Purge Plastic Now
Exercise 5
EXERCISE 4: ILLUSTRATED DOG PORTRAIT
Did PBR’s “No Marketing” Approach Work?
The Marketing of No Marketing was really an interesting article as it showed that not all the hard and fast rules of branding and marketing are true. That includes that the concept that the more media exposure, the better. Here is was obvious that less exposure was better and that it was better to have the customer spread the word. It appears that it wasn’t from outstanding quality of PBR, but more of peer pressure and the beer’s identification with a life style. Since this was written 15 years ago I wondered if PBR has continued to be successful or if it had fallen back into obscurity. It hadn’t! In a USA Today article from last May, it listed Pabst at the 16th most popular beer in the US, with 1.2% of the market. It beat out brands like Guinness, Blue Moon and regular Coors. So I guess it did work. Doing a little bit more research, they are now doing some marketing including a video about multiculturalism. It’s at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=14&v=3govpFrn-Bs. It focuses on freedom of choice and building lives on taking advantages of opportunity. It definitely has a “hipster” feeling to it. It was interesting that half of the comments on it were negative.
Images from the Gravity of Perception Show at CVA
Gravity of Perception at the Center for Visual Arts
At MSU’s Center for Visual Art currently has a show that examines the history of discrimination by both individuals and institutions. Titled Gravity of Perception, the exhibition is unique in that it uses archival materials (both old and new) to create art with the goal of “shedding light on the past, reflect on our present, and inspire hope for the future.”
I visited on March the 12th and found a well curated show with works from artists of various cultural backgrounds. Perhaps the most striking of all the works is a series of photo collages called, “Black Tarot” by Denver artist Tya Anthon. She uses archival photos of sharecroppers and former slaves along with botanical line drawings and photos and sets them in a tarot card format. Her imagery is really compelling and captures the oppression of those pictured. My favorite work of hers was “Two Cups”
The most emotional response I had to any of the works in the show was to a very simple work called, Windows by Zora J Murff. It’s nothing more than a few lines of print on a piece of darkened plywood, but it effect is powerful. It is a copy of page a mortgage underwriter’s manual that instructs loan officers to identify an applicant’s race. White is at the top of the list and Negro is at the bottom after “Foreign”. It really depicts the depth of racism at one point in this country’s history.
The show runs through March 23 at the Center for Visual Arts in the Santa Fe Arts District.
Saul Bass Movie Posters
Headlines Channeling Saul Bass
PROJECT 2: News Headline Poster Design
DESIGN BRIEF:
1 What is the current news headline you’ve decided to work with and why?
I’ve chosen “Red Flag Gun Bill Reappears” which was in the February 15th edition of the Denver Post. I chose it because it is not only a very polarizing issue, but also because there are a number of very strong words in the headline. Red, Gun and Flag all evoke strong emotions and images. Combined, they should be able to communicate a compelling message.
2 Which historically significant designer are you using as an inspiration? List any interesting or relevant biographical details about this person?
I am going to pattern my poster after those done Saul Bass, who designed posters and titles sequences for motion pictures in the 1950’s through the 1980’s. Not only did he win Academy Awards for his work in film making and title design, he also created corporate logos for United Airlines, Quaker Oats, AT&T and Kleenex.
3 Describe the visual elements within this designer’s work? What typeface or typestyle does your designer incorporate? Color palette? Layout and grid style? Is this designer included in a particular genre, era, and/or historical design cannon?
In his posters, Bass always used bold colors, simple elements and frequently a free form typeface that looks hand lettered. His compositions only include a few elements that strongly communicate the message on multiple levels. Among the movie industry his work is considered iconic and he has influenced a generation of graphic artists working in film. His poster for “Man with the Golden Arm” is considered a classic example of his work.
4 Discuss relevant themes, concepts, or issues from your designer’s work? i.e. political, corporate, educational
All of Bass’s posters seem to work on multiple levels, using color, composition and design to deliver the advertising message. His poster for the movie “Anatomy of a Murder” is a great example, where is shows a dismembered body as the primary design element. Along with alluding to a crime scene that must be pieced together, he uses bright primary colors to offset the body outline.
5 What connections (aesthetic and/or conceptual) can you make with your news headline and your designer?
Contrasting colors and elements seem to be a constant theme in Bass’ posters. His poster for the movie “The Shining” uses just high contrast black and yellow with a sinister child peering through the type. The pixelated face is lit from below to enhance the sinister and eerie feeling, exactly the message that should be conveyed for a horror film.
Ctl+G(raphics) 