Back in my day...

Mountain Dew Throwback is a version of Mountain Dew that is made with sugar, instead of artificial sweeteners, and it contains fewer preservatives.  So, when you drink Throwback, you are drinking healthy...er.  Aside of tasting good, though, Throwback is also a great example of American Kitsch...or at least the can is.  You have the cartoon character coupled with the "hand painted" style of lettering.  It serves to remind us of the good old days....even if some of us weren't alive back then.  The design of the can almost supersedes the structure.  The structural design of the can is very much modern, but the art and design of the label takes the can back to older times.

WIPC: International Edition

This is an ad for Korean Air, taken from the back of a Canadian magazine.  Welcome to the international edition of my blog!  Anyway, the ad is focusing on the international connectivity aspect that the airline provides to it's passengers, and it does so through the visual example of a Ferris Wheel.  The central support of the wheel is labeled with the central hub of the airline, and each support strut coming off of the center connects to a chair, each of which are labeled with a possible destination.  In this form, every location is connected to every other location.  The travel limits and multiple flight transfers seemingly melt away in this display of connectivity communicated through a archetypal form.

Don't Try This at Home...

Some of you might remember a question that I brought up in class a few weeks ago about a design I had seen on the side of a semi.  Well, I got a second shot at taking the picture.  So, I would like to apologize for the quality of this shot.  It was raining and I was driving, which is just so wonderfully road-responsible of me, I know.  I Picnik-ed the heck out of this pic, but it still comes out looking pretty low quality, so I pulled the logo off of the official website for side-by-side reference.  UNFI (United Natural Foods, Inc.) is, as you can guess by the name, a international distributor of natural food stuffs.  I really was attracted to their logo because of how different elements play off of each other.  The logo is green, which fits the health food theme, and the gradient of the leaves is carried over to the dot above the "i."  I also like how the natural curvature of the leaves follows the curve of the name.  Also, the logo looks like an oil painting, not a digitally designed piece of art, which gives it a much earthier and more natural feel.  Overall, it was worth the risk to get the shot.

"Now is the winter of our discontent..."

I will be the first to tell you that I am a bit of a theatre junkie (That's right, I said theatre not theater.  I kick it old school).  A few years ago, I attended the Illinois Shakespeare Festival and saw a production of Richard III that completely blew my mind.  I decided I had to get a t-shirt, and, to my delight, they were equally as mind blowing.  I love how the bloody tally marks are not immediately apparent.  At first, it looks like it just says "Richard," but then you see that the blood is in three stripes, and it becomes "Richard III."  The violence of this design is matched by the violent story of Richard III, and serves as a reminder of the villain in this play.  He may be the third to be crowned King Richard, but that name is based on blood.

I'm Lovin' It...right?

This poster, found in a local Micky D's, is actually a very sneakily done bit of graphic design suggestion.  That happy meal is nestled in with a bunch of apples, which are very healthy for you, and...well gosh darn it if the box isn't red just like an apple.  Even though, in your conscious mind, you know a standard happy meal isn't anywhere near the neighborhood of healthy, the color similarity in the box and the apples makes that happy meal look very desirable.  Yes, this poster is advertising for "healthier" alternatives to the happy meal, but I think we all know what this poster is really trying to push.  Sneaky, Mr. McDonald...verrrrrrrry sneaky.