Friday, April 24, 2009

Visual Communication Final

Toyota
The first logo I am analyzing Toyota. There logo is distinct, and everyone can recognize a Toyota car by looking at "T" shaped logo. After doing some research, I found out that the logo actually spells out Toyota. If you look carefully you can see each letter within the design, clever. The logo also stands for the a mutual trust between the car and the customer, represented by the two ovals overlapping. The space in the background symbolizes the "unlimited potential for the future" (http://www.dinesh.com/History_of_Logos/Car_Logos__Design_and_History/Toyota_Logo_-_Design_and_History/) With this logo, Toyota wanted customers to feel a sense of trust and dependability. I feel that the logo has achieved this. When I see the "T" shaped logo, I first think..Toyota.. then I think Dependable.

Jeep
The next car brand I am going to analyze is Jeep. While most other cars have a logo type graphic, Jeep simply just writes their name out . There is some confusion where the word Jeep comes from. One theory is that it was from a character on Popeye, and others feel it stands for "GP" meaning general purpose. Most people feel it stands for "GP" and the word was slurred and it sounded like Jeep. Jeep has had the same type font for the past 60 years. There is nothing fancy about the word, it is just bold and simple. When you see the brand name, because of the font, you automatically think of a car that is out doorsie and bold. When I see the word Jeep I feel a "go anywhere and do anything" type of feeling, a liberating feeling. This is exactly what the Jeep company wants you to feel.

Mini Cooper
The logo just says mini inside of a pair of wings. Although it only says mini, you automatically say cooper at the end when you see the logo. This is because they have done a wonderful job name-branding their logo and their product. The wings give you a sense of speed and flexibility. With the word mini inside of it you just think of a fast little car that can fit into any parking space (even if you haven't seen the Italian Job). The Mini in all caps also creates an effect on a persons feelings. Although it is mini, it is bold and strong! I personally like it because I am small, but just because I am small doesn't mean I am weak and lame. By bolding its letters it gives the "small but mighty" feel to the logo.

Artifact one:
This artifact is a southern California wild fire poster. In the poster there is a bare tree that is charcoal black, with a colorful bird perched on it. There is sunshine in the background and blue clouds. The picture is a combination of simple shapes. There is "so cal" written up the side of the picture. Because the tree is charcoal black, you know that fires are a problem in southern California, and that it is ruining vegetation and what not. The picture would be really pretty if the tree wasn't black, this also represents so cal. If it weren't for those dang fires, it would be a much more pleasant place (M family and friends have been greatly impacted by these fires). The poster makes you feel sorry for the poor bird looking for a place to nest or something to eat. It makes you feel sad because the tree is black. For me, it reminds me of all the wonderful parks and places ruined by these fires. This poster also makes you want to help out in any kind of way. Maybe join a charity or donate money to the cause. It makes you want to take better care of the planet because you can see how beautiful this picture COULD be, if only the tree was green and the bird was happy.

Artifact 2:
This is an end suicide poster. There is a man with a gun to his head, and in the gun is a hand (that is a little icon you often see your mouse turn into) . At first glance you think "no don't shoot yourself!" Then you have a sigh of relief when you see that something is stopping this man from being able to kill himself. So this poster makes you feel a little anxious, then relief. You learn that something needs to be done in order to stop this man from killing himself. And that something, is the little hand. Because the little hand is a computer icon, you learn that a solution is on the computer. You immediately start looking for the web address, and find it at the bottom of the page. It makes you want to log on, because the thought of someone dieing is very tragic, and you could be that person that helps. That makes you feel good about yourself, the thought of helping. I find this poster very effective.

Artifact 3
This artifact is a series of posters. Each poster has one graphic in the middle and a solid color as a background. Because the background is solid, it makes you focus on the image in the middle. Just glancing at the photos i knew they were representing seriouse issues, that need awareness. I feel these posters goals are to get people to learn about different issues. The poster that impacted me the most was the survival poster. Just thinking about a baby dieing strikes sadness and fear into anyones heart. You want to do anything you can to saving a baby's life becuase the thought of one dieing is almost too much to bare. It makes you want to learn more about the isue and to make a change.

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