Show & Tell: Concept

I like concept ads because they provide familiarity, which is comforting by nature. Some of my favorites include the Geico caveman, the Geico Getko, and the new Ragu commercials (see below for video). As I was flipping through Dwell magazines, I noticed three similar ads for Brizo products for the kitchen and bathroom. Then it hit me--a concept. I'm having trouble dissecting the idea of a concept--is it merely repetition of similar design that makes it a concept or is it the idea behind the design that is replicated? I think the concept for these three ads is "dreaming"--each woman is wearing an ethereal dress and is striking a graceful pose. The filmy fabric and fluid motion of their dresses mimic the fluidity of water. These women look like they are from a dream, slightly fairy-like with their pale skin and red hair. They are floating, which also adds to the dream concept. And lastly, their slogan is the word Dream followed by the name of the room in which you'd place the product--kitchen, bath, shower.

Descriptive Language

I am learning much about grammar from Constance Hale; one thing I've learned is that I have been breaking many rules over the years unitentionally. Or should that be: I've unintentionally broke all the rules over the years, or better yet: I unintentionally break rules.

I don't think I'll be able to write again without superanalyzing my nouns (are they strong enough?), verbs (are they dynamic?), adjectives (do they show and not tell?), and adverbs (for the love of god, keep me near the word that I modify)!

Since this week's reading focused on crafting lovely language (don't use lovely) or language that would make two star-crossed lover's blush, I thought I'd share a fun definition. I have no idea if this phrase is an adjective, adverb, verb, or other part of speech, but it definitely adds color to a sentence. What are some of your favorite words, phrases, expressions, or adjectives?

Good Design

As I was flipping through Dwell Magazine, I came across this simple, yet effective ad. This ad has a striking image which shines given the amount of white space around it. The text has hierarchy and effectively uses color to match their "green" appeal. I don't love the centered layout, especially since the heading looks like an error if you mistakenly think it is left-aligned, but I can forgive them for that. My magazine ingredient ad is experiencing typeface envy.

Show & Tell: Visual and Verbal Definition

I stumbled across a blog about sewing which included this great chart on basic sewing stiches. The chart itself is a good example of visual and "verbal" definition, but the blogger also included more indepth descriptions of each stitch.

Self Worth

 Just for fun!

Monday, September 17, 2012 DILBERT by Scott Adams

 

InDesign Booklets

Hi, everyone. We discussed setting up a booklet template in class and for those of you who have never done it before, below are two print screens of how I set up my booklets in InDesign (I am sure there are many ways to do this). I cannot give advice on printing this booklet, though, as I have only used a professional printer for the booklets I've worked on.

I'd love to hear from those of you who use this same setup and have successfully printed at home.

Document Setup

This is what it looks like in the Pages window.

Cinnamon

I want to use cinnamon as my ingredient for our food assignment. These are the words I associate with cinnamon: warm, comforting, winter, spicy, and fragrant. Even I didn't associate cinnamon with health, so I want to focus on the numerous health benefits in my article: 

1. 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower your bad cholesterol (or LDL).
2. Cinnamon may help treat Type 2 Diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels and increasing the amount of insulin production in the body.
3. Cinnamon has antifungal properties, and it's been said that candida cannot live in a cinnamon environment. 
4. Cinnamon can reduce the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.
5. Cinnamon has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.
6. Honey and Cinnamon combined has been found to relieve arthritis pain.
7. When added to food, cinnamon inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage, making it a natural food preservative.
8. Just smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.
9. Cinnamon fights the E. coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.
10. Cinnamon has been found to be an effective natural remedy for eliminating headaches and migraine relief.
11. Cinnamon can also help stablize blood sugar (which is great for weight loss). A couple of dashes in your morning tea or cereal is all it takes!

I found these benefits in this web article that is very similar to our assignment--this is good, since our research phase 1.5 tells us to see how our topic has been treated by others. There is something of a urban legend that says you cannot swallow a spoonful of cinnamon. Apparently this is true, because no one in this YouTube video could do it (truth be told, it isn't cinnamon per se, but the nature of a powdery substance. I don't know where people come up with these notions, but they are amusing).

More web links listing health benefits of cinnamon: 

• http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html
• http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-surprising-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html?page=1
• http://www.getprograde.com/Health-Benefits-Of-Cinnamon.html
• http://www.womenshealthmag.com/nutrition/cinnamon-benefits-explained (this article has a clever hook!)

A possible image to us that I got from Stock.XCHNG, a free stock photo site.

One decision I'm mulling over is whether to have a white background on my article or  use a transparent image. Some departmental articles I've looked at use full background images--the radish piece is one example. I also saw an article that used a background of notebook paper. If I used a background for cinnamon, the only image I can think of is a baking sheet, but that might be too dark. I'll have to play around to see what works. Opinions welcome! 

Design Woes and Wows

I can't commit! To a template, that is. I have literally changed my template design thirty times and it has only been four days since class started. Since our website is supposed to evolve over the semester, I will let it rest for a while. As Kendra Kopelke fondly says about writing, the same holds true for design: "It is always finished and never finished."

Okay, now on to design wows: I saw the below Ragu ad in a magazine at the doctor's office this week and snapped a picture with my better half--my iPhone. I apologize for the terrible angle, which is why I cropped the bottom of the page. The main star of this ad, though, still shines through--the Type Tomato. I love it when I see a clever use of typography--and hate it that I didn't think of it first. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and I plan to try my hand at creating a fruit/vegetable type-shape just for fun. Of course, the circle is a simple shape and since that has been taken, I will have to challenge myself with a more complex one (darn you, Ragu!). Perhaps I'll cheat by taken on a modified circular image like the eggplant. If you are wondering, the other image on this add is a strand of spaghetti. I had to take a second look at it to be sure, as I first thought it was a computer mouse cord--I doubt that was intentional as it would otherwise be attached to the tomato, but it works on a subversive level for me since the ad uses the keyboard smile face so the technical mood is already established.

Here is another food ad that is a good example of food writing and inspiration for our assignment. Spoiler alert--if you plan on writing about radishes, close the page. Just like the fig article I posted, this one places the text on the left side of the page and the image on the right. I like the use of color and fonts, especially the main font in color. Who knew slab serifs* could look so good--have you noticed how slab serifs are everywhere in design lately? I used to strongly dislike them, but have decided to give them a second chance. I like the author's use of consonance and alliteration in this article: "put off by the peppery""crunchy crimson" "sprinkle salt" "simmer on the stovetop" The description is so vivid for me, that I can hear the crunch and simmer described.

*I took this picture in the doctor's office as well (note my thumb at the bottom left), so I cannot say for sure if it is really a slab serif or just a regular, run of the mill serif.

Show & Tell: Food Writing

I found the below article on Figs in the September 2012 issue of Shape Magazine. This is a good example of food writing and design. The title of the article, Figs, is located in the upper left quadrant of the page that, according to a resource guide I received many years ago at a seminar, carries more optical weight than any other location on the page. The article captures the reader's attention visually with the vibrant colors of figs that cascade down the page, drawing the readers eyes to the body copy. The article keeps the reader's attention by presenting a familiar image--Fig Newtons. Now the reader is hooked and can continue on to see what one can do with real figs, not cookies. Additionally important, the author presents the reader with actions to take--Select, Store, Prep, and Serve. While these are instructions on how to properly care for figs, they are reminiscent of marketing call to action which helps guide a customer to purchase.