I’ve posted this on http://www.graphicdesignforum.com besides posting so that I can receive critiques (on the analysis) even after the forum is closed down. FYI I did not design the poster.
I was wondering whether I’ve studied this poster correctly. Did I miss anything? Can the analysis be improved?..
Thanks in advance to all of you.
The left dotted line indicates central alignment, but that is not how the Dallas phone number is aligned.
With the city names it is the phone number that is aligned, not the center of the text.
On Dallas, the phone number is justified left to the first solid vertical line on the left, then Dallas is center justified over that.
On San Antonio, the phone number is right justified to the last solid line, with San Antonio centered over that.
IOW, the two outer vertical dotted lines are an incorrect assessment.
You only have 4 colors here. Red, gold, green and black. Tints of black (grays,)if done properly, are only one color.
As a marketing poster this is completely ineffective.
Especially since this isn’t an event. It’s a booking notice for holiday parties. That information is barely even legible in the tiny type under the poster title.
Furthermore, the phone numbers are in a skinny, gray typeface that is also very hard to read. If this is hanging in a dimly lit space, like inside the actual restaurant/bowling alley (as seen in Yelp photos,) the color choice is all going to go to gray in lower light situations and will not draw attention to itself. Softer colors may not be harsh on the eye, but are they the right choice for the message when placed in situ?
Great work.
I would add some words about the style. Why the off-white background, why the grungy look on the text and illustration.
Also, I would talk about how the illustration invites the viewer to follow the path of the cable, thus involving them with the communication.
Iraszi, you don’t find following the path of the cable leads your eye in one side and right out the other without even seeing the copy above it?
I must have a really short attention span.
I don’t understand what you’re trying to do. This is in the student section of the forum, so I’m assuming this an assignment of some kind.
Your first paragraph asks for critiques, which implies that you designed the poster. Your second paragraph suggests, instead, that you’re just studying and analyzing the poster, which leaves me not knowing what you’re asking.
Is this your poster, and are you looking for a critique of the design? Or is this a poster created by someone else on which you want feedback about whether or not you’ve correctly analyzed the design decisions that went into its creation?
This is not my poster. I’m sorry if the description sounds vague. It’s a poster that I collected from this website: www.howdesign.com/international-design-awards-winners-2017-posters/
This was designed by : calibercreative
OK.
I think your analysis of the background grid largely consists of you having drawn a bunch of lines surrounding all the elements. On this poster, I’m not so sure there’s a readily identifiable grid to be found. Positioning objects to align with background grids helps unify a composition and make it appear logical, orderly and well-proportioned. That said, sometimes designers can do all this intuitively without the need for a rigid predetermined grid. Sometimes it’s just a matter of lining things up and positioning them where they seem to fit. When layouts are approached this way, it’s often possible to identify a grid, of sorts, that emerged as the design progressed, but trying to pin it down with a bunch lines, like you’ve done, ends up being an exercise in futility.
As for your having identified the layout reasoning behind the elements, I generally agree with what you’ve written. You identified some of the standard elements of design that relate to hierarchy, rhythm, balance, repetition, movement, alignment, etc.
There’s another important aspect of design that many design school programs seem to ignore or, at least, underplay. This being whether or not, despite the pros and cons of the aesthetics, the finished piece actually accomplishes the purpose for which it was designed. So with this poster, it wasn’t readily apparent to me what the poster was for or what audience it was intended to reach, which could potentially be a fatal flaw with the poster. In other words, a poster that confuses the target audience is a failure no matter how nice it looks.
Looking at the company’s website, however, made it make more sense. It’s for a combination bowling alley and restaurant (kind of a cool place), whose website design has much in common with the design of the poster (good, consistent branding). So assuming the poster was mostly hung inside the restaurant to a target audience that would immediately understand it, yeah, it’s not only nice-looking, it’s functional. On the other hand, if the poster was pinned elsewhere, it would largely fail to perform, despite it looking nice.
When looking for a grid, keep in mind that they don’t always have to go edge-to-edge. Our design software shows lines in that way, but I see this as being centered until it’s not. And there’s a bold dividing line between where the grid changes.
Is there anything in this poster that references bowling or alcohol?
Some other questions. Is there anything identifying the time of year? Could this poster be improved in any way? It’s an illustration. Can you identify where the direction of light is coming from?
You didn’t notice that the Christmas lights were bowling balls? Not sure where the alcohol comes in.
@PrintDriver I noticed. I’m asking questions to help @Thug-D think about things that weren’t included in the initial analysis.
