Graphic Design Puts Art in Your Life

Whether You Realize It or Not

I was struggling recently, to design a t-shirt - "you're the artist, just do something nice" - I've heard that so many times before, signs, logos, posters, you name it...if you are an "artist" you should be able to whip up a little something, right?  So WRONG.

Artists are not all created alike and if I get my wish of 9 lives I have decided that one of them will reincarnate me into a GRAPHIC artist.  You know, those folks who probably invade our lives more with their work than any other type of artist on earth.  Even in a foreign country you can spot Coke, McDonald's and Nike, right?  Because graphic art speaks a universal language, a language of symbols that, at its best, transcends the spoken word and becomes an immediate visual icon.  You recognize those product symbols because some artist took time, input and a 1000 iterations to produce that piece of art.  Talk about powerful.

Back to my t-shirt....

I was struggling, and floundering, and trying really, really hard with little success.

My son, on the other hand, seems to have a knack for this thing (with only 1 junior high art class I might add.) So I sent him my best design for instructions on how to convert to a printable piece.

"Mind if I take a try?" he replied.  Mind? I thought. mind?  thanks, have at it.

His design was, not only superior to any of mine, but a winner for saying a lot with very little....

This started me on a hunt to learn more about other graphic designs we encounter regularly...next time you see a symbol or logo study it more carefully, you may see it differently, for instance:

* do you notice a white arrow between the E and x in the FedEx logo?  no mistake for implying speed, 

* have you ever seen the party people dipping a chip into the bowl on top of the i in Tostitos logo?

* and yes, I could replicate the Amazon.com logo in a heartbeat...but only then would I recognize the subtly of the arrow going from A to Z....and smiling!!

I am thanking my son publicly, he used to design web pages so is no novice to this sort of design, but I am keeping his contact a secret....he no longer does this work and is expecting a son so he will be a tad busy, but here is a mock up of the t-shirt we ordered:

Cool, huh?

and if you want to dive a little deeper into some of the fun things designed into common logos just check out these sites:

http://twistedsifter.com/2011/08/20-clever-logos-with-hidden-symbolism/

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logo

http://www.boredpanda.com/clever-logos-with-hidden-symbolism/

So see? artists are coloring your world whether you realize it or not...might as well try and enjoy the nuance and messages in their designs.

GRAPHICALLY YOURS,

Cindy