Design I Like..

if it I had to write "designs I don't like" I'd have a novel by now

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
-William Shakespeare [Romeo and Juliet]


Film and Media experts would beg to disagree with Mr. Shakespeare on this popular quote. If it is not the name that makes the rose sweet, it’s the background, composition, font, etc.. that would make this labeled rose smell like shit.

So here we are, in a world filled with design, whether subconscious or not, it is all sinking in, but what is really grabbing our attention?

Is it the name? if appropriate or meaningful to the individual. Is the font? Most likely. why is it that wannabe bad ass restaurants use samurai font that’s almost impossible to read, they’re practically asking you to put down the menu and walk out.

As I flip through this People magazine (how did this celebrity gossip for mothers zine end up in my position anyway?) , I finally reach a design I like. It is one that engages my attention, focuses my desires, shapes my world.

It is most definitely an advertisement for ice cream.

Most normal people like ice cream, but the new “lil’ drums” ice cream ad is begging me to take this cut-out, mini,image of it for a “test drive.” A test drive? Only a moron would walk around with this paper cone in their hands that mimics their realistic design. This encouragement for interactive activity with this “hands on” paper ice cream is very clever.

Let me break down the deep meaning and efforts one has put in that made me run to the bodega:
The title, which uses cute slang, is in bold on the top in a fun and easy to read font. Then, the brightly lit hand protruding diagonally from the deep blue background holds this realistic “lil’ drum” ice cream cone. My eyes shift around the hand/cone reading and gathering the little bits of information. By the time I reach the bottom of the page (drooling that is), I find the image of the packaging box balancing out the page to settle things.

Nestle’s drumstick achieved their goal. By placing an appealing image of ice cream in a magazine (right when the weather is getting warmer), it allows the advertisement to function with a certain method that is mocking the values of interactivity.

can't you see yourself holding one?