banner and card critique please

[rglatter]

Hey,
I just made this banner for my website and a biz card for myself please let me know what you think.

http://therecentgraduate.com/images/banner.jpg

http://therecentgraduate.com/images/businesscardwebedit.jpg

[cmont]

Hard to read comes to mind. Think about each element you are adding and why you are doing so. IE why the bevel AND the outer glow? What does the red line add? Why so much space? On the bottom, Why the gradient? My advice... rethink, draw some stuff out, lots of stuff, pages of stuff, then pick 10 designs and draw 5 different ones for each, then pick 5 of those and throw them all away and start from scratch, then after that, draw 3 more and pick one of them and try that one on the computer, 3 different ways. See what works what doesnt and always ask yourself why your doing what it is, and dont say because it looks good, that is objective and wont translate to everyone. You need to do things for legibility, stylability and scalability.

[cjoe]

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13048&page=2&pp=10&highlight=contrast+focus

I always link back to this, look at tZ's post. a good read.

[Samakimoto Graphics]

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13048&page=2&pp=10&highlight=contrast+focus

I always link back to this, look at tZ's post. a good read.


Woot!

Must've missed that one. A good read though.:)

[SurfPark]

There is a lot to be desired. As the article states, check out the readability, white space, and other key design elements. Also a tip: script fonts are not your friends. They're more like casual acquaintances.

[G-Man79]

Gradients on logos is a general no-no. Also, using the bevel effect looks date and tacky. Why are you using that ring in your web banner? Does it hold particular meaning to you or your business?

Before you proceed any further, I would try and sketch out some logo ideas (with pencil and paper, not on the comp). You could work with the GG&D that you've designed for your business cards as a foundation and go from there.

Good luck.

[rglatter]

thanks alot for the tips. espeicaly for that link that is a very helpfull read.

I got rid of the bevel on the text and changed the design a lot its not finished yet so I will post that later on.

Gman you asked why im using the ring, im using it because my graphic design company specializes in doing graphic design such as catalogs and things for the jewlery industry.

anyways thanks agian for the tips, I see that I have alot of learning to do about the theory behind making things look good.

[reuber1]

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13048&page=2&pp=10&highlight=contrast+focus

I always link back to this, look at tZ's post. a good read.
Wow, I've never seen that before. Great read.

[Samakimoto Graphics]

Let's see your update when you are done...

[cjoe]

tZ is our resident technical theory guy. Nearly always gives very good critiques, and gives you very good explainations. Im sure he would agree he is very function over form oriented.

[tZ]

First off let me say I hate when people post a critique for a banner.

Why?

Well a banner is a part. Its hard to critique a part without seeing the entire whole.

Its like asking me how a car functions/looks with just the wheels.

Without seeing the entire design(the website) its hard to say.

As for your business card.

The logo needs to be thought out more.

A logo is a part of the design but, can stand seperate. So unlike the banner it can be critiqued becasue its purpose is to identify. Unlike your banner where its purpose is mainly to add aesthetically enhansments and branding to your site. So without seeing the site its difficult to comment.

However, the first thing that comes to mind is consistency. To be consistent is to brand- create an identity. Your color and font decisions are much different between the business card and banner. why?

Is it because you like that font? Is it becasue the font reminds you of jewlery? why? So why did you decide to use to contrasting faces for your company name? Remember the idea behind a website and business card is to what?- brand.

So having both in contrasting designs doesn't help to create a unique identity for you. If anything it obscures it.

So the first thing I would do is address your logo. Either redo it all together or pick a face and stick with it for your name. This way at least regardless of how aesthetically pleasing it is its consistent on all your collateral further reinforcing your company through repetition/consistency.

blurrs, drop shadows whatever they are called lets talk about those. The most obvious question is why? They do nothing to enhance tthe communication if anything they take away from it so I would just get rid of those.

