Go Lakers!!

This is one of the most iconic logo you’ll ever find on one of my favorite piece of clothing to wear. It’s the logo of my favorite sports team of all time, The Los Angeles Lakers. You show this to 90% of the world and they will know exactly what it is and what organization it represent. The logo is very simple and elegant at the same time. A basketball serves as the background and the world “Los Angeles” is printed in a small size font above the word Lakers. This was most likely done on purpose because people are more familiar with the name Lakers then where that team comes from. When someone mentions purple and gold “The Lakers” are what comes to mind rather than Los Angeles.

 Speaking of colors, purple and gold goes perfectly with what the Laker organization is and represent. Gold represent riches and success. This is exactly what the Lakers are with 16 championships under their belt and being second most in the entire NBA. The Lakers also boast one of the best winning records in all of professional sports and missed the playoff only a hand full of times. The purple that is used along with the gold is a nice off set color that isn’t too bright or two dark. It doesn’t dominate the gold nor does it shy away either. The purple is the perfect complimentary color to the color gold.

Let’s also take a look at the font that is used as well. The font that is used is a very simple font that is not too extravagant. It very clean and almost has a classy feel to it. This also represents the organization in which the Lakers are known as a very classy and respected organization. Everything that went into the design of the Lakers logo was made with the franchise history and what the franchise wants people to perceive it as in mind.

Invader Zim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Design can be anywhere and in this case it’s on hoodie that I owned. The first time I laid eyes on this hoodie I knew I had to have it. On the front of the hoodie was just a very simple outline design of a character in the cartoon series “Invader Zim.” What really caught my attention is what was on the inside of the hoodie.

On the inside hood part of the hoodie was this incredible, colorful design. It seems to be a collage or montage representation of the cartoon “Invader Zim.” The color just pops to me and this is big deal since when it comes to art I’m more of a black and white kind of artist. The lettering and colors have this almost graffiti like feel to them. Urban art that is seen on walls and freeways of Los Angeles are very popular these days and it refreshing to see that style be applied onto something else like a hoodie.

Some of these lettering have a three dimensional feel to them.  Also, a couple of the figures are just outlined and some are colored in. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for what is and what isn’t colored or outlined. It’s just chaos with colors and I love it. The choice of black for the hoodie was a great choice as well since it seems like the majority of colors that were use are very light, vibrant and bright. The contrast creates a sense of interest. To me this is a very well designed hoodie that creates a sense of interest the very moment you lay eyes on it.

Sketchbook

This is one of the more interesting design choices for my blog. Most of us should be very familiar with this item. It’s a sketchbook and is made by one of the most popular and well known art supply company Strathmore. All of their sketch pads and books have a design on the front cover and it usually done by someone who also uses the item too. This sketch that you see on the cover of the 9 X 12 inch Sketch book is one of my favorites.

Sketchbooks are mostly meant for quick idea or quick drawings that might just happen as you go along with your everyday lives. The sketch that is used on the covers depicts this notion perfectly. You have person sketching out multiple ideas that he has and it fills his whole room. I also love the fact that Strathmore did not alter the sketchy look of the cover at all. It really does look like someone just drew on the cover of the sketchbook that you just bought. The sketchy cover is also the focal point too. It’s large enough to attract attention, but not too large to overwhelm the senses.  I know it’s a very strange choice for a design blog, but to me this is great design. It’s a sketch book and the cover design is an actual sketch. It fits its purpose perfectly.

Xbox 360

In one of my earlier blogs I spoke about the amazing design of the controller for the Xbox 360. It’s only fitting that I also speak about the design for the console itself. Just like the controller hundreds of hours were spent designing the console and millions of dollars was spent on it by Microsoft and the design looks great. All this time and money spent on just the look of the console isn’t without merit as the console is considered by Microsoft to be the entertainment hub. This means that it’s probably going to sit out in the open along with your T.V. and stereo for others to admire.

The sleek curves and bevel shape was new in the video game console industry. Earlier console were geometrical similar to cube, square and rectangle. It was strange as well as refreshing to see a console design that is curved instead of having straight edges. I also love the accent silver that is used over the disc tray. It’s a nice touch and provides a sense of luxury and with the console costing hundreds of dollars to buy it should feel luxurious. The circular power icon as well as button also lights up to correspond with the lights that are seen on the controller.

The console was originally designed to be grey, but it was later released in a black edition that you see in the picture. Another nice little touch that you won’t be able to see is that the front of the console or face as it is known is actually removable and different face plates or front convers are available with different design which provides the customer a sense of customizability. The Xbox 360 to me is one of the best looking consoles that I have ever had the pleasure to own.

Eyes

Here is another interesting magnet graphic design that was sent to me as a gift with my first order from the contacts company that I now order from online. I absolutely love everything about this design. The use of the single eye attracts the viewer to the magnet. The eye can definitely tell a lot and also express a lot of feelings at the same time. Just showing the eyes only and a single eye for that matter gives the viewer a sense of focus on what the product actually is. I also love that the actual skin colors aren’t used, but instead what looks to be a cooler hue of colors and dark blacks are filtered on top. The use of these colors creates a sense of calmness or relaxation to the person whose viewing them and are easier on the eyes since coolers colors like blue as well as dark colors like black aren’t too bright nor do they give off any sensation associated with the feeling of anxiousness or nervousness.

The text is also positioned intelligently too. The text isn’t positioned to block off the most important part of the design, which is the single eye, so it’s placed on the top and bottom eyelids. This allows the person to read the top font, look at the eye design and then read the rest of the font without any sort of problem or difficulty. Something that would be interesting to add would be to use a different color for the actual font. Something in the color spectrum of dark to medium blue would work. I think the white might be a bit too bright in contrast with the rest of the design.