may be created and shot down during the process of designing something.  This just really goes to show that the of course client has the ultimate opinion, and at an establishment like The Barnes Foundation they clearly have very specific expectations about their branding and graphic design.

The second surprise was how interested one could be into the type of paper used for a letter, pamphlet, poster etc. This simply hasn’t occurred to me as it hasn’t been discussed much in classes.  While I certainly see how this can be a useful aspect of a design,  I still can’t see myself being as interest in it as the woman from the Barnes Foundation.  

[ericlauterbach-blog]

Week 6

For my book review, I selected this book about Spanish Architecture.  I first picked up this book because I am fan of the work of famous Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi, and while his work is not featured in this book, I was pleasantly surprised about what was.  Unlike Gaudi’s signature style, this book highlights some of the modern contemporary architecture throughout Spain.  Each section has some of the sketches and design involved in the creation of its respective building with an emphasis on the pictures, but also including a small amount of notes with each picture.  I also very much enjoy the design of the book itself, as its very unique with it’s red pages and all caps typography.  Another nice part of the book design is the inclusion of a map detailing the geographical location of each building within Spain.  Overall I enjoyed flipping through this book, and I think it would be at home at the coffee table of anybody who enjoys Architecture as much as I do.

[ericlauterbach-blog]

I think these are 10 examples of fashion design that interestingly exemplify breaking of general fashion rules.  However, because it so obviously intentional, each fashion design makes a statement essentially drawing attention, whether it be due to the aesthetics or the idea behind the design.  For example the full suit of white specks on black creates both intense contrast and could also represent something like a night sky, a snowfall, or other physical aspect of life.  Using a seemingly randomized texture can be really successfully representative of natural scenes.

[ericlauterbach-blog]

I find the album cover for Everything is Love by The Carters to be very interesting design.  While this doesn’t necessarily exemplify an appealing design, there area few factors that make it a good representation of the album as a whole.  First of all, there’s a man and a woman, which shows this is a joint album.  However the most interesting facet of the album cover is the juxtaposition of the figures to the Mona Lisa, blurred and somewhat of an afterthought to the picture.  This is both mysterious and representative of the overarching theme of the album which is the not so subtle flex from The Carters.

[ericlauterbach-blog]

Week 4

I have a few strategies I use to manage my time effectively.  First and foremost I always try to get work done before or between classes throughout the weekdays, which typically allows me to chill in the evening.  I also try to avoid doing homework on Friday and Saturday at all costs.  This  is only really accomplished if I already have planned out a heavy workload for sunday.  With these strategies I can manage my time to give myself set blocks of work/relaxation and seemingly giving myself more free time.

[ericlauterbach-blog]

I had a great time exploring the Neighborhood of East Passyunk.  I’ve only been to this area a couple of times and never to the main street, so I discovered a lot of new places a might visit in the future, as well as seeing a lot of very interesting graphic design throughout the neighborhood.  We went to Junior’s beef and pork, which is a beef and pork sandwich shop. I got a pork sandwich and it was delicious and equally filling as its just the bread and meat.  Overall I really enjoyed this short excursion because the fact I got to discover a new area of Philly, and the food was really good.

[ericlauterbach-blog]

http://www.imleagues.com/spa/intramural/abada3f10ecf44c6b8872432f538c2f9/home

One activity in Philly which I am interested in is the Drexel intramural sports leagues. In particular, the intramural basketball is something I am definitely considering joining. I plan on continuing my interest in intramural sports at Drexel by possibly joining a team either this quarter or later in the school year.

[ericlauterbach-blog]

Westphal Event Assignment

The event I attended was Martin Venezky’s Lecture.  Martin began the event with a presentation of the evolution of his work and how his specific process became so important with his most recent design work.  Something that I learned from seeing his graphic design work is how combining photography and digital design can be a very effective method in the process of creating interesting design.

Another take away I had from Martin’s lecture is that the process can become such a massive part of work, for example from covering his studio in photography mosaic compositions, Martin recreated the same style much later in some of his recent works.  

