My Very Own Creations

This being my last post, I'm going to share some pieces that I've done over the years. Hopefully, even though they're not great, you can learn at least something from them.

The first two are some logos ideas I've created for different companies.

This is a brochure template I've created for CCSoftware.

This was a logo idea for the, well, Art and Humanities Department at Davis High School.

The last few pieces are done in acrylics and colored pencil.

Well, I hope you've liked the blog. Remember, you can learn from anyone's art. Look for different techniques, for inspiration, and for new challenges. Then don't be afraid to try them. You might surprise yourself how well you do.

Advertisement

I've decided to branch out a bit now from still images, and just post up some of my favorite advertisements. You can learn a lot about advertising (and yourself) from good ad campaigns. In advertisement, it's not what you say, but how you say it. Notice in each advertisement what they're really saying, and what emotions they are trying to make you feel.

First off, Old Spice.



Basically, the man is not talking to the ladies, even though he said, "Hello ladies." He's talking to guys. And in a very simplistic way, he's saying, "you stink." But it's the way they say it. And the way they say it is very successful, raising sales 4.3%.

Now this is another Old Spice Commercial just one year earlier. They say basically the same thing: "you stink." But notice the difference of the way they say it.



There's no one way to do great advertisement. But some ways are a lot better than others.

Here's another example: Doritos.



And one of their less effective advertisements back in the day.



And just cause I like these next commercials, Skittles have been doing great advertisements.



This next one appeals to me, just because they're yelling in Tagalog and I understand what they're saying.



The writers that came up with this actually were recently hired by Old Spice and made that new commercial you watched above. Now lets take a look at a commercial that was less effective.



By looking at how good advertisements sell their products, you can learn a lot of good principles you can apply to other situations.

Terry Bogard: Graphic Designer

Portion of image from http://99designs.com/people/terry/folio

Now that I have explained a little bit about 99desings, I'll tell you a bit of a secret of getting good at whatever you do: Look at and learn from those around you. Look at what they create, and learn from what they did right. I like to create graphic design. So one of my favorite artists to learn from is Terry Bogard.

While I wad around 99designs, Terry Bogard stands out as one of the most impressive graphic designers there. Terry, like me, mostly submits logo designs. He has a firm grasp on both 2D and 3D variations of designs. His designs always look professional and crisp. Not only does his designs stand out because of professionalism, but he can skillfully use light, shape, and contrast to make each design pop.

I don't know how he creates some of his work. I'm still a beginner at graphic design. I'm looking forward to the day when I can create designs like his. And that will happen by looking and learning. If you want to learn how to oil paint, look at Albert Bierstadt. If you want to learn how to sculpt, look at Claes Oldenburg. If you want to learn a more modern art form like graphic design, one of the stops, at least for me, would be Terry Bogard.

99designs

Last time, I gave some links to tutorials for Adobe CS4. Now that you've increased your skill in these programs, you can make convincing graphic design. Do you want to use your new found skills and make some money? At 99designs.com, you can.

99designs is a great website where businesses post up graphic design projects. These projects are contests where they'll tell you generally what they want and what they'll pay for the winning design. And the best part is, any one can submit a design to the contest as many times as they want.

Now, 99 designs doesn't pay even close to what a professional graphic designer would get paid. Most projects are around $100-$500. That being said, 99designs is a great place to build up a portfolio. It gives you the creative starting point for designs, the motivation to create your best work, and a bit of cash if the business likes your design. So go on. Check it out. Choose a project and submit a design. It'll be great.