Having classic children’s tales as the subject matter, these posters lend themselves to a great exploration in typography, whether that typography has depth or computer generated textural notes to it, or whether it has been hand-rendered, each title is unique and specific to its subject matter.

The great use of background choices help solidly the concepts as do the unique and unconventional approach to cropping, whether it is an image or the title itself.  The non-standard size, a very long and slender format, helps to create a unique series here.

Great job over in Mesa, guys!  Keep up the award-winning work!

Highly imaginative and highly creative ad solutions.  Great job Yellow Shoes!

The logo was inspired by the literal definition of the name, but in the context of the individual pausing mid-stride because of what they are passing by warrants notice and peaks their interest.

The logo stresses an certain ambiguity to whatever is in the frame/window so that it allows Passerby’s offerings to change over time as the company grows and possibly widens their market or offerings.  The figure was purposely rendered to convey not only a sense of style and fashion, but a mix of formal and casual.

The reality is that there were only two that I felt were worth blogging about here, and in this case not because of design execution, but a creative concept and a strong design decision.

Blink

Now, why the main poster for this movie, about a blind lady who finds herself wrapped up in a plot of suspense, was pretty good, it was its advance teaser poster that I think is worth mentioning.  Here, concept is king. The poster is of a very familiar image, one that seems natural for us to see on a wall or marquee, but natural common enough that we stop to ponder why it is there or what it has to say.  The movie says everything, but nothing too literal.  A really creative concept to introduce the movie to its soon-to-be audience.

Forrest Gump

Yes, you may be saying “why?!”.  But here is a great example of how important every decision is in design execution.

The poster seems simply enough.  The very famous park bench with Forrest sitting on it… which becomes the context for the whole narration of the movie.  And type.  Simple lead-in copy.  The iconic actor’s name and the title of the film.

Now what I want to point out is that by not centering the text, but pushing it far to the right of the character, creates a huge amount of negative space that not only adds an asymmetrical layout, but there is concept to that negative space, as they have positioned the character of Forrest Gump in such a way that he is looking at that immense space that helps convey the wonderment, imagination, and innocence of the character.  It conveys his optimism, and also draws us in to wonder what he is thinking… Much of this concept would have been lost if the art director had simply instructed the designer to center the text over the image.  Great design is in the details.

Funny to think that was almost 20 years ago and where things have gone regarding design principles.

1993 didn’t have too bad of a crop of posters, with a just a few that are worth mentioning that push the envelope just a bit more with regards to visual direction, concept, or layout.

King of The Hill

I am going to start off the batch with my favorite of that particular year.  The first thing you will notice is that while designers were starting to move away from the day-glow color palette of the previous decade, the designer of this poster chose colors that were VERY forward-thinking.  Their beautiful low-saturated color scheme is surprisingly what has been “IN” and trendy of the last 4 or 5 years.  The beautiful vignetted tan for the background (whereas someone else might have just used white) gives this poster a richness to behold.

The typography is wonderfully mastered to not sit on any grid register and dances down the layout, playfully drawing the eye and reader down to the title.  The concept of the poster is highlighted by the obscure image at the very top that first is what catches our eye and takes us down through the design.  Minimalistic and simple, this poster was very much a standout from the pack.

Crush

Yes, it is funny that I would proclaim the greatness of a poster for its color choice and than move onto a poster whose color pays homage to the previous day, but one can not deny that use of bold and vibrant color was masterfully used to gain attention to this poster.  Beautiful use of negative space, strong visual concept with the reflection in her glasses and the use of a non-digital type treatment for the title.

Deception

The strength of this poster’s design comes from its strong angled layout.  From the purposefully distorted image and strong, dagger-like swash of color behind the actress against the all black background, all of the text adhering to the diagonal is fantastic.  Even the great choice of tall slender type for the title (which also has been rendered with a concept) was great to help support a very visual “long” layout within the confines of the space.

Rising Sun

Great movie.  Great poster. What makes this poster so good is the intense symmetry of its layout – from the half profiles of its two iconic actors, to the strong mid-section that naturally draws your eye down to the title treatment, made even stronger by the high contrast of the amber lines, down to the urban landscape.  One can not deny the strength and boldness of this design.

The Firm

I have always liked this poster for two reasons.  I love the dark, color duotone palette used.  It is rich, dark and mysterious.  It plays on the audience draw of its lead actor, but isn’t done overly pretentious.  More importantly, the design convention of the strong diagonal line that at first glance the eye wants to decipher it as his tie, but upon closer inspection it is revealed as a shadow.  The purpose of this design element is obvious… to draw the eye into the visage of the face to be taken inward in the design to reveal an inner scene that helps support the dark, ominous mood the rest of the poster conveys.  Nice job!

Needless to say, I finally got around to getting Limbo, and first independent game from Playdead Studios from Copenhagen.  Release in 2011, this game is a well polished side-scrolling platform game that is more about situational puzzle-solving. But what Limbo does differently from all of the other is keep it simple. So simple that there is no tutorial.  There are no instructions.  You are just a small boy that awakens in the forest and you are trying to find your way out.  There is a story, but it slowly evolves.

