Thursday, March 10, 2005

Ignore this it's for school... just in case my disk fucks up.

Example 1: Star Wars Episode III Poster This poster was designed by the same person responsible for the other five Star Wars movie posters, Drew Struzan. The reason for using this designer and the type of poster style (which looks slightly dated by today's standards, as the first movie premiered in 1977), would be to give longterm fans a sense of nostalgia and connection with the older three movies, and to give the entire series it's own distinct feel. Each character's placement on the poster reflects their roles in the flm, and their characteristics. Anakin Skywalker, the main character, is placed in the center, while Padme Amidala and Obi-Wan Kenobi, the next two most important characters, are placed either side of him. The center of the poster is comprised of the duelling of Anakin and Obi-Wan, a much anticipated scene in the movie, and is stylized with a lens flare effect and over-the-top lighting, to give the picture an almost holy sense. The character of Darth Sidious is hunched over in the lower right, reflecting the fact that he is one of the main evil characters in the film. The mid-left hand side of the poster shows the character of Yoda, who is an important character in the series. I think it's strange that his picture isn't very prominent, but then again, there are many other characters on the poster, and they may have held more importance. Below Yoda, we are given a glimpse of the origins of the TIE fighters, ships which featured prominently throughout the original three films. On the mid left side of the poster, Mace Windu is given a small image reference, though he is obviously given the least priority out of all the other charcters on the poster, as again, his character is probably less important than the others. The largest image on the poster is that of the iconic helmet of Darth Vader, and the placement of it slightly to the left draws the viewer's eyes downwards towards the type on the poster. Regarding the type, the title 'Episode III' is highlighted, as this is the most important part of the name of the movie, as it tells people where the film fits chronologically within the series, and it's the name most people use to describe the film. I think that this poster is effective in the way it fits in with the rest of the Star Wars films. However, I do believe that this proved to be a burden on the designers. It may have worked for a film released over 35 years ago, but by today's standards this style looks outdated, even though this is what the designers intended. However, I'm sure long-time Star Wars fans would be pleased by it, so that's what really counts. Example 2: theOtaku.com Website Banner TheOtaku.com is a site that allows anime (Japanese Animation) fans to create their own online journals, post things like fanart and reviews and do other anime-related things. The banner was designed by James Burns. The most prominent thing about the banner is the website logo, which is presented in a stylised, dynamic font. The logo is further emphasized by the orange streak, which stands out from the grey used on the rest of the banner. This design is very simplistic with its use of colour, but I think that this is effective because of the afformentioned prominence of the logo. The orange streak leads the eye towards the right hand side of the banner, and the grey anime character. A simplistic representation of the anime style, it's drawn with the usual large eyes, spiky hair and flamboyant clothes. The streaks that are used in the banner appear to be coming off its back, in an almost cape-like way, and this links the whole banner together. Outlines are used heavily throughout the banner, on the type, streaks and the character itself, probably for stylistic reasons. I think this design is effective, as it fits in well with the anime theme, does what it aims to do, which is to introduce the viewer to what the site is about, and to provide an eye catching design that will make the viewer want to view the rest of the site. As an anime fan, it appeals to me, so it is also effective in this way. Example 3: Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory Album Cover Linkin Park is one of my favourite bands, and the album cover for their debut album, Hybrid Theory, attempts to capture the spirit of the band. The first thing the viewer notices is the band's name at the top of the cover. Like the rest of the album, it has a grungy, graffiti style to it. The choice of the backwards Ns in the band's logo may just be to look distinctive and different, but I think they also promote a sense of retaliation against the norm, and this would appeal to my age group. The 'street soldier' in the middle of the cover is, again, depicted in a graffiti style. It carries a flag and is depicted as having wings - however, the wings are done in a different colour, which somewhat detaches them from the main image of the soldier, as if they're not really a part of it. I don't know if there is a symbolic reason behind this, but I think it works well in breaking up the image, and providing something interesting to look at that almost acts as a frame for the soldier picture. The album name appears in the bottom right of the screen. It's probably placed here because the viewer's eye is drawn from the band name at the top, through the soldier picture and finally down to the album name. The album name is the same colour as the background, but the paint streak effect behind it makes it stand out. Letters appear in various places around the cover, but it is unclear if they have a specific meaning or whether they are just placed randomly. This further helps the grungy theme of the design. I really like this album cover. I think it does a great job or representing the style of the band. When you look at it, you can pretty much work out what type of music Linkin Park plays, which is an alternative rock style. They colours chosen also appeal to me, and are in my opinion a good fit for the overall design.

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