Design Evaluation

I will be comparing and contrasting two print advertisements for dental pet treats.  These ads each ran in different issues of Martha Stewart Living and were marketed to a similar audience.  In addition, these products sell for a similar price point.

The first advertisement is for "Feline Greenies" and I cannot lie about the fact that I find it absolutely horrible.  Can I make an underhanded immature comment before I move on to the actual design evaluation?  It looks like a layout I would have designed for my 7th grade yearbook.  So...why do I find it so awful?  It is incredibly busy in many ways while being too simplistic in others.  Let me elaborate.

When I step back and view the image as a whole it gives me a headache.  There is too much going on.  One possible reason that this ad makes my head spin so much is the concept of pragnanz, or figure-ground relationships.  The blue swirls and flowers were most likely intended to be the background but because they are larger and more colorful than the photographs my eye goes toward them before it goes to anything else.  My eye actually started with the blue line in the upper left hand corner and moved from blue swirl to blue swirl before I noticed the photographs.   In a better design the background would compliment and highlight the foreground, not over take it.

In addition, I do not find the placement of the photographs (in relation to the type they are placed beside nor in relation to one another) at all pleasing.  My eye cannot find a good line to follow and it does not perceive any pleasing type of symmetry to the ad as a whole.

The law of similarity states that we will group objects that look similar together.  The font appears to be identical all throughout the ad other than the change is size.  This has the affect of grouping it all together in my brain.  I think this is an area where a little bit of change is a good thing.  Differences in font can let us know which parts of the text in the ad are the most important.  It can differentiate between each idea being shared.  For example, the ad says "free a free sample visit greenies.com." This idea does not flow with the other information in that paragraph.  Why not make it stand out in a different color or font and a different placement? Free things are great!  But I hardly noticed this because I lumped it in with the rest of the text written in that same font.  I would have NEVER bothered to read that whole chunky paragraph if I were not writing about this ad for a class.

Let's move over to the good example of an advertisement.  Here, there are 3 different fonts used, 2 colors and 5 different font sizes.  One may think that this could make things more complicated but in reality it simplifies.  Because my mind groups together each piece of text by font, I know that the top font is the most important text to read, I know that the tiny print at the bottom is less essential.  This makes taking in all the text less daunting of a task. In fact, I can even tell without actually reading the print that the large print up top consists of a question and an answer.  This is because of the change in font and the law of similarity.

The happy dog chewing on his bone is solidly in the foreground whereas the owner, who represents the reader, is in the background and out of focus.  This tells us that this is about your dog!!! My eye moves from the dog in the photograph to the dog on the package making certain that I link this ad to this specific product.  The colors tie in wonderfully together and are simplistic and pleasing.

Let's move back to the Greenies ad for just another moment (before I go burn it) and talk about this awful logo.  The logo is placed in the bottom corner and is incredibly tiny compared to the rest of the ad.  The size probably contributed to the confusion but when I saw it I thought it said "Creepies."  I think this is because, if you look closely, the cat's ear cuts off the "n" at a very strange place and it almost seems to flow into the green leaf below it.  My brain connected these parts and turned the "n" into a "p" and at that point it didn't even bother to look at the "g" it just said, "creepies!"  This is an example of the law of closure and it could easily be fixed with just a little better positioning.

Also, the treat placed over the cat's mouth is just wrong.  This cat does not look like he is eating a delicious treat, he looks as though he's being silenced.  To me, the horrible placement of the green blob says, "shut up and eat your treat!"

Contrast, Balance and Harmony

Imagevia
www.msafdie.com

As a life long book nerd I have had a long time love affair with libraries.  There are quite a few libraries across the world that have my heart, but the downtown Salt Lake Public Library might have the top spot.  When I look at this aerial shot the harmony in the design really becomes apparent. First, there are beautiful fountains and water pools located all around the building that come together perfectly with all of the large windows.  The water reflects onto the glass and gives the appearance of fluidity and movement.  I think there is also something very fluid about the large semi-circle on the right hand side of the building.  The way it climbs upward makes it reminiscent of a wave.  Second, the beautiful green grounds all around the library are echoed by the peaceful rooftop garden.  If you are standing on the rooftop you are surrounded by tall grass blowing in the breeze, making movement a consistent and well balanced theme through out the design. 

All of this greenery contrasts pleasingly with the concrete and glass that comprises most of the building.  Aside from contrasting on the nature versus man-made front, these conflicting materials offer a contrast of hard and soft.  In addition to the curved lines featured there are many hard lines and rectangular shapes.  These shapes convey power and strength to me.  And while light dances through the glass the large concrete rectangles create heavy shadows through out most of the day.

Viewing this building from a social context I think about the function that libraries serve in our society.  The design of this library functions so well because it offers an innumerable amount of small enclaves and cubbies for people to read quietly as well as large gardens for families to picnic.  There is a massive children's area full of caves and computers as well as coffee shops and art galleries for adults.  This design functions so well because it balances the needs of every one in the community with grace. 

Visceral Response

Imogen Cunningham, Self Portrait, Mendocino Ca, 1971

This image is breath taking to me for many reasons.  When I first look at it I am drawn to the forms of the shadows on the wall.  I see their car and I get filled with excitement.  Where are they going?  Where did they come from?  I am reminded of all my favorite road trips, of the highway disappearing behind me and stretching out in front of me.  Because we can only see their shapes and not their faces it gives a wonderful aspect of mystery to the photo.  I wonder who they are and what their relationship is.  Next, my eye moves to the structure.  We discussed in class that horizontal lines feel peaceful and I think this is true of the lines the wood makes across the house.  The bits of white space above the house also add to this feeling of calm and serenity.  The texture of the boards convey age and weather.  You get the feeling that this structure has seen a lot and you wonder about its history.  Lastly, the empty and intensely dark space in the window makes me envision people walking up to the window and waving down to the woman taking the photo.  Of course, no one appears there and it leaves me with a bit of an empty feeling.  I envision that perhaps this empty structure meant something to the person taking the photo.  Was it an old family residence?  Was it at one time filled with loved ones?  It reminds me so much of the feelings I've gotten when driving through states like Iowa and Nebraska and seeing empty barns, empty towns.  Like those experiences this photo fills me with an enjoyable melancholy.