Saul Bass

The great Saul Bass revolutionized the Graphic Design world with his simplicity and great creativity. Saul Bass pushed the made the simple complex and made the complex simple, his unique approach to design was and is a standard for any designer today.
One of my favorite designs by Mr. Bass is the BELL logo he created. In this logo witch is simplified to its essence is the logo he created for the phone company it witch he place a bell in the center of a circle. What made this logo so great was the simplicity that surrounds his ideas. The bell logo was carefully though out and well executed.
Another one of Mr. Bass designs includes the one he did for United Airlines; witch is still used to this day. In this design we can see an abstract letter U and letter A, side by side.  The letter U is in a light ocean blue color while the letter A is in a red color. In this design Mr. Bass literally united the two letters to as a play on word to the company name United Airlines. In the center we can see the right side of the letter U and the left side of a letter A to “unite” the two letters and in theory parts of the world.

Mr. Bass can summarize his career alongside the historic iconic symbols of American companies. Designing original logos for Quaker, AT&T and the Girl scouts, he gave America and identity in the world. 

Puma "Carson" Sneaker

Now and days everyday athletic shoes are the craze. I just recently purchased a pair of Puma "Carson" Athletic shoes. These shoes have a lightweight slick design that is meant to hug the foot. That is how design gets you, never would I guess that I would be buying Puma shoes, not because I couldn’t afford them, because the designs were never appealing to me. The designs that Puma has made in their sneakers were always way to flashy and tacky for my taste.

Getting to the Puma sneakers I bought, they are black with a white sole and neon green highlights throughout. The design of the sole lifts the heels up to add further comfort to the foot, when running, hiking etc.The laces are close together and lifted closer to the leg, this specific features allows the shoe to bend in a way where the laces don't get in way of the top crease. As I wore these shoes I am able to stand on my feet all day, without feeling exhausted.

The sneaker, has Pumas signature 3 stripes on the inner and outer part of the shoe, in a shimmer grey. The neon color highlights makes the shoe pop but can only be seen in logo in the rear of the first two holes where the laces go through. The PUMA letters are on the tong and the puma logo is on the heal of the shoe. If you look closely at the fabric material used to make the shoes, a patter of random position rectangles are visible in a dark grey.

What I found unnecessary were the crater circles put on the sides of the shoe sole, it seem like the designer didn’t like he smooth, but sometimes adding nothing should be option. The shoes don't give ankle support because they are a low top design. Maybe I'm just getting picky now but that is very important when making an athletic shoe.

I recent years I have seen the changes made in designing new sneakers, they aren’t bulky or futuristic like before. Now they cater to the everyday person whom is seeking a comfort shoe with casual style.

 

MAC lipsticks

Recently I was hovering over the cosmetic lipsticks that my girlfriend has and I noticed that one specific lipstick look different from the rest.  Picking up the lipstick I noticed how different it was and began to wonder why, and I soon came to a conclusion. First I looked at it and said to myself "this looks like like two things, a bullet and a women's pleasure toy".  Its clear that this is being marketed towards women 21-35. That make so much sense, it hit me how the design of this lipstick casing is genius. Girls love their toys whether they are lipstick toys or  pleasure toys. Its no coincidence that the casing looks like a miniature sexual pleasure toys. Although the design is so simple the message is there, and that is what makes it such a great idea. These are the designs that are the most successful, the ones that stimulate ideas without the customer not even knowing. And since these lipsticks come in different colors they become collectables, this allows the company to push the boundaries of their markets.

The type face used looks futuristic and puts the idea of the "future of cosmetics". Its unique design is creative and very eye catching. Although i have to say I'm not a fan of how the the letter A connects to the letter C. I'm still trying to comprehend the two dots to the left and right of the letter A.

As far as the typeface design im still trying to break the code, but the design of the lipstick casing is genius.

Levis Commuter

So recently I purchased a pair of Levis Jeans, not 501,or 522, but the "Commuters".These jeans are revolutionary in the sense that they capture the necessity of those with bikes as a form of transportation. The idea of these jeans to have a comfortable pare of jeans when commuting through the city on your bicycle. These jeans are revolutionary for the detail and specific put in to the jean design. Levis pared up with 3M to bring this light pare of jeans to the world.

Reflectors.The jeans were designed to be rolled up from the legs, when rolled they the plans have a reflector sewed in to the pant leg. This is genius because this acts as another light to bee seen at night by the vehicles. The issue that I have is that is is position in the side of the pants, not in front of you or behind you. Usually a commuter is riding along side traffic so a car perceptive id in front or behind of the commuter.

