Category Archives: designthoughts
Visual Designs and the Work Behind It
The readings and videos we had to dive into for this week were definitely interesting. Hearing the thought process behind what goes into making a movie poster or the intro to a tv show just makes you appreciate the work itself even more.
In the Vanity Fair video, it was intriguing to hear how the use of color and spacing on a movie poster can introduce what the movie is about. For example, if a poster has all white in the background with the characters in front of it, the focus is supposed to be on the characters and what they are doing. Or, in the iconic Star Wars poster, how the blue represents space and the universe, and the lights and characters represent the narrative. Movies that are more action, thriller, or horror will probably use darker colors, while comedy and romance will use lighter colors. It was also awesome to hear the backstory of the Stranger Things intro (firstly because it is one of the only tv intros that I do not skip), and also their thought process in paying homage to classic 80’s filters and font’s.
Visual design plays a crucial role in shaping the audience’s and viewer’s perception and anticipation for movies or tv shows. A well-crafted movie poster or tv show intro uses different colors, fonts, and imagery in order to convey it’s message and to get the viewers hooked onto it. It not only enhances the marketing, but also makes it more memorable and impactful.
Some of my favorite examples of movie posters and tv show intros come from a variety of genres. I put some of my favs above. First, the infamous Stars Wars poster for Episode I. It is so simple, yet is sort of menacing with how we see little Anakin Skywalker, as well as the shadow behind him of what his future is. Next, Knives Out is one of my favorite movies of all time. What I like about the poster is how it perfectly encapsulates the plot and vibe of the movie. It is a murder mystery, and is based around a wealthy family. The almost portait-like filter on it makes it look like it is a family portrait. Lastly, the tv Yellowjackets, which is a show about a high school girls soccer team crashing in the Canadian forest on the way to Nationals. The font of the word “Yellowjackets” emphasizes their relationship as a team, while also showing the darkness that is to come behind it.
Overall, as you can tell, I truly enjoy a great movie poster or logo, as it enhances the viewer’s enjoyment and excitement for it. The readings and videos make me want to look more into the decision-making process behind visual designs for media.
Reflection
https://petapixel.com/2023/11/16/one-in-a-million-iphone-photo-shows-two-versions-of-the-same-woman
Cyberpunk: how to master the futuristic style
What is a blade runner? Unpacking Ridley Scott’s cyberpunk aesthetics
2001: A Space Odyssey – The Dawn of Man
A Kid’s Guide to Graphic Design by Iconic Designer Chip Kidd – The Marginalian
I’m going to level with you what in the world was that space odyssey mess-
Anyways learned more about what makes cyberpunk design cyberpunk the use of digitally modified typography mixed with the unique layouts made it stand out. Bold exaggerated colors pushed together used to make it stand out. Cyberpunk takes inspiration from multiple genres and have influences them as well. Combing gothic and film noir style influencing fashion and games. They mention that software like Linearity Curve is well suited to make cyberpunk art.
Aka pretty colors that make your brain go boom and ooo it’s like creating fireworks without the explosion and then putting it into art. Colo wise I mean.
I was most interested in the title sequence design because honestly you always see them, yet I have never once questioned the created thought process for them. Each one has its only spark and flare. Naturally I prefer the videos over articles despite the fact that I use text to speech lol. Anyways if this topic interested me more, I wouldn’t mind indulging myself in a bit of a closer read, but I really only enjoy Typography stuff lighting stuff just goes over head blue tone what- black and white imagery huh …yellow background????? Bruh I am totally lost.
I’m happy they seem happy though.
Art & Advertising
I love well thought out and amazingly executed graphic design. As a double major in marketing and digital studies, it combines the two things I love: Art & Advertising. I have known that posters from different genres tend to follow a theme, many studios run with whatever’s successful. However, I thought it was so interesting to see and understand why they follow those trends, especially with color schemes. It’s cool how each genre followed a color scheme, for comedies it was white to make the main characters and their silly antics pop, for Indie films it was yellow because they have a low budget for advertising and yellow is a great way to capture attention. What was even more interesting, was when films with mixed genres would mix and so would their elements. For example, Little Miss Sunshine used the negative space that was common in comedies and the yellow coloring that was common in Indie films, and that movie has one of the most iconic posters to date! It was also interesting to see different videos reference similar things. For example, the TED talk explains how design and storytelling have to be connected, and then in the Stranger Things video they talk about how they landed on their iconic font by researching fonts from thriller books in the 80’s which is the genre and time period of Stranger Things! Adam Brody said in an interview “I probably like movie trailers better than movies, and I probably like posters better than trailers.” and he is so right. Movie Posters are their own art that are able to capture customer’s attention and leave them wanting more.
Design reflection
After watching the videos and reading the articles a thing that stuck out to me is that when creating anything it takes a while to get the idea to translate to the project. It begins as a general concept and oftentimes the creators have a general idea of how they want to go about it based on things they’ve seen that they liked. This inspiration can be found in many things, sometimes it is related to what the creator is trying to create and other times it can be completely different. Also color and colors schemes play a huge factor when creating, color is one of the first things the eyes recognize. Bright colors catch the eyes quicker than duller colors, but too many colors can also negatively affect the project by seeming as if there is too much going on.
Behind Graphic Design
I had no idea how much thought goes into graphic design, and honestly, it made me feel a little guilty for not appreciating it before. It’s so much more than making something look nice, it’s about telling a story, using symbolism, and creating something that captures an entire movie or book in just one image. That’s such a hard thing to do, and I never really thought about it until now.
Watching the TED Talk was such a cool experience. I’ve always loved TED Talks because they make me look at things differently, and this was no exception.