I call these type of items gimmicks. If you concept reviolves around gimmicks then you are not communicating anything which is memorable. Being memorable and impactfull is what identity design is all about. That is what you are doing here- setting an identity- through the colors, through the fonts, through everything- you are setting an identity.

To create a memorable identity you need to think about your name.

- glatter graphics and design- ok.

So what is a glatter?

Is that your last name?

If so why not maybe visually represent it as your last name?- this is called a concept. If you found a way to some how communicate to the viewert hat this is indeed your last name then your concept would revolve around a visual communication of your last name- get the idea?

Right now your logo stands as just arbituarly placed type elements with little to do with communicating anything higher then thier literal meaning.

So think about a concept by which to drive your identity.

Once you have a concept in place you can then use that concept to brand yourself on every piece of colatteral including your website.

Here's an idea- you said you specialize in the jewlery design industry- correct?

So what things come to mind that may be jewerly and could some how communicate that this name of your company is in deed your last name?

Well… I have one right off that comes to me. Rings. Everybody allways wants to get something inscribed on thier ring. Some people may get a statment others may get a song or something others may get thier a… name or partners name- right?

get the picture? So what you could do is create a branding scheme based on and driven by that idea- inscribing things on jewerly. So your logo could be a glatter as an inscription based font or even so all out with a illustration of some type communicating directly a inscription.

Then maybe you could countinue that idea to your branding design. Maybe have a ring with your name next to a ring with your customers name or something signyfying your clients. Communicating the idea of trust, loyalty, etc that comes with two partners in a relationship.

So your banner could be just that. the two rings side by side with the insriptions. Then on the opposite side you could place your newly created logo further reinforcing the idea.

Now instead of just something flashy we have something that communicates an idea. An idea by which people to will remember you by unique to your chosen market- no???

So then maybe you could countinue on using that idea consistently throughout all your identity driven pieces. Such as… your business card. This is just an idea but, since most jewerly is thought to be gold maybe have the entire business card be gold or get a foil. Then place your information as if it where inscribed on there some how.

Of course that would be the most intercite route but, the easiest thing to do would be to put something together in photoshop or illy that has the same effect.

When you are branding you allways need to think about consistency. Find an idea and drive everything by it. Regardless of whether its ingenious or not at least this way you will be building a image based on a concept and theme rather then decor and subjective aesthetics.

Assuming you read my little dibble dabble about design lets talk about hierachy.

What is hierachy?

hierachy is the visual arrangment of elements. Controlling the viewers eye is what this is all about.

So think about his in your buisness card and banner.

How is interest created?

Well interest is created through difference or contrast. Right now your business card has very little contrast besides for size.

Contrast can come in all forms and it important you know this (line, shape,vlaue,color,texture). Just rmember contrast creates interest.

So think all these things when you design. Design is all about communciating in both a literal and conceptual sense. Literal mostly implies to hierachy and the basic fundemntals while conceptual brings about the concept/idea that is communicated to the viewer.

With all that said, I hope you take up some of suggestions and am looking forward to seeing your progress.

[cjoe]

^^^ told ya. ;)

[distruktor]

i'd work on getting myself a strong identity/logo before starting any of this.

Read what people have posted, sketch out some ideas and then post those before touching your computer

(well obviously your have to touch your computer to post them, but you know what i mean :) )

[distruktor]

^^^ told ya. ;)


lol.

[Samakimoto Graphics]

^^^ told ya. ;)

;)

[CamarotaDesign]

seriously, I never needed to go to college for design, just read GDF. And getting criticized here for your design is not nearly as bad as getting it in front of the whole class from the teacher.

http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13048&page=2&pp=10&highlight=contrast+focus

I always link back to this, look at tZ's post. a good read.

[rglatter]

Thanks alot guys for all the good posts and suggestions. I have taken your advice and started to draw out some designs for the logo and then I am planning on bringing a few of them into photoshop. When I get those done ill post them up here.

