ixbe solo
This is designed by Jose Pepe Menendez from Cuba who is currently the design director at the Cultural Institution House of the Americas (Casa de las Americas). This is a poster for a performance by French circus artists in Havana in 2001.
Menendez said, "
My design teachers provided me and other designers of my generation with a perspective on the importance of our profession, the key role that design might (and should, but not always does) play in society, enhancing people's lives. With them we started to learn that design involves much more than beauty or creativitiy."
"The most distinvtive feature of Cuban graphic design is the explosive and incredible convergence of Spain and Africa in one island, visually expressed by a baroque tendency in forms and colours. Politics in Cuba has had a big effect on visual expression, and that the country's revolution in the late 50s and early 60s inspired new forms of visual communication."
Analyzing the design, it has a legato rhythm. The emphasis is on the ball and it's unified by continuation.
Bejart Ballet?
This poster is designed by Felipe Taborda from Brazil. It is one of a series of five posters for a dance festival in 2000. I found this design in World Graphic Design book by Geoffrey Caban.
Taborda said, "
My design interests and approach have been influenced by many factors. We are all products of what we are made of, in terms of cultural influences during our lifetime. Among the many influences on my designs have been the works of other designers, particularly Aloisio Magalhaes, who was the pioneer of design in Brazil. Comic books and films have also influenced the way I think and design, and they continue to do so. I am still under construction!"
What I like about this design is ad and the typography. I also like the color. I like how the designer emphasized the line of the leg. This design is unified by continuation and color. The emphasis is on the foot and there is no rhythm utilized. It is using an asymmetrical balance.
Nega Gizza
This is a record cover for the group Gizza which was created in 2003 by Veronica D'Orey, a self-taught graphic designer, from Brazil.
D'Orey said, "
The tropics, the beach, the luxuriant forest and the monkeys by my window push me away from the high-tech, first world trend. For brazilian designers, there is a mix of popular, third world influences and vibes from the Northern Hemisphere. Trying to blend both worlds in a less than ideal situation means that a lot of improvising and creativity goes into making this possible. Gaining recognition for the practice of graphic design in Brazil and an appreciation of its value, continue to be a heroic undertaking."
What I like about this design is the concept of covering one's face and showing the hands clasped which symbolizes something I'm sure.
World Cup Fever
This is a poster for World Cup in Korea. The poster is created by Jae Sik Kwon from Korea. I found this design from World Graphic Design book by Geoffrey Caban.
I love the different colors and the dots (footprints). It is using a complementary harmony. It may look like it's using a random balance because of the dots, but the dots are actually forming the shape of foot prints. It's unified by repetition and continuation and the emphasis is on the word "World Cup Everywhere."
The Last Jet Engine Laugh
This design is created by Itu Chaudhuri from India who studied architecture in India in early 80s before concentrating on graphic design. Later on he formed his own company - Itu Chaudhuri Design (ICD).
His approach to design was influenced significantly by his meeting with the famed Indian designer Aurobind Patel in 1984. Itu said, "The factor that has had the biggest influence on my approach has been the dsign vacuum in India. This is a country with just one real design school, the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad and it was only when students from NID began to work with me that I was able to discuss design with the vocabulary and concept I possessed, responding to to a market and making a living from design takes a much heavier toll of a designer in a developing country. The tone and texture of the concerns voiced by western designers would seem comical utopia in India. As India globalizes, its designers will become increasingly international in their values and concerns. The exception would be those who use traditional Indian imagery."
In this design, Itu used a metaphor of a jet dashboard for the controls to the narrator's memory with the control themselves parodied to reflect the events and the comic concerns of the narrative. The rendering style draws from computer games. The aim is not simply to interest readers to try the book, but also to enrich their reading of it as they progress.
This picture is a little scary but yet somehow it's also pull you in it. The color and the concept is interesting. The emphasis is definitely on the creepy object outside the window.
Playing Card Design
This playing card is designed by Fang Chen from China who is a professor of graphic design at Wuhan University of Technology in China and visiting artist at both the Cooper Union School of Art in New York and the University of Texas in Austin. I found this design in World Graphic Design by Geoffrey Caban.
Fang Chen has written extensively about graphic design and design education, including a series of books enttled 'The World Masters' showcasing international designers. He is also a recipient of many international awards including 4 gold medals in design competition in Asia, Europe and USA.
The card is inspired by the cards of heroes of the water margin chronicles by the seventeenth century painter Lao-Lian Chen. It is based on a principle of illusion that would be an extension of the double-ended western pattern: the heads of each subject are derived from chinese history or mythology and the key feature of the design is the illustration of two moods for each subject.
The king is a portrait of Gong Ming Zhao who was known as the spirit of wealth and reportedly was able to summon thunder and lightning, eradicate evil and epidemics, uphold justice and deliver riches.
Fang Chen said, "
The idea is the soul of graphic design and the creation of the idea is the result of cumulative knowledge and broad artistic immersion. With regard to poster design, I think that explaining the profound in simple terms is very important."
What I like about the design is the uniqueness of it and the choice of color. It is a playing card and everybody knows how a playing card looks like. Analyzing the design using the design principle, it is unified by continuation and some repetition of the heart shapes. It's asymmetrical balance and the emphasis is on the picture of the head. There are some lines on the picture that can be considered as legato rhythm.
Cellphone Card Sellers
This is a cover design for Huru magazine 2003, designed by Michael Danes. Michael Danes started Danes Design in Harare, Zimbabwe in 1992. His work is focused on branding, packaging, publication, corporate identity, interior retail and website design. An ongoing objective of the studio is purposefully to challenge the perception of African design and to brand African products innovatively for every market - Zimbabwean, regional and international.
An important influence on his design is a Zimbabwean designer Chaz Maviyane-Davies, whose works on human rights issues has described a new culture in African graphic design. He is also influenced by the natural landscape of Zimbabwe, which is a wild country with vast national parks. The aim of this publication (Huru) is to try to uplift Zimbabweans' perception of their country in the midst of all the current political hardship.
I like the concept of using photography to get their point across. It's a typical daily event that the Zimbabwean would see and they should embrace their own country and people.
Dancers and Calligraphy
These posters are created by Su Tsung-Hsiung (Jeffrey Su) from Taiwan. I found these posters at World Graphic Design book by Geoffrey Caban. These posters are parts of "the dialog between dancers and calligraphy" series which he created in 2002.
Inspiration behind the posters came from the intriguing body language of two young modern dancers and the tension in their movements. Su's design is a mixed of traditional and contemporary. He studied in an art school in Taiepei, Taiwan and he went to Graduate School of Visual Design in Tokyo, Japan. He said that a number of cultural, geographical and political factors have influenced the development of his design philosophy.
"Taiwan is a diverse and multicultural society as a result of its history of colonization by Holland and Japan and its proximity to the Chinese mainland. There has been a blending of chinese and westerb fashion and styles, and one positive result is the flexible and open-minded way in which designers think and practise."
Looking at the first poster, what attracted me right away was the color (I love the color!) and also the flow of the lines. We can see here that the designer is definitely utilizing the legato rhythm. The design is unified by repetition, color and continuation. It is assymetrical balanced by position. The emphasis is obviously on the dancers (by shape) and there is depth by overlapping.
The second poster, because of the hard lines, I think it has a staccato rhythm. The emphasis is also on the dancers (by shape) and it's unified by continuation and repetition.
So, how do you like them?
