Decaf Anyone?

Final Package Layout

Here is the final layout for Taster's Choice Instant Coffee packets. On the right is the outer box sleeve, top left is the carton insert, and bottom left is the individual packet.

Taster's Choice Package Progress

This is the front of the outer sleeve (along with the bottom panel and tab). The single, red travel mug represents the "Taster's Choice" in a world full of subpar and/or overpriced coffees. The color red in general is used to signify that this is Original Flavor. This color association and coordination would continue across different flavors: Green for Decaf, Blue for French Vanilla, Tan for Hazelnut, etc.

Layers Magazine Online

Here is a nice resource for everything Adobe CS. Lots of great tutorials. Best of all, they are free! Above is a tutorial I did over the weekend.

www.layersmagazine.com

Package Design - Humble Beginnings

I want to give the Taster's Choice package a fresh, updated look. My hope is to give it an air of sophistication. While instant coffee is certainly about on-the-go convenience, it shouldn't feel as if you are sacrificing on quality and flavor. The package should reflect that sentiment.

I have to admit, I am having a hard time getting away from that "red Folgers look." I need to separate myself from the preconceived idea of what a grocery store coffee brand is suppose to look like and start thinking more in terms of a quaint, little coffee shop that people stop at to meet up with a friend.

Box Layout for Taster's Choice Instant Coffee Packets

This layout involves two parts, an outer sleeve and an insert designed to hold the coffee packets. The idea is to emphasize the portability of the product: "Tuck this in your bag, and you're good to go."

The overall concept will be a marriage of two seemingly contradictory ideas:

The package itself will suggest quick, convenient, and portable.

The design on the package will suggest "stop, enjoy life, celebrate your day, etc."

A one part layout, again emphasizing convenience.

PANTONE Coffee Mugs

I think these are just great! What a great gift for the designer in your life! (hint, hint)

Here are some mugs with color swatches of different shades of brown printed on the inside top of the mugs, so you add just the right amount of cream to match your particular shade of brown.

Bad Packaging Examples

Wow... where do I start? Death by type. Wait! What about all that unused space around the "drop?" Surely they forgot to mention something!

Okay, that's pretty funny, but it does bring up a good point. You have to think about design from every possible angle, including unintended connotations.

Some Great Packaging Examples

I love the use of color and whimsey. The fun shapes suggest the soup itself while hinting at "organic" and "nature."

Beautiful design with simple concentric circles. Nice, soft color palette creates a relaxing mood.

The use of fruit imagery suspended in water indicated by air bubbles seems to say "fresh."

Chocolates often have great package designs lending a sense of luxury.

Another nice chocolates package. Based on the design, I am more inclined to believe that these are truly delectable chocolates, even if they really aren't.

Holiday Card with Georgia State University Colors

Apple Festival Poster 12x18 Final

My final design for the 2010 Georgia Apple Festival in Ellijay. My goal was to create an event poster that was consistent with the nature and feel of the festival itself (cloggers, country quilts, and Georgia apples of course) but with a fresh, contemporary, and perhaps more universal appeal.

Arts & Sciences 2009 Holiday Greeting Card

My submission to the Georgia State University College of Arts & Sciences

2009 Holiday Greeting Card Contest

Apple Festival Poster Sketches

My goal with designing a poster for the 2010 Georgia Apple Festival is to capture the excitement of good ol' southern family fun. The Apple Festival has a definite "country" feel, and I want to embrace that aspect, but in a fresh, updated look.

Nice Poster Design Examples

Nice imagery. Successful integration of the type with its surroundings.

Great overall layout and use of space. All the information is clear and organized without sacrificing aesthetic appeal.

Cool illustration. I love the color pallete.

Uncorked: A Wine Tasting Journal

My design for a wine tasting journal. It is bound by hand; stitched into four signatures of four sheets of paper each (16 pages per signature for a total of 64 pages) and glued along the spine. Included is an area for the information of the wine being tasted and an area below for wine tasting notes or personal descriptions and review. Also included is a box to score the wines just like a professional wine reviewer does. A page is provided at the beginning to guide with the rating score.

