Updates

Okay, so It's been a little longer then last mentioned I said I'd post.  Today isn't a review, but an update on my never ending safari for the golden calf of a job.  Two days ago, I was at my retail job, when one of my co-workers hands me a card.  He told me he had gone to an Entrepreneurs meeting where he met a recruiter for an Agency here in "Steel City", so I'll e-mailing her today.
This will indeed cause some confusion in my plans if I get a job here verses NY, but hey, a job is a job, especially if it's in my field, and with benefits.
Recent activities, personal life got weird, joined the Nerd Fighters Ning network, and working on personal projects such as Mock ads and writings for my graphic novels.   Created a new villain, may do some concept art later.
I'm thinking of inviting one of my former classmates to get in on this in a blog network type deal where we could switch off by week, or whenever the other one is busy.  I'm going to let that thought gestate a bit.
Confession time-
So since I live in a very RED part of a PA right now, I have to admit, watching the ads for the politicians I can't tell who ISN'T a republican.  Now, here I must explain I don't have a political agenda, but I will say, I'm for getting shit done, green energy, and equality.  That is all on that.

So That's all I have for right now, so in honor of my new affiliates-
DFTBA

Review #1

Product: "Heat" Perfume

Target Audience: Women 18-25 (sub target; their boyfriends)

Tagline: “Catch the Fever”

Beyonce, as we all know, is a singer originally from the hip-hop/r&b group called “Destiny’s Child.”  Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last ten years.  As of recent, Beyonce has seemed to catch the entrepreneur bug from her husband Jay-Z, sticking her fingers into any honey-pot that she can get a hold of.

So this brings us to her first commercial fragrance, Heat.

Lets get this grading off with a bang; first we have promo posters-

Text: (B) Going for the Times magazine font, classic, bold.  Not a terrible choice, but they could have gotten a little more interesting with it.

Text Use: (C+) Most of it is pretty good, except for the “Catch the Fever right across the tits.  It does the job of drawing your eye to them, but that’s mainly because it’s a bit hard to read.

Photography & Use: (C-) As always the photography for profession products are almost always good, though some points are lost with the overuse of glare and Blur.  Plus, did anyone notice that her face looks to large for her head?

Package Design, and Bottle-

The Bottle: (A) It’s red, making you think of heat, fire, lust, and feminine essence.  It has a round bottom to make you think of her “ghetto-booty-pow” she’s got going on, so I think it works for what it is aiming at.

Package: (B) I personally have never been a fan of the Magenta-Red color myself, and the gold text in my eye pops strange.  It’s good for getting it’s point across, and the boarder matches the rest of the box, which I think looks better then the front.

Personally I think the promo design of the package was better-

The Video-

Encoding is terrible today

Now, this gets you thinking of sex, and saunas.  Not quite sure how this relates to perfume?  Me neither!  Then of course we have Beyonce pretty naked, and at some point looks like she’s trying to get it on with the wall.  The effects are cool, but the imagery is confusing, and kind of overdone. Overall I give it a (C).

So in conclusion, The whole campaign would get a (B-)  Some good, some bad, but this one was totally better (and created four years ago for a college psychology class)

More encoding not wanting to work!

Much Love;

Kat

Arial Font is Bullshit (Hungry Beast)

Though this isn't a review, but it's something funny for my fellow graphic designers.
Austrailia Broadcasting Channel's Hungry Beast news show talks about a certain font we all know and hate.  He may sound like a crazy person, but be all know it's true!





We also to add to ABC's Hungry Beast rep of being awesome, we have a PSA about Fonts-

Welcome

Salutations,

This blog has been created to post my latest experiments in design and advertising design, reviews of existing designs by companies/professionals, and to share my experiences in the wilds on safari when it comes to job hunting.  It is my hope that my experiences prove to be useful to you out there in the Internet, and my fellow graphic designers out there.  Even if I only help one person out, it'll be an accomplishment.

So here is some background on me;

I am a 23yr-old graphic designer, shamelessly categorized as "freelance" right now since anything I do is free, because I'm not getting any paying work right now.  I am also a writer (amateur), and graphic novelist (amateur).  I have a Bachelor's of Science in Graphic Design from The Art Institutes (I'll get on them later).  I am a native New Yorker from the Hudson Valley, the part of NY right above New Jersey, and has spent the last five years in Pittsburgh, PA.  Thanks to the 'bustling' economy, the job market for Graphic Design isn't exactly top notch here, so I am in the works of relocating to New York in a few short weeks.  In the meantime, to prep for the move, I am creating a list of Advertising and Design agencies, and employment agencies.  I will be e-mailing, faxing, calling, and good old fashioned mailing these places with my cover letter, resume, & portfolio samples.

Now From time to time, I will be posting some of my own work if ideas and designs, but mostly I will review an ad campaign per week.  Old stuff, new stuff, whatever grabs my interest that week.  I will discuss target audience, methods, influences, and whether it achieved it's goal or not.  You can agree or disagree, freedom of choice and voice as always.

So here is to hoping you stick with my through this crazy adventure, the fears & dreams of the future, the frustrations, tears, joys, and triumphs.  Here is to the uncertainties of life and the future.

Much Love,

K.Taylor