Opera

https://hicksdesign.co.uk/work/opera-desktop-browser

The design above was created by Jon Hicks, another well-known, successful graphic designer.
As an aspiring web developer, I automatically was drawn to to this design for opera web-browser. It has a super easily accessible layout and very balanced through the center. The only thing I would change about this design is that I take the icons on the left and bump them down so there align with the google search bar, and I'd do the same with the single icon on the right as well.
The dimmed background is vital in the design because then it doesn't take away from the apps/sites featured on the screen.

Moondate

pinterest.com

Above is a wordmark for a clothing store, Moondate, that I found on pinterest. Although the two o's are in different positions, they remain asymmetrically balanced to one another because they're equally sized and put weight on both top and bottom. I really enjoy the gold foil they use to really make thew wordmark shine and stand out. 

The Jungle Book

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http://www.tanamachistudio.com/

Obviously, this is a book cover for the Jungle Book, but it was created by Dana Tanamachi. I was really drawn to this because one, I am not the best at book covers since I don't read much and two, its great use of detail while following design principles. 

The first design principle I want to point out is how she uses great detail in this design, but it is balanced. By symmetrically balancing this design, it looks great! All of the detail on the left matches the right. 

The second design principle I want to point out is how all of the detail creates emphasis on the title. It is almost like all the animals are pointing to the title of the book by just surrounding it. 

The last design principle I want to discuss is the way it uses color. The earthy flat green background provides great contrast against the metallic gold of the detail and type; it really pulls the view in. 

Wine Campaign

.https://alextrochut.com/

The wine campaign featured above was designed by Alex Trochut, a pretty well-known designer. I found this wine packaging design very appealing because of the eye catching colors even though grey and black are two of them. I think what makes the colors so eye catching, is there metallic shine. The metallic shine also contributes to adding depth in the splatters/droplets on most or the package.
This packaging is also appealing because of the random balance it uses to make the splatters/droplets seem even more real. This design also successfully pulls off using 2 different types of balance in this design because the type is almost completely symmetrically balanced through the center over the splatters/droplets.

Pinterest logo

pinterest.com

Above is a logo I found very inspiring on pinterest. I found it really inspiring and interesting because of the way they keep the logo unified even though there is a quite a bit of space between the A and the B. I haven't done any research on what this logo is for since I found it thumbing through pinterest logos. 

I also found the color palette on the design very pleasing too because of the amount of contrast between the black of the letters and the neutral beige color of the background. I find it to be the perfect amount of contrast to pull the viewer right to the logo. 

Land Heritage

design from logodesignlove.com

Above is a very clever design that is a logo for Land Heritage, which is not really around anymore. A farmer had founded the company who had realized there was a surprising disconnect among people between land and food production. 
My interest was taken by this design because it is very minimalist and very clever how the form of the heart is repeated, decreasing in size each time; finally forming the head of a grain plant. Even though the grain head is curved like it is blowing in the wind, the design remains very symmetrically balanced. 
The only down fall of this logo is that is doesn't directly tie into the message the owner of Land Heritage wants people to recognize, it still gives you a sense that food is tied in with the life of humans. The logo does catch interest though, and it could make people curious to know what it stands for if it was still used today. 

Cravings

Print magazine- The Innovation Issue

The design above is part of a website that was designed for findyourcravings.com which focuses on "food, wine, travel, and lifestyle." I really liked this design because of the way if all lines up in the center and also remains very clean/minimalist. The decorative type looks like it was hand-wrote, which hand-written types are my favorite so I really how it was used in this design. Immediately, the word choice of "cravings" draws me in to want to find out more. I can definitely find myself checking out the website sometime here soon.

Balance

Print magazine- The Innovation Issue

The design I have chose for this weeks blog is an Illustration featured in Print magazine that  was originally from To the End of June in The New York Times Sunday book review about foster care. The balance of this symmetrical illustration really grabbed my attention because it almost completely matches each side. If you were to bend this in half vertically, it would almost completely match up. I find this very ironic in a way because the illustration is very balanced yet the topic is was designed for doesn't have much balance in my opinion. When I think of a foster child, I image them not having a very balanced life because they are sometimes moved around a lot to different homes. 

Stocksy

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Print Magazine- The Innovation Issue

Above is an advertisement I found in Print of course, for a stock image site. I really liked the ad because of the photography and the way they used their type in the word mark. The photography is playful in a way because of the content of the photo, but I also like that there isn't too much going on in the photo. The photo is pretty symmetrically balanced, bringing your eyes straight to the word mark. I really like the playful type of the word mark, its gives a care-free feeling with the extended "swoosh" in the T, K and Y. Although everything is not perfectly symmetrical in the way things are lined up, it imperfectly appears that way.

Deconstructivism

This design was a Regional Winner of New York for Print mag in 2016 for Atlantic Theater Company. I really liked this design because it looks similar to designs in the Deconstructivism period. The way the rectangular shapes piece together the blue almost silhouetted bird is a characteristic of the deconstructivist style. The rectangles also create emphasis by the position in the design, which creates direction in the design. Although it isn't my favorite color palette, the orange and blue are bright enough to grab one's attention.

Boneshaker

The design I choose for my blog is a great design from Print mag of course. I really liked this wine bottle design because it has a very unique sugar skull with great decorative detail. This design remains really simple and clean, but yet it has so much detail.
When I see wine bottles in the store, they seem rather plain and some look like they were meant to be from later days. This design steps out of the "normal" wine bottle design in a great way.

Shortbread Cookies

The design I chose for this week's blog is also from Print magazine, except I scanned my image in this time rather than pulling it from the website.
This design really caught me eye because I am a huge fan the way they did the stickers. The stickers kind of stand out to me as Victorian style because of all the decorative elements that border the fancy type. Also, the colors are very attention grabbing as well.
Although the stickers are all different in their own way, there is unity between them because they are all laid out the same way. Also, the decorative type is emphasized by the decorative boarders.
Now obviously, the stickers are not the only part of this identity for Shortbread cookies. In my opinion, I think the stickers definitely make the design because they are fun and they grab your attention. To add to that, the viewer or consumer is going to be more drawn to the sticker because they want to know what flavor they're buying.

CBC Pale Ale

Above is a design from Print magazine again that is another regional winner except from the South. I really liked this design for several reasons. The first reason I want to point out is the color pallet. The color palette really grabbed my attention with the bright yellow and sharp indigo. Although, in the particular photo, the bottle seems to not match the packaging. That could be because of the lighting or a printing error.

In addition to the color palette, I really enjoy the overall layout. On the bottle, it has a very symmetrical layout; everything is aligned through the center. That creates a very nice balance and it makes it very easy to read as well. On the packaging itself, it is a bit more scattered and not so symmetrical. It still remains very balanced though and everything lines up in some way. 

Overall this is a great design and very eye catching.

Chapman's

Above is design is for Chapman's Beer, that was featured in the Regional Design Awards for the Midwest in Print Magazine. This design really caught my eye due to the vibrant colors. Although the design is not completely symmetrical due to the diagonal color split, the design still feels balanced because the way it still lines up and keeps the same color pallette. It is easy to recognize that these cans are all part of the same brand because of all of their alike features. If you look closely at the cans, it can be noticed that there is a unique design for each flavor. It isn't a detail that throws off the design because it is a very subtle difference. 





http://www.printmag.com/regional-design-awards-2016-winner-galleries/regional-design-awards-winners-2016-midwest/