Designer Tobias Bergdahl has created some stunning graphics entitled 12 paradoxes of graphic design. Here, I have selected a few of them to show you, but please check out his post for the full set. I particularly like the graphic and quote combination above: “The best way to become a better graphic designer is to become a client”. True.

Credits: All images are © copyright Tobias Bergdahl, a 29 years old Interactive Art Director Student from Stockholm. Please check out his site…

★★★★★ For more Poster Designs, check out Vintage Advertising by Alex Varanese.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

Basically, they show how modern technology would look if they were advertised back in the 1990′s. I think they’re quite amazing, and really made my day when I first saw them. The final poster “iPod Hi-fi” at the end of this post is my favourite. What’s yours?

Vintage Advertising  Designs Gallery

What would you do if you could travel back in time? … here’s what I’d do after that: grab all the modern technology I could find, take it to the late 70′s, superficially redesign it all to blend in, start a consumer electronics company to unleash it upon the world, then sit back as I rake in billions, trillions, or even millions of dollars [read more].

Credits: All images shown are copyright Alex Varanese. Please check out his Behance profile and his site, The Art of Alex Varanese, for more fantastic work.

★★★★★ For more Poster Designs, take a quick look at Poster Designs for the Bob Cheevers Tour.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

Great Britain’s £500,000 Tourism Poster Campaign was just launched (and publicly-funded) here in the UK. The posters supposedly put the “Great” back into Britain. I like the concept, however I reckon the left-aligned typography looks slightly odd with the word BRITAIN aligned centrally underneath. Maybe its just me?

Oh course, we have Mr. Branson striking a pose for the camera, but we also have Wallace & Gromit and an array of scenic views and historical venues. However, I’m not impressed of the photo used for the ‘Music is Great’ design, as it sports a man signalling the ‘devil horns’ gesture. Surely another image would have been more appropriate for the tourism poster campaign.

Overall though, I think the poster designs will do their job well—especially in the run up to the 2012 Olympics in London.

The Daily Mail have written a detailed article on the set of designs:

The Prime Minister wants to dispel negativity linked to the country’s ongoing economic problems and move away from the anarchic images that were beamed around the globe during last month’s English riots.

More than £500,000 has been spent on the new GREAT campaign and a series of posters will be used across the world centred around the 2012 London Olympics to promote Britain the brand.

Its aim is to attract an extra billion pounds of inward investment and trade over the next year, giving a lift to an economy that has barely grown during the last 12 months. [read more]

As can be seen, the posters include titles such as “Countryside is Great”, “Heritage is Great”, “Entrepreneurs are Great” and “Shopping is Great”. I think they missed one off intentionally, though “The Weather is Great” …maybe not.

Credits: Base Image via DCMS/PA Wire © PA Via Metro / Top images The Daily Mail.

For more posters, check out How 10 Fantastic Poster Designs Conform to A.I.D.A.

What do You think of the designs? Please leave your comments below…

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

The Brigada Creativa Behance portfolio states that Life Calendars is a series of a different calendars which highlights an aspect of life:

“How was your day?” is the first of the series. The 365 days are represented by an emoticon that you have to draw as the day has gone (very good, good, regular, bad, very bad).

The poster design is flexible, too, as it doesn’t pertain to any given year as such…

I don’t think I’ll be getting one, though—as I’d fill it all with stressed out faces throughout the year!

These can be viewed on the Brigada Creativa Behance page. You can also order one of these over at the Brigada Creativa Shop, too (non-affiliate).

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

Lifesaver was a Christian-based event that was held at St. Peter’s Church in Cauldwell, UK. What was Lifesaver? Their printed copy text explained:

It is a week of events from 28 March to 3 April organised by St Peter’s Church. Most events will have a short talk about why Jesus came.  We hope to see you there!

Elwyn of St Peter’s required a leaflet (pamphlet) and poster campaign that would carry their message over the course of 3 weeks. After excepting my quotation, I was hired to design a logo and leaflet design first to kick off the campaign. The logo is included in the above image.