Back Cover

Book Cover Design

I think this book has tremendous appeal to "rock 'n' rollers" and the casual pop music listener, not just the classical music aficionados and theorists. The author's style is easily accessible to all. My hope is to capture the rock 'n' roll meets science approach with the imagery; the marriage of the energy and excitement of rock music with the the sophistication and intellect of neuroscience. Initially I thought the look should be clean and simplistic. However, I am seeking to represent the complexities of music, sound and the human mind.

"This is Your Brain on Music" Book Cover Ideas

Here is a synopsis of the book This is Your Brain on Music:

Author Daniel J. Levitin is a rock musician and studio producer turned Ph.D. in cognitive neuroscience becoming a top researcher on how our brains interpret music. In this book, Levitine delves into the scientific study of why music affects us so deeply including: how we listen to music, how composers write music, our emotional attachment to certain music, how musicians become great, and even why songs get stuck in our heads.

"This is the story of how brains and music coevolved - what music can teach us about the brain, what the brain can teach us about music, and what both can teach us about ourselves." (Levitine, 12)

Here are some sketches:

More Book Covers

Here are some examples of book covers that utilize only typographical elements:

Great Book Cover Designs

Simple idea that evokes plenty of emotion and curiosity. The bright red chairs really grab your attention.

A beautiful, sleek modern lamp that's just a bit off. If you saw it in a room, you would want to go adjust it. Great typographical treatment of the word "perfect."

Really great illustration against a stark white background. A good example of a modern update to a classic.

Bold eye-catching color. The hat and especially the eye are immediately recognizable if you're familiar with the movie.

3x10.5 Kashi Ad

5x5 Kashi Ad

5x5" format. The overall layout is essentially the same as the 8x10 in order to give the separate ads a unified look. The image of the hiker is not what I initially had in mind, however, it gave me a great opportunity for the "weigh you down" line. The tree and the background colors are intended to echo the "natural" feeling.

8x10 Kashi Advertisment

Kashi's current ad campaign is a whimsical look into their use of all natural ingredients (see ad in post below), but it pretty much stops there. The company itself and their products have consistently appealed to those who live a healthy, active lifestyle and believe in the benefits of "all-natural."

My goal with this ad (above) is to take it a step further and capture that feeling that those of us who may be a bit skeptical still get deep down when we envision ourselves living a healthy lifestyle. You know, that feeling you get when you reach for all natural or organic foods (knowing it costs more): "I want to live a better life. I want to take better care of myself, and buying this product is a step in that direction." That sentiment appeals to just about all of us. Whether or not we actually live that lifestyle is somewhat irrelevant.

I want the ad to say "Kashi supports (in this case literally with the company logo) that lifestyle."

Smithsonian Museum Day this Saturday

Enjoy free general admission for you and a guest to hundreds of museums and cultural venues nationwide.
This Saturday, September 26, 2009

The HIGH is included in the list of Georgia museums!

Go here to download the admission card:

http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/

More Nice Ads

Copy for above says: "Our crackers don't taste like a mouthful of cardboard. Hmmm... wonder why?"

Notice the stark contrast of the colorful vegetables and grains against the solid white background. It drives home the point with the vegetables looking alive and natural in a world of insipid and over-processed crackers. Even the style of the text says, "there is something natural about this."

The model is Heidi Klum. The claim this ad makes is: Our designer phones are not just a fashion statement, but a part of who you are. And you want to be like Heidi Klum, right?

Another famous actor, Marcia Cross. What is clever about this add is not that "mom only wants the best for her kids" (not her kids by the way), but that they are all dressed in colors, including hair color, that make you think of apples.

Print Advertisements

I tend to be taken in by advertisements that are simple with a clever way to get you to think about the product. The viewer has to make the connection between the image and how it relates to the product. The reason simplicity stands out is due to our ubiquitous inundation of visual stimuli and marketing clutter to the point where we find respite in these types of ads.

Ditto on this one. A bit more humor though. It seems to me that using humor in advertising has become very commonplace. I know it's nothing new, but its everywhere, with any product imaginable, including glass cleaner.

This guy could be eating a delicious sandwich in stead of standing there reading, and so could you! This one is pretty cool. The idea is to capture attention, make you think about the product, and ultimately buy it. I think this one does that... well, two out of the three anyway.