Crotch. The Crotch of this particular set of jeans is made with a second layer of jean to add comfort in that area. This allows for comfort in those longer riding distance. I have these pants but I cant help but feel like I'm wearing a diaper when I'm not riding. The extra weight of this area ways the pants down, when walking normally, so make sure a belt is within reach.

Belt line. In the belt line there is and extra strap in which a bike lock attaches too. This particular strap is located in the rear and does not get in the way. You wouldn't even notice it if you weren't trying to feel the belt strap.

High Rise. The pants are made with high rise to help with the exposure of your rear when riding through the city. The high rise ads comfort as well.

Overall these jeans are designed well and you can tell a lot of though was put in to the overall features. I will continue buying them as I believe they will work out the kinks and make them better.

The Grilled Cheese Truck

In the last 5 years we have seen and explosion of great food trucks all through Los Angeles. All these trucks have specific design that are meant to catch the attention of anyone in the streets as they are zooming by. The most interesting one is that Grilled Cheese Truck. Of course its the food that makes it most memorable, but the design is what encourages the public to approach the food trucks.

The grilled Cheese truck is painted bright yellow, so of course its going to catch everyone's attention. Besides the color we see a flood of cheese everywhere and the design of the truck gushing cheese by the tire. That clever little mark is very appealing as it leaves the customer with that idea that cheese is going to gush out when you bite the sandwich. Everyone loves overwhelming amounts of cheese in their grill cheese. Another detail is how type was played with. It is in bubbly letters and reminds me of that yellow cheese that's in a can. These little details I really admire.

I do have and issue with the logo they have. The logo has a truck coming out of a grill cheese sandwich. I don't agree with a truck being drawn on the side of the Truck, the reason for this is, we know its a truck, and the name is "The Grilled Cheese Truck". With that said we don't need a picture depicting those exact nouns, it just too much and too literal, as designers we should be able to think past the obvious and dig mentally to create something clever and not literal. Another issue is that the truck drawn is white, but the grilled cheese truck is yellow.

A quick solution could be to add the color brown to represent the bread. Or even incorporate the textures seen when you grill a cheese sandwich. The design is interesting but I feel a lot could be said without saying too much.

"Temmpus"

Their have been several design projects in witch I have been a part of. One of the designs that I am proud of is the one created for my personal clothing line, TEMMPUS. The clock design was original created by me as the emblem for the clothing. This design is the most recent one that was created.

 When creating this brand I was heavily influenced by a Salvador Dali painting in witch be portrays the clock in a melting fashion, indicating the idea of Purgatory. The clock is melting as well in the logo but not in the same manner that we would find in Dali's painting. In this logo the clock is melting but looks more like a splatter than a melt. The use of negative space puts the idea of the 12,6,9, and 3 that are commonly found in a clock. What I don't like is how cramped it looks where the big hand meets the center piece, this specific area make it uncomfortable for the eye. The negative space in any design allows the eye to explore, but when the eye is not allowed to travel, it gives for an uncomfortable design. The logo could use a second look to work out the kinks and make it very eye friendly.

In this specific design I wanted to put the word "time" as a statement. Based on the feedback I was receiving on the design, I noticed the public not really being able to distinguish the design of the clock. So this design came from the frustration of certain people not recognizing the logo I designed. The two circles represent the seconds and the minutes. The thin circle represent seconds and the thick circles represent minutes. The typeface was accidental, even tho I'VE been taught how accidents shouldn't happen in design, and everything should be on purpose.

This design is well balanced but lack certain tweaks that can make it POP!

With that said, back to the drawing bored.....

Chipotle Restaurants, Grand and &th

Recently I visited a Chipotle in Downtown LA and I couldn't help but notice the way the interior design was set up. Because its down town  their are usually groups of people going out for lunch. The design platform is that of a lounge area with low seating and high roofs. The lights that dangle are meant to emphasizes the high roofs and light the food your eating. One thing Chipotle has, is fresh food, and with lights hovering over your food one can clearly see how colorful and fresh the food is while eating. What is fascinating was the lounge feel of the restaurants, but the lack of public outlets within the building. Besides the food quality that is another reason my the public gravitates to Chipotlet, because one feels comfortable lounging and eating but its meant to one go in and out. The interior designer wanted to encourage the atmosphere to "chill" but only if you have food. Because Chipotle is base on Mexican cuisine there is Aztec gods in back (at least in this one). The design of the chairs is that with no back to it to encourage conversion with a group of people. The chairs that have the back piece are design to encourage conversation almost two people.