Leaflet Design

I designed a roll-fold A4 full colour glossy leaflet. See a handful of the 2500 final printed versions below:

The next 2 images show the entire double-sided roll-fold design when unfolded. Outer image on right:

Inner panels

Here is a closeup of the printed logo, which I designed in Adobe Illustrator in vector format:

I used two popular and proven fonts within the design, Trajan Pro and Myriad Pro (in varied weights):

I also designed a custom map for the leaflet, which appeared on the very back page when folded:

Poster Sketches

The large-format posters were to be a series which revealed what the event was in 3 stages. It turned out that the A0 posters were required in landscape orientation, as they were to be placed in a pre-fitted board outside the Church.

I sketched a couple of “reveal” ideas in my Moleskine sketchbook. This was the concept I expanded upon and used:

This was a similar concept:

I experimented with the graphic styling of the design, too:

I decided to use vector shapes combined with stark imagery of rough seas:

Ao Large-format Landscape Poster Designs

Here are the final Ao poster designs in order [1]:

[2]

[3]

A3 and A4 Poster Design

The smaller A3 and A4 poster designs (that were displayed internally) showed just the final version of the design, but in portrait orientation:

Much Creative Fun, but for Real Purpose

I must say, this project was wonderful to work on. I had pretty much free reign to get my creative juices flowing. I produced something original and unique—and I feel like the whole campaign will have had a great impact on the community.

As a Christian, the project was more to me than just part of earning a living. I desired to create something was instrumental in spreading the Christian message to the people of Cauldwell.

Here’s a thank you to Elwyn for great feedback, too.

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

In short, this teaches you how to get the most out of using a combination of striking coloured imagery and header titles.

The following 3 images show example segments of, say, a poster design for a flower show (without any other details shown. Imagine this is the top half of a poster design).

Please note: The following method is aimed at people already familiar with Photoshop desaturation techniques, transparency and layers.

Appendix A: How the “normal poster design” would look…

As can be seen in the image below, the very vivid pink and green colours of the image are used in the headline. Yes, the headline title is noticeable, but to make it appear brighter, a spot colour could be used. Now, such colours could be a special ultra-bright Pantones®, hexachromes or even a metallics (not to metion UV coating, etc).

Flower Image source and copyright (Creative Commons): lrargerich

◥ The big problem with using spot colours is the additional cost, but there are ways of keeping a lovely bright image and stunning vivid headlines at the same time without the image ‘overpowering’ the title.

Here’s how: use colour psychology. ‘Trick’ the viewers brain into thinking that the headline title is more vivid than the image. Yes, you could just make the image less bright and saturated, but this would make the flowers look dull.

The key, in this case, is to use a kind of subliminal-gradient-effect. Huh? Let me show you how:

◥ The image above shows a desaturated version of the image, faded-out to transparent in a Photoshop layer. When this is overlaid above the original bright flower image, the vividity of the image is retained for most-part (especially in the lower regions). Near the top of the image, the image is less saturated and therefore less vivid and bright.

Appendix B: How the final poster would look

As can be seen below, the flowers image is less saturated near the top where it meets the headline:

◥ Overall, the image is vivid but the title headline appears to me more saturated than it actually is. This is because the “general viewer” will see the image as a whole and take more notice of the headline as there is a clear segregation between image and text—even though the same vividity of pink is utilised.

Take note of the Principle

Now, this principle can be applied in many ways. In the above example, I have used a method using desaturation, but many more ways can be used to make a headline “pop” without resorting to spot colours. Such methods include the use of curves, levels and alpha channels.

After reading this tutorial you’ll probably now see the image as it is (ie, a combination and gradual gradation of desaturation and vividity), however, this would be because you’re aware of the process I’ve outlined.

This process won’t make a massive difference if used correctly—as subtlety is key—but is should have an impact that is worthwhile.

The general viewer—when used correctly—should see poster, pamphlet or flyer designs that utilise vivid headlines and images without distracting from the principle of AIDA (Attraction, Interest, Desire, Action).

