Color Harmony

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Therefore, any color combination can be pleasing to the right person. Graphic designers, however, create art that must appeal to many people. Luckily, we have harmonious color schemes to guide our choices.

MONOCHROMATIC

ANALOGOUS

COMPLEMENTARY (and in this case, SYMBOLIC)

TRIADIC

 

WARM & COOL HARMONY

WARM & COOL CONTRAST

COLOR DISCHORD

 

COLOR

I love color and am excited to start studying it in class. One of my favorite colorful things is Mexican Otomi embroidery. Here are some examples ---

 

Protecting the Creative Mind

When I think of a truly creative person, I imagine the movie Amadeus which depicts the life story of the composer Mozart. Does it get more creative than that guy? He started writing music when he was a toddler. He also suffered from mental illness.

I think we are all familiar with the idea that creative geniuses can be a little nutty. You just can't be "normal" if you are bursting with creativity. It is the spice of life and a fundamental part of human existence, but a creative spirit can be a hard cross to bear. Many,  many writers/artists/musicians/actors have succumbed to the impulsive, out-of-touch-with-reality dark side of creativity. They hurt themselves and those who love them. In their honor, for my blog today I'm highlighting a poster that seems simple, even silly, but in my opinion, is a highly effective guide to keeping your brain healthy.

Even though there are thousands of suffering artists, there are also thousands of mentally balanced artists. You do not have to suffer to live a creative life.

Depth in Travel Photography

I'd like to travel to these places some day, but for now these pretty pictures will have to suffice. 

They are all beautiful examples of compositional depth.

The Grand Canyon

Palace of Versailles, France

The Great Wall of China

Quilt Symmetry

A traditional symmetrical quilt from the 1880s:

A traditional approximately symmetrical quilt from 1862:

A modern asymmetrical quilt from Hopewell:

A modern radial quilt from a quilting magazine:

A modern spiral quilt:

Picture Sources:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Emphasis

Isn't this a memorable ad?

And I think it's a great example of a design with a strong focal point.

The red shoe gains emphasis by:

- its center placement
- its color (red is attention-grabbing)
- the contrast between the bright red shoe and the soft light pink background.
- the light reflecting off of it, while the background stays muted
- its sharp focus, versus the blurred background

The client--Repetto--designs and manufactures ballet slippers and ballet-inspired shoes and clothing. They were founded in 1947 and are based in Paris.

Simple Art

I love this heart screen print by Banquet Shop--it's modern, bright and memorable.

Inspiration Everywhere

** On 9/11 and every day, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt **

I am a visual learner and have always loved art. Though I don't have much confidence in my own artistic voice yet, I like to make copies of inspiring things I see for technical practice and fun.

Here are two examples, both using Sharpie fine point markers:

Example 1 - "Book Week" lettering

And here's the original source, the 1953 Children's Book Week Poster by Jan Balet: 

Example 2: Vintage Coffee Advertisement

My source for this is a Hatch Show Print poster I bought on a trip to Nashville, that is now hanging in my kitchen. This letterpress shop has been around for decades and they created this ad in the 1940s.  Here is an informational brochure about their business. I highly recommend a visit to this place, and Nashville is only 5 hours from here!

'Book Week' poster image found here.

Coffee poster image found here.