[ericlauterbach-blog]

These 10 advertisements all caught my eye because they all have three dimensional elements which make them very interesting designs.  Another reason these are so eye catching is the amount of detail, for example the Volkswagen and London Marathon ads map and street designs are so detailed that they continue to be eye catching.

All of these ads also have very interesting ways of representing the product while not being completely literal.  In some cases, however, the typography is needed somewhat to explain the meaning behind the design.

[ericlauterbach-blog]

Our group visited Fishtown for the Eat & Explore assignment.  Getting there on Septa was very easy and quick on the MFL, and the Girard stop brough us right into the neighborhood.  From just walking around the area a bit, it became clear that this was a neighborhood that has recently been on the rise, as there are many newer business’ and buildings in comparison to some of the more typical Philly architecture.  We ate at a small place called Philly Style Bagels, and the food was fantastic yet still at a reasonable price.  In addition seeing to the many dogs around the local park and neighborhood, another great experience from this short excursion was a visit to the SPCA, because of course seeing and petting puppies can never disappoint.  Overall I really enjoyed my first visit to Fishtown and definitely will go back in the future.

[ericlauterbach-blog]

[ericlauterbach-blog]

Abstract: The Art of Design Paula Scher 

After watching this short documentary, I definitely learned a lot about certain aspects of working as a designer.  Paula’s insight on the back and forth between the designer and the client I found to be very interesting, as it seemed like she had the meeting timeline down to a science.  The persuasion involved in a client meeting is a part of design that never crossed my mind, however she showed me that understanding human behavior certainly plays a huge part in design, as a design’s captivation shouldn’t fade with time.

Another part of the documentary I found interesting was Paula’s commentary on typography and the inspiration that she finds in the world around her.  She essentially stated that New York City is the Mecca of typography as she is constantly surrounded by so many different signs and other types of graphic design.  A similar sentiment was echoed by Christph Niemann in episode 1, however I found it interesting how different his artistic process was.  While Paula prefers to immerse herself in the city and is always mobile while she works, Christoph stated that he needs to be in his own space in order to fully access his creative abilities and keep focus.  I found this interesting how a similar inspiration can lead to such a different execution.

[ericlauterbach-blog]

Of these 10 different color combinations, one of my favorite is the combination green, orange, and red from the 7-11 logo.  I think this combination works very well because the orange and and red are similar enough that they can be used together to represent the same number without appearing separate.  However, they also work very well with the forest green because these do contrast enough to be separate as green is a much cooler color than the other two.  The vibrancy of the red also also complements the other two simply because it subtly gives the eye an immediate point of emphasis.

[ericlauterbach-blog]

Companies: Twitter, Target, Beats, NASA, Mini, Chanel, GE, Warner Brothers, Mitsubishi, LEGO

I chose these 10 logos as well designed logos because they are each completely recognizable and iconic.  Each of these logos also accomplishes the challenge of creating both a visually appealing logo while remaining extremely simplistic, and only 4 of these 10 logos actually have any pictorial representation of their respective brands (Twitter, Target, Beats, NASA).

Another reason why these specific logos interest me is because I think they each have a very effective utilization and balance of positive and negative space.  Some of them use the negative space as the subject, like the beats, NASA, or GE logos, while others use negative space as a background filler like the Warner Brothers and Mini logos.  Overall, I think all 10 of these logos are great examples of successful logo design.

[ericlauterbach-blog]

I picked each of these album covers for a few specific reasons.  Almost all of these represent the title of the album in some way, with some being more cryptic than others.  More interestingly, some of these album covers also represent the demeanor or mindset of the artist.  For example, 2pac and N.W.A. felt like they were metaphorically crucified and looked down on by public perception. Then, the Aquemini album art simply diplays the colorful nature of Outkast’s music and personality.  

Unlike almost all other types of design, I think that album covers like these benefit from the fact that they aren’t visually fluid, but with that being said they do all draw the viewers focus into the artist’s face or body.  Most importantly, I think Album covers should be indicative of how the artist wants the viewer to feel when they listen to the album, because it is often seen before any of the music is even heard, and is 100% of the mental image of the music.