But by keeping the mechanics simple, it allows the developers to amaze you with the sounds of the game, the visual aura and beautifully haunting surroundings.  The entire game has a monochromatic look to it with a fuzzy, murky feeling to it that just is astounding and makes you want to just keep continuing in the game.

Much of the puzzles are trial and error, but the game is very forgiving and you return just at the point of the next obstacle to try again. Mind you that the “deaths” of trial and error are not childish, but rather violent, but done in a way that isn’t necessarily for mature audiences…. but this is no Mario-Kart, that is for sure.

The game itself lasts about 5-6 continuous hours, which by most accounts would be considered a short game and would turn away many gamers.  However its list price of $9.99 – $14.99 makes a priced just right and I would rather play a short game of such tremendous value and production value, than play through a game that is much longer but just mediocre or the same as so many other games out there.

Whether you play the game on a Macintosh, PC, Xbox, or Playstation, go and download this game.  Now.  Without question.  There is a reason that this game won over 90 gaming awards last year.  It is that good.

View the Trailer

Wanting a fresh, playful approach, with a hint of quirkiness, the concept was to create a logotype for Tyler that conveyed what he does and a bit of the flavor of his show – one that mixes situational humor, audience participation, and great juggling skills, all while wearing a sharp, crisp suit.

The logo below was the by-product of the design process.

The next task was to have a full upgrade from Tyler’s old site, which lacked the same quality and showmanship that one would expect from someone in the entertainment industry.

Below is a sample of the old, and a sample of the new.

Out with the old…

In with the NEW!

To see the new site in all of its glory, visit www.tylerlinkin.com

While Ron Paul has been in the political arena for years now and has run for the Presidential Office several times now, I have never really given him much thought. Until a friend asked me to simply view a video of his approach and thoughts on the affairs of the military, the role of government, and other pressing matters our nation faces.  What surprised me the most was that Dr. Paul simply “gets it”.  His thoughts and opinions are just common sense.  So many of the problems facing our nation in 2012 he warned up about as long ago as 1988. Much of the change we as a country would need to embrace in order to turn around out enormous national debt, foreign policy and domestic economy are ideas that he presents and would initiate if he was president.

However, the fact remains that he is not a polished politician.  He doesn’t have the grace and demeanor that the rest of the candidates in this election have.  I would call him the practical, common man’s political representative.  And that may be his downfall with regards to seeing enough people follow him and put him in the White House.

But that being said, after watching just a few of his videos, you may find yourself rooting for this underdog in the upcoming election. Who knows… maybe you will point others to view these videos.

Here are just some that highlights:

Unmatched Intellect

On January 30th, 2008, Ron Paul debated Mitt Romney, John McCain and Mike Huckabee at the Reagan Library. In the debate, he overwhelmingly demonstrated himself and his intellect as the right choice for the office of President of the United States. He was right then and he’s still right now.

30% of Those that View This Change their Vote

A fantastic look at the political views of this man and his uncanny views on government and the role it should really take…

Ron Paul’s Famous “What If” Speech

A very profound viewpoint…

Ron Paul’s Imagine Video

Not only another great speech by Ron Paul and very thought provoking, but this version is a beautifully executed kinetic typography video that really helps convey his message. Enjoy!….

Today’s showcasing is something rather unique in my book.  How do you envision a new, creative way of inviting people to your upcoming wedding.  Usually wedding invites are elegant forms of paper, perhaps embossings, and are fairly minimalistic in their design approach.  You say the date, the time, the location and the RSVP info.

What if you wanted to give full details about the upcoming event, including the dinner menu? What if you wanted to include some bio information on the background of the so-to-be married couple regarding how they met and eventually decided to tie the knot?  What if you are a pair of goof-balls with a great sense of humor and want to do something very untraditional?

Well that is exactly what couple Steve and Jacqs decided to do when they partnered with web designer Stephen Oldham to come up with a fun, and quirky website to promote their wedding.

With a distinct eye for vintage typography and a homage to copy layout of the late 1800′s and some fun jQuery ScrollTo functionality for the website navigation, the couple and Stephen created a fantastically whimsical online communication.  From their back-story, to the directions, the wit and humor and inside jokes (only for family and dear friends to get I assume) the site is as fun to read and explore (be sure to roll over the pair of silhouette heads), the site is such a refreshing way of getting the info out there.  Obviously not for the stranger (They don’t even list their last names anywhere), this site was a fun project for those closest to the couple and who already know them, yet they take an approach that assumes complete strangers like myself (and very soon YOU) will peruse their site and be left wanting to know more about this couple, if not want to crash their wedding, which would, I’m sure, have been just as fun and inventive.

Hats off guys!  I know by now the date has come and gone and I wish you both very many happy years ahead!  Let’s hope they decided to do a website devoted to a baby announcement in the near future!….

Visit the website here:

www.steveandjacqs.com