Foldy-things

One time, I told a work colleague of mine that I had shopped at Ann Taylor Loft. At this he quipped, “Oh yeah? Did you see my mom there?” And I replied, “Bite me.”

So, this is Loft’s most recent mailer.  They have recently dropped “Ann Taylor” from their name, presumably to combat the stereotype—previously illustrated—that they cater only to middle-aged frumps in pantsuits.

I like the layout here because the whole front panel is taken up by a single image, unsullied by postage and address info.  It’s very simple (with half as many panels as we will be working with), and the color palette is real purdy. I used it this weekend and purchased a very nice, very YOUTHFUL pair of black corduroys, thank you very much.

 

I love the lasso tool . . . and flying cats also.

Sane or Not?

Just found this on the John Stewart Rally to Restore Sanity/Fear website. Is someone in our class responsible? Come on, you know one of you totally is....

A Very Long Layout

This layout came from a 2002 issue of National Geographic Traveler. The article, also the cover story, is devoted to the island of Bali in Indonesia, a colorful Hindu dot in a sea of other islands that comprise the region. Excepting the fact that I love Balinese culture and it's at the top of my list of places I want to travel, I also think it's a really well put together visual piece. All of the photographs are very large, and many spread across both pages. There is a chromatic unity to the piece, with green, orange, and red providing a nice split-complimentary palette, and I like the enormous burnt orange drop-cap letters that designate the various sections of the piece. The photographs are at once intimate, candid, and sublime. I don't know about you, but I want to go!!!

Indesign and 502

Other than some very rudimentary (and very auto-didactic) experiences with older versions of PhotoShop, this stint with InDesign was my very first introduction to any of the creative suite software. I felt immediately in over my head and overwhelmed with the complexities of the program. I do feel like it came together for me a little bit towards the end, however, and whatever knowledge I have managed to retain will probably inform the travel layout project a great deal. InDesign tools aid me in manipulating how text and images interact with each other in ways more precise than I've ever imagined possible.

Creative Drinking

I found out about this beer company while leafing through an old issue of MOJO magazine from 2006. The German brewery that makes Bitburger beer is apparently into quirky and creative ad campaigns. This one featured several different ads, each with a cropped off image for the viewer to attempt to comprehend. The above picture is a screen shot from their old website and features the same ad I saw in MOJO. The tagline isn't so much an invitation as it is a suggestion of exclusivity: Not Everyone Will Get It. OK, so this beer isn't for everyone BUT if you can figure this ad out then maybe you'll feel good enough about yourself to drink this (doubtless expensive) swill from Deutschland. The great irony of course is that the more beer you drink the less sense these ads will probably make to you. Despite the not-so-vague suggestion of elitism, I still like the campaign. The enlarged image, by the way, is a cropped off "I ♥ Beer" slogan. Yes, I figured it out by myself.

Symmetry and Asymmetry

Today's post brought to you by the letter B and, uh, the letter C (For Brian Lichtenberg and Chanel, respectively). This first image should please fans of haute couture, football, and symmetrical haberdashery. A view of the entire layout reveals some symmetrical--albeit risque--jock-strap play, as well (ooh, mama like!)

 
And here we have a little asymmetrical Chanel action. I chose this as a companion ad because both images incorporate their brand logo on the shoulder of the model (logos which are actually very similar . . . and symmetrical!). I like this photo because the model's profile breaks up the black negative space in a nice way. Plus, if I could afford Chanel, I would totally rock those frames.