I learned how colors in movie posters actually mean something like how action movies and noir films often use dark or blue tones to create a certain mood. It’s funny because I’ve seen so many posters like that, but I never noticed the patterns before.
One of my favorite parts was learning about the Stranger Things logo and how they used old-school techniques to give it that retro vibe. I love how something so simple can feel so iconic and timeless.
Overall, I learned that less is more, colors matter, and design should come from the story itself. Now, I see graphic design in a completely new way and have so much more respect for the thought and effort behind it.
Mastering the Art
After reading the articles and watching the videos it’s really astonishing to see the prominence of graphic design and how its trends shape our perceptions of different items and tones. I never really thought about how similar movie posters look based off of what genre they are and conveying the audience each movie is trying to draw in. It was very eye opening to see in the VanityFair video many different posters of similar style movies next to each other in comparison because of how apparent the similarities are. I thought about how difficult it is to otherwise grasp how many factors play into those movie posters because of how far apart each movie is released. A continuous theme I noticed when reading the articles and watching the videos were trends. People often look back to the past in order to gain inspiration for the current design project. This is seen in the Stranger Things Retro Title video using title designs and technology from the 80s to make the well known title logo that is seen in the show. Furthermore, this trend is seen in the article about Chip Kidd and all of the subtopics that go into design such as Symmetry vs. Asymmetry and Simplicity vs. Complexity. Overall, the articles and videos made me reflect on how frequent and influential design is and will continue to be.
here’s the design reflection
This week we got a bit of a look into the world of designing and it was honestly kinda wild to see how much thought goes into even the simplest book covers or movie posters.
Reading the article, A Kid’s Guide to Graphic Design Article by Iconic Designer Chip Kidd which discusses Chipp Kidd’s nonfiction children’s book about graphic design, we’re introduced to a few major topics. “Whether you realize it or not, most of the decisions you make, every day, are by design” and “Everything that is not made by nature is designed by someone.” These two statements from the book really stood out to me as this is an aspect of design I had never really considered before. When most people think of design we usually imagine logos, billboards, ads, etc., but to see that so many other things are designed by someone truly does shape our understanding of the world around us.
The rest of the book strives to explain design not in boring jargon and over-complicated explanations of simple concepts but instead makes them easy to understand by having each page feature fun examples of the concepts he explains which makes it a fun read for kids.
One of the most interesting discussions the book brings up that I had never known was happening in the design community was whether art and design are vastly different or the same. Apparently, most graphic designers argue that art and design are different though Kidd argues that this idea is wrong. “Graphic design needs your willing mental participation, even if it’s subconscious. Graphic design is message-sending into the brain. It is a cerebral experience, not a physical one. Architecture wants you to walk through it. Industrial design takes your hand (or other body parts) to appreciate it. Fashion makes you put it on. But Graphic design is purely a head trip, from your eyes to your mind.” And after reading this I completely agree with Kidd. Design, whether graphic or physical, is an art form that requires coordination and intends to convey some sort of message to its viewer.
The Between The Lines: Chip Kidd interview and the TED Talk Chip Kidd: Designing books is no laughing matter. OK, it is both discuss the thought that goes into designing book covers which I found very interesting. This job’s main goals are to attract readers and create a book cover that is a distillation of the story because book jackets must work on their own without explanation. To do this we must ask ‘What do the stories look like?’ because these covers are here to give potential readers a first impression which brings form to content without treating them like they’re dumb. The book designer’s responsibility is to the reader, the publisher, and the author most importantly which is completed by balancing arts, commerce, and design.
Watching The Art of Movie Posters and How Stranger Things got its retro title sequence both seemed to take concepts discussed in the previous articles and videos and put them into action which was cool to see the real-life examples we see in the media all the time. The main things used to convey certain themes in these media are: the usage of colors with universal meanings, typography, spacing of text, utilizing negative space, as well as reusing notable elements from other things to convey either a homage or a different time being played.
After looking at all these videos and articles I definitely feel like I not only have a better understanding of designs used to promote media, but also design that permeates in all of our lives which absolutely makes me rethink a lot of things in the world around me.
Reflection on Design
I have a deep love for movies and the culture around it, but I focused more on the creative choices within the stories. The design of the posters and the title itself is a creative process that, when done right, can subconsciously give the audience a feeling to go off of. Seeing how Stranger Things used an 80’s font and design gives an aesthetic and nostalgic feeling for many people. I think it is important to see any form of creativity and question why it affects you in the way it does. For example, the use of color and size in posters is much more complex than I had imagined. They can give hints on the genre and mood of the movie from one image.
Design Thoughts Reflection
The videos presented in this week’s reflection material felt very familiar to me. I recently took a class in UI/UX designing and some of these design elements come into play in the field of technology as well.
One of the elements I would like to go in depth with is the strategic use of color. The Vanity Fair video featuring James Verdesoto was very insightful for making connections between the film industry and the tech space of UI/UX. A lot of my favorite movies were featured in this video, including Star Wars and Avatar. What surprised me is the dominant nature of a specific color within film genres. For example, the use of blue is prominent in almost every action thriller poster, used to bring out the technological, high speed natures of the films.
However, the introduction of orange as a complimentary color introduces new ways for the colors to be used, with blue often being a background while the orange/yellow highlights the most important subjects such as the main characters.
There are some comparisons to be made in films vs. UI/UX elements. Take a look at this chart describing the use of each color:
Blue is not implemented as a thrilling color in any way of the imagination, yet can still be used signaling intelligence and tech such as Microsoft’s implementation in windows. The use of colors in contrasting ways exemplifies that not every color has a specific correlation to a certain emotion, situation, or overall vibe. Who knows, maybe in our future AI world, colors are interpreted by AI in different ways to the point where they convey completely different meanings!