(via artpixie)
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Netherlands (2005): We were asked to create a brand identity around a country selected at random. Logo design, brochure design, poster design.
(Source: catespinosa)
New York City College of Technology design proposal for Student Planner and Orientation materials “Creating the Bluprint for Success” (2005) Third place
(Source: catespinosa)
(Source: bac0ncake)
On Thanksgiving, I did this post about Shawnee Mission High School and I didn’t really know what a big deal their book was. Well, that was until I came across this book. I seriously just want to sit and stare at this cover all day. The cover even continues onto the back, but I couldn’t find a picture of it. :( Cool looking yearbooks just make me so happy. The visual verbal connection of “Our Image” and the photo that shows what someone else sees only assists in theme development.
The theme is “Our Image/Your Image,” so it is only reasonable the book is split up into two sections. Overall, the first section is more traditional and the second is more creative in design and photoshopping techniques. One design magazine I always see is “Complex.” In this magazine, they do this read until the middle then flip the magazine over and read it from a different style. That’s the concept this book takes on. It’s like two books in one!
Wow. Just wow. Patrick Henry High School, where have you been all my life? This is an incredible cover. When yearbook companies really say they can help you do anything, they can help you do ANYTHING.
The theme of this book is @Random, so obviously, the tone is going to be a little… well, random. Sassy, colorful, a little edgy and artsy, you take your pick of words. This cover introduces a main design element of the book, bright, fun colors, along with a combination of student artwork, actual photos, and Photoshop effects. The use of the hand drawn font used on the cover is also used throughout the book as a design element adding to a more artsy look. That, in and of itself sounds like a challenge.
Right now you might be thinking, “That is weird and crazy and so not traditional.” Well, the point of this book is not to be traditional, it’s supposed to appeal to the student body and include as much of them in the book as possible. High school is random and confusing and chaotic, why does your book have to be the anthesis of that?
Perhaps the most exciting part of this book is that the randomness is just enough random to not look crazy and like color vomited all over the pages. There is a certain order within the chaos of @Random achieved through careful planning between the sections and headline styles. Although it appears random, the book actually tells a very thorough story of the 2010 school year.
I love to look at the contrast of these two spreads. They’re from the same school, Shawnee Mission, but if these were just laid out in front of me, I would honestly have no idea they were part of the same book. I’m usually all about cohesion and making sure everything goes together, but the theme, “Your Image/Our Image”, is about contrast. So, through not following the typical yearbook guidelines, this school’s book is made even stronger.
The first spread with the skateboarder, is what we on the east coast refer to as a “California” spread. It’s definitely a stereotype, but many of the books on the west coast use one dominant photo and a more magazine inspired design for some of their spreads. Can you see how the warm colors in the photo support the general style of the first section?
Then, those warm, inviting colors are juxtaposed with a more intense, creative and dark music spread. More elaborate Photoshopping techniques are used in this “Your Image” section and the font is definitely a more major design element.
