Assignment 2 - What Makes a Good Graphic Design? // Design 4950

January 31, 2022

Assignment 2 - What Makes a Good Graphic Design? // Design 4950

1. Explain how the design captures your attention. Include what you see first, and why does that part stand out?

The reason why I gravitated to this design is because of the use of shapes, lines, and forms as a design device that guides the viewer throughout the poster for the brand Patagonia. What I first saw that drew my attention was how the designers created almost a "game" or "questionnaire" type of experience for the viewer. This forces the viewer to have to go through the questions that are asked of them. The objective of these questions is to get people more conscious of what they buy, make, sell and/or use things and that these choices are interconnected. The other aspect that I really liked about this poster was the color palette that is used in these few posters. The last element that I was also drawn to is the overlay screen print style of the poster.

2. How does the design control your eye's flow throughout the layout? What is the hierarchy of the visual elements - what is more important? Make a numbered list of the design's hierarchy.

The element within the design that controls the eye flow through the layout is the use of lines and forms that point to certain questions and statements. The halftone images also help the viewer's eye flow throughout the layout of the Patagonia poster.

1. The first hierarchy of the poster is the boxes that contain text that then point to various different responses to the question or statement. Some of the posters can be read in various ways that have different outcomes depending on your response to the question. There are three hierarchies in this part of the design the statement being the biggest, the question second, and the third would be the "yes" or "no" responses.

2. The halftone images are the second element that has a visual hierarchy. The images are placed within the poster that also flows with the direction that the text flows in.

3. The third element to the hierarchy would be the text that says "The Responsible Economy" in the top left corner of the poster

4. The last element is the text logo for Patagonia that appears in the bottom left corner of the poster.

3. Make a listing of the kinds of information conveyed by the design. Describe how the design conveys that information.

- "The Responsible Economy" - The name of the campaign

- "We have a problem" "No we're getting somewhere" - information about a problem and a reassuring solution to the question of "can it be solved without making more stuff?"

- The company logo - It makes the ad recognizable to the viewer knowing what company this poster came from.

4. Emotions, which emotions do the design evoke? How does it do that and why?

This poster is designed to encourage consumers to be more conscious about their buying habits and how they can be more sustainable with their purchases. They do this by choosing a slightly muted color palette and colors that are often tightly associated with science, nature, earth, and sustainability. The green that is used emotes as a sense of harmony, balance, and renewal. The use of blue also emotes conservative and reliable. All of the colors used in the designs evoke emotions that correlate with the feelings and responses that the campaign is designed for. In these posters, the design team also chose a san serif font which makes the design more approachable to its audience, thus making the viewer more open to the thought of sustainability within the way they consume.