What do you think of this methodology? Do you think you will find use for it in the future? Adversely, have you used a similar method before? Please share your thoughts below…

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

A.I.D.A (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action; also AIDA) is the well-known acronym that can guide a designer when creating advertisements. In this case, I will be looking at 10 fantastic poster designs and determining how they conform to the AIDA principle.

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Here’s what the AIDA acronym stands for:

A → Attention (also, Attraction, Awareness or Allure): Attract the attention of the target audience (viewer of the poster design in this case).

I → Interest: Garner the Interest of the target audience by outlining the purpose of the design.

D → Desire: Convince the target audience that they want the product or service and that it will satisfy their requirements.

A → Action: Lead the target audience towards taking a specific and measurable action.

In regards to Poster Design, the ‘typical’ allocation of space that contains copy and imagery looks something like this:

As designers try to push the envelope, so-to-speak, ‘typical’ can constrain creativity in many cases. The following examples show 10 poster designs I have selected which show the actual design on the left, and an outline of the AIDA ‘boundaries’ on the right. Simply drag and hover the right image over the corresponding poster design to see the AIDA principle in action.

After the analysis of the 10 designs, I’ll give a conclusion on my findings: How close did the design conform to AIDA? Was the system better than the ‘typical’ stack (whereby Attention gets more space at the top of the poster, followed by incrementally smaller sections below).

The following explanation of the AIDA principle in the following designs are only my own opinions—and attempt to show my thought process when I view them. Here goes...

1: ‘Get Tactical’ Poster Design

Poster image source and/or copyright & larger image version URL here.

☞ TIP! Hold down your mouse button and drag the line-image on the right over the poster image of the left temporally to create an overlay. You’ll then be able to see both the actual poster design with the coloured outlines at once (until you release your mouse button). This works in Firefox, although in Safari, it makes the images smaller.

The obvious part of the poster is the illustration, however, interest is developed in the lower strapline which leads to the ‘desire’ of the dated-event. The final call-to-action is the URL at the base. If I wanted to analyse this design fully, I would say that after these steps the viewer would look back to the illustration and the surrounding beige-coloured texture.

The fact the the viewer may take a closer look at any poster design again if they were interested goes without saying, so this is the only design where I will mention such a step to avoid repetitive content.

2: ‘Laughing Squid’ Poster Design

Poster image source and/or copyright & larger image version URL here.

I initially look at the giant squid, then I notice the title of the poster design. After taking a look at the footer information, I then notice the Laughing Squid web URL.

3: ‘Cogitatur’ Poster Design

Poster image source and/or copyright & larger image version URL here.

The obvious element of this design is the giant brown-droplet. After seeing this, I notice the Cogitatur heading, then the date which leads to the URLl.

4: ‘Modernism’ Poster Design

Poster image source and/or copyright & larger image version URL here.

The first thing that grabs my attention is the illustration on the right of the design. The title then holds my interest, with the copy text underneath and the top circle holding my next glance. The call to action in this case is the awareness of the name of the designer.

5: ‘EventBrand’ Poster Design

Poster image source and/or copyright & larger image version URL here.

After my attention is grabbed by the stunning colour explosion, the eye is naturally drawn down the next and only area of colour: the EventBrand logo. The next viewing is either a quick flick of the eyes to the explosion, or a look at the information and URL in the right corner of the footer.

6: ‘Small Music Theatre’ Poster Design

Poster image source and/or copyright & larger image version URL here.

After viewing the illustration—main focal point of the poster design, I then look at both of the large-white headings. First the middle one—and then the top, before reading the pink headings of the body of text before viewing the URL and other small print.

7: ‘Martini Asti’ Poster Design

Poster image source and/or copyright & larger image version URL here.

Given that the entire poster shows enticing underwater photography, I eventually focus on the Martini bottle before looking at the Asti logo in the top-left corner. The desire then derives from the base of the bottle which again shows the Asti logo and the product together. The call-to-action (URL) is located in the bottom-right-corner. However, some legal information is located on the left hand-side at the bottom.

