Design Blitz

As part of our unit on design, we have to complete a sort of “design scavenger-hunt” (referred to as “Design Blitz”) where we find and take pictures of examples of real-world application of design concepts. Although slightly different, you’ll notice similar themes as seen in other sources of important design elements we’ve covered in the previous blog post.

The ten concepts for this assignment are as follows: 1) color, 2) typography, 3) metaphors/symbols, 4) minimalism & use of space, 5) form/function/message, 6) balance, 7) rhythm, 8) proportion, 9) dominance, 10) unity. We only need to find four examples for this assignment, so I’ll be focused on 1, 6, 7, and 9.

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Color: Look Over Here!

This photo is from the Joji Piss In The Wind album listening party that my best friend Allen and I went to at Bumrush Vinyl Shop a couple weeks ago on February 3rd. The album didn’t officially come out until February 6th, so getting to hear the album early (and getting free posters and stickers) was fun! If you look closely you can spot Allen and me on the left hand side.

However, the reason I chose this picture to showcase the importance of color is the eye-catching neon red and yellow “Bumrush Vinyl Shop” sign. These colors are impulsive and meant to grab your attention, which is why they’re often used in advertising.

Also, above are some polaroid pictures I took that night!

Balance: A Pleasing Equilibrium

If you can get over how this photo was taken at a very unbalanced angle, you can see the much more coherent layout of one of my family’s dining room walls. While not a canvas or poster, design still shapes our environment in other important ways. The painting of flowers (dedicated to my late Grandma) is centered as the statement piece, with the four decorative plates equally hung on either side forming a perfectly balanced scene. A more subtle element is the white wainscoting on the lower third of the wall. While not a 50/50 split, it still contributes to the overall aesthetic — as does the wooden buffet and centered Tiffany-style lamp. (Shout out to my parents for having good taste)!

Rhythm: An Eye-Catching Cadence

I know the aim of this unit is to discuss design mostly in the artistic sense, but as we’ve covered design is everywhere… even in the local Krispy Kreme. This may feel like a cheap (unlike these donuts) example — but hear me out. The layout of the donut case (and arrangement of iconic paper hats) is definitely designed with rhythm in mind. The rows and rows of donuts both give ample space for the customer to see the kind of donut they’d like to get as well as gives the impression the store is well-stocked. It’s an overall aesthetically pleasing display in my opinion, or maybe I’m just hungry.

Dominance: A Visual Hierarchy

In this photo of Carl’s, the undisputed best ice cream joint in Fredericksburg, there are multiple elements worth mentioning: 1) You can see my best friend Allen in the lower left, and, more pertinent to this assignment, 2) the iconic neon “Carl’s” sign atop the store.

I’d say the first thing that catches most people’s eye is the giant ice cream cone. That’s the “hook” of the sign. Next, your eyes naturally move from left to right to the section that actually says “Carl’s” in large bold font. Following that most folks then glance down to read the slightly smaller “Creme, Shakes, Sundaes” text. Plus, if you remember the role of color in design, you’ll notice “shakes” is in an eye-catching red. (It’s one of their most popular items). As you can see, this visual flow is very important in design.

Just for fun, below is a picture of Carl’s during the nighttime, when the sign is lit up!

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Closing Thoughts

In conclusion, I know these pictures are fairly mundane and low quality… But still, I think they highlight multiple important elements of design! Also, I could really go for donuts and ice cream right now.

-Blake 🙂