ALPHABET SOUP!

So, I have this great collection of single letters/drop caps on one of my Pinterest boards. I decided to choose some of my favorites and put them together in my own little alphabet for this blog post. I think they are all really creative, and in so many different ways! I got really into letter forms during my typography I class (which, by the way, utilized Pinterest as a form of blogging...thanks, Maya!), so I love to find interesting and creative single letters (as well as complete alphabets, typefaces, etc.).

Here you go. Enjoy!

Several of these are by Jessica Hische of the Daily Drop Cap. She's amazing! 

I think my favorites are P because of the beautiful intricate detail and the color, R because of the vintage look and the little bird, A because it's such a beautiful hand-drawn image, B because of its brilliance, vibrance, crazy smoke-like texture, and black background, and C because it's such an adorable cat in Jessica Hische style! V is pretty cool as well—the look of cola or something with bubbles in it making the shape of the letter is intriguing.

Hope you had fun!

BEAUTIFUL—GUITAR WORKSHOP POSTERS by CHUCK HOWARD

Love, love, LOVE these guitar workshop posters, found on behance, designed by Chuck Howard from Memphis, TN. They are part of a series of "Memphisisms" that was in progress at the time. Title: "ST. BLUES POSTERS."

CHUCK'S PORTFOLIO

I just love the details in the design, the typography, the beauty of guitar body shapes, the layout, the color schemes he chose... really amazing work. 

I absolutely LOVE this one!

This one is cool but doesn't have enough color contrast for my taste. Still, I like the muted colors.

I think this third one is my favorite. Well, it's between this and the first one. His style REALLY appeals to me! I wish I could design posters like this!

So, in perusing his portfolio site, I came across something that perhaps some of us can relate to:
He says this about his piece below:

"As you begin art school you immediately start to feel the heat and pressure of the projects, professors, and critiques that push on you from all sides, crushing your ego into a tiny little super heated wad of potential... then suddenly you graduate. You are shot out from the belly of the academic beast into the atmosphere. Hopefully you will shine bright, even if you end up on the dark side of the moon."

The title of the piece is "UNDA PRESHA."

Source: https://www.behance.net/gallery/St-Blues-posters/1507477

COOL THEATRE POSTERS FOR INSPIRATION

I've been looking for more inspiration for Project 4, theatre poster designs. Here are several great examples of very creative, simple, and clever theater posters. I WISH I had designed these!

Fulton Theatre Family Series 2010

These posters, designed by Carolyn Sewell, are so simple, so exactly perfect for visually describing each play, so appealing to the eye! I love how the bite out of the apple in SNOW WHITE is a face; how the letters in ALICE IN WONDERLAND show the movement of falling down the rabbit hole and the simple silhouette of a teacup tells about the tea party; how there's a tiny crown at the top of the word THE in THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA and how the word PEA is tiny like a pea; how the letters in PINOCCHIO are on marionette strings. All black letters and images/silhouettes on brightly colored slightly textured backgrounds. They work SO well!
Source: http://www.carolynsewell.com/Fulton-Theatre-Family-Series-2010




Minimalist modern approach to the Charleston Ballet Theatre’s posters for the 2012–2013 season, by Gil Shuler Graphic Design.

Another very cool poster series that visually describes the ballets—the ballet slipper being the common thread. I love the DRACULA poster! I also think the yellow brick road in the shape of a ballet slipper is such a creative way to design a poster for the Wizard of Oz ballet! Simple, creative, really amazing. source: http://www.designworklife.com/2012/09/05/gil-shuler-graphic-design-charleston-ballet-theatre-posters/






A self initiated poster for a local theater company performance of Romeo and Juliet, 2010, designed by Ben Barry

Wow - this one is abstract but you know right away what play it is for even without seeing the title. The coffin shapes made into a heart... just—WOW. How do people think of these things? Remarkable!

source: http://designforfun.com/display.php?id=103

Creative Wordmark Logos

I am really interested in workmark and logo design. I am excited about making a logo for myself next semester. I think it is extremely difficult to design logos, and I am awestruck when I see a really, really good one.

I decided to only post wordmarks because I think they are even more difficult to design than logos that use illustrative elements (wordmarks use very minimal illustrative elements). I am posting quite a few wordmark logos here, all of which I like, some of which I think are exemplary. Many of them I've seen before, and so have you. I just really love seeing creative solutions for something that is really important to a company or an individual in terms of their brand, their identity.

I put the five that I think are the most creative at the top. As you see, many of these were designed by famous designers.

Paul Driver

Herb Lubalin

Herb Lubalin

Paula Scher

Sean Heisler

Ivan Chermayeff

Josiah Jost (Siah-Design)

Alen Pavlovi

Stephen Boark (from boundary company)

I guess I'll include the wordmark I designed in my typography I class last year. I'm pretty happy with it. And, Mobile Mutts used it on a crystal award for volunteer of the year, on a flier for an event, and it was on their website for a time! Here it is. (And, it took a LOT of work to come up with the concept, execute it, and refine it!)

Fun stuff!




sources:
http://designinstruct.com/visual-inspiration/logotypewordmark-logos-30-creative-examples/
http://www.awwwards.com/99-creative-logo-designs-for-inspiration.html
http://www.logospire.com/
http://www.designfollow.com/articles/firefox/world-top-ten-best-designed-logos/
http://famouslogos.net/