Given that these two areas of text shows similar amounts of white, my eyes are naturally drawn to the left first (as English is read from left to right). I very quickly realises that this information isn’t what I want to read, so I pay more attention is then paid to the URL area on the right.

8: ‘National Design Museum’ Poster Design

Poster image source and/or copyright & larger image version URL here.

The giant-red “K” shape first draws my attention, quickly followed by the heading on the right. I then glance at the copy text next to it before taking a very quick look at the “500″ detail above the footer information. The call-to-action is to visit the National Design Museum.

9: ‘Forestle’ Poster Design

Poster image source and/or copyright & larger image version URL here.

The looking glass draws my attention first and foremost, right before my eyes move downwards to the first line of the typography. Then, I look at the whole image and first heading together before finally reading the web URL at the poster footer.

10: ‘Uncle Sam’ Poster Design

Poster image source and/or copyright & larger image version URL here.

Well, I assume everyone recognises the poster above. Obviously, the attention is delivered in the form of the image, with the heading text garnering interest. The desire comes from the highlighted “YOU” followed by the call-to-action at the base. Excellent.

Conclusion

At the start of this post, I showed an image of what the ‘standard’ layout for “Attention, Interest, Desire, Action” looked like (well, in the case of poster design). As can be seen with the examples I’ve shown, this configuration is sometimes loosely utilised (such as in the ‘Cogitatur’ Poster Design) and at other times turned on its head—the  ‘Modernism’ and ‘Asti’ posters were perfect examples of this.

As stated, the preceding explanations of the AIDA principle in these designs were only my opinions. The designer’s original intentions may or may not have given the AIDA principle precedence when designing them.

One thing I’ve learned through the process of ‘designing this post’ is that a poster design can powerfully convey a message in a variety of ways regardless of the prior knowledge of the AIDA principle. As long as the viewers attention is gained and the call-to-action is effectively conveyed, this principle can be interpreted and implemented with endless possibilities.

What Do You Think?

Do you see any different patterns of the principle of AIDA in these designs which differ from my own? Do you think my analysis is pretty much what most people will see, or do you think I’m way off the mark? Do you have any other insight on the subject to share? If so, feel free to leave your comments below for all the read…

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This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

I’ve had the concept for this poster in-mind for many months now. It’s based on the premise that it doesn’t matter what order the letters of a word are in—just as long as the first and last letters are in the correct place (according to researchers at Cambridge University).

For example, try reading this:

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Cool huh? I thought so too. My thinking is that the sentence on the poster design should read “You Can Read Better Than I Can Design Posters“. I hope no explanation is necessary regarding to humorous nature of the design (?) The image below shows some detail from the poster, with a slightly-patterned background effect.

Download for Free

The poster is available for download in both A4 and USA desktop printer sizes, saved in PDF Format:

↓ USA Version (8.5″ x 11″) @300dpi:

↓ A4 Version (21cm x 29.7cm) @300dpi:

↓ Don’t have a PDF Reader?

This poster design is branding with a Creative Commons Licence: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.0 Generic

Questions & comments welcome…

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall

Just a quick post about a poster design I recently produced for the Bob Cheevers tour, which also featured Dominic Finley and Lizzie Nunnery. My last post was about the CD Sleeve I designed for Dominic—and this poster was done straight after to announce that he was touring with the other two musicians.

◥ These PDF Proofs show two versions of the poster design, which announce varied dates and venues.

◥ The posters were supplied in three [European] sizes (A3, A4 and A5)—and also in black & white. Notice that the B+W one isn’t just a direct copy of the coloured one converted to greyscale. I individually lightened the text shades so the whole thing looked sharp and legible.

Any thoughts? I’d love to read them

This post is Copyright Andrew Kelsall, author of the Andrew Kelsall Graphic Design Blog.Andrew Kelsall | Creative Designer - Graphic Design Blog of Andrew Kelsall