As I have just designed an annual report for Drake University’s Headstart, this beautifully designed Annual Report for Railinc by Nicole Kraieski caught my attention. It’s clear, easy to read, and design complements the content.
In researching for a new project partnering with Drake Law students, I started to research manuals. Here are some great ones I found by Headcase Design:
I was inspired by my own pursuit to create a personal symbol for myself to look at my source of inspiration – music. As a music junkie, I love the whole package – album artwork, band logos, etc. that visually speak what the music sounds like. There are so many out there, and gigwise.com takes a look at some of the greatest. I agree that the logos they picked represent the music perfectly, but aesthetically, some of these are ATROCIOUS! Many are impossible to read and downright ugly. From a designer’s (and music lover’s) perspective, I picked what I think are some of the best:
While Linkin Park has had a few different logos over the years, I love the strong typography of this one. It fits together so well and the small jagged accents describe the band well.
How this represents the Rolling Stone I don’t know, but somethings has to be said for how iconic it has become.
If you have not heard of RED, please look them up. They are awesome. The logo is genius – it ALMOST reads the same upside-down, showing how typography can be decieving. The d mimicking the R gives this logo symmetry that is beautiful. The strong horizontal axis draws the eye smoothly across. Love it love it love it.
The Heartagram: Far more famous than the band. HIM’s frontman Ville Valo ingeniously represented Love vs. Hate in this logo, and I’ve seen it as a tatoo more often than I’d like to remember. Simple and oh-so pleasing to look at.
Why the Misfits? Yes, it’s not very slick or designed, but it captures the punk style effortlessly and has stuck around for DECADES.
I like Ozzy’s logo for its tight kerning and unique lettering. Perfect amount of hierarchy and edgy goodness.
Guns N Roses says it all: Guns + Roses prettily arranged in a circle logo. Compact, classic and pretty darn obvious.
The perfect symmetry of the Nine Inch Nails logo using the initials is so simple it’s genius. It’s also incredibly versatile.
Another beautiful example of typography, Skillet’s mark fits slickly together and has great balance. Like Linkin Park’s logo, the angels really add the feel of tension, just like the edgy music.
Not only does this logo get me with my favorite color combination, I also LOVE stacked type. This logo was ahead of its time and is so flexible I see it duplicated everywhere with different messages inserted. Simple and brilliant.
The smart-ass who thought up Metallica’s epic name was matched by the design genius that c created the iconic logo that stuck around for the during of this band’s long and on-going history. You can practically HEAR the whining guitars in the lightning M and A.
Laugh you might, but Staind’s logo definately looks STAINED. Heh. It also really captures the grunge feel.
The Strokes’ slick chrome ‘strokes’ draw the viewer full circle into the logo. Pristine.
This infographic from Colour Lovers is an excellent visualization of top movie posters. Inspiring.
NEW FAVORITE WEBSITE:
http://yourlogomakesmebarf.com/
This site is both educational, motivational, and hysterical. If you ever want to know how many different ways a logo can suck, here you go. If you need motivation to make sure you design does NOT look like these, this site is for you. And finally, it’s great for laughs. The commentary is spot on and offers some hidden tidbits of design advice.
The logos range from true monstrosities to subtle creatures that insinuate more than you care to imagine.
Here are some of the worst:
Now that your eyes have been sufficiently violated, I think I’ll start compiling my own barf-worthy logos for your viewing entertainment.
I have been looking into Web design a lot lately, as it is something I’d really like to get more involved with. Here are some seriously great look and feels:
I was scoping out Behance network’s portfolios, and came across this ADORABLE Alphabet that combines typography and illustration as well as letters being introduced to illustration. Not a new concept, but these are done extraordinarily well when so many are poorly done and illegible. Kudos to Vesa Sammalisto. This really took a lot of time and creativity (not to mention some super-body bending abilities) and I really love the theme each one carries. They almost stand better alone than together because each one is so detailed.
My all-time favorite source for inspiration is Smashing Magazine. They always have interesting lists about different design, like 60 Elegant and Visually Appealing Designs or the Best Adobe Photoshop Tutorials – always extremely helpful!
I always tell people – you would be surprised at what you can do if you just take the plunge and try it. Many a roommate has commented on how they ‘wish they could do that’ when it comes to seeing my art. I tell them – you could if you took the time. Some people are talented enough that they can produce fantastic art in minutes; however, I am a pretty slow artist. Minutes render me as useless as Average Joe Schmo with no talent. I need hours to produce a fabulous piece of art. Does this make me any less talented? Maybe, but I don’t think so. It’s just a different way of working. So, go out and try your hand at something new. Have patience, and you just might surprise yourself!
Here is some of my newest work – a poster for Campus Fellowship’s Hope Week and for their weekly bible studies.