[carter the artist]

suggestion? i'd use illustrator... you might want to take your logo to print one day, and when you do, you might want it to look clean. Especially for a designer.

[rglatter]

carter I took your advice and opend up ilustrator, and there are alot of new tools there that I never knew that I could use thanks for that tip..

anyways here are a few logos that I have put on the computer..ive got a few more that I want to do but I have to figure out how to draw a few of the things that I want to do.

http://www.therecentgraduate.com/images/logo1.jpg
http://www.therecentgraduate.com/images/logo2.jpg
http://www.therecentgraduate.com/images/logo3.jpg

[cjoe]

remember, just because there are new tools, it doesn't mean you MUST use them.

I suggest looking at the logos of some existing reputable design studios and getting some inspiration, because the direction you are taking is not working. The typography is not to my taste, but what really makes the design poor, is the use of all these extraneous elements that contribute nothing to the design.

[tZ]

… in short

^ ditto

[rglatter]

thanks for that advice. I had been looking around and trying diffrent things I guess I was just trying to do too much in one logo. I decided to very much simplify my designs and here are a few of them. Some of them I think would look better if they had a little doo dad shape kinda thing which I just cant figure out what to do right now so ill try some more later. anyways here are some of the new ones.

http://www.therecentgraduate.com/images/logo4.jpg
http://www.therecentgraduate.com/images/logo5.jpg
http://www.therecentgraduate.com/images/logo6.jpg
http://www.therecentgraduate.com/images/logo8.jpg

[cjoe]

okay, the simlplifying is good, but stick to black and white for the moment.

I have to be honest, your typography is terrible. Your kerning/tracking is completely off, your word spacing is inconsistent, leading is off. Font choice is heading in the right direction, but is still questionable.

Loose the weird blue background haze.

LOOK at some good logos and see what makes the type work properly; well balanced kerning/tracking and leading

[tZ]

you need a book… to be honest.

We can only so far as to give you advice.

I would suggest a basic design book to start.

[rglatter]

Is there any book that you would recomed spcificly or just any design book would do?

[*the girl* ryan]

ok, so i have a few questions and these are not meant for anything other than insight on further critques hun....
1. how long have you ben in the design biz
2. how old are u?
3. where did youu go to school

[rglatter]

i designed a website for school...so the past school year is when i started in designing. im 18 and I have never taken a design class. I took a general computer class and that is where I did the website.

[tZ]

I'm starting to become a psyhcic,lol

anyhow, any basic design book.

Forget graphic design for now just get the basics.

I suggest a book on the principles and elements of design.

Then a color thoery book.

After which perhaps a few typography books.

You could also look into a… college- dare I say the word,lol.

[Sketcher]

Some of the best logos I've seen were pure typography. But when working with type, you can't just choose a cool looking font and call it design. It needs to be carefully worked with. Letter spacing, weight, and flow are a few examples of things that need worked with in your's. Like the others said, look at typography books. You'd be suprised about how much there is to know about type.

[VoodooChild]

Been a new comer to design myself, all I can say is open your eyes.... Look at everything as a designer, wonder how and why they did what they did. Look at every logo on the side of trucks, cereal boxes, cd cases etc. I bought a couple of books about logos and found them very interesting, but I dont think books can teach you everything. Have a look at colleges in your area or maybe an online school.

[AlexNJ210]

just a tip. It may help you to not spell out the entire name of your business?company?. You can consider making it an abbreviation ----> GGD or GG&D. as for the schooling and learning what drives design....well thats entirely up to you.

[rglatter]

thanks for all the advice guys ive been looking around for books for the last couple of days but I still havent found a good one that I like. Ive already been accepted to a local college and im planning on taking every design course they have.

Alex, about using an abreviation. Ive tried that but this logo would primarly be for a biz card or a brouchure and I dont think that putting the abreviation would be very good.

About these designs, im going to take a break from them from a bit, study up a bit then come back to them. thanks alot for all the